Part III. Speaking and Writing

14. Explain the meaning of the following words and phrases in English: native language, global language, official language, minority language.

15. Discuss the statements in pairs. Prove your point of view using the phrases: I agree with you, Yes, that is what I think to, You are the right, Yes, but don’t you think…?, True, but I think…, I see what you mean, but…

1. Everybody should speak at least two languages.

2. Tourists in my country should make an effort to speak my language.

3. Life would be easier if all countries spoke the same language.

4. Some languages are more important than others.

5. Knowing foreign languages helps you to get a good job.

16. Prepare for the debate answering the following questions (for the next practice):

1. How can you prove that the English language is the most universal one?

2. In what ways does the English language influence other languages?

3. Why do some people think that English is dangerous for their native languages?

4. Why do some people believe that English should be the international language?

5. Why do language experts think that some languages are disappearing?

6. Why will the international language be English, and not an artificial language?

7. For which two things is English used as the official international language?

8. Which of the world's languages has the greatest number of native speakers?

9. There are 3 reasons to explain why English is so widely spoken¹. Name the reasons why English is the global language.

10. What’s the difference between the accent and the dialect?

11. Is there any difference between British and American variants of the English language?

12. What do you think is the most difficult about English? Vocabulary? Spelling? Pronunciation?

17. Divide into 3 groups and prepare the presentations: “English and Social Media: Pros”; “English and Social Media: Cons”(“Facebook: a language”, “What happens when language becomes “Facebook official”?”, “How social media is changing language”²); “Is Texting Killing the English Language?”³.

UNIT 3

Green IT & Telecoms

Part I. TEXT

1. The adjective “green” has many meanings. Find the meaning matching the word combination Green IT:

A: the color of growing foliage, between yellow and blue in the spectrum

B: used about people who care about the environment

C: covered with herbage or foliage; verdant

D: made of green vegetables, as lettuce, spinach, endive, or chicory

E: designed to protect the environment or to limit damage to the environment

F: not fully developed or perfected in growth or condition; unripe; not properly aged

G: immature in age or judgment; untrained; inexperienced

H: used about places in which the environment is protected

2. The words “environment”, “ecology” etc. are often confused. Read the text below to understand the difference between them:

The Natural Environment encompasses all living and non-living things which occur naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species. Nowadays, it is difficult to find absolutely natural environments. In contrast to the natural environment is the built environment. In such areas where man has fundamentally transformed landscapes such as urban settings and agricultural land conversion, the natural environment is greatly modified and diminished, with a much more simplified human environment.

Ecology is the scientific analysis and study of interactions among organisms and their environment. It is an interdisciplinary field that includes biology, geography, and Earth science. Ecology includes the study of interactions organisms have with each other, other organisms, and with abiotic components of their environment. 

Environmental Engineering is the branch of engineering concerned with the application of scientific and engineering principles for protection of human populations from the effects of adverse environmental factors; protection of environments, both local and global, from the potentially deleterious effects of natural and human activities; and improvement of environmental quality. It involves waste water management, air pollution control, recycling, waste disposal, radiation protection, industrial hygiene, environmental sustainability, public health and environmental engineering law. It also includes studies on the environmental impact of proposed construction projects.

3. What ecological problems are named in the text above?

4. Translate and learn the words to understand the text:

Renewable/non-renewable resource, Greenhouse gas emission, waste disposal, to thrive, environment, to reduce, hazardous, recyclability, biodegradability, handheld, account, to claim, to exceed, annual, consumption, facility, to consume, carbon, footprint, (to) forecast, (to) triple, performance, longevity, trade-off, to estimate, approach, recycling, harmful, lead, mercury, hexavalent chromium, to donate, charity, to purchase, telepresence, to implement, Voice over IP (VoIP) 

5. Read and translate the text: