Technical English 4 SB

Contents

Unit 2 Design

Unit 1 Innovations

Unit / Section

Function / Skill

Genre / Text type

Grammar / Discourse

Lexis / Technology

1.1 Eureka!  p.4 

Questioning

Talk + Q&A session

Past / present perfect  continuous

Oil and gas drilling

1.2 Smart wells  p.6

Clause linking

Technical article

Past participle; cohesion

Drilling; remote control

1.3 Lasers  p.8

Giving a talk

Lecture; technical description

Section markers in a talk

Laser technology

2.1 Spin-offs  p.10

Function of a device

Product description

Present / past simple passive; to + infin; for + -ing; which

Products from space  research

2.2 Specifications  p.12

Necessity, ability,  recommendation

Design specification; meeting

Modals and semi-modals

Design; mechanical 

2.3 Properties  p.14

Describing properties

Brainstorming session

Phrases to encourage  participation

Construction; synthetic  textiles

3.1 Problems  p.20

Low probability; reassuring

Product recall notice

Present continuous passive;  phrases suggesting low risk

Automotive

3.2 Solutions  p.22

Summarising; linking

Product recall notice

Non-defining relative clause;  present participle; although

Automotive; braking systems

3.3 Controls  p.24

Contrasting; note-taking

Lecture 

Linkers of contrast

Automotive; aeronautics

4.1 Shutdown  p.26

Past events

Engineering article

Two-part phrasal verbs 

Mechanical; electrical;  physics

4.2 Overhaul  p.28

Past procedure; instructions

Engineering article;  instruction manual

Nouns derived from phrasal  verbs

Mechanical; maintenance

4.3 Instructions  p.30

Instructions and feedback;  simultaneous actions

Practical demonstration;  instruction manual

Oral vs written instructions;  while / as + -ing

Mechanical; electronics

5.1 Causes  p.36

Cause and effect

Brainstorming session;  ‘fishbone’ diagram

Verb / noun / prepositional  phrases of cause and effect

Metallurgy; chemistry

5.2 Steps  p.38

Explaining a process

Technical brochure

Choosing active or passive

Iron and steel making

5.3 Stages  p.40

Note-taking; writing up

Lecture; flow diagram

Gerunds / nouns as captions;  lexical cohesion

Aluminium refining / smelting

6.1 Risk  p.42

Degrees of certainty

Risk assessment tool

Phrases expressing degrees of  certainty

Petroleum; environment

6.2 Crisis  p.44

Immediate / long-term plans

Critical path analysis; crisis  meeting

Future / future perfect passive;  about to / on the point of

Petroleum; marine

6.3 Projects  p.46

Participating in meetings

Project proposal meeting

Phrases for chairing a meeting

Civil engineering

Unit 4 Procedures

Unit 3 Systems

Review Unit A  p.16

Unit 6 Planning

Unit 5 Processes

Review Unit B  p.32

Review Unit C  p.48

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Unit 8 Incidents

Unit 7 Developments

Unit / Section

Function / Skill

Genre / Text type

Grammar / Discourse

Lexis / Technology

7.1 Prototypes  p.52

Describing developments  and progress

Technology review

Range of forms and functions 

ICT; smart phones

7.2 Comparisons  p.54

Comparing; contrasting

Product comparison

Phrases / linkers expressing  comparison and contrast

Electronics; touch screens

7.3 Products  p 56

Explaining technology to  non-specialists

Product launch

Phrases introducing  explanations / analogies

Electrical; materials science

8.1 Theft  p.58 

Speculating about past

Work memo; work discussion

Present perfect passive modal

Logistics; warehousing

8.2 Security  p.60

Investigating; questioning

Incident report; product  brochure

Indirect questions and related  noun phrases

ICT; telecoms; security 

8.3 Emergency  p.62

Degrees of agreement /  disagreement

Safety talk; serious incident  report

Phrases qualifying ‘yes’ or ‘no’; up to a point / on the contrary

Health and safety; HazMat

9.1 Proposals  p.68

Proposing; recommending

Meeting with client

Noun clause / gerund after  propose / recommend / suggest

Electronics; wireless controls

9.2 Definitions  p.70

Defining a term

Definition; glossary

Defining relative clause; pre- /  post-modifiers in definitions

Sensor technology

9.3 Contracts  p.72

Stipulating conditions

Contract; pre-contract  discussion 

Alternatives to if: on condition / provided that

Work contracts

10.1 Plans  p.74

Concise technical writing 

Test plan

Nouns / hyphenated phrases  used as pre-modifiers

Destructive testing;  earthquake proofing

10.2 Reports  p.76

Report format; report-writing

Test report

Grammar / markers associated  with report sections

Testing buildings and  bridges

10.3 Methods  p.78

Collaborative problemsolving

Meeting; pre-meeting briefing  documents

Range of language forms 

Non-destructive testing

11.1 Investigations  p.84

Collaborative data  organisation 

Raw data for a report

Expressions of causation,  sequence and speculation.

Hydro-electric power;  maintenance

11.2 Reports  p.86

Format of report; abstract;  writing a report

Investigative report

Third conditional, present  perfect modal

Accident investigation

11.3 Communication  p.88

Assertiveness; summarising;  writing an abstract 

Communication guidelines

Phrases to signal  communicative intent

Aviation; aeronautics

12.1 Projects  p.90

Sequence of events; past  necessity 

Project evaluation report

Perfect participle; past tense of  modals 

Agricultural engineering

12.2 Performance  p.92

Past ability; self-evaluation

Employee appraisal interview 

Three-part phrasal verbs; past  tense of modals

IT, robotics, petroleum

12.3 Innovations  p.94

Debating; persuading;  teamwork 

Team presentation; awards  committee

Range of language forms

Nanotechnology

Unit 10 Testing

Unit 9 Agreements

Review Unit D  p.64

Unit 12 Evaluation

Unit 11 Accidents

Review Unit E  p.80

Review Unit F  p.96 Language summary  p.100 Extra material  p.110 Speed search  p.116 Audio script  p.118



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1

Innovations 1 Eureka!



Start here

1 Work in pairs. Talk about accidental discoveries or inventions in science or technology which you have heard about. Example: 1 Alexander Fleming was growing some bacteria in his lab when some penicillium fungus fell on the bacteria and killed them. That is how he accidentally discovered antibiotics.



Task

2 Work in pairs. Match the notes 1–6 with the accidental discoveries. X-ray vulcanised rubber safety glass 1 2

3

4

5

6

inkjet printer co-ordinate geometry antibiotics 1

Alexander Fleming – grows bacteria in lab – penicillium fungus falls on bacteria – fungus kills them Charles Goodyear – works with raw rubber powder containing sulphur – brushes powder off hands – powder falls onto hot stove – forms tough elastic substance Rene Descartes – watches insect flying around room – realises he can specify insect’s position in 3D space as – distance from two walls and ceiling Wilhelm Roentgen – projects light from cathode ray generator onto wall – sees outline of bones of own hand on wall Ichiro Endo, engineer – works with a hot iron and a syringe full of ink – touches neck of syringe with iron – forces ink out Edouard Benedictus – puts away glass flask – flask contains liquid plastic – drops flask on floor – flask doesn’t break – thin plastic film holds pieces together

3 Describe the accidental discoveries outlined in the notes in 2. Use the past continuous and the past simple tenses where appropriate.

Language page 101

Example: 1 – see the example in 1.

Writing

4 Write about the discoveries and inventions you talked about in 1, using the past simple and continuous. Follow the example in 1.



Scanning

5 Practise your speed reading. Look for the information you need on the SPEED SEARCH pages (116–117). Try to be first to complete this text. We don’t know if Archimedes really stepped into his bath and shouted ‘Eureka!’ (‘I’ve discovered it!’) when the water level (1) . But we do know that he discovered that a body immersed in fluid experiences a (2) force equal to the weight of the liquid displaced. We also know that Archimedes invented the (3) and the (4) .

4

1

Innovations

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Listening

6

02 Listen to this talk and choose the picture that illustrates what Jaap (Will’s colleague) was looking at when he had his eureka moment.

7 Listen again and answer these questions. 1 2 3 4 5

Speaking

8 In the question and answer session after his talk, Will gives these answers. Write down the questions that were asked. Then practise the questions and answers in pairs.

Language page 102

1

2

3

4 5 6 7

8



What is Will’s (the speaker’s) job title at his petroleum company in Brunei? What problem has the speaker been trying to solve for the last few years? What was happening when Jaap suddenly had his eureka moment? What was the name of the type of drill that Jaap and his team invented as a result? How does this new drill solve Will’s problem?

Language

Well, I would say that the main reason for using snake well technology is mainly economic. Snake wells allow us to get more oil out of a single field. Yes, it does. The technology has a very big environmental benefit, because snake wells mean that you can build fewer oil platforms and do less drilling. Yes, we are. We’re using it right now, at this very moment. We have a number of snake wells in operation off the coast of Brunei. Well, most of the oil in the Brunei field is between 2,000 and 4,000 metres below the seabed, I think. We’ve been drilling snake wells off the Brunei coast since 2005. Well, our company first started exploring the Brunei field a long time ago. I believe the first survey was in the 1980s. Yes, we have. In addition to the snake well, we’ve been developing a system of sensors that transmit data from the drill bit back to computers on the surface. Well, I don’t know exactly what my next project is going to be! Maybe I’ll drill a snake well off the coast of Nigeria.

Present perfect continuous How long

have

Our company 



Speaking

you has

been

using

snake wells? them 

since 2005.

9 Work in pairs. Take turns to act the roles of a reporter and an oil company representative. When you are the reporter, use the present perfect continuous in your first question about each project, and then follow up with different types of questions. Student A: Turn to page 115. Student B: Turn to page 113.

1 Oil sands, Canada: how long? surface / underground mining? area project covers? kind of oil extracted? extracted oil converted into …? expected length of project?

2 Drilling for gas, Russia: how long? based where in Russia? onshore / offshore? gas converted into ...? meaning of ‘LNG’? future exports to ...? expected production (tonnes)?



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2 Smart wells

Start here

1 Work in pairs. Discuss these questions about the illustration below. Make notes. 1 2

What are the advantages of this method of oil extraction compared with vertical wells? How do you think computers are used in this method?

‘Snake’ well system below seabed

‘Snake’ wells connect pockets of oil that stretch for up to 3 miles under the seabed. seabed gas

oil Valves and seals are located in the oil pockets so they can be isolated if they start to pump too much gas or water.



Reading

OIL FIELDS

10

15

6

If an oil company discovers a large single reservoir of oil and gas, the solution is simple: drill a vertical well down to the reservoir and bring up the oil. But what can be done when an oilfield consists of hundreds or even thousands of small, isolated pockets of oil? It would be too expensive to drill hundreds of vertical wells to reach all the small pockets. The innovative solution to this problem is the ‘snake well’. Unlike the conventional vertical well, this is a horizontal well that weaves laterally back and forth across a number of oil-containing zones. Guided by smart technology, a single snake well can

1

gas oil water

2 Read this article and check the notes you made in 1.

SMART 5

oil

20

25

30

35

access multiple pockets of oil and achieve output equivalent to several individual wells, which has the dual advantage of reducing cost and ensuring that no oil is overlooked. A snake well uses steerable drills that can be positioned with great accuracy. Special imaging software generates detailed computer models of underground geology and reservoirs. This enables drills to hit a target far underground that is less than two metres across. Located 90 km off the coast of Brunei, the Champion West oilfield is Shell’s flagship project using Smart Fields technology. For 30 years, Champion West lay dormant, its rich oil reserves locked 2,000 to 4,000 m beneath the seabed in a complex web of small reservoirs (see illustration above). In the past, these small pockets of oil were too expensive to develop. But now Champion West has been changed into one of the world’s most advanced oil and gas fields by means of Smart

40

45

50

55

60

Fields  technology and new drilling techniques. Buried deep beneath Champion West’s seabed, sensors relay digital information about temperature, pressure and other factors to control centres on land by means of a network of fibre-optic cables. This enables continuous monitoring of production, and engineers can make speedy decisions on how best to extract the maximum amount of oil, monitor its movement within the reservoir and instantly notice production problems, such as blockages. They can take action to solve problems, for example by the remote electronic activation of hydraulic well valves. If gas or water threatens to break into the well, for example, the valve for that section can be closed down using a remote control. Swellable seals are used to isolate the zones from one another, and prevent fluid from one zone from flowing into another adjacent zone.

Innovations

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3 Answer these questions about the article. 1 What are the two main economic reasons for drilling a snake well? 2 How accurate is the drill of a snake well when it is guided remotely? 3 For how long was the Champion West oilfield left unused following the discovery of oil there? Why was it left unused? 4 How is data about conditions inside the snake well transmitted to the surface? 5 How do engineers stop the oil in the well being contaminated with water or gas?

4 Match the reference words 1–6 from the article with the correct words or ideas a–j that they refer to. 1 2 3 4 5 6



Vocabulary

Language

a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h) i) j)

increased output from many oil zones conventional vertical well engineers snake well blockages transmission of data computer model generation underground reservoir steerable drills network of cables

5 Match these words or phrases with their synonyms (in bold) in the article in 2. 1 2 3 4 5



this (line 12) which (line 18) that (line 21) This (line 25) This (line 47) They (line 54)

capable of being expanded complicated capable of being guided neighbouring normal

6 7 8 9 10

having two parts trapped separated from one another horizontally sideways equal in value

Linking (past participial phrase) The past participle alone can sometimes replace subject + passive verb. It makes the text more concise. • The Champion West oilfield, located 90 km off the coast of Brunei, is Shell’s flagship project … (= The Champion West oilfield, which is located ...) The past participle can also be placed at the beginning of a sentence. Find these examples in the text in 2: • Located 90 km off the coast of Brunei, the Champion West oilfield is Shell’s flagship project … • Guided by smart technology, a single snake well can access pockets of oil … • Buried deep beneath Champion West’s seabed, sensors relay digital information … Note that the participle must have the same subject as the verb in the main clause.

6 Join the information in each note into a single sentence in a similar way. Begin each sentence with the past participle in italics. Example: 1 Isolated in small pockets, the oil can’t be extracted using vertical wells. 1 2 3 4 5 6

the oil is isolated in small pockets + it can’t be extracted using vertical wells the sensors are connected by fibre-optic cable + they collect data from inside the snake well the drills are guided by remote controllers + they can hit a target only 2 m wide the oil is locked 4,000 m beneath the seabed + it couldn’t be extracted for 30 years the sensors are attached to the drill bit + they allow controllers to guide the drill the software was developed by GeoSolutions + it generates computer models of the geology



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3 Lasers



Start here

1 Work in pairs. Discuss these questions and make notes. Then share your ideas with the rest of the class. 1 2

What does LASER stand for? by Stimulated of Study the diagrams below. What are the three main differences between ordinary light and laser light? Use some of the words and phrases in the box.

An ordinary light beam

A laser beam

Laser

Torch

laser    light amplification    stimulated emission of radiation    organised    disorganised     directional    in one direction    in all directions    coherent    concentrated    photon      03 colours of the spectrum    wavelength                                                                              



Listening

2

04 Listen to part of a talk about lasers. Match the words in the box with the labels 1–8 in the diagram on the next page.

ruby crystal    atom    light tube    mirror    power source    photon    laser beam    partial mirror

8

1

Innovations

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2

3

4

5 8

6 7 1

3 Work in pairs or small groups. Before you listen to the next part of the talk, put these notes into the best order. Note: The eight items in the notes correspond to the eight points in the diagram above. A B C D E F G H

4

escaping photons form a powerful laser beam atom absorbs photon – gets excited – calms down – emits new photon tube flashes on / off rapidly – pumps energy (photons) into crystal partial mirror lets 1% of photons escape power source makes tube flash on / off 1 new photon hits excited atom – atom emits two photons (instead of one) photons are reflected by mirror along inside of crystal new photons travel inside crystal at speed of light 05 Listen to the next part of the talk, and check your answers to 3.

5 Listen again and tick the phrases that you hear. (Note: X is a number, and A is someone’s name.) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

A has been explaining let’s move on to the next section of the talk if you look at point X on the diagram, you will see we can now turn to the next part of the talk as you can see in point X on the diagram I think I’ve covered the main points I’ll now ask A to take over now I’m going to hand over to A

6 Group the phrases from 5 under these headings. Moving to the next topic Handing over to the next speaker

Speaking

Referring to the previous topic(s) Referring to a visual

7 Work in groups to prepare a talk on lasers. Divide into three sub-groups and prepare one section of the talk with your sub-group. Then return to the main group to finalise the talk. Sub-group A: Laser light – a brief explanation Sub-group B: The basic components of a laser machine Sub-group C: How a laser machine works

8 Give your talk to another group. Use phrases from 5 to signpost the sections of the talk, to refer to the diagram and to hand over to the next sub-group. Invite and answer questions from the audience.

Writing

9 Write a description of how a laser machine works, referring to the diagram above. Use past participial phrases where possible. Begin: Here is a brief outline of how a laser machine works. First of all, the high-voltage power source, located below the ruby crystal, makes the tube flash on and off rapidly. These flashes inject particles of light, known as ‘photons’, into the ruby crystal. …

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Innovations

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