- •Part three
- •2. Write the word next to its definition. The sentences in the previous exercise will help you decide on the meaning of each word.
- •3. Using the answer line provided, complete each item below with the correct word from the box. Use each word once.
- •4. Summarize the issue presented in the text.
- •3.2 B. Listening and Watching
- •1. Check the statement that summarizes the commentator's viewpoint.
- •2. Read the following questions and answers. Listen to the commentary again and circle the best answer.
- •3. For discussion
- •3.2 C. Live and Let the Others Live
- •1. Read the article
- •Based on the article by Jon Bowermaster1
- •2. Find the words meaning the same in text.
- •3. Match the words that collocate.
- •4. Authors can have different viewpoints, but their opinions can sometimes be similar. Read the statements below and say whether Trefil and or Bowermaster would agree with them.
- •5. After you have distinguished the opinions of the commentator and the author, express your own opinions on the above statements.
- •3.2 D. Vocabulary in Focus
- •1. “All Creatures Great and Dying” is an allusion to Biblical all creatures great and small.
- •2. Match the following allusions with their meaning.
- •3. Replace the italicized words with one of the discussed allusions.
- •4. Use allusions from the list above no more than once in completing the sentences below.
- •5. Choose the word that best completes each of the sentences.
- •6. Explain the meaning of the following animal idioms and use them in the sentences, change the form if necessary.
- •3.2 E. Creative Consolidation
- •2. Complete the sentences with the terms from the previous exercise.
- •3.3 B Words in Context
- •1. Tick the word closest in meaning to that of the each boldfaced word. Use the context of the sentences to help you figure out each word’s meaning.
- •2. Write the word next to its definition. The sentences in the previous exercise will help you decide on the meaning of each word.
- •3. Using the answer line provided, complete each item below with the correct word from the box. Use each word once.
- •Indoor pollution
- •3.3 C. Economics and Ecology
- •1. Read the article.
- •2. Find the words in the article which mean the same.
- •2. Read the four questions below and answer them after listening to the first part of the interview.
- •3. Match the words from the second part of the interview with their explanations.
- •4. Listen to the second part of the interview about eco-efficiency label. And answer the questions below.
- •5. Discuss the following questions.
- •3.3 E. Vocabulary in Focus
- •1. Explain the meaning of the words and phrases in bold.
- •2. Make the sentences more formal using the words from the previous exercise instead of the underlined ones. Make any other necessary changes to produce a correct sentence.
- •3. Complete the sentences with the following expressions from the box.
- •4. What do the words in the bold mean? Match the words with their explanations. Answer the questions that follow.
- •5. Study the following expressions and match the two parts of the sentences containing these expressions.
- •6. Use the words in the box once each to complete the paragraph below.
- •3.3 F. Creative Consolidation
- •2. Write the word next to its definition. The sentences in the previous exercise will help you decide on the meaning of each word.
- •3. Using the answer line provided, complete each item below with the correct word from the box. Use each word once.
- •3.4 B. Strive to Thrive
- •1. Read the article.
- •In Time for a Divine Comedy4
- •2. Match the following words from the article with their explanation.
- •3. What evidence is there in the article for the following statements? If there is no evidence, decide what the article really says.
- •4. There are a number of questions or unfinished sentences below. Choose the best answer from a, b, c or d.
- •5. We can infer the writer's views on certain aspects of medieval and modern life by his choice or words.
- •6. Which of these statements would the writer agree with?
- •6. Find the following sentences in the article. What does each sentence comment on? Which sentences express approval and which express disapproval?
- •7. Discuss the following questions.
- •3.4 C. Listening and Watching
- •1. Say whether the statements are true or false, according to what Prof. Abrahams says.
- •2. Discuss the following questions:
- •3.4 D. Vocabulary in Focus
- •1. Complete the text with the words from the box.
- •2. Answer the following questions.
- •3. Guess the meaning of the following words and match them with their definitions.
- •4. Choose the three best answers to fill the gap in each sentence.
- •3.4 E. Creative Consolidation
- •2. Write the word next to its definition. The sentences in the previous exercise will help you decide on the meaning of each word.
- •3. Using the answer line provided, complete each item below with the correct word from the box. Use each word once.
- •3.5 B Genetic Engineering
- •1. Read the article.
- •2. Explain the meaning of the following expressions connected with genetic engineering.
- •3. Look at the title of the article and comment on the interplay of words.
- •4. Answer the following questions.
- •5. Discuss the following questions.
- •2. Revise the active vocabulary. Complete the text with the words from the boxes.
- •3.6 Reading Selection
- •Vocabulary
- •Divert – to change the direction or purpose of sth: diverted traffic; divert sth into; divert attention/criticism; divert people – entertain them; diverting (adj) – entertaining and amusing.
- •1. Find the words and expressions which mean the same.
- •2. Explain the meaning of the following expressions.
- •3. Answer the following questions.
- •4. For discussion
- •By Masha Gessen
- •Vocabulary
- •1. Find the words and expressions in the article which mean the same.
- •Vocabulary
- •1. Scan the text as quickly as possible to find where these ideas are mentioned. Read the article and decide whether the statements are true or false.
- •2. There are a number of questions or unfinished sentences below. Choose the best answer from a, b, c or d.
- •3. Scientific texts often look more complicated than they really are. Look at the article in this section again and note down any 'difficult' scientific words or expressions.
- •4. The opening sentence of the text suggests that there are other 'nightmare scenarios'. What scenarios is the writer probably referring to?
- •By Dick Thompson
- •Vocabulary
- •1. Find the words in the article which mean the same.
- •2. Explain the meaning of the following phrases.
- •3. Answer the following questions.
- •4. Comment on the title of the article summarizing the information provided by the writer.
- •5. For Discussion
- •By Joseph t.Straub and Raymond f.Attner
- •Voicing Concerns
- •Vocabulary
- •1. Find the words in the article which mean the same.
- •2. Explain the meaning of the following words and expressions.
- •3. Choose the most suitable answer.
- •4. Summarize the article.
- •5. For discussion
- •By Nancy Shute
- •Vocabulary
- •1. Find the words and expressions in the article meaning the same.
- •2. Explain the meaning of the following expressions.
- •3. Answer the following questions.
- •4. Comment on the title of the article summarizing the arguments provided by the writer.
- •5. For discussion
- •Vocabulary
- •2. According to the article, genetic engineering has already been used to modify the following foods:
- •3. Decide where the following sentences should go in the article.
- •4. What evidence is there in the article for the following statements?
- •5. Would you say the writer of this article has done the following?
- •6. Which arguments in the article do you sympathize with?
- •7. Write a short paragraph summarizing your views.
- •Vocabulary
- •Vocabulary
- •1. Find the equivalents in the article.
- •3.8 Panel Discussion
- •3.9 Creative Consolidation
- •1. Project-Making
2. Write the word next to its definition. The sentences in the previous exercise will help you decide on the meaning of each word.
……………… Offensive; distasteful; repulsive
……………… Clearly expressed; easily understood
……………… To make unable or unfit, especially for normal activities; disable
……………… Too bold, overly confident
……………… Extremely careful and exact; showing great attention to details
………………. Contrary to nature or reason and thus laughable; absurd
……………… To deny the truth, validity, or authority of
……………… A possible future event that must be prepared for or guarded against; possibility
……………… Harmless; inoffensive
……………… A minor weakness or character flaw; a minor fault in behavior
……………… To scold mildly or express disapproval
……………… To add what is lacking or needed; bring to perfection
3. Using the answer line provided, complete each item below with the correct word from the box. Use each word once.
Chide, preposterous, repugnant, foible, repudiate, presumptuous, incapacitate, complement, meticulous, contingency, innocuous, lucid |
1. The ship’s captain seemed to be losing his mental balance. Fearing that he might become completely insane, the crew held a clandestine meeting to discuss what to do in that…………...
2. The new environment friendly project is intended to……………, not to replace, local authorities’ programs.
3. The doctor …………d Rick for not following her advice about switching to a low-fat diet.
4. To an allergic person, foods that are normally…………., such as milk or wheat, can cause discomfort and even serious illness.
5. Many find the thought of a masochist seeking out and enjoying suffering to be as ………….. as the idea of causing someone else to suffer.
6. At first new ideas and theories sound……………... It takes time and effort to comprehend them.
7. We all have our little……………..
8. I’ve been working at the daycare center only one week, so this suggestion may be……………., but I think the center’s program should encompass activities geared to shy children as well as ones for gregarious kids.
9. The scientist’s explanation of the greenhouse effect was so ………… that the entire audience was able to grasp it.
10. The prognosis for Dale’s arthritis is not encouraging. Her doctor didn’t equivocate but told her frankly that in time it may ………………… her completely.
11. Scientists need to be …………. in their calculations.
12. Professor ……………. the released data saying that they need verification.
3.5 B Genetic Engineering
1. Read the article.
Full Stem Ahead
Based on the article by Tom Jacobs
Preposterous as it may seem today, chances are someday you will need replacement tissue. More than 150,000 people worldwide are waiting for an organ. Doctors perform 3 million cardiovascular procedures a year and 2.5 million bone and plastic reconstructive surgeries. At least 200,000 people suffer from spinal-cord injury. One million have Parkinson's disease; 4.7 million experience congestive heart failure, and 400,000 to 800,000 diabetic foot ulcers, which most commonly incapacitate elderly patients, are treated annually. The conclusion derived from this brief overview is lucid: this is a market screaming for products, and demand goes up each year.
It’s only evident that meticulous research necessitating huge investments should precede before this demand is satisfied.
And what will be the prize for companies whose biotechnologies meet the need? Joseph Vacanti and Robert Langer, tissue-engineering pioneers at Harvard and MIT, respectively, put the potential market as high as $80 billion a year. But they say it is too presumptuous to evaluate financial benefits as it may take as long as three decades to move from today, when the ability to perform transplants is limited by organ availability and tissue rejection, to a time when engineered tissue and organs are widely available and perhaps even grown from a person's own cells.
Executives are betting entire companies on which technologies will succeed first and biggest. Some hope for nearer-term success in engineering artificial skin and bone using live cells. Others are developing animal tissue for routine transplant to humans. The largest payoff may go to those who ultimately engineer human growth factors to repair or regenerate tissue in humans or in the lab for transplants.
The results we have had in this sphere so far however repudiate the possibility of unlimited tissue repair and replacement organs in the near future. So before you invest in Bio-utopia, you should look at what's already here in the rapidly emerging field of biomaterials.
Artificial skin, bone and cartilage. Contrary to industry claims, the first biomaterials on the market are not living tissue but artificial products composed of some living cells. These include Organogenesis's skin substitute called Apligraf, made from neonatal5 foreskin cells— which is certainly repugnant to hear - and two products from Advanced Tissue Sciences, Dermagraft (not yet approved in the United States, but sold abroad) and Trans-Cyte. Both are designed to heal chronic wounds like venous ulcers and diabetic foot ulcers that persist from other causes such as infection, inadequate blood circulation or malnutrition. Curis, meanwhile, is testing and seeking approval of two other biomaterials: OP-1, to mend nonhealing fractures and speed recovery from other bone injuries; and Chrondrogel, for cartilage repair.
Animal tissue. (Warning: this section is not recommended for fans of "Charlotte's Web.") To increase the replacement-tissue supply and reduce or eliminate host rejection, Alexion Pharmaceuticals and Geron Corp. have turned to genetically engineered pigs. These animals offer fast growth, large litters and organ size similar to humans'. Geron's expertise comes from its 1999 purchase of Roslin Bio-Med, the Scottish company whose cloning techniques helped produce Dolly the sheep. Armed with that biotechnology, Geron is competing with Alexion to engineer pigs without the gene that causes human-host tissue rejection. The temporary goal: "bridge" transplants until human organs become available, especially for the 150,000 people hospitalized annually for liver disease. Also Organogenesis is lab-testing a system based on pig-liver cells that provides liver function until or instead of transplantation.
Stem cells and protein growth factors. Many companies believe that the key to restoring or regenerating tissue is to use the body's natural functions. They are trying to re-create the conditions that support the growth of cells and tissue, and harness the body's ability to repair damage caused by disease, trauma or age. To do this and to avert any contingency, they research and test stem cells and human protein growth factors.
Researchers have shown in the lab that stem cells from human embryos can differentiate into almost every kind of cell in the body, possibly enabling the generation of complete organs. The result could be relief from conditions as varied as Parkinson's disease to spinal injury. That's why the National Institutes of Health (NIH) last August announced federal funding for human embryonic stem-cell research. Because of Congress's 1996 ban on such funding where human embryos are specifically destroyed, the NIH's new guidelines require that grantees obtain specimens discarded from in vitro fertilization clinics or other private sources.
Despite continued chiding from groups opposed to embryo research—the Bush administration is reviewing the guidelines—the NIH decision turned investors' attention to companies such as Geron, which has worked for years to develop biotechnology to harvest human embryonic stem cells, grow them in sufficient quantities, urge their differentiation into particular cells from skin to heart and nerve, and make them work in the body. At the same time, Human Genome Sciences thinks it can advance stem cells' promise by isolating the signaling protein that can cause them to differentiate into the desired tissue. Curis and others are working with adult stem cells, despite the prevailing view on their foibles: they are not as powerful as those contained in embryos. But adult stem cells, found primarily in skin and bone marrow, offer two advantages: the supply is greater, and the research doesn't invite political objections which can be far from innocuous and even precipitate the halt of the project.
Therapeutic protein growth factors may offer another route to growing and repairing tissue throughout the body, complementing the previous techniques. Human Genome Sciences is moving to phase II trials of the protein repifermin, which has shown positive results in treating venous ulcers and is also being tested for mucosal tissue injuries common in chemotherapy. Joining Human Genome Sciences, companies such as biotechnology pioneer Genen-tech and privately held ZymoGenetics work hard to identify, test and patent therapeutic proteins that can repair or regenerate human tissue.
What's an investor to do in this context? Biomaterials is a complex industry, with potentially great rewards well into the future. But you need to have patience and look to the very long term. And the risks are considerable. This is not investing for the faint of heart.