Port Said University

Faculty of Education
Curriculum& Instruction Dept.

A Comprehensive Course in English for

Engineering

Prepared by

Dr. Jehan Mahmoud El-Bassuony

Professor of Curriculum & TEFL
Faculty of Education, Port Said University

2021

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 CONTENTS

Part one: Oral Communication Skills

- Unite one: Introduction to debating

- Unite two: Resolution

- Unite thee: Reasoning

- Unite four: Evidence

- Unite five: Flowing

- Unite six: Refutation

- Unite seven: The Four Steps of Refutation

- Unite eight: Cross-examination

- Unite nine: Judging

Part two: English for non-specialists

Module 1: What Comes into Learning

- Unite one: Learning Strategies

- Unite two: Reading Efficiently by Reading Intelligently

- Unite three: Revision

Module 2: From Students Life to Engineering Career
- Unite four: Engineering Students' Societies

- Unite five: The scope of Engineering

- Unite six: Revision

Part three: Reading Comprehension Passages

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 General Outline of the book

The book is divided into three parts including:

 Part One: Oral communication skills presents the different components of
debating including the resolution, reasoning, evidence, refutation, flowing,
cross-examination, and judging. The main aim of using debating is to
develop students' oral fluency skills in addition to improving their critical
thinking dispositions and self -regulation.

 Part Two: English for non-specialists presents appropriate learning

strategies, reading efficiently by reading intelligently, engineering students'
societies, and the scope of engineering. This part pays much attention to
using engineering terminology, grammar and discussing specific
engineering topics that are related to engineering profession.

 Part Three: Reading comprehension passages demonstrates different

types of reading passages with different difficulty levels and comprehension
questions that represent the most important reading comprehension skills. It
sheds light on pactising a variety of reading comprehension skills.

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 Part One

Oral Communication Skills

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 UNITE 1
Introduction to Debating
Basic Terms of Debating

Resolution : The opinion about which two teams argue .

Affirmative tem : agrees with the resolution.

Negative team : disagrees with the resolution.
Rebuttal : explains why a team disagrees with the other team.

Judges : decide the winner.

Cross-examination: opposing teams question each other.
The debate is like a house with the resolution forming the roof. This is, in turn,
supported by pillars or reasons, and the entire house rests on a foundation of evidence. So,
a strong debate case, like a well constructed house, will collapse if subjected to attack.
Building refutation is likened to attacking the affirmative house and rebuilding the
negative house. Thus, the debate pattern follows the pattern: construct, attack, and rebuild.
Task I
Students are given copies of The Debate Format and Time Limits. Then, an easy topic
like " Port Said is a good place to live in" is selected. This task can help students develop a
sense of "who speaks when" in a debate. students are divided into groups of eight students,
four students represent the affirmative and four students represent the negative. The
teacher explains, between speeches, the goals of the upcoming speech or cross
examination period. Other groups of students participate using the same topic about other
countries like Egypt, America, Japan, and Saudi Arabia.

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 In your group , use The Debate Format and Time Limits to identify the points that you
will focus on in your debate either as an affirmative or negative team.
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 UNITE 2
Resolution
The debate resolution is the focus for the debate. A resolution is a controversial
statement that can be supported or opposed. The affirmative team always supports
(affirms) the resolution. The negative team opposes (negates) the resolution. Resolutions
can be statements of fact, policy, or value. Students should know the type of resolution to
be able to prove it. Different resolution types carry different burdens. For example, policy
resolutions require the defense of some kind of action while fact and value resolutions
require some kind of criterion or standard. The following example explains the difference
among the three types of resolution:
- Resolution of value: x is better than y
Ex. Football is more exciting than basketball.

- Resolution of policy : x should do y

Ex. The university should ban smoking on campus,
- Resolution of fact : x is / was will be true.
Ex. There is life on other planets.
Task I
You have to differentiate between the three types of resolution. you have a list of ten
resolutions, please decide which ones are fact, which are value and which are policy.
- People should ride bicycles more , because air pollution is really a problem in the city.
( )
- Survival is the most important and most highly respected human value. ( )
- Our awareness of environmental problems is increasing. ( )
- Acid rain is destroying the environment. ( )

- Species loss is at a crisis level. ( )

- The most important action for any of us to take is to protect the
environment. ( )
- All pollution laws have economic consequences. ( )

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- When a species loses its natural habitat, it is impossible to prevent it from going extinct.
( )
- How can we wait, even a single day, to take action to protect the

environment? ( )
- The move to a more ecological society will require big changes. ( )
- Carbon dioxide is harmful to the environment. ( )

- Global warming is not a crisis. ( )

Task II
Read the following list of resolutions. It includes some resolutions which are unclear,
some that contain no controversy, some that have biased language, some that focus on
uninteresting issues, and some that focus on multiple ideas. You have to accept or rejects
each resolution and give reasons to the class. The list includes the following:
- Smoking and drugs are harmful to people's health.
- …………………………………………………………………………………
- Plants produce oxygen the world needs to sustain life.
- …………………………………………………………………………………
- All students should learn to play soccer.
- ………………………………………………………………………………..
- The freedom of speech is important.
- ………………………………………………………………………………..
- Social safety should be improved.
- …………………………………………………………………………………

- President Bush is the worst American president.

- …………………………………………………………………………………
- Mobile phones and Facebook are doing more good than harm.
- …………………………………………………………………………………

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Task III
Write three examples for each type of resolution.
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 UNITE 3
Reasoning
Any resolution should be supported by strong reasons. A good reason is one which
logically supports the opinion / resolution; specific and clear; and convincing to a majority
of people. In the following multiple choice exercise, students are required to select the
best reason from a list of choices:

I Opinion: It is better to eat fish than to eat beef because

a. Fish are prettier than cows.
b. Fish is my favourite food.
c. Fish is healthier and more nutritious than beef.
Using the above criteria, students may be guided to reject choice (a) as it does not
logically support the opinion, and choice (b) as it is not convincing to a majority of people.
On the other hand, choice (c) meets all three criteria.
II Opinion: Smoking should be banned in public places because
a. It is bad.
b. Second hand smoke is harmful for non smokers.
c. It gives people bad breath and makes their teeth yellow.
Similarly, students use the above criteria and select choice (b) that meets the three
criteria.
Task I
You are required to use the resolutions that you had generated in the previous session
to think of at least three strong reasons for two resolutions. Reasons will be evaluated
according to the previously mentioned criteria.
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Task II
The following situation is presented: "The largest primary school is for sale and you
have the option to buy it. You must justify the purchase to your investors. You have to
mention as many reasons as possible for the purchase." work in pairs and write your
reasons without deciding which are strong reasons and which are weak reasons. Strange or
unusual ideas are acceptable. The reasons of each pairs are discussed.

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 UNITE 4
Evidence
The last step in building a debate case is the laying of the foundation for the entire case.
Evidence may fall into four categories:
- Example: A subjective or specific illustration from a personal
perspective.

- Explanation: Elaborating on the reason.

- Expert opinion: The opinion of a knowledgeable person, organization,
or publication.

- Statistic: The use of number or data to back up the reason.

Students have to research debate resolutions using books, newspapers, and/ or the
internet to search for evidence that fits the above categories.
The following examples are presented:
Opinion: It is better to have a large car than a small car.
Reason: Large cars are more useful than small cars.
Evidence:
1-Because you can fit more things in large cars than in small cars.
(explanation)
2-For example, when my friend goes on a vacation, he can fit all his luggage and his
family into his large car. (example)
3-According to the American Automobile Association, large cars can save you
money over public transportation costs. (expert opinion)
4-Seven out of ten people say that they prefer large cars over small cars because they
can put many things in them. (statistic)
Another example is about the resolution that smoking should be banned in public
places.
Reason: Smoking is harmful for non smokers.
1- For instance, whenever I go to a restaurant and there are people smoking near me,
I feel that I am breathing their smoke. This makes me a smoker even though I don
not want to be. (example)

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 2- Second hand smoke is very unhealthy for no smokers. (explanation)
3- According to / To quote the Environmental Protection Agency,
"second hand smoke causes approximately 3.000 lung cancer deaths in non
smokers each year." (expert opinion)
4- Second hand smoke causes about 250.000 respiratory infections in infants and
children every year, resulting in about 15.000 hospitalization each year. (statistic)

It is better to use one reliable evidence to support your resolution more than using a lot
of weak or unreliable evidence. The following example is related to the death penalty
resolution:

The death penalty is justified because it reduces crime. Credible university studies
conducted across the nation strongly point to this effect.
Task I
Individual students have to provide "examples" and "explanation" evidence to support
the reasons that they come up with in the previous session.
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Task II
Read a short article on a topic you will be debating "Civil disobedience is a necessary
weapon in the fight for justice". Read the article sentence by sentence, and discuss whether
a particular idea, fact , or quotation would be useful for a debate. It is important to identify
the specific resolution which this research would support, and to summarize that evidence
in one sentence. It is important to develop the ability of reading with a purpose that
characterizes research.
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 UNITE 5
Flowing
Any debate includes a number of arguments. To keep track of all the arguments ,
debaters need to keep a flow of the debate. Flowing goes beyond normal note taking
because it charts the progress of arguments. When a specific argument is responded to, the
flow chart places the response directly to the right of the original argument. In this way,
the student can see the entire history of an argument by reading from left to write across
the page.
Task I

Individual students are asked to read some news to their groups. Students have to take
notes just as they would flow a debate. Each story is noted as a new numbered argument.
The students have to write the following:
1-A title for the story (e.g., USA finally pays its UN dues)
2-Some facts about the story (e.g., 6.5 billion dollar was owed, etc.)
3-Any people who were quoted in the story (e.g., president Obama).
This task provides a realistic practice on a daily basis, and the current events which
the students learn, will be quite useful in debates as well.
Write the notes from the listening passage:
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Task II
In your group select a resolution and decide whether to be the affirmative or negative
team. Use the Flow Chart to organize your arguments. Share your arguments with your
group and compare your charts.
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 UNITE 6
Refutation
Refutation is the process of disproving an argument. Prediction plays an important role
in refutation. To win a debate, you have to predict accurately the arguments of the other
team. In this way you will be able to refute them easily. There are two main techniques to
attack or disprove a debate argument:

1- Attack the argument's support: you may explain that the argument lacks adequate
support because of insufficient reasoning, no evidence, poor evidence or
misapplied evidence. For example, they say the four cats is a good band because
it is popular but just because you're popular, that doesn't mean you are good.
(attack the reason).
2- Present counter arguments and evidence. Even well supported arguments often
have equally persuasive counter arguments. These counter arguments can be
reason, evidence or both. So, you have to convince the judge that your reasoning
and evidence is superior. For example, experts disagree about whether tough
prison sentences do not really reduce crime rates. Your opponent may have very
credible evidence that giving dangerous criminals more prison time makes Egypt
safer. As a result of disagreement among experts, you may present evidence from
an equally reliable source to indicate that tough sentences do not really reduce
crime rates.
Task I
Select a resolution and write your own arguments and predict the arguments of the
other team in five minutes. Share your argument with your group. The winner is the team
that can predict the arguments of the other team accurately.
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Task II

Write one resolution which you are able to defend. Exchange it you’re your peer to list
a reason against that resolution as quickly as possible. Get it back and prepare responses
to reasons which have been written against your own argument.

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 UNITE 7
The Four Steps of Refutation

During the rebuttal stage, you have to refute all the arguments of your opponents. At
the same time you should not bring up new main ideas in rebuttals. This is unfair to the
opponents because they will have less time to refute these new ideas. Good refutation
should be organized. There is a sequence to good refutation as the following:
Step 1: " They say ……….."
The debater has to state the argument that he /she is about to refute so that the judges
can follow easily.
Ex . "The other team said that smoking is harmful for non smokers."
Step 2: " But I disagree …….." or " That may be true , but ………."
Ex. "That may be true, but I think that if non smokers want to avoid
cigarette smoke, they can walk away form it."
Step 3 : "Because ……….."
Ex. "Because non smokers should look out for their own health."
Step 4: " Therefore …………."
Ex. "Therefore it is not the responsibility of smokers to protect non smokers."

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Task I
In your group select an argument to come up with a refutation. To emphasize the steps
of good refutation, the first student states the argument that will be refuted, the second
student states the reason that will be used to refute that argument, the third student
provides the evidence that supports the reason and the fourth student provides the
conclusion or impact.
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Task II
Identify one of the debates that you heard and answer the following questions:
What are the strangest arguments?
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In which ways could students fix arguments so that they are more resistant to refute?
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 UNITE 8
Cross- Examination
The advantages of cross-examination

Cross-examination (CX) is a series of question– and– answer periods in a debate round

designed to all debaters to clarify issues, gather information, and achieve strategic
advantage.

In (CX) members of the affirmative and negative teams directly question each other.
The audience may also participates in (CX). It serves three important purposes in the
debate. First, it gives one side the chance to clarify the arguments and evidence presented
by the other. Second, it is an opportunity to demonstrate flaws in the opponent's
arguments. Third, (CX) is the time when the audience and judge have a chance to see the
debaters interact with each other. In other words, (CX) is a chance to gain the judge's
favor. The keys to effective (CX) are good questions and professional demeanor. The
more student knows about the topic, the easier he / she will find it to ask insightful
questions and provide effective answers in (CX).

Task
Compose an argument for/ against a resolution. As a questioner, write as many
questions as possible to the affirmative /negative team.

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 UNITE 9
Judging
In a debate, judges look for many things to decide the winner. First, they have to
consider reasoning and evidence. Reasoning is about the content of the individual
arguments each speaker makes and how well he / she explains them. Also argument
should be clear and logic. They should be backed up with plenty of well chosen evidence.
Second, organization of both team and individual speeches should be considered. The
team's speeches complement each other. Also, each individual speech should be well
structured and easy to follow and each speaker has to speak for their allotted time. Third,
listening and response should be considered. Debaters should make notes as the other
debaters are speaking and should respond to the opposition team's arguments by showing
how they disagree. How well a debater responds and rebuts opposing arguments will be
crucial to their success in competition. In addition, when summating a debate a good
debater have to identify the main disagreements between the teams and explain to the
judges why their team has won the debate. Finally, expression and delivery are important.
Expression and delivery deal with how the speakers come across to the judges rather than
what they say. Good debaters speak clearly, loudly and slowly. Speakers should think
about the hand gestures and facial expressions to use while debating and should make eye
contact with the judges and audience. Furthermore, debaters should take notes but only as
a tool to help them rather than something to be read verbatim.

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 Debate Format and Time Limits

Affirmative 5 In this prepared speech, the affirmative presents the

Constructive minutes arguments in favor of the resolution. The speech
should be pre-written.
Negative 5 In this prepared speech, the negative presents the
Constructive minutes arguments in opposition to the resolution. The speech
should be pre-written and is not expected to directly
address the arguments made during the affirmative
constructive.
First 7 The second negative speaker should divide this speech
Affirmative minutes between the negative and affirmative cases. The
Rebuttal debater must both rebuild the negative attacks on the
affirmative constructive and then rebuild his/ her own
case.
First 7 The second affirmative speaker should divide this
Affirmative minutes speech between the negative and affirmative cases.
Rebuttal The debater must both rebuild the affirmative attacks
on the negative constructive and then rebuild his/her
own case.
Cross- 5 The speakers in the affirmative team cross-examine
Examination minutes the speakers in the negative team then the speakers in
the negative team cross-examines the speakers in the
affirmative team.
Second 5 The purpose of this speech is for the second negative
Negative minutes speaker to refute the arguments presented in the
Rebuttal affirmative constructive.
Second 5 The second affirmative speaker should first refute the
Affirmative minutes arguments presented in the negative constructive.
Rebuttal Then the speaker should answer the attacks made
during the first negative rebuttal.
Negative 3 The fourth negative speaker presents their closing
Summary minutes argument. This speech should summarize the primary
reasons for the judge to reject the resolution based on
the arguments made and evidence presented
throughout the debate.
Affirmative 3 The fourth affirmative speaker presents their closing
Summary minutes argument. This speech should summarize the primary
reasons for the judge to affirm the resolution based on
the arguments made and evidence presented
throughout the debate.

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 Resolutions List
- All animals should be liberated.
- Attendance should not be necessary in schools.
- The poverty of the third world is the fault of the first world.
- Students should not wear uniforms in schools.
- Animal experimentation should be banned.
- Full inclusion should exist for disabled students.
- Strikes should be outlawed.
- Exams should be abolished in schools.
- Junk food should be banned in schools.
- Genetic engineering is a violation of the laws of nature.
- Boys are cleverer than girls.
- Capitalism is immoral.
- Civil disobedience is a necessary weapon in the fight for justice.
- The use of plastic bags should be banned.
- Education is the key to success.
- There should be a 50 km speed limit on all roads.
- City life is better than country life.
- Humans have no need to explore outer space.
- Debate should be a required subject.
- TV does more harm than good.
- Computer games are bad for kids.
- A bike is better than a car.
- The environment is more important than the economy.
- United Nations has failed at its mission.
- Iran should be allowed to develop nuclear energy.
- Mobile phones should be allowed in schools.

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 Flow Chart
Affirmative Negative 1st Negative 1st Affirmative 2nd Negative 2nd Affirmative Negative Affirmative
Constructive Constructive Rebuttal Rebuttal Rebuttal Rebuttal Summary Summary

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 Evaluation Form
Affirmative Negative
st st
1 speaker score 1 speaker score
1- Arguments are well organized. 1234 1- Arguments are well organized. 1234
2- Reasons are clear. 2- Reasons are clear.
3- Reasons are convincing. 3- Reasons are convincing.
4- Evidence is reliable. 4- Evidence is reliable.
5- Delivery skills are good. 5- Delivery skills are good.
6- Speech is within time constraints. 6- Speech is within time constraints.
2nd speaker 2nd speaker
1- Arguments are well organized. 1- Arguments are well organized.
2- Reasons are clear. 2- Reasons are clear.
3- Reasons are convincing. 3- Reasons are convincing.
4- Evidence is reliable. 4- Evidence is reliable.
5- Delivery skills are good. 5- Delivery skills are good.
6- Speech is within time constraints. 6- Speech is within time constraints.
7- All the arguments of the previous 7- All the arguments of the previous
opponent are refuted opponent are refuted
8- Arguments are refuted strongly 8- Arguments are refuted strongly
3rd speaker 3rd speaker
1- Delivery skills are good 1- Delivery skills are good
2- Speech is within time constraints 2- Speech is within time constraints
3- All the arguments of the previous 3- All the arguments of the previous
opponent are refuted opponent are refuted
4- Arguments are refuted strongly 4- Arguments are refuted strongly
4th speaker 4th speaker
1- Delivery skills are good. 1- Delivery skills are good.
2- Speech is within time constraints 2- Speech is within time constraints
3- The main disagreements between 3- The main disagreements between
the teams are summarized the teams are summarized
4- The strong arguments of the team are 4- The strong arguments of the team are
stressed. stressed.
Team work Team work
1- The arguments of the team are well 1- The arguments of the team are well
organized organized
2- The questions during CX are clear 2- The questions during CX are clear
3- The answers of the questions are 3- The answers of the questions are
convincing convincing

The total score is 100

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 Part two

English for Engineering

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 Module 1
What Comes Into Learning

“They know enough who know how to learn”

Henry Brooks Adams (1838 –1918), an American novelist, journalist, historian and academic.

What do you think are the best ways to learn English?

1. Work in pairs or small groups. Look at the following ways of learning. Put them in
order from the most effective to the least effective. Think of other ways to learn
English.
1. Reading texts to retell them
2. Translating texts
3. Reading aloud
4. Discussing/brainstorming different topics
5. Doing grammar/ vocabulary exercises (filling the gaps, etc.)
6. Working with a partner/ in a group
7. Role-playing different situations
8. Listening to records
9. Watching videos
10. Doing projects
11. Writing letters and essays
12. Etc.
2. Compare your ideas with other pairs/ groups.
YOU ARE GOING TO READ, SPEAK AND WRITE ABOUT
*learning strategies and learning styles
*innovative products

YOU WILL PRACTICE

*comparative and superlative forms of adjectives
*Present Simple and Present Continuous
*Past Simple
*giving advice
*building topical vocabulary
*listening and reading
*working in groups
YOU WILL KNOW HOW TO
*create your portfolio
*read efficiently
*present a product
*write a report
For a start

27
 UNIT 1
Learning Strategies

“A university should be a place of light, of liberty and learning”

Benjamin Disraeli

You have joined the university and become a student. It means that you had good grades at
school and did well enough in the university entrance exams. What helped you to reach a
success in your studies? What do you think can help you when studying at university? (the
words below are for your help)

to attend, to take part in, to prepare, to revise for examinations, to improve, to set goals,
to make progress, to learn by heart, to give a talk, to work in groups, to plan in good time,
to complete tasks, to be responsible for, to cram, to rely on myself/ the others/ the Internet/
etc.

Learning Strategies
Many educators say that when a student has trouble learning a subject like math or history,
the problem may lie not in the teacher’s ability or the student’s I.Q. Instead, it is often
simply because the student has never been taught how to learn. Learning strategies are all
about helping you learn how to be a more effective learner and develop the research skills
that will help you now and in the future.

1. Read the list of the following learning strategies.

Work in pairs. Guess what they mean and write down words and phrases
connected with each of them.

Learning Strategies:
1. Being an independent learner
2. Learning styles
3. Reading academically
4. Writing effectively
5. Working in groups
6. Giving a talk
7. Preparing effectively for examinations
8. Search strategy

28
2. The University of Southampton developed resources to support students in
their studies (http://www.studyskills.soton.ac.uk/develop.htm). Read what is
written in their site about being an independent learner. Underline the key
words and phrases. Are any of them the same as you used to describe this strategy?

Your attitude to your studies will colour your experience of university life
and affect the grades you get. In order to get the most out of your time
at university, you should think about how you can become an independent
learner – quality that will be important to you now, to your employer later and
throughout your career.
If you are an independent learner you will be motivated to learn;
manage your own learning; and reflect on your learning. This will help you
to become a successful learner. The responsibility for this is yours.

3. Emily is a high-achieving university student. Read her Academic Success

Story and decide if she is an independent learner (for the moment, ignore gaps 1-
7).
Studying at university is a lot different than in school. I study by reading a lot more
than I ever have and I listen in class to make sure I remember what's been talked about in
the lectures. It is strange, but I find that I am studying less now that I am in college, but I
am studying the more important stuff. I have figured out which information is important in
a text book, and which information is just a waste of space in my memory.

I.…… Another difference is that I have to use a lot of outside resources other than the
texts required for class. I spend many hours using online databases, library resources to
complete tasks, while in school I could simply rely upon the sources given to me by my
teacher.

II…….. My mind is fresh and ready to learn. I find that I do so much better if I’m up early
and study a little bit of each class every day. It is so important for me to review everything
as I go along. It is impossible to do well if I cram it all in last minute. I tried that strategy
once, not good!

III…… I make notes, and write out the key terms. I look at my notes sometimes
during the weeks before the test. I make sure that I have it all down the night before
the test, and the next morning I get up for a 2 hour cram study session to get it fresh in
my head for the test that day. It works for me most of the time, but I am not the best
test taker in the world, I get too nervous! So I study as hard as I can.

IV……… Keeping busy! I find that if I have nothing to do on a certain day, I am

29
less likely to get things done. If I have a set schedule and a set place, I make sure I
have things done. My biggest secret is my PLANNER!! I would die without it! I write
everything in it and cross it off when its done. It makes me get things done and
remember to do them.

V………. I choose times to study for each exam. I decide which subject needs
more attention, and I focus more time on that one. I also take breaks in between.
Nobody can study for 5 hours straight without going crazy! I have to get up and walk
around, or go running, or paint my nails or something to give me a break from
studying every once in a while. That way I will be totally focused when I am studying
and not so tired and crazy that I don't understand what I'm reading.

VI……….. These are my favourites!! I think brainstorming is the key to starting

off a good task. I think you have to lay your ideas down before you can make sense of
what you are going to write. I also think that grammar is so important, and you have
to make sure that you at least sound intelligent through what you write.

VII………… Do your best and motivate other students to want to do as well as

you. Show them how much it means to you and maybe they will follow your lead.
Don't do it all by yourself. I've done this before and it is a lot of unnecessary stress
that can be avoided when the others want to help you. Figure out what motivates your
team and make it fun for everyone to work together!
(Adapted from http://www.mycollegesuccessstory.com/success-stories/EmilyB.html)

4. Choose the best subtitle for each paragraph.

A. My time management secret.
B. How I succeed in team projects.
C. My method of revising.
D. How I find information.
E. How I study for end of term tests.
F. My strategies for writing tasks.
G. My study method is usually an early morning one.

5. Discuss the following questions:

A. What other learning strategies (except ―Being an independent learner”) does Emily
use?
B. Which of these strategies do you use in your studies?
C. Do you use any other strategies that help you to learn effectively?

30
Grammar review

Present Simple and Present Continuous

Complete the rules with present simple or present continuous.
We use the ……………………… to:
give factual information.
The earth goes round the sun.
talk about routine activities.
I look at my notes sometimes during the weeks before the test.
Some verbs are almost always used in the present simple rather
than present continuous, for example, like, want, know,
understand, belong, seem, believe, remember.
We use the ………………………. to:
describe activities in progress at the moment of speaking.
I am studying less now that I am in college.
describe temporary situations.
That machine isn‟t working. It broke down this morning.
describe changing situations.
The population of the world is rising very fast.

1. Find examples of the present simple and the present continuous in the text
above.

2. Complete these sentences with either the present simple or the present
continuous form of the verbs in brackets:
a. The River Volga ………. (flow) into the Caspian Sea.
b. …….. your English ……….. (get) better?
c. I called the office, but I ………… (not remember) who I spoke to.
d. How often ……. you……… (go) to the library?
e. She ……….. (talk) to him on the phone right now.
f. Currently we ……….. (do) a project on history of space exploration.
g. ……… you ……… (belong) to any students society?

Internet use
Learning styles
Understanding your own preferred learning styles can help you study more effectively.
Students learn in many ways — by seeing and hearing; reflecting and acting;
reasoning logically and intuitively; memorizing and visualizing and drawing

31
analogies and building mathematical models; steadily and in fits and starts.
The VARK system assesses how much people rely on:
sight (Visual),
hearing (Auditory),
Reading / Writing, and other sensations (Kinaesthetic, which includes touch and
temperature as well as movement).

Internet use
People say things like, „I'm an auditory learner' (meaning that they are
comfortable absorbing information which they've heard or discussed); or „I'm a
kinaesthetic learner' (if they prefer to learn through practical classes and hands-on
activities, rather than by reading books and listening to lectures). In fact, each of us
uses all available senses to absorb information.
If you want to find out what your learning style is, visit the VARK website,
fill in the test, and check your results. (http://www.varklearn.
com/english/page.asp?p=younger ).

Revising for Exams

How often do you have to take exams? How do you feel about
exams? Do you enjoy them/ hate them/ get
nervous about them?
1. Here are eight tips on revising for exams. Choose three most useful tips and
explain your choice.
a. Make use of your learning style when you revise
b. Plan in good time
c. Make your revision active
d. Look through old exam papers
e. Use your time well.
f. Revise with other people.
g. Mark your progress on your revision plan
h. Trust your memory.
2. Can you add some more tips?

Final words of wisdom

The most important thing that you need to keep in mind when going to university is the
fact that YOU ARE NOT IN SCHOOL ANYMORE. Hours needed for studying will be
longer, tasks will be more difficult and time consuming, and professors will expect a
greater level of professionalism in reports and presentations.

32
Here is the advice for students who want to get better grades in university given by
students on the site http://www.mycollegesuccessstory.com/successstories/
EmilyB.html.

1. Work in pairs. Read these pieces of advice and decide if each of them is:
a. excellent advice
b. quite useful advice
c. not very useful advice

Find a strategy that works for you and stick with it! Everyone is different.
Go to class, make friends with people in class just in case you're absent, and remember that
you should want to learn.

Read, read, read everything you are required, and do it on time. Nothing sets you back further
and keeps you up later than having to read all the stuff you didn’t over the past month.

While studying make sure you have plenty of small breaks. Get your mind off of the work even
for just five minutes, and going back to it will be easier.

Actively participate in class. Constantly searching for questions to ask the professor is the best way
to make sure you are paying attention.

Get as much sleep as possible. Staying out late during the week may be fun, especially because
mom and dad aren’t around, but it can greatly affect your performance on tests. Sleep, as a
professor of mine says, should always be the number one priority.

Make sure you take advantage of all the opportunities your university has to offer. Don’t be
afraid to join clubs, take on new and exciting responsibilities, join a students’ society, go on
excursions, explore the surrounding area, etc.

Ask for help if you need it. It’s not a bad thing to not understand, it's a bad thing if you don't do
anything about it. If you don't understand, go to your teacher or find a classmate that does
understand and is willing to help you.

Functions
When we want to give advice we can use the Imperative
In positive statements it has the same form as the infinitive (without to)
e.g. Find a strategy that works for you.
In negative statements do not (don‟t) is used e.g. Don‟t wait.

33
2. Find the examples of the Imperative in the advice above.
3. Work in pairs. Think of your own advice for students who want to get better
grades in university. Work as a class. Give your advice to the other students.

A Portfolio is a tool to help you learn a language. Your Portfolio will help you to think
about how you learn English. It will help you to record the things you learn and
how you learn them. You can also use it to show other people your language abilities.
There are three sections in a Portfolio:

1 Language Passport – show this section to other people when you apply for a job or
change schools.
2 Language Biography – use this section to think about and improve the way you
learn.
3 Dossier – use this section to record examples of your work.

Dossier
The Dossier is a collection of your work. You choose what goes in your Dossier and
show it to other people when they want proof of your English language abilities.
Use a folder to keep your Dossier work clean and safe. Update the chart every time
you put a new piece of work in your Dossier.

Type of work Date Content Individual or Why I chose this

shared work

1. Choose examples of your work from this unit. You can also use work that you
create outside class.
Ideas for your Dossier:
• Tests
• Emails
• Letters
• Articles
• Instructions
• Projects
• Web pages
• Songs and poems
• Presentations
• Reports
34
 UNIT 2
Reading Efficiently by Reading Intelligently

Learning strategy: reading academically

You are expected to do much more reading at university than at school or college.
When you're reading for your course, you need to make sure you're actively involved
with the text. It's a waste of your time to just passively read, the way you'd read a
thriller on holiday. Always make notes to keep up your concentration and
understanding.
Good reading strategies help you to read in a very efficient way. Using them, you aim to
get the maximum benefit from your reading with the minimum effort. In this unit you will
learn how to use different strategies to read intelligently.
Do you use any strategies to help you read effectively?

Quiz
Do the quiz and check yourselves (choose a, b
or c for answer):
1. When a teacher asks me to read a text in English
a. I don’t think about why I’m reading it.
b. I sometimes think about why I’m reading it.
c. I always think about why I’m reading it.
2. When I read
a. I never skip parts of the text which are not interesting.
b. I sometimes skip parts of the text which are not interesting.
c. I always skip parts of the text which are not interesting.
3. If I have to get just a general idea of what the text is about
a. I read the text from the first to the last sentence.
b. I sometimes read only introduction and the first sentence of each paragraph.
c. I always read only introduction and the first sentence of each paragraph.
4. When I read
a. I never underline anything in the text.
b. I sometimes underline the most important pieces of information in the text.
c. I always underline the most important pieces of information in the text.
5. When I read the text
a. I don’t try to remember what I already know about the subject matter.
b. I sometimes try to remember what I already know about the subject matter.
c. I always try to remember what I already know about the subject matter.

35
Count your score and read the explanation.
1 2 3 4 5
a b c a b c a b c a b c a b c
1 3 5 1 3 5 1 3 5 1 3 5 1 3 5

20-25 you are an active reader: you

*know what you are looking for and how to find it
*relate new knowledge to old knowledge
*make patterns and connections
*ask questions about the text.
*use skimming and scanning strategies
*highlight, underline and annotate it to focus on the relevant parts of a text

You must have no problems when dealing with reading tasks.

10-20 you are still on the way. To become an active reader you should be more consistent
in using reading strategies in your studies.

5-10 you have to learn to become an active reader. Otherwise you’ll have problems with
reading tasks.

Discuss the following questions:

1. Do you agree with the results? Do you think the test really helps to find out if you are an
active reader?
2. Are you going to improve the way you read? How?

$100 Laptop
You are going to read an article ―Working on the $100 Laptop by Mary Lou Jepsen,
chief technology officer of One Laptop Per Child (OLPC).

Skim the text and answer the questions:

1. What was the purpose of designing the $100 Laptop?
2. What companies are involved in developing this low-cost product?
Extension

36
 Working on the $100 Laptop
Early in 2005, I met Nicholas Negroponte the founder of the MIT Media Lab in a job
interview. The subject of our interview was the design of a $100 laptop and the
organization that would use them as a vehicle to transform education in the developing
world. I decided to join Nicholas in turning the $100 laptop vision into reality.

Brazil, Thailand, Argentina and Nigeria were instantly attracted to our low price, well
below the cost of the textbooks they’d replace after five years of use, as well as the
promise of access, to an entire world of information. By the end of 2005, more than half
the countries of the world had expressed strong interest at the head of state or minister of
education level in getting laptops en masse 1into their countries.

At the UN summit on the Digital Divide in Tunis in November 2005, U.N.

Secretary General Kofi Annan and Nicholas Negroponte unveiled the first functional
prototype and announced the United Nations support for the program. By the end of
2005, we announced that Quanta Computer, the largest maker of laptops in the world,
would be manufacturing them for us. We are on track to ship next spring (2007).

The Chief Strategy Officer at AMD, Billy Edwards, describes our design of the
$100 laptop as the first fundamental revisit of personal computer architecture since
IBM launched the PC in 1981. We’re redesigning the whole architecture —
hardware, software, display — and we're coming up with some remarkable
inventions and innovations. This is not a cost-reduced version of today's laptop; it's an
entirely new approach to the idea of a laptop.

Here are some things we have in our laptop that you may want in yours:

Instant on At 2 Watts, one tenth the power

Flash memory instead of a moving consumption of a typical laptop
hard disk Human-power input for battery
Display self-refresh (while CPU is recharge
asleep) Tolerance of multiple power
CPU fast-sleep and fast wake-up charging sources like car batteries
(~0.1 seconds) E-book mode, in a form factor the kid
Massive mesh networking via WiFi can take to bed and curl up with for a
3-4X the range of typical laptop WiFi good read.
antennae (up to ~1Km) Our Operating System: ~100Mbytes.

37
When closed it resists water and dust incursion. We're working on making the
design increasingly "green," (eco-friendly). We have also been developing a new
battery chemistry that extends battery lifetime from typical today of 500
charge/recharge cycles to 2000 charge/recharge cycles. These laptops will run on
batteries most of the time, and we want the batteries to last at least five years.

The display I've devised: a 7.5" diagonal 1200x900 pixel display. That's higher
resolution than 95 percent of the laptops that ship today. It's 200 dots per inch (dpi).
It has a sunlight readable, and room-light readable mode — these in black and
white. Our target: a display as readable as a newspaper with the backlight off. Then,
when the backlight is turned on — the display becomes color — color resolution is
~800x600 color, and in some of our designs we can achieve 1024x768 color at very
low power consumption. The entire display consumes about 1W with the backlight
on, and about 0.2W with the backlight off. This at $40 instead of the usual $130 for a
regular laptop display which consume ~7X the power of our display and is not
sunlight readable.

So far, OLPC has received $40 million of money and support from: 3M, AMD,
Brightstar (largest distributor of cellphones), ChiMei (a large LCD maker), eBay,
Google, Marvell (a large wifi chip maker), Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation,
Nortel, Quanta Computer, UL and the United Nations.
The children of the world are going to go online with our machines. They are our
future, our most valuable resource. This is real, it's happening now.
(For more information on the laptop go to www.laptop.org.)

2. Scan the article. What do these numbers refer to?

a) 100
b) 2007
c) 2
d) 500
e) Five
f) 40
3. Read the article more carefully. Which of the statements are true (T)? Which
are false (F)? Correct the false ones.
1. Brazil, Thailand, Argentina and France were instantly attracted to the low price.
2. Kofi Annan developed the first functional prototype of $100 laptop.
3. IBM will be manufacturing these low-cost computers.
4. The Chief Strategy Officer at AMD describes the design of the $100 laptop as
the first fundamental revisit of personal computer architecture.
5. These laptops will run on accumulator most of the time.
38
Grammar review

Past Simple
We use the past simple to talk about actions or situations in the past.
Very often the past simple ends in –ed:
She passed her examinations because she studied very hard.
Many verbs are irregular:
We all left the party at 11 o‟clock.
The past of the verb be (am/ is/ are) is was/ were:
I was angry because Tom and Ann were late.
In past simple questions and negatives we use did/ didn‟t + the infinitive:
What did you do at the week-end?
We didn‟t invite her to the party, so she didn‟t come.
But we do not use did with the verb be (was/ were):
Why were you so angry?
They weren‟t ready for the lesson.

3. Find examples of the past simple in the text above.

4. Put one of these verbs in each sentence in the past simple:

(hurt- teach- spend- go - sell - throw - fall – catch- buy – cost)

a. I was hungry, so I …………….. to the cafe.

b. Tom’s father ……………….. him how to drive when he was 17.
c. Don ………………… down the stairs this morning and ……………….. his
leg.
d. We needed some money so we ………………. our car.
e. Ann ………………….. a lot of money yesterday. She …………… a dress
which …………… $100.
f. Jim ………………….. the ball to Sue who ………………….. it.

1. Fill in the gapped sentences with the following word combinations:

currently, entire world, output, new approach, manufacture, application, ship,

launch, innovation, data

1. It seemed like the …….. was watching the television on the day Neil Armstrong
landed on the moon.
39
2. ……… of integrated pollution control was introduced in 1990 in European
Union.
3. Ford decided to ……… cars in its German factory and deliver them to its UK
enterprise for sale in this country.
4. ……… is improved when conditions are made more comfortable for workers.
5. The new Apple i-Book was announced in April and they’re planning to
………it in October to Western Europe.
6. They held a special party to ……… the new Personal Communications
Computer.
7. Remarkable ……… in manufacturing, science, health care, technology,
transportation and communications have resulted not only in new products and
services but also in new kinds of employment.
8. ……… computers have a wide range of ……… for businesses.
9. Satellites collect ………on weather patterns and send it back to earth.

3. Explain the terms in bold in the text.

1. Look at the following sentences from the text:

a. By the end of 2005, we announced that Quanta Computer, the largest maker of
laptops in the world, would be manufacturing them for us.
b. That's higher resolution than 95 percent of the laptops that ship today.
c. They are our future, our most valuable resource.

How are the comparatives and superlatives of the following formed?

adjectives of one syllable
adjectives ending in -y
adjectives of more than one syllable

40
Complete the table
adjective comparative superlative

fast
energy-efficient
low
cheap
expensive
new
wide
complicated
difficult
easy
profitable
safe
environmentally-friendly

2. Using the words from the previous exercises compare your computer to this
new laptop.

Discuss the following questions:

1. How can computers help you in your studies?
2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of computers in comparison with
books? Can computers replace printed textbooks?
3. What do you think Nicholas Negroponte meant when he said: “It's an education
project, not a laptop project”?
4. Go on-line and find the information about the current state of the project.

Background
IPF Investments provides the funding and support to develop and launch innovative
products in Russian market. IPFI is run by a group of rich people who are willing to
take risks and back projects which seem advanced and beneficial. However they also
expect to make money. A quarter of all European patents have their origins in Germany,
the third largest research country. Scientists and engineers from Hamburg, Heidelberg and
Berlin are counted the world’s best. Thousands of researchers in Germany are working on
tomorrow’s world in a large number of disciplines such as laser technology, medical
technology, biotechnology, renewable energies and others.
Case Study

41
Innovative products
A team of IPFI investors is currently considering several innovative products
developed in Germany to launch in Russia. After hearing presentations IPFI will
decide which projects it will invest in.

Task 1
You are researchers who need finance for your project. Work in groups. Read the
description of the products and choose the one you are going to present to the
team of investors.

Powerful tool
More exact, faster and more energy-efficient – the disk laser developed by the ISFW at
Stuttgart University underlines Germany’s leading role in the field of laser technology.
This new technology will be used in the body assembly plant at DaimlerChrysler. The
laser involved in this new welding system does not move from one welding
point to the next; instead the beam of light is directed at each point using mirrors and
beam waveguides. As a result, assembly times should be reduced by 90%.

Metallic servants
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a friendly machine to help with the house-work, to clear the
table and fill the dishwasher? Who hasn’t dreamt of that at some time? At Karlsruhe
University’s Institute for Technical Informatics, researchers like Professor Rudiger
Dillmann are working hard at developing robotic helpers to the stage where they are ready
for mass production. Initial prototypes of these humanoid robots are already walking
around the labs in Karlsruhe. Currently, the specialists are working on a solution to one
of the biggest problems: how does a machine get the skills that it will later need? The
solution is for the robot’s users to show the machine what it has to do. They perform the
appropriate actions with data gloves on their hands while the process is also filmed by
stereo cameras. The data is then directly transferred to the robot.

See-Through Display
In the past, transparent monitor screens only existed in science-fiction films like
Minority Report. Now, however, they have become a reality at the Technical University of
Braunschweig. For the first time, physicist Thomas Riedl has succeeded in equipping a
transparent display with pixels that are both coloured and transparent at the same time. A
possible application: the projection of navigation information onto a car‟s windscreen.

42
Intelligent models from Nature
Bionics involves the technological application of methods and procedures found in nature.
German researchers are leaders in this field. Wilhelm Barthlott, the professor from
Bonn, patented the self-cleaning lotus effect in the mid- 1990s. In 1999 a new façade paint
was put on the market that didn’t allow dirt to stick – it simply ran off like raindrops on a
lotus leaf. Another model from nature is being examined by researchers from the Max
Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam. They discovered that the glass
skeleton of an ocean glass sponge is practically indestructible. They want to use this
knowledge to develop new, especially stable structures.

Revolution in the fuel tank

What the Saxon company Choren Industries produces in Freiberg is the dream of many
ecologists: it is tar-free, biodegradable and carbon-dioxide neutral. The fuel, which
has been named SunDiesel, is produced from biomass, such as wood, straw or agricultural
waste, using the threestage Carbo-V process, for which the east German producers own
the global patents. Together with oil giant Shell, the company is currently investing 49
million euros in the world’s first SunDiesel refinery. The planned output is 16.5 million
litres of fuel a year, produced from 67,000 tonnes of biomass. Five large plants across
Germany are already planned to be producing the new fuel by 2008.

Task 2. Prepare the presentation of your products. Write a structure for your presentation
and make notes under key points. Then write an introduction and conclusion.

Key points for product presentation.

1. A description of the product.
2. Its innovative features.
3. Its potential consumers and main buyers.
4. Field where you can use it.

Task 3
Practice your presentation until it sounds natural and make any necessary changes.
Then present your proposal to the rest of the class.

Task 4
Once each group has presented, the class should consider which innovative product
has the greatest potential.

Writing
You are head of the IPFI team of investors. Write a report to the chairman
of IPFI. Describe the projects you have chosen and explain why IPFI
43
should invest in them.

Progress Monitoring
Return back to the beginning of Module 1. Look at the list of different ways of
learning English. Would you change your list of the most effective ones?

44
 UNIT 3
Revision

1. Put the verbs in brackets into the present simple or present continuous:

a. Water …………… (boil) at 100 degrees Celsius.

b. Listen to those people. What language …….. they …….…. (speak)?
c. The number of people without jobs ……………. (increase).
d. Jim ………………. (play) tennis every Saturday.
e. I ………………. (not/know) your telephone number.
f. What …… you usually ……………. (do) at weekends?
g. Ron is in London at the moment. He ………………… (stay) at the Hilton Hotel.

2. Put the verbs in brackets into the past simple:

a. When I …………… (live) in Manchester, I ……………….. (work) in a bank.

b. Yesterday I ………………. (go) to London to see a friend of mine.
c. She ………………. (not/be) interested in the book because she …………….
(not/understand) it.
d. …………. you ………… (go) out last night?
e. Yesterday Tom ……………… (have) a sandwich for lunch.
f. ………………… (be) Jane at work last Friday?
g. I ………….. (not/rush) because I ………………. (not/be) in a hurry.

3. Fill in the gapped sentences with the following word combinations:

revision, eco-friendly, learning styles, access to information, go online, power

consumption
1. Understanding your own preferred …………… can help you study more
effectively.
2. There will be significant growth in both gas and nuclear………………… in the
next 10 years.
3. I'll just ……………… and look up the university address.
4. ………………………….. is becoming easier nowadays due to the use of
computer technologies.
5. I know I haven't done enough …………… for tomorrow's exam.
6. …………………. homes are good for the environment and the future of our planet.

45
4. Translate from English into Arabic:
1. rely on myself
2. cost-reduced version
3. cramming
4. battery lifetime
5. charge/recharge cycles
6. turn vision into reality
7. run on batteries
8. come up with inventions

5. Put the words in the sentences into the order:

1. was / the television / The entire / Neil Amstrong / watching / on the day / on /
landed / world / the moon
2. in 1990 / new / was introduced / A / approach / pollution control / in
European Union / of integrated
3. in its / decided / UK enterprise / cars / German factory / and / Ford / to its / to
manufacture / deliver them / for sale
4. comfortable / when / Output / is improved / conditions / are made / more / for
workers
5. Apple i-Book / in April / Western Europe / and they’re planning / was
announced / to ship it / The new / to
6. the new / held / Personal / to launch / a special party / They /
Communications Computer
7. Remarkable innovations / transportation / products and services / have
resulted in / and / communications / new / in manufacturing
8. have / a wide range of / computers / applications / Currently / for businesses
9. and / weather patterns / send it / Satellites / on / collect data / back to earth
10. laptops / These / the time / batteries / most of / run on / will
11. with / the world / The children / to go / our machines / are going / online / of

6. Correct the sentences.

1. The exam was easy than we expected.

2. I’d like to have the more reliable car.
3. It’s becoming more hard and more hard to find a job.
4. The more difficult thing about English is the prepositions‖ students usually say
5. I can remember the days when the better computer was the biggest computer.
6. San Francisco is one of the expensivest cities in the USA.
7. The aerospace industry is largest user of titanium.
46
8. Bosses today are more young and more close in age to the workers they supervise.

7. Match the words in two columns and make sentences with these word
combinations:
to take for examinations
to revise goals
to make money and support
to learn interest
to set in good time
to give a talk
to work progress
to plan by heart
to express part in
to receive in groups

47
 MODULE 2
From Students Life to Engineering Career

«What do Neil Armstrong, Jimmy Carter, and Alfred Hitchcock have in common? Though
they eventually chose very different careers - one as an astronaut, one as a president, and
one as a filmmaker - they all started with an engineering education.»
Raymond Landis, dean of engineering and technology at California State University – LA

1. Do you know any other famous people who

had/ have engineering education?
2. What makes it special in comparison with
other kinds of education (humanitarian,
economic, etc.)?
3. What do you expect to get from engineering education?
4. Do you think that extracurricular activities can help you develop professional skills?

YOU ARE GOING TO READ, SPEAK AND WRITE ABOUT

 types of engineers
 engineering
 Engineering Students’ Societies
 events

YOU WILL PRACTICE

 questions
 phrasal verbs
 pronunciation
 word building
 topical vocabulary
 listening, reading and writing
 working in groups
 project work

YOU WILL KNOW HOW TO

 read abbreviations
 ask for and express opinions
 design a leaflet

48
 UNIT 4
Engineering Students' Societies

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. English proverb

1. Are there any students’ clubs/ societies at your university?

2. Do you belong to any? If not, would you like to? Why/ why not?
3. What is the purpose of creating professional societies for students?

For most disciplines in engineering there exists a professional society with a student
chapter. With guidance from faculty, students organize the chapter’s activities such as
industry plant tours and inviting speakers to campus. These societies provide a valuable
link to the professional world.

Read what members say about the advantages of belonging to a students‟

engineering society and see if you have come up with the same ideas.

1. Before you read match the words in column A with their definitions in column B:
A B
confident individual everyday troubles and events
daily hassles and happenings feeling of participation
hands-on experience have better knowledge or experience
provide valuable contacts practical knowledge/ skills
sense of involvement (with) supply important connections
get better acquainted (with) sure of oneself person

"What you get from participating in student organizations is based on what

you put into it. Not only can you develop invaluable friendships, but you also
build your communication, leadership and team skills, which in turn makes you
a more confident individual. From my experience, the things that I have learned
from being involved with student organizations are just as, if not more, important
than schoolwork. Student organizations represent real life - the daily hassles and
happenings that you would deal with in the working world." (Kristin Shuda, a co-
president of the college's Polygon Engineering Council in University of Wisconsin, USA)

“Among the many advantages of belonging to a professional society, I place

hands-on experience, teambuilding skills and skills in interpersonal relations
among the top. Professional societies also provide valuable contacts and job
opportunities that would be hard to come by anywhere else”. (Neel Vasavada, a
49
member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers)
Vocabulary
“One of the greatest benefits of belonging to an engineering society is in the
friendships and sense of involvement with the college that it generates. I have
also been able to get better acquainted with the faculty, which I think is a big
plus. If I had not gotten involved with ASCE, I surely would know less people,
have less understanding of the profession and would not have gained the
leadership, social and organization skills that I have developed.” (Jeremy Tomesh,
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) student chapter leader)
(adapted from http://www.engr.wisc.edu/alumni/perspective/26.2/societies.html)

2. Read the extract again and divide the advantages into the following three columns.
Can you add some other advantages?
Professional skills Social skills Other

Not only can you develop invaluable friendships…

Word building

1. What do the following prefixes in bold mean? Add some

more words to each category.
e.g. re- means “again”
1. replay/ recharge
2. invaluable/ illogical/ impossible/ irregular/ unusual/ disadvantage
3. interpersonal/ interactive
4. submarine/ subway
5. overcrowded/ overestimate
6. underweight/ underestimate
7. postgraduate

50
2. What parts of speech (noun or adjective) do the suffixes in bold indicate?
1. organization / leadership/ involvement
2. learner/ teacher/ doctor
3. personal/ active/ daily/ powerful
Events
3. Make as many words as you can by combining different parts of the box:
dis communicate ive ion
un friend al ship
in profession ly ment
re effect ful er/ or
invent ism
success
help
revise
achieve
construct
appoint
visible
employ
mechanic
develop

Grammar Review
Phrasal verbs

Use the following phrasal verbs in the correct to replace the words in italics.
save up -hang out- come over- pass out- come up- turn up- look ….. up
1. I used to spend a lot of time with my friends when I was at college.
2. I went to meet Frank but he never arrived.
3. Do you want to visit me on Friday evening?
4. The same problems appear every time.
5. I nearly became unconscious when I saw all the blood.
6. Find the word in your dictionary.
7. If you want a new bike you’ll have to start saving money.

2. Choose one or two of the events and design a leaflet. You can use
the following website to learn how to write leaflets:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/english/revision_bites/leaflets2.shtml
(or see Writing file p 53)

51
 UNIT 5
The Scope of Engineering

1 Engineering has been called ―invisible profession‖ or the ―stealth profession

because most people have no clue what engineers do. A 1998 poll in the USA
indicated 61% of adults felt ―not very well‖ or ―not at all well‖ informed
about engineering.

Being a student in engineering do you know what engineers do?

What areas of our society do they work in?
The pictures below refer to some of the areas. Can you name them?

2. In the table there is a list of areas of society. What types of engineers work in
each area?

Tick all the types of engineers who work in each area.

Types of engineers

environmental
agricultural

mechanical
biomedical
aerospace

computer

electrical
chemical

nuclear
civil

Areas of society

Agriculture √ √ √ √

Communications

Computers

Construction

Energy

Entertainment

Environment

Machines

Medicine

Space

Transportation

52
What types of engineers are involved in the following activities?
1. Develop diagnostic machines, artificial organs and prosthetic devices.
2. Design vehicles – cars, trucks, heavy equipment, buses, aircraft.
3. Work up ways to reduce energy consumption .
4. Construct the wings, landing gear, etc. Design, analyze, model, simulate, and
test satellites, missiles, and rockets.
5. Create irrigation systems, tractors and buildings, experiment with food
processing and farming techniques.
6. Discover and manufacture better plastics, paints, fuels, fibers, medicines, fertilizers,
semiconductors, paper, and all other kinds of chemicals.
7. Make sure pollutants are removed from various streams released to the air and water.
8. Use computer technologies and advanced materials to design structures that
meet the needs of a growing population.
9. Engineer structural supports for human colonies in space or on the moon.
10. Apply the laws of physics governing electricity, magnetism, and light to develop
products and services for the benefit of humankind.

1. Match the words to form expressions from the text and translate the expressions
into Arabic:
1. artificial a. gear
2. prosthetic b. processing
3. heavy c. the needs
4. energy d. devices
5. landing e. organs
6. irrigation f. consumption
7. food g. systems
8. meet h. equipment

Use internet site www.engineergirl.org/CMS/careers/2986.aspx to prepare a short

report about the type of engineer which appeals to you.

Find at least five words which you think are important to learn and teach them to the
other students in your group. Present your report to the other students in the group.

1. Can you define the term “engineering”?

Engineering is …
2. Read the definitions of engineering given by professionals and choose the one
which is the closest to yours.

53
“Engineering is the application of math and science to create something of
value from our natural resources”
(Internet http://www.discoverengineering.org/aboutengineers.asp )
Top 10
“Engineering is the art of deliberately modifying the physical world for
the use and conveniences of mankind”
(paraphrased from charter for ICE (Institute of Civil Engineers), 1828)

"Engineering is not merely knowing and being knowledgeable, like a walking

encyclopedia; engineering is not merely analysis... Engineers operate at the
interface between science and society..."
(Dean Gordon Brown; Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1962)

"Engineering is the art or science of making practical."

(Samuel C. Florman)

"Engineering is the science of economy, of conserving the energy, kinetic

and potential, provided and stored up by nature for the use of man. It is
the business of engineering to utilize this energy to the best advantage,
so that there may be the least possible waste."
(Willard A. Smith)

In his book Studying Engineering, Raymond Landis, dean of engineering and technology
at California State University – Los Angeles, lists the following "top 10" rewards and
opportunities that an engineering career offers.
(Adapted from www.gulfnews.com)

Read quickly the paragraphs and match them to the right headings given below.

Creative Thinking Potential to Benefit Society

Intellectual Development Financial Security
Professional Environment Challenging Work
Job Satisfaction Variety of Career Opportunities
Technological and Scientific Discovery Prestige

54
1. ________________________
Studies show that, by far, the No. 1 cause of unhappiness among people in the United
States is job dissatisfaction Thus, it is important to find a career that provides you
with enjoyment and reward. After all, you might spend 40 or so years working eight
hours or more a day, five days a week, 50 weeks a year. Do you want to dislike every
minute of that time, or would you rather do something that you enjoy? For numerous
reasons, some of which are listed below, engineering provides a satisfying field of
work.

2. __________________________
What do Neil Armstrong, Jimmy Carter, and Alfred Hitchcock have in common? Though
they eventually chose very different careers - one as an astronaut, one as a president, and
one as a filmmaker - they all started with an engineering education. An engineering degree
offers a wide range of career possibilities. Within the practice of engineering, there is an
enormous variety of job functions.
o If you are imaginative and creative, design engineering may be for you.
o If you like laboratories and conducting experiments, you might consider
test engineering.
o If you like to organize and expedite projects, look into being a development
engineer.
o If you are persuasive and like working with people, consider a career in sales or field
service engineering.

The analytical skills and technological expertise you develop as an engineering

student can also be used in many other fields. The majority of today’s college
graduates will have more than one career during their work life, and engineering can
provide a strong foundation for almost any one of them.

3. __________________________
In the engineering work world, there is no shortage of problems to solve. Any
engineering manager will tell you that he or she has a huge backlog of problems that
need to be solved. Generally, "real world" engineering problems are quite different
from most of the problems you will solve in school. In school, most problems have a
single, correct answer. When you get into the engineering work world, virtually all
problems will be open-ended. There will be no single answer to a problem, no
answer in the back of the book, no professor to tell you that you are right or wrong.
You will be required to devise a solution and persuade others that your solution is the
best one.

55
4. ___________________________
An engineering education will "exercise" your brain, developing your ability to think
logically and to solve problems. These are skills that will be valuable throughout your
life—and not only when you are solving engineering problems. For example, your
problem-solving skills can help you undertake tasks such as planning a vacation,
finding a job, organizing a fund-raiser, purchasing a house, or writing a book.

5. ___________________________
Depending upon your value system, you may not view all things that engineers do as
benefiting people. For example, engineers design military equipment like missiles,
tanks, bombs, artillery, and fighter airplanes. Engineers are also involved in the
production of pesticides, cigarettes, liquor and asbestos.
As an engineer, however, you can choose to work on projects that clearly are of use to
society, such as cleaning up the environment, developing prosthetic aids for disabled
persons, developing clean and efficient transportation systems, finding new sources of
energy, and increasing the standard of living in underdeveloped countries.

6. __________________________
While money should not be your only reason for choosing a career in engineering, if
you decide to become an engineer you will be well paid. Engineering graduates
receive the highest starting salary of any discipline.

7. ___________________________
Engineers play a primary role in maintaining our standard of living, ensuring a strong
national security, and protecting public safety. Furthermore, most people know that
engineering requires hard work and strong technical skills. As a member of such a
respected profession, you will receive a high amount of prestige.

8. _____________________________
As an engineer, you will be treated with respect and have a certain amount of
freedom in choosing your work. You will also be in a position to influence what
happens at your company.
You will have the opportunity to learn and grow through both on-the-job training and
formal training. You will learn from experienced engineers in your organization and
will be offered seminars and short courses to increase your knowledge.
As a professional, you will receive liberal benefits, which will typically include a
retirement plan, life insurance, health insurance, sick leave, paid vacation, holidays,
and savings or profit-sharing plans.

56
9. ____________________________
Do you know what a laser is or how a computer works? Do you know why split-level
houses experience more damage in earthquakes? An engineering education can help
you understand how these, and many other things in the world, work.
Furthermore, an understanding of technology will provide you with a better
understanding of many issues facing our society. For example: Should we have
stopped building nuclear reactors? What will we use for energy when oil runs out? Is
it technically feasible to develop a "Star Wars" defense system that will protect us
against nuclear attack? Can we produce enough food to eliminate world hunger?

10. ____________________________
Engineering is by its very nature an inventive profession. When practicing engineers
develop solutions to open-ended, real-world problems, they must employ conscious
and subconscious mental processing.
Because we are in a time of rapid social and technological changes, the need for
engineers to be creative is greater now than ever before. Only through creativity can
we cope with and adapt to these changes. If you like to question, explore, invent,
discover, and create, then engineering could be the ideal profession for you.
(Source: adapted from Landis R. Studying Engineering. Discovery Press, 1995)

1. Translate the following words/expressions into Arabic :

1. conduct experiment
2. to organize and expedite projects
3. analytical skills
4. technological expertise
5. provide a strong foundation
6. exercise" your brain
7. undertake tasks
8. disabled person
9. standard of living
10. underdeveloped countries
11. play a primary role in
12. ensure a strong national security
13. protect public safety
14. on-the-job training
15. design engineer
16. test engineer
17. development engineer
18. field service engineer

57
Vocabulary focus
Discuss the following questions:
Why have you chosen engineering profession?
Which of the benefits listed in Studying Engineering by Landis R. is the most
important to you?
What other considerations did you take into account while making your choice?

Functional language
Asking for and expressing opinions
I think …
I believe …
In my opinion, …
In my view, …
It seems to me that …
From my point of view, …
As far as I’m concerned, …
If you ask me, … (informal)
What do you think of … (career opportunities/ …)?
How do you feel about … (developing problem-solving
skills/ the idea of benefiting society/ …)?
What’s your opinion of ...(professional benefits/ …)?

In this unit you came across the following words and expressions. Tick those which
you understand and can translate into Arabic.

Types of engineers
aerospace computer
agricultural electrical
biomedical environmental
chemical mechanical
civil nuclear.

58
Verbs
develop create
design experiment with
work up discover
construct manufacture
analyze benefit
model engineer
simulate apply.
reduce

Nouns
truck machine
equipment vehicle
technique satellite
fuel missile
semiconductor irrigation
pollutant fiber
structure fertilizer
benefit physics
population electricity
support magnetism
product service
humankind diagram

59
Phrases
artificial organs career opportunities
heavy equipment challenging work
energy consumption intellectual development
irrigation systems financial security
food processing professional environment
meet the need creative thinking
conduct experiment liberal benefits
expedite projects a retirement plan
analytical skills life insurance
technological expertise health insurance
―exercise" your brain sick leave
undertake tasks paid vacation
underdeveloped countries profit-sharing plans
play a primary role in a huge backlog of problems
on-the-job training "real world" engineering problems
design engineer open-ended problems
test engineer devise a solution
development engineer disabled person
field service engineer standard of living
job satisfaction

60
 UNIT 6
Revision

1. Ask different types of questions (at least 5) to the following sentences:

A long time ago I read an article in a popular electronics magazine and
the title was ―Micro Chips - Mega Death‖.
Twice a year, the Engineering Students' Society takes a few hundred
engineering students out to mystery small town Alberta to relax and party
with the locals.
Engineers are the coolest people around because we invent so many
things for people and we want to make the world a better place.

2. There are mistakes in phrasal verbs. Correct them.

1. There are job vacancies from time to time. I’ll let you know if something makes up.
2. I’ll just spend up the train times in the timetable.
3. You’ll probably find Dave at the swimming pool – he often reads out there.
4. Why don't you hide over to our place one evening?
5. I think the poor guy took out. It looks like he’s had a lot to drink.
6. Steve slept up late for the meeting, as usual.
7. It took me ages to play up for the new Porsche.

3. Underline the two words which have the same sound.

truck structure simulate
device irrigation design
construct equipment technique
chemical fiber plastic
fuel support pollutant
service satellite missile
reduce consumption humankind
diagnostic material vehicle

4. Fill in the gapped sentences with the following words.

(Fuel- pollutants- benefit -satellite -fiber- applied- manufactures –equipment)
1. This firm ……………… cars.
2. Scientific discoveries are often ………….. to industrial processes.
3. It’s an expensive investment but it will ………… the company in the long run.

61
4. Nylon is a man-made …………….
5. Petrol is no longer a cheap ………….
6. The broadcast came from America by ………………..
7. ………….. are constantly being released into the atmosphere.
8. The university bought several new pieces of ……………. for the chemistry lab.

5. Match types of engineers with the words and expressions you associate with
them. More than one variant is possible.
aerospace cars, trucks, heavy equipment, buses,
agricultural aircraft
biomedical computer technologies
chemical diagnostic machines, artificial organs
civil electricity, magnetism, and light
electrical irrigation systems, tractors and farming
environmental techniques
mechanical plastics, paints, fuels, fibers, medicines,
fertilizers,
semiconductors
pollutants
satellites, missiles, and rockets
design structures

6. Match the words in the columns to make word combinations. Use them in
sentences of your own:
career opportunities
challenging consumption
creative security
energy work
financial environment
health leave
professional thinking
sick
insurance

7. Choose the correct option.

1. It's extremely difficult for one teacher to solve/meet the needs of 16 students in
a class when each has his own learning style.
2. Is it really necessary to conduct/research experiments on animals?
62
3. Dr Johnson decided to understand/undertake the task of writing a Business
English dictionary.
4. Scientists can also play/make a role in improving energy efficiency in their
laboratories.
5. European governments are working together to decide/devise a solution to the
problem of nuclear waste.
6. Standards/Structures of living in European countries have improved over the
last century.

WRITING FILE
Guide to presentation
1. Make a plan of your talk. This should include at least three sections:
introduction
development
conclusion

2. Write detailed notes of what you will say:

key points and key words
the action points you will stress

3. Prepare visual aids

4. Practice your presentation :

use simple and clear language
don’t read from your notes

Look at these expressions. In which part of a presentation would you expect

them to be used?
1. On this next slide you can see …
2. To conclude, I want to tell you about …
3. I’ll be happy to answer questions at the end of the presentation.
4. Let’s have a look at some statistics/ figures.
5. My name is … and I’m a …
6. Finally, a few words about …
7. This brings me to the next point …
8. Thanks very much for listening to my talk.
9. My main aim today is to tell you …/ I’m here today to tell you …

63
Sample report
Date: 12 April 2008
Report on: location of new assembly plant
Introduction
The purpose of this report is to assess the suitability of locating the new assembly
plant in Hamburg, north Germany, and recommend a suitable site.
Findings
Hamburg has excellent transport links by sea, road and air. It is one of Europe’s
busiest ports, Germany’s two main motorways pass through the city and it has a fast
growing international airport. It is also a gateway to Scandinavia and central Europe
with a fast rail link to Berlin.
The region has an educated and skilled workforce with a strong engineering tradition.
It will be possible to source many components locally.
Recommendation
It is suggested that the fast-developing business park north west of the city would be
an ideal site because it is next to the motorway and 10 minutes from both the harbour
and rail terminal. We recommend that the site should be studied in more detail
immediately.
Amanda Jones
Research and Development Manager

Leaflets
Leaflets come in all shapes and sizes, but they all have to tell the user as much as
possible in a small space.
The heading. Leaflets should have a clear, bold heading that catches the
reader’s attention and makes them want to read more.
The message. You need to get as many facts as possible onto a leaflet – it
needs to tell the reader everything they need to know and persuade them to do
something, for example visit a restaurant or buy something.
Features. Most leaflets have short messages that stand out and tell the reader
what’s special about the thing the leaflet is advertising. These could be prices,
reviews or special offers.
A call to action. This is a clear message telling the reader what to do next, for
example, Buy it now! or Call this number now for more details!
Contact details. If a leaflet is advertising an event or a shop, for example, it
must tell people where to go (an address), and how to get in touch (telephone
numbers, website details and e-mail addresses).
The design. Leaflets have to catch the reader’s attention, so they need to be
bright and engaging.
(adapted from http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/english/revision_bites/leaflets2.shtml )

64
 Part Three

Reading Comprehension Passages

65
Passage - 1

Philosophy of Education is a label applied to the study of the purpose, process, nature and
ideals of education. It can be considered a branch of both philosophy and education.
Education can be defined as the teaching and learning of specific skills, and the imparting
of knowledge, judgment and wisdom, and is something broader than the societal
institution of education we often speak of.

Many educationalists consider it a weak and woolly field, too far removed from the
practical applications of the real world to be useful. But philosophers dating back to Plato
and the Ancient Greeks have given the area much thought and emphasis, and there is little
doubt that their work has helped shape the practice of education over the millennia.

Plato is the earliest important educational thinker, and education is an essential element in
"The Republic" (his most important work on philosophy and political theory, written
around 360 B.C.). In it, he advocates some rather extreme methods: removing children
from their mothers' care and raising them as wards of the state, and differentiating children
suitable to the various castes, the highest receiving the most education, so that they could
act as guardians of the city and care for the less able. He believed that education should be
holistic, including facts, skills, physical discipline, music and art. Plato believed that talent
and intelligence is not distributed genetically and thus is be found in children born to all
classes, although his proposed system of selective public education for an educated
minority of the population does not really follow a democratic model.

Aristotle considered human nature, habit and reason to be equally important forces to be
cultivated in education, the ultimate aim of which should be to produce good and virtuous
citizens. He proposed that teachers lead their students systematically, and that repetition be
used as a key tool to develop good habits, unlike Socrates' emphasis on questioning his
listeners to bring out their own ideas. He emphasized the balancing of the theoretical and
practical aspects of subjects taught, among which he explicitly mentions reading, writing,
mathematics, music, physical education, literature, history, and a wide range of sciences,
as well as play, which he also considered important.

During the Medieval period, the idea of Perennialism was first formulated by St. Thomas
Aquinas in his work "De Magistro". Perennialism holds that one should teach those things

66
deemed to be of everlasting importance to all people everywhere, namely principles and
reasoning, not just facts (which are apt to change over time), and that one should teach
first about people, not machines or techniques. It was originally religious in nature, and it
was only much later that a theory of secular perennialism developed.

During the Renaissance, the French skeptic Michel de Montaigne (1533 - 1592) was one
of the first to critically look at education. Unusually for his time, Montaigne was willing to
question the conventional wisdom of the period, calling into question the whole edifice of
the educational system, and the implicit assumption that university-educated philosophers
were necessarily wiser than uneducated farm workers, for example.

Q1.What is the difference between the approaches of Socrates and Aristotle?

1) Aristotle felt the need for repetition to develop good habits in students; Socrates felt that
students need to be constantly questioned

2) Aristotle felt the need for rote-learning; Socrates emphasized on dialogic learning

3) There was no difference

4) Aristotle emphasized on the importance of paying attention to human nature; Socrates

emphasized upon science

Q2.Why do educationists consider philosophy a „weak and woolly‟ field?

1) It is not practically applicable

2) Its theoretical concepts are easily understood

3) It is irrelevant for education

4) None of the above

Q3.What do you understand by the term „Perennialism‟, in the context of the given
comprehension passage?
1) It refers to something which is of ceaseless importance

2) It refers to something which is quite unnecessary

3) It refers to something which is abstract and theoretical

67
4) It refers to something which existed in the past and no longer exists now

Q4.Were Plato‟s beliefs about education democratic?

1) He believed that only the rich have the right to acquire education

2) Yes

3) He believed that only a select few are meant to attend schools

4) He believed that all pupils are not talented

Q5.Why did Aquinas propose a model of education which did not lay much emphasis
on facts?
1) Facts are not important

2) Facts do not lead to holistic education

3) Facts change with the changing times

4) Facts are frozen in time

68
Passage - 2

"I Have a Dream" is a public speech delivered by American civil rights activist Martin
Luther King Jr. during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28,
1963, in which he calls for an end to racism in the United States and called for civil and
economic rights. Delivered to over 250,000 civil rights supporters from the steps of the
Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., the speech was a defining moment of the civil
rights movement.

Beginning with a reference to the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed millions of

slaves in 1863, King observes that: "one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free".
Toward the end of the speech, King departed from his prepared text for a partly
improvised peroration on the theme "I have a dream", prompted by Mahalia Jackson's cry:
"Tell them about the dream, Martin!" In this part of the speech, which most excited the
listeners and has now become its most famous, King described his dreams of freedom and
equality arising from a land of slavery and hatred. Jon Meacham writes that, "With a
single phrase, Martin Luther King Jr. joined Jefferson and Lincoln in the ranks of men
who've shaped modern America". The speech was ranked the top American speech of the
20th century in a 1999 poll of scholars of public address.

Q1.What issues does Martin Luther King‟s speech address?

1.Continuation of racism
2.End to racism and civil and economic rights
3. Civil rights
4.Civil War

Q2.What pushes King to speak: “I have a dream”?

1.He reads out the Emancipation Proclamation
2.He is prompted by Mahalia Jackson
3.he is overwhelmed by the crowd
4.Licoln had asked him to give the speech

69
Q3.From the last paragraph, give one word for “to leave”
1.Departed
2. Proclamation
3.Improvised
4.Address

Q4.What is the name of martin Luther King‟s famed speech?

1.The Emancipation Proclamation
2.An Improvisation
3. A Peroration
4.I Have a Dream

Q5.In front of whom does King speak?

1.The civil rights supporters
2.His friends
3.Lincoln
4.The Negroes

70
Passage - 3

Today I Rabindranath Tagore complete eighty years of my life .As I look back on the vast
stretch of years that lie behind me and see in clear perspective the history of my early
development, I am struck by the change that has taken place both in my own attitude and
in the psychology of my countrymen -- a change that carries within it a cause of profound
tragedy.
Our direct contact with the larger world of men was linked up with the contemporary
history of the English people whom we came to know in those earlier days. It was mainly
through their mighty literature that we formed our ideas with regard to these newcomers to
our Indian shores. In those days the type of learning that was served out to us was neither
plentiful nor diverse, nor was the spirit of scientific enquiry very much in evidence. Thus
their scope being strictly limited, the educated of those days had recourse to English
language and literature. Their days and nights were eloquent with the stately declamations
of Burke, with Macaulay’s long-rolling sentences; discussions centered upon
Shakespeare's drama and Byron's poetry and above all upon the large-hearted liberalism of
the nineteenth-century English politics.
At the time though tentative attempts were being made to gain our national independence,
at heart we had not lost faith in the generosity of the English race. This belief was so
firmly rooted in the sentiments of our leaders as to lead them to hope that the victor would
of his own grace pave the path of freedom for the vanquished. This belief was based upon
the fact that England at the time provided a shelter to all those who had to flee from
persecution in their own country. Political martyrs who had suffered for the honour of
their people were accorded unreserved welcome at the hands of the English.
I was impressed by this evidence of liberal humanity in the character of the English and
thus I was led to set them on the pedestal of my highest respect. This generosity in their
national character had not yet been vitiated by imperialist pride. About this time, as a boy
in England, I had the opportunity of listening to the speeches of John Bright, both in and
outside Parliament. The large-hearted, radical liberalism of those speeches, overflowing all
narrow national bounds, had made so deep an impression on my mind that something of it
lingers even today, even in these days of graceless disillusionment.

71
Q1.From the first paragraph, give a synonym for „deep‟:
1.Perspective
2.Profound
3.tragedy
4.Psychology

Q2.What helped the Indians to conceive of a notion of the Englishmen?

1.Their advanced weaponry
2.Their literature
3.Their orders
4.Their administration

Q3.Who could read and gain from English literature?

1.The educated Indians
2.All the Indians
3.Only writers such as Rabindranath Tagore
4.None of the above

Q4.From the third paragraph, give an antonym for „victorious‟

1.Victor
2.vanquished
3.Belief
4.Persecution

Q5.Whose speeches did Tagore listen to, as a boy?

1.Shakespeare
2.Byron
3.John Bright
4.Macaulay

72
Passage - 4

Sportsmanship can be conceptualized as an enduring and relatively stable characteristic or

disposition such that individuals differ in the way they are generally expected to behave in
sports situations. In general, sportsmanship refers to virtues such as fairness, self-control,
courage, and persistence, and has been associated with interpersonal concepts of treating
others and being treated fairly, maintaining self-control if dealing with others, and respect
for both authority and opponents. Sportsmanship is also looked at as being the way one
reacts to a sport/game/player.

The four elements of sportsmanship are often shown being good form, the will to win,
equity and fairness. All four elements are critical and a balance must be found among all
four for true sportsmanship to be illustrated. These elements may also cause conflict, as a
person may desire to win more than play in equity and fairness and thus resulting in a
clash within the aspects of sportsmanship. This will cause problems as the person believes
they are being a good sportsman, but they are defeating the purpose of this idea as they are
ignoring two key components of being sportsman like. When athletes become too self-
centred, the idea of sportsmanship is dismissed.

Today's sporting culture, in particular the base of elite sport, places great importance on
the idea of competition and winning and thus sportsmanship takes a back seat as a
result. In most, if not all sports, sportsmen at the elite level make the standards on
sportsmanship and no matter whether they like it or not, they are seen as leaders and role
models in society.

Since every sport is rule driven, the most common offence of bad sportsmanship is the act
of cheating or breaking the rules to gain an unfair advantage. A competitor who exhibits
poor sportsmanship after losing a game or contest is often called a "sore loser", while a
competitor who exhibits poor sportsmanship after winning is typically called a "bad
winner". Sore loser behavior includes blaming others for the loss, not accepting
responsibility for personal actions that contributed to the defeat, reacting to the loss in an
immature or improper fashion, making excuses for the defeat, and citing unfavourable
conditions or other petty issues as reasons for the defeat. A bad winner acts in a shallow
fashion after his or her victory, such as by gloating about his or her win, rubbing the win in
the face(s) of the opponent(s), and lowering the opponent(s)'s self-esteem by constantly
73
 reminding the opponent(s) of "poor" performance in comparison (even if the opponent(s)
competed well). Not showing respect to the other team is considered to being a bad
sportsman and could lead to demoralizing effects; as Leslie Howe describes: "If a pitcher
in baseball decides to pitch not to his maximum ability suggest that the batter is not at an
adequate level, [it] could lead to the batter to have low self-confidence or worth.

Q1.is is necessary to strike a balance between all the four elements of sportsmanship?
1. No
2. Yes
3. Any 2 can be balanced
4. Only 1 is sufficient

Q2.Why has sportsmanship taken a backseat today?

1. Due to lack of balance between the elements
2. Due to the emphasis on winning
3. Due to drug abuse
4. None of the above

Q3.If one does not accept responsibility for one‟s defeat, one is called a:
1. Sore loser
2. Bad winner
3. Good sportsman
4. Prudent sportsman

Q4.From the last paragraph, give the opposite of the word „deep‟:
1. Competitor
2. Pitch
3. Immature
4. Shallow

74
 Q5.When does the spirit of sportsmanship die?
1. When the sportsman becomes too self-centered
2. When the player loses the will to play
3. When the sportsman behaves badly
4. None of the above

75
Passage - 5

Artificial intelligence (AI), sometimes called machine intelligence, is intelligence

demonstrated by machines, in contrast to the natural intelligence displayed by humans and
other animals. In computer science AI research is defined as the study of "intelligent
agents": any device that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its
chance of successfully achieving its goals. Colloquially, the term "artificial intelligence" is
applied when a machine mimics "cognitive" functions that humans associate with other
human minds, such as "learning" and "problem solving".
The scope of AI is disputed: as machines become increasingly capable, tasks considered as
requiring "intelligence" are often removed from the definition, a phenomenon known as
the AI effect, leading to the quip, "AI is whatever hasn't been done yet." For instance,
optical character recognition is frequently excluded from "artificial intelligence", having
become a routine technology. Capabilities generally classified as AI as of 2017 include
successfully understanding human speech, competing at the highest level in strategic game
systems (such as chess and Go), autonomous cars, intelligent routing in content delivery
network and military simulations.
Artificial intelligence was founded as an academic discipline in 1956, and in the years
since has experienced several waves of optimism, followed by disappointment and the loss
of funding (known as an "AI winter"), followed by new approaches, success and renewed
funding. For most of its history, AI research has been divided into subfields that often fail
to communicate with each other. These sub-fields are based on technical considerations,
such as particular goals (e.g. "robotics" or "machine learning"), the use of particular tools
("logic" or artificial neural networks), or deep philosophical differences. Subfields have
also been based on social factors (particular institutions or the work of particular
researchers).
The traditional problems (or goals) of AI research include reasoning, knowledge
representation, planning, learning, natural language processing, perception and the ability
to move and manipulate objects. General intelligence is among the field's long-term goals.
Approaches include statistical methods, computational intelligence, and traditional
symbolic AI. Many tools are used in AI, including versions of search and mathematical
optimization, artificial neural networks, and methods based on statistics, probability and

76
 economics. The AI field draws upon computer science, mathematics, psychology,
linguistics, philosophy and many others.

Q1.What is the AI winter?

1. Loss of funding for AI projects
2. Non-functioning AI systems
3. Absence of research labs
4. None of the above

Q2.Are sub-fields based only on social factors?

1. No
2. Yes
3. They are based on machine learning
4. None of the above

Q3. Leaning and problem solving by machines is a colloquial way of understanding

artificial intelligence?
1. Yes
2. No
3. Artificial intelligence means acquiring knowledge through books
4. It cannot be defined colloquially

Q4.Are autonomous cars an example of AI?

1. Yes
2. No
3. As of 2017, they are
4. None of the above

Q5.Does AI only draw on technology and mathematics?

1. Yes
2. No
3. It also draws upon psychology
4. It only draws upon linguistics

77
Passage - 6

Like their ancient toga-wearing counterparts, modern philosophers continue to disagree on

the nature of freewill. Do we really have any control over the choices we make and the
things we desire, and if so, to what degree?

Theories of freewill vary, but the ancient words of Plato still line up with our modern
perceptions of temptation and willpower. The revered Greek philosopher argued that the
human experience is one of constant struggle between the intellect and the body, between
rationality and desire. Along these lines, true freedom is only achievable when willpower
unchains us from bodily, emotional, instinctual slavery.

You can find similar sentiments throughout world religions, most of which offer a
particular and often difficult path to rise above our darker natures.

And science? Well, science mostly agrees with all of this. Willpower is all about
overcoming your natural impulses to eat cupcakes, skip your morning workout, flirt with
the waiter, hit the snooze alarm and check your e-mail during a funeral.

Your willpower, however, is limited. If life were a video game, you'd see a glowing
"willpower" or "ego" meter at the top of the screen next to your "life" meter. Successfully
resist one temptation, and the meter depletes a little. The next temptation depletes the
"willpower" meter even more, until there's nothing left at all.

Our modern scientific understanding of willpower in large part stems from a 1996 research
experiment involving chocolate and radishes. Psychologist Roy Baumeister led a study in
which 67 test subjects were presented with tempting chocolate chip cookies and other
chocolate-flavored treats before a persistence-testing puzzle. Here's the catch: The
researchers asked some of the participants to abstain from sweets and snack on radishes
instead.

Baumeister's results told a fascinating story. The test subjects who resisted the sweet stuff
in favor of radishes performed poorly on the persistence test. They simply didn't have the
willpower left to resist slacking off.

78
The resulting paper, "Ego Depletion: Is the Active Self a Limited Resource?" inspired
more than a thousand additional studies discussing everything from the influence of
positive messages to the ego-sapping power of daily decisions

Studies also show that cognitive capacity also affects our ability to hold out against
temptation. Cognitive capacity is essentially your working memory, which you employ
when resisting a temptation ... or holding a string of numbers in your head. A 1999 study
from the University of Iowa professor Baba Shiv found that people tasked with
remembering a two-digit number held out better than people remembering a seven-digit
number when tempted with chocolate cake.

Q1.What do you understand by „freewill‟?

1)The choices we make and the things we desire

2)The choices that philosophers force us to make

3)Our perception of temptation

4)Our ego

Q2.According to Plato, when is true freedom available?

1)When there is a struggle between the intellect and the body

2)When our willpower helps us to overcome our base instincts

3)When we desire that which we cannot achieve

4)When we have no control over our ego

Q3.In the second paragraph, what does the expression „line up‟ signify?
1)Align with

2)disagree with

3)Differ from

4)In discussion with

79
Q4.What is meant by „cognitive capacity‟?
1)Willpower

2)Our ego

3)Our ability to overcome temptation

4)The desire to give in to temptation

Q5.From the RC given above, find a synonym for „respected‟

1)Cognitive

2)Temptation

3)Desire

4)Revered

80
Passage - 7

People do not always do the things we want them to do. No matter how reasonable or
minimal our expectations may be, there are times when we are let down. Naturally, we feel
upset and hurt when our expectations are not met. We dread confrontations because they
are unpleasant and can damage relationships. Yet not confronting a person does not solve
the problem because unresolved issues also affect relationships in an adverse way.
Actually, the real problem lies in our style of confrontation, not in the issue. Typically, we
use character-based confrontations. They help in venting our anger and hurt, but that is the
only thing they do. They lead to angry show-downs and bring all discussions to a grinding
halt.

It is important to remember that self-image is the most important possession of all human
beings. It is the way we view and regard ourselves in our own eyes and in the eyes of
others. As self-conscious beings, we are acutely aware of our image and constantly work
towards protecting it from any damage.We also seek approval from others about our own
self-image. We feel distraught if we sense that there is even a slight threat to our self
image, because our character is the essence of our lives.

To ensure a rational dialogue over dashed expectations, we need to deploy issue based
confrontations. They involve an explanation of which actions have bothered us, in what
manner and what changes we would like from the other person.
Questions - true or false
Q 1 Confrontations damage our self-image
Q 2 Not confronting an issue helps in solving the problem
Q 2 Approval from others for our own self-image is not necessary
Q 4 Issue - based confrontations are an easier way out

81
Passage - 8

―A principal fruit of friendship,‖ Francis Bacon wrote in his timeless meditation on the
subject, ―is the ease and discharge of the fulness and swellings of the heart, which passions
of all kinds do cause and induce.‖ For Thoreau, friendship was one of life’s great rewards.
But in today’s cultural landscape of muddled relationships scattered across various
platforms for connecting, amidst constant debates about whether our Facebook
―friendships‖ are making us more or less happy, it pays to consider what friendship
actually is. That’s precisely what CUNY philosophy professor Massimo Pigliucci explores
in Answers for Aristotle: How Science and Philosophy Can Lead Us to A More
Meaningful Life (public library), which also gave us this provocative read on the science
of what we call ―intuition.‖

Philosophers and cognitive scientists agree that friendship is an essential ingredient of

human happiness. But beyond the dry academic definitions — like, say, ―voluntary
interdependence between two persons over time, which is intended to facilitate socio-
emotional goals of the participants, and may involve varying types and degrees of
companionship, intimacy, affection and mutual assistance‖ — lies a body of compelling
research that sheds light on how, precisely, friendship augments happiness.
The way friendship enhances well-being, it turns out, has nothing to do with quantity and
everything to do with quality — researchers confirm that it isn’t the number of friends (or,
in the case of Facebook, ―friends‖)

Q1.Name one change effected in the present situation which hassled to a re-thinking
of the concept of friendship
1)Bacon and Thoreau’s theories are no longer available to read

2)The arrival of social media on the scene

3)There is more interest in the sciences

4)Friendships are not possible in the real world anymore, due to over-competition

82
Q2.Friendship leads to happiness. Is it true?
1)Yes, researches have proven that friendship does lead to happiness

2)No, there is no relationship between friendship and happiness

3)Friends cannot make each other happy

4)One needs to find one’s happiness alone, with peace of mind

Q3.Did Pigluicci‟s book discuss intuition too?

1)No, it only discussed friendship

2)It explained science and philosophy

3)It discusses Aristotle’s theories

4)Yes

Q4.Is the quality of friends important?

1)No, it is important to have more number of friends, quality does not matter

2)No, number of comments on social networking sites is important, not the quality of
friends

3)Yes, it matter

4)No, quality comes automatically with quantity

Q5.As per the first, paragraph what are the debates about?
1)They are centred around whether our Facebook friends are helping us become more or
less happy

2)There are no debates around friendship

3)The quality of comments of social media is debatable

4)Thoreau and Aristotle’s thinking is at loggerheads

83
Passage - 9

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO, /ˈɪsroʊ/) is the space agency of the
Government of India headquartered in the city of Bangalore. Its vision is to "harness space
technology for national development while pursuing space science research and planetary
exploration."

Formed in 1969, ISRO superseded the erstwhile Indian National Committee for Space
Research (INCOSPAR) established in 1962 by the efforts of independent India's first
Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, and his close aide and scientist Vikram Sarabhai. The
establishment of ISRO thus institutionalized space activities in India. It is managed by the
Department of Space, which reports to the Prime Minister of India.

ISRO built India's first satellite, Aryabhata, which was launched by the Soviet Union on
19 April 1975. It was named after the Mathematician Aryabhata. In 1980, Rohini became
the first satellite to be placed in orbit by an Indian-made launch vehicle, SLV-3. ISRO
subsequently developed two other rockets: the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) for
launching satellites into polar orbits and the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle
(GSLV) for placing satellites into geostationary orbits. These rockets have launched
numerous communications satellites and earth observation satellites. Satellite navigation
systems like GAGAN and IRNSS have been deployed. In January 2014, ISRO
successfully used an indigenous cryogenic engine in a GSLV-D5 launch of the GSAT-14.

ISRO sent a lunar orbiter, Chandrayaan-1, on 22 October 2008 and a Mars orbiter, Mars
Orbiter Mission, on 5 November 2013, which successfully entered Mars orbit on 24
September 2014, making India the first nation to succeed on its first attempt to Mars, and
ISRO the fourth space agency in the world as well as the first space agency in Asia to
successfully reach Mars orbit. On 18 June 2016 ISRO successfully set a record with a
launch of 20 satellites in a single payload, one being a satellite from Google. On 15
February 2017, ISRO launched 104 satellites in a single rocket (PSLV-C37) and created a
world record. ISRO launched its heaviest rocket, Geosynchronous Satellite Launch
Vehicle-Mark III (GSLV-Mk III), on 5 June 2017 and placed a communications satellite
GSAT-19 in orbit. With this launch, ISRO became capable of launching 4 ton heavy
satellites.

84
Q1.Is the ISRO a private organization?
1)No, it is a government organization

2)Yes, it is a private organization

3)It used to be a government organization but not anymore

4)It is a non-functional entity

Q2.The ISRO only launches other nations‟ satellites?

1)Yes, it generates revenue through launching foreign satellites only

2)No, it is involved in space and planetary exploration

3)It deals with geographical spaces on earth

4)It searches for aliens

Q3.India still uses foreign-made satellite launch vehicles?

1)No, it has its own satellite launch vehicles

2)Yes

3)Only India’s first satellite – Aryabhata – was launched by the Soviet union

4)None of the above

85
Q4.From the third paragraph, choose a word which is closes in meaning to
„assistant‟:

1)scientist

2)aide

3)independent

4)institutionalized

Q5) Who was Aryabhata, according to the third paragraph?

1)A scientist

2)a mathematician

3)India’s prime minister

4)The head of ISRO

86
Passage - 10

The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed
Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and it is
commanded by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four-star general. Two officers
have been conferred with the rank of field marshal, a five-star rank, which is a ceremonial
position of great honour. The Indian Army originated from the armies of the East India
Company, which eventually became the British Indian Army, and the armies of the
princely states, which finally became the national army after independence. The units and
regiments of the Indian Army have diverse histories and have participated in a number of
battles and campaigns across the world, earning a large number of battle and theatre
honours before and after Independence.

The primary mission of the Indian Army is to ensure national security and national unity,
defending the nation from external aggression and internal threats, and maintaining peace
and security within its borders. It conducts humanitarian rescue operations during natural
calamities and other disturbances, like Operation Surya Hope, and can also be
requisitioned by the government to cope with internal threats. It is a major component of
national power alongside the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force. The army has been
involved in four wars with neighbouring Pakistan and one with China. Other major
operations undertaken by the army include: Operation Vijay, Operation Meghdoot and
Operation Cactus. Apart from conflicts, the army has conducted large peace time exercises
like Operation Brasstacks and Exercise Shoorveer, and it has also been an active
participant in numerous United Nations peacekeeping missions including those in: Cyprus,
Lebanon, Congo, Angola, Cambodia, Vietnam, Namibia, El Salvador, Liberia,
Mozambique and Somalia.

The Indian Army has a regimental system, but is operationally and geographically divided
into seven commands, with the basic field formation being a division. It is an all-volunteer
force and comprises more than 80% of the country's active defence personnel. It is the 2nd
largest standing army in the world, with 1,237,117 active troops and 960,000 reserve
troops. The army has embarked on an infantry modernisation program known as Futuristic
Infantry Soldier As a System (F-INSAS), and is also upgrading and acquiring new assets
for its armoured, artillery and aviation branches

87
Q1.Is the chief of army a five-star general?
1.Yes

2)No, he is a four-star general

3)No, the field marshal is the five-star general

4)No, the chief of army is the president

Q2.What is the basic field formation in the Indian army?

1)The regiment

2)The division

3)The infantry

4)Aviation

Q3.Is the Indian army involved in any peace-making efforts?

1)no, it only involves itself in conflict situations

2)It helps in rebuilding cities ravaged by wars

3)Yes, it does involve itself in peace-making efforts

4)It does not enter into conflict zones

Q4.Is the Indian army the only component of national power?

1)Yes

2)No, national power is a combination of the army, the navy and the air force

3)No, the navy is the only component

4)no, all national power lies in the hands of the government

88
Q5.Is the Indian army an „all-volunteer‟ force?
1)No it is compulsory for every Indian above the age of 18 to join the army

2)yes it is

3)no, only the air force is all voluntary

4)No, the navy is all-voluntary

89
Passage - 11

The issue of road rage requires serious attention. Day by day, it is becoming a great
concern. Call it the negligence of the government or the rashness of the drivers, the
underlying fact is that at the end of the day, the common man is the one who suffers the
most. The commoner driving a two-wheeler who is hit by a speeding SUV, even though
the former was following the traffic rules, has nowhere to go in order to seek redressal for
his grievances or his injury. A recent case in point is the accident caused by the speeding
luxury car owned by Hema Malini. A family of four driving a modest Alto was hit by the
overspeeding car driven by the actress’s driver. It resulted in the death of the youngest
child of the family and several injuries to the other family members. To add insult to
injury, Malini posted negative comments on a famous social networking website.

Part of the problem lies with the attitude and mentality of the driver behind the steering
wheel. The car is a personal vehicle and one possesses the freedom to drive it
independently and at one’s own will. But one must understand that the road on which one
drives is open to the public. This blurring of the dichotomy between the public and the
private leads to reckless behaviour on the roads. Respect for the elderly and pedestrians, so
common in countries abroad, is a thing of rarity to be found in our land. A little
consideration to road rules and adoption of simple safety measures such as fastening of the
seat belt, can go a long way in reducing this menace.

Questions:
Q 1 Suggest a suitable title to the passage.
Q 2 Why does the common man suffer grievously in instances of road rage?
Q 3 What should the driver understand?
Q 4 What is the solution to this problem of road rage?

90
Passage - 12

The art of academic writing is not easy to master. It is a formal skill, which requires
precision and accuracy, and is perfected by continuous and dedicated practice. Academic
writing is the skillful exposition and explanation of an argument, which the writer has
carefully researched and developed over a sustained period of time. It is a time-consuming
activity and demands patience and perseverance. But the joy of reading and sharing with
others, one’s succinctly composed piece of argument, is incomparable.

Before beginning to write, the writer must ask himself a few questions – Why am I
writing? What is it that I intend to share with others? What purpose will my writing serve?
Have I read enough about the topic or theme about which I am going to write? If one is
hesitant to answer even one of the aforementioned questions, one better not write at all!
Because academic writing is a serious activity – it makes one part of a shared community
of readers and writers who wish to disseminate and learn from well-argued pieces of
writing.

The structure of an argumentative essay should take the form of – Introduction (which
should be around ten percent of the entire essay), Body (it should constitute eighty percent
of the piece) and the Conclusion (again, ten per cent of the essay). The introduction should
function as the hook which draws the reader in and holds his attention, the body should
include cogent and coherently linked paragraphs and the conclusion should re-state the
argument and offer a substantial ending to the piece.

Questions:
Q 1 What is academic writing?
Q 2 Why is reading an important part of writing?
Q 3 Why should one ask oneself the questions mentioned in the second passage?
Q 4 What are the components of the structure of an argumentative essay?

91
Passage – 13

Today’s world can truly be called a ―society of the spectacle‖, a phrase that the French
sociologist and thinker Guy de Bord used decades earlier. Every act of lived experience
has today become a spectacle. It would be a little incorrect to say that this craze for
spectacle-izing everything that occurs around us is a recent phenomenon. If one had
watched The Pirates of The Caribbean movies, one would realise that even in the late
eighteenth century, executions were public events - a large portion of the populace would
gather around the site of the hanging in the city square in order to see justice being meted
out in front of their very own eyes. It was also a form of popular entertainment. It was a
sort of a collective public blood-letting.

The spectacle that the contemporary society has become is an overwhelming experience.
One enters into a restaurant, orders an exotic dish – but the proof of having eaten it doesn’t
exist until tons of photographs are clicked from varied angles and shared on social
networking sites, one goes for a holiday to a calm and serene location, but is all the while
busy telling the world about it. It as if one has to document every moment of one’s
existence. When does one live that moment then? Perhaps it is in the documentation that
one survives these days!

Questions:
Q 1 What is the “Society of the spectacle”?
Q 2 Is it a recent occurrence?
Q 3 Do we really „live‟ moments now?
Q 4 Besides documentation, what is the other function of the spectacle?

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Passage – 14

Surveillance has increased manifold since the 9/11 terror attacks on the World Trade
Centre in the U.S. This increase in surveillance today shapes the relationship between the
state and the individual. The state keeps an eye on its citizens, thereby positing each and
every citizen as a potential wrong-doer. For instance, the proliferation of the CCTV
cameras in streets, restaurants and in every imaginable public space. Infact, the camera
need not even be functional in order to make the citizens behave themselves – its mere
presence is enough to scare the citizens into submission. Such is the power of the mere
potential of surveillance.

Surveillance studies have shown that these techniques might not be too effective at all
times,citizens might feign decent behaviour in order to avoid themselves from getting into
a tussle with the law of the land. But it does not assure the state of the reformation in the
attitude of the citizens. It is a mere eye-wash. It works only when the citizen truly desires
to transform his or her attitude and adopt decency in all walks of life.

The act of constant surveillance makes the state a voyeur – a person who derives pleasure
from watching events unfold in a secretive manner. A recent case in point would be the
raid on a hotel in the so-called cosmopolitan city of Mumbai where young couples were
consensually residing. The state has today entered the bed-room. And this is an unhealthy
proposition!

Questions:
Q 1 What is the effect of the state‟s surveillance on the individual?
Q 2 Does the CCTV need to be functional all the time?
Q 3 Why is surveillance not effective always?
Q 4 When is surveillance really effective?

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Passage - 15

India is a secular, democratic nation. This implies that every religion is treated equally and
at par with every other religion. No religion is accorded any preferential treatment of any
kind. All citizens are also free to practice, preach or profess any religion of their choosing.
The state does not have a unified or homogeneous religious following

This unique characteristic of India ensures its unity in diversity. India has been the
birthplace of several religions and is the land where all these religions - such as Hinduism,
Christianity, Buddhism, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism, Jainism and so on exist simultaneously,
peacefully and harmoniously.

But, some anti-social elements have interpreted the sanctity of religions in a twisted way.
No religion preaches violence or rioting. All the religions are but various ways to reach the
Supreme Being, they are paths which lead to the ultimate truth and salvation, though we
refer to the destination by various names such as Jesus, Krishna, Buddha. Allah and so on.
It is important to realize that in order to ensure a peaceful mosaic of cultural distinctness,
the path of non-violence or ahimsa, as given by the Father of the nation, must be followed
unwaveringly.

God created man in his own image. Hence, it follows naturally that there is some divinity
within all human beings. Thus, to kill and murder in the name of religion is blasphemy.
Only once the religious fanatics understand this, will there be perpetual peace in the land.

Questions:
Q 1 What is meant by the term "Secular"?
Q 2 What is special about India's association with religion?
Q 3 Why are human beings divine?
Q 4 How can all religions co-exist peacefully?

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Passage - 16

The Mona Lisa was one of Leonardo da Vinci's favourite paintings, and he carried it
around with him until he died. Today it is regarded as the most famous painting in the
world, and is viewed by thousands of people annually. Who is this painted figure? Many
suggestions have been made, and the most likely candidate is Lisa Gherardini, the wife of
a Florentine silk merchant.

Another more likely, but popular theory, is that the painting was a self-portrait. There are
certainly similarities between the facial features of the Mona Lisa and the artist's self-
portrait painted many years later. Could this be the reason for Vinci giving the portrait
such an enigmatic smile?

Today, the Mona Lisa looks rather sombre, in dull shades of brown and yellow. This is
due to layer of varnish covering the paint, which has yellowed over the years. It is possible
that the painting was once brighter and more colourful than it is now.

The Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre in 1911, by a former employee who believed
that the painting belonged in Italy. The thief walked out of the gallery with the picture
underneath his painter's smock. He was apprehended by the police two years later and the
painting was returned to the Louvre, where it is placed even today.
Questions:
State whether the following are true or false:
Q 1 The Mona Lisa is actually sombre-hued.
Q 2 Vinci's self-portrait has an enigmatic smile
Q 3 The varnish has yellowed the painting
Q 4 The painting is still placed in the Louvre, in Italy.

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Passage - 17

In the Middle Ages, the Roman Church burned books that dared present contradictory
view-points. Authors who failed to heed this warning risked being burned at stake.

Though we no longer live in the Dark Ages, we are naturally disturbed by the burning of
ArunShourie's book - Worshipping False Gods - by some members of parliament recently.
They claimed that Shourie had twisted facts, misquoted Dr.Ambedkar, to make him appear
anti-national, instigated prejudice and violence against the Dalits. And so they demanded a
ban.

The reasons given by the Roman Church for burning books and authors too, were
disturbingly similar. The Church too professed to be a guardian of morality and order, and
accused liberals from Galileo to Voltaire of twisting facts, hurting the sentiments of
people, proclaiming untruths, sowing seeds of conflict and encouraging violence. Our
book-burning members of parliament may feel outraged by Shourie's book, but should
remember that the Roman Church felt no less outraged in its time.

The progress of civilisation lies in rising above such narrow outlook and honoring dissent.
Voltaire once said - "I might disagree with what you say but I will defend to death your
right to say it"
Questions- True or false:
Q 1 We live in the Middle Ages.
Q 2 Shourie had actually twisted facts
Q 3 Voltaire twisted facts
Q 4 Civilisation can progress by misquoting authors.

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Passages - 18

Indians as a community have always been known to be resourceful and hard-working, and
it is clearly demonstrated by the students heading abroad for undergraduate or higher
studies.

More than ever before, the youth are switching over from a bank-loan to self-financing of
their studies almost invariably from the second year if not within the first six months of
joining a foreign university.

Part-time jobs at gas stations, restaurants, kitchens, baby-sitting, car-cleaning, fruit-picking

during the harvest season - nothing seems difficult to the able-bodies youth.

In the recent years, along with fees, the quantum of loans has gone up. Some banks have
seen nearly 50% of their clients (mostly students) becoming self-sufficient after the first
tranche of the loan allocated to them. Even the number of undergraduate students who
reduce their dependence on institutional support is estimated to have grown by 20-25%

Estimates have also revealed that while students do seek a loan for the entire spell of two
to five years, depending on the programme that they have enrolled in, smarter children
have invariably succeeded in bagging an assistantship or a part-time job which helps them
to fund either completely or partially the remaining spell of their studies.

Questions True or false:

Q 1 This passage discusses about all students studying abroad
Q 2 As soon as students join the university, funding no longer remains a problem
Q 3 The youth prefer jobs which can be easily done
Q 4 All students become self-sufficient after getting the loans

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Passage - 19

As we look forward to the bright future awaiting us, we must determine where our
strengths lie. Much of the conventional analyses of India's position in the world relies on
the all-too familiar indices of GDP, impressive economic growth rates and our military
prowess. But if there is one attribute of independent India to which we have not yet paid
much attention is its 'soft power'

The notion of soft-power is relatively new. It was coined by Harvard's Joseph Nye to
describe the extraordinary strengths of the United States that went well beyond the
American military and economic dominance. The fact is that the U.S. is home to Boeing,
Microsoft, Apple, Intel, MTV, Hollywood, Disneyland, Kodak and so on - in short, most
of the major products that dominate daily life around the globe. This has ensured the
maximisation of the soft power of the US - that is, the ability to attract and persuade others
to adopt America's agenda, rather than relying purely on the coercive hard power of
military force. Thus, this soft power is undoubtedly more important than the hard power.

For India, it means paying attention to the aspects and products of our society that the
world would find attractive - not in order to directly persuade others to support us but to
enhance our country's standing in their eyes. Bollywood is doing a great deal in this
direction by bringing entertainment home to people (the diaspora) in the U.S. and
elsewhere. Indian classical music and dance have the same effect. So does the work of our
fashion designers, chefs and cricketers.

Questions - mark true or false

Q 1 Soft power has been in use in international discourse since a long time
Q 2 Soft power will ensure direct support to India
Q 3 Soft power is less effective in making the world accept America's agenda
Q 4 Bollywood is enhancing India's soft power

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Passage - 20

Born on Jan 12, 1863 in an affluent Bengali family, Narendra Natha Datta was a
precocious child who was what we call nowadays, an all-rounder, excelling in music,
studies and athletics. His father Vishwanatha Datta was a well-known attorney. However,
he took the spiritual route instead and introduced Hinduism to the world in 1893 when he
spoke at the World's Parliament of Religion (probably one of the most epic things any
Indian has done abroad!).
The historic speech was given on September 11, 1893 by Swami Vivekananda. Here's the
full text of his opening and closing address:
Sisters and Brothers of America,
It fills my heart with joy unspeakable to rise in response to the warm and cordial welcome
which you have given us. I thank you in the name of the most ancient order of monks in
the world; I thank you in the name of the mother of religions, and I thank you in the name
of millions and millions of Hindu people of all classes and sects.
My thanks, also, to some of the speakers on this platform who, referring to the delegates
from the Orient, have told you that these men from far-off nations may well claim the
honor of bearing to different lands the idea of toleration. I am proud to belong to a religion
which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance.
We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true. I am proud
to belong to a nation which has sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions
and all nations of the earth. I am proud to tell you that we have gathered in our bosom the
purest remnant of the Israelites, who came to Southern India and took refuge with us in the
very year in which their holy temple was shattered to pieces by Roman tyranny. I am
proud to belong to the religion which has sheltered and is still fostering the remnant of the
grand Zoroastrian nation. I will quote to you, brethren, a few lines from a hymn which I
remember to have repeated from my earliest boyhood, which is every day repeated by
millions of human beings: "As the different streams having their sources in different paths
which men take through different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or
straight, all lead to Thee."
The present convention, which is one of the most august assemblies ever held, is in itself a
vindication, a declaration to the world of the wonderful doctrine preached in the Gita:
"Whosoever comes to me, through whatsoever form, I reach him; all men are struggling

99
through paths which in the end lead to me." Sectarianism, bigotry, and its horrible
descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful earth.

Q1. What was Vishwanatha Datta‟s profession?

1.Attorney
2.Spiritual leader
3.Teacher
4.None of the above

Q2.Who spoke at the World‟s Parliament of Religion?

1.Narendra Nath Datta
2.Swami Vivekananda
3.Both
4.None

Q3.Give the opposite of the word “Occident” from the second passage of the speech
1.Delegate
2.Universal
3.Orient
4.Toleration

Q4.In the phrase: “all lead to Thee”, to whom does the word „Thee‟ refer?
1.All religions
2.The delegates present
3.Universal brotherhood and peace
4.God

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Q5.In the phrase: “I am proud to belong to a nation” – what nation is the speaker
referring to?
1.India
2.Southern India
3.Rome
4.America

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