Now try to speak about your personal research.

Be ready to discuss science in general. For that – answer the questions:

1. What are the tendencies in the science development at present?

2. What scientific discovery of recent years seems most challenging to you?

3. What important scientific discoveries may we face in the near future?

4. We are apt to believe that research has always been the springboard of progress. But do you think the usually swift development of science may have any harmful consequences? Do you think there should be “taboo” areas in scientific research as far as morality is concerned? Whatever your answer is, give your reasons.

5. Do you think there can be valid reasons for suspending research into a particular subject even if it has been going on successfully? If so, what might they be?

6. Do you think that scientific work of any kind can itself be a means of developing the moral qualities of the individual concerned?

 

 

Part 3

Discussing scientific publications.

 

Today is the third and the last day of the conference. In the morning the participants are discussing various publications which are of great importance for modern science. Certainly, it’s not very easy for them because they represent different branches of science. But they try hard to understand each other for they want to be aware of some general tendencies which take place in modern science in general.

The second part of the day is devoted to some excursions to research centres of Moscow where young scientists can get acquainted with some interesting research projects and new equipment.

Let’s listen to some presentations.

Steve Brend, a young engineer from the USA, presents the book by Robert Colborn “Modern Science and Technology” (Toronto, NY and London 1996):

This book, written mainly for professional scientists and engineers but comprehensible to the interested laymen, aims to acquaint them with the latest discoveries and the state of the art in fields of science and technology other than their own. It consists of articles which originally appeared in the magazine “International Science and Technology”. Although almost all the authors work in the United States, reference is made to workers in other countries.

The subject matter relates only to the understanding or controlling of the physical world and appears under six headings: space and astronomy; earth science and oceanography; mathematics and computers. Thus biology and medical or social sciences are excluded. Subjects have been chosen for the potential usefulness or development, rather than for the fact that they are well understood or widely used at present, and each article contains a summary and a section recommending further reading. In general, the style is refreshingly different from that in learned journals, yet it remains lucid. The book is profusely illustrated with diagrams, photographs and marginal sketches, as well as some colour plates.

The editor is to be congratulated on producing this excellent collection of articles on such diverse subjects. The book is stimulating to read, and deserves a place in any library used by those with an interest in science.

Joan Smith from Canada:

This book presents a collection of articles which originally appeared in “Scientific American” and “Physical Review”. Almost all the authors of the articles work in the United States of America. They are experts in different fields of science and technology. The book is addressed both to professional scientists and interested laymen. The book consists of two parts devoted to semiconductors and electronics. Such subjects as biophysics and space medicine have been excluded.

Irina Smirnova, a young physicist from St. Petersburg:

The article I am going to speak about originally appeared in the “Proceedings of Leningrad University” in 1981. It has been written by a leading authority in my field of science, Prof. N. Ivanov. The article consists of four sections. The purpose of the article is to acquaint the reader with the work carried on and the data obtained in one of the physical laboratories of the University. Reference is made to workers both at home and abroad. As the article is on the subject I am greatly interested in I read it with pleasure. I think it will be extremely interesting to my colleagues who take interest in experiments of this kind. It is profusely illustrated with diagrams and colour plates. The author is to be congratulated on producing this excellent piece of work.

L.F. Haber from Great Britain about the book by D.W. Hardie and J. Davidson Pratt “A History of the Modern British Chemical industry”(Pergamon Press, Oxford 1996):

This book is timely and will be useful to students and those working in the chemical industry. However, it suffers from some defects which detract from its value. The first, for which the authors are not to blame, is careless proof-reading, so that far too many names have been misspelt which is unfortunate in a book of this kind. In the second place, there are some minor mistakes of fact: for example, the Bergius process was not worked out in Germany during the Great War but was developed during the mid 1920s; Bosch, not Haber, developed the ammonia synthesis in the works of Badische Anilin between 1909 and 1913. More serious is the omission of fertilizer manufacture, which represents one of the largest branches of the chemical industry; the brief reference to its nineteenth-century background is also inadequate. The review of man-made fibres (especially nylon) is much too short, and in no way reflects their role in the British textile industry.

In general, however, the detailed account of the modern chemical industry in chapter three is useful, and the summarized particulars of almost 200 companies are an interesting and valuable source of ready information.      

Danny Yee, a computer systems manager from Sydney, Australia, about the book “ Chemical Evolution: Origin of the Elements, Molecules, and Living Systems” by Stephen F. Mason (Oxford University Press 1991):

I am used to thinking of chemistry as one of the less interesting of the natural sciences, sandwiched between the splendour of physics and the miracles of modern molecular biology. Chemical Evolution has made me reconsider this, although in a curious way it also confirms my prejudices. It concentrates on the borders of chemistry, where it meets astrophysics to give interstellar chemistry, biology to give biochemistry, and history in the history of science.

Chemical Evolution starts by looking at the elements. It goes through the history of their discovery, classification and structure (Dalton, Mendeleyev, Rutherford, etc.) and then goes on to look at their origin and their distribution throughout the universe. This material covers the details of stellar nucleosynthetic pathways and explains how these tie in with what is known about the composition of the interstellar medium and the distribution of matter throughout the universe. This leads in to a close up look at the solar system, where a detailed chapter on the composition and classification of meteorites is combined with more direct evidence for the chemical composition of the different planets. The results are used to evaluate different models for the formation of the solar system.

The focus then moves to biology, again beginning with a historical approach. The chapter on the energetics of living systems contains a nice presentation of the mitochondrial and chloroplast power systems, taking a slightly different approach (more chemical detail) to that of biochemistry texts. The chapter on genealogy and reproduction is fairly standard stuff and the chapter on the origins of life could have been extended, but the overall presentation was good.

The last chapter, on chirality, combines physics and biology. It gives a physical explanation of the L-amino acid and D-sugar chirality of biological systems. The non-symmetry of the weak force, when only spacial (rather than full CPT) parity is considered, results in a 10^-14 difference between the stability of the different forms. With a fairly plausible flow reactor model for the initial pre-biotic environment, this is enough to give around 98% probability for a transition to the present handedness from an initial metastable racemic system.

All round Chemical Evolution is a fascinating book, which goes into much more detail than is found in popular accounts while maintaining an approachable presentation. The reader will need a solid understanding of chemistry and a basic knowledge of biology, physics and astronomy.

One more review by the same author of the book “ The New Chemistry” (Nina Hall (editor), Cambridge University Press 2000):

“The New Chemistry” provides an overview of modern chemistry and its applications, with seventeen review articles by specialists. Though commissioned for this volume, these take different approaches and are pitched at different levels: some are quite broadly accessible, while others assume the reader has studied chemistry at university (I found my physics and biology background helped a lot). Apart from multiple explanations of semi conduction, there is little repetition and an immense range of material is covered. The result is a fascinating picture of the science underpinning much modern technology.

The first five articles involve a fair bit of physics. "The Search for New Elements" looks at the synthesis of elements beyond uranium. "Bonding and the Theory of Atoms and Molecules" touches on a mix of theory: chemical bonds, reaction dynamics, simulation of liquids, and mathematical chemistry. "Chemistry in a New Light" and "Novel Energy Sources for Reactions" look at new tools for controlling reactions: lasers, electrosynthesis, microwaves, and ultrasound. And "What, Why and When is a Metal?" explains how the well-known criteria for distinguishing metals and insulators don't always work; this is one of the more accessible chapters, with a good selection of colour illustrations and historical "boxes".

The more "pure chemistry" chapters were the ones I had the most trouble following. These include "The Clothing of Metal Ions: Coordination Chemistry at the Turn of the Millennium ", "Surface Chemistry", and "New Roads to Molecular Complexity". Other chapters connect more with biology. "Medicines from Nature" illustrates the search for new medicines through a case study of Erythromycin biosynthesis. "From Pharms to Farms" has two parts, one surveying major drugs and fragrances and the other pesticides. And "The Inorganic Chemistry of Life" is an unusual abstract overview of life from the point of view of an inorganic chemist.

A range of chapters are oriented towards engineering applications; these will be of particular interest to those following new computing technologies. "Supramolecular Chemistry" is an accessible look at the building of structures, at the chemical approach to nanotechnology. "Advanced Materials" focuses on applications to electronics -- alternatives to silicon, packaging materials, liquid crystals, plastic batteries, and more -- while "Molecular Electronics" focuses on actual circuits, on conductors and switches and molecular computing. "Electrochemical and Photoelectrochemical Energy Conversion" looks in detail at a range of traditional and experimental battery and fuel cell systems, and more briefly at photoelectrochemical cells and photochemical waste disposal.

"Chemistry Far from Equilibrium: Thermodynamics, Order and Chaos" is the most mathematical chapter, presenting some dynamical theory with a few examples. And a final chapter "Chemistry in Society" outlines the contributions of chemistry back to the Industrial Revolution, and urges better research both to avoid environmental problems and to correct popular misconceptions.

Daniel J. Ron с o, a computer scientist and writer from the USA about two books:

I've had a lifelong fascination with thinking about the future, but the next few decades concern me. The experts -- men like Kurzweil and Moravec -- believe that our machines will surpass us in intelligence, even merge with us to form something radically new. The latest technology is rapidly changing our lives; most of us feel it's for the better, but the issues are pressing closer. Without question, the sciences of artificial intelligence, robotics, nanotechnology and genetic engineering will be the primary agents of change. In addition, the worst computer virus attacks are yet to come, especially when the viruses are guided by artificial intelligence (such as PeaceMaker). Following are the reviews of the two books that deal with the key aspects of the latest science and technology.

  1. Robot: Mere Machine to Transcendent Mind is a 240 page non-fiction paperback book by Hans Moravec published in 2000.

Hans Moravec is both a practical robotics engineer and a transcendent dreamer. “Robot: Mere Machine to Transcendent Mind” is a work of pessimism delivered by an optimist. It’s complex, compelling, naïve and frightening. Is this the world we’re building for our children? I mean human children, not mind children.

“Robot” begins with a good overview of robotics, outlining the work of cyber-pioneers such as Alan Turing, John McCarthy and Marvin Minsky; then progressing into the latest technology. Moravec is a first-class robotics scientist and engineer, explaining technical issues and solutions in a concise, interesting manner. Good stuff, if you’re interested in understanding robotics (why else would you be reading this book?).

Moravec then projects the growth of robotics and artificial intelligence employing a model similar to that of Ray Kurzweil in “The Age of Spiritual Machines”. Both men base this growth on the exponentially increasing power of inexpensive computers, which they believe will match the computing power of the human mind by approximately 2020. They both present strong arguments that the human mind is fundamentally a complex machine; therefore, it’s not a stretch to believe an equally complex mind can be developed in silicon. Moravec then provides his assessment of robot capabilities for each decade of the twenty-first century. It’s fascinating and not unreasonable -- up to a point.

Okay, we all know the future is not going to look like Star Trek, but Moravec’s vision for the coming centuries is just too unbelievable: robot corporations in outer space, some planet-sized, virtually all of humanity living on a dole provided by taxing robot corporations, “execs” with almost supernatural powers … you get the idea. Who knows – maybe he will be right – but these speculations don’t fit well with the practical, science-based tone of the bulk of the material.

Nevertheless, this is an excellent work if you enjoy thinking about the science and technology of the near-future. Read Kurzweil and Moravec back to back – throw in “Flesh and Machines” by Rodney Brooks – and you’ll have a persuasive picture of what the next few decades may hold.

2. Redesigning Humans: Our Inevitable Genetic Future is a 277 page non-fiction hardcover book by Gregory Stock published in 2002.

James Watson, codiscoverer of the structure of DNA, asked, “If we could make better humans … why shouldn’t we?” That question is at the core of this book, and Gregory Stock responds in the affirmative. Not that we have a choice, he asserts; genetic engineering is coming whether we like it or not. And he makes a damn good case.

Rather than getting right to it, however, he begins with an anti-Kurzweil chapter. Ray Kurzweil is the author of the” Age of Spiritual Machines”, which projects the rapid development of artificial intelligence during the next few decades and the integration of human and machine intelligence. Stock argues that the interface between the human nervous system and silicon would be incredibly complex, making it highly unlikely we will be physically integrated with our computers within this timeframe. He believes that we will communicate much more effectively with the machines through our senses, becoming fyborgs (functional cyborgs).

Then he moves on to the main course, beginning with preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). Physicians have been performing genetic testing of embryos since 1989, with screening now available for a handful of genetic diseases. This technology will continue to expand, allowing parents to select specific embryos for implantation in the uterus, effectively enabling us to have children with certain genetic tendencies. The next advance, germinal choice technologies (GCT), will arrive within the next decade or two, allowing us to enhance our children’s naturally occurring genetic inheritance. Artificial chromosomes, loaded with selected genes, might be the foundation.

Stock understands how divisive this issue will be, but argues that it can’t be halted (not that he wants to stop it). He argues effectively for a reasonable degree of regulation, although he believes that the ultimate decision must remain in the hands of parents.

This is a book focused more on ethics and issues rather than technology. If you’re interested more in the nuts and bolts of genetic engineering, look elsewhere. Whether you agree with him or not, Stock lays out the issues and his answers in a clear and compelling manner. It’s an excellent exposition of the subject, one worth studying.

Mac Tonnies, an economist from Canada, about the book “ Change Without Pain ”
by Eric Abrahamson (Harvard Business School Press 2004):

Eric Abrahamson, a professor of management at Columbia Business School, begins “Change Without Pain” somewhat on the defensive. His goal is to convince the reader not only that “creative destruction”—the idea that companies can adapt best to the changing pace of business by overhauling everything they know and continually looking for change—is flawed, but also that his idea of “creative recombination” is better. He doesn’t want to oversell, he says, even though “creative destruction has already been so oversold, so overgeneralised, so unquestioned and unchallenged that only a book that makes a no-holds-barred argument for creative recombination has the faintest chance of being heard.” Yet “this book cannot... aim to creatively destroy creative destruction”. It is not the smoothest start.

However awkwardly presented, Mr. Abrahamson’s criticism of “creative destruction” is sound. An abrupt change, he points out, can cut off an organisation from the knowledge it has acquired: for example, implementing a new “culture” can leave everyone scrambling to reinvent the wheel. That is not to say that abrupt change is always wrong, just that it can be demoralising, inefficient and expensive. An extreme example Mr. Abrahamson cites is how Citibank tried to re-engineer its cheque -processing system over one weekend in 1971 and predictably found itself in chaos.

“Creative recombination”, by contrast, is the notion that change can come from ideas and processes already present in an organisation. It requires flexibility and creativity, but the rewards can be significant. Suffering from the backlash against New Coke, Coca-Cola was able to repackage its old formula as “Coke Classic,” rather than jettisoning it altogether. An army might re-imagine the brigade’s orchestra as the unit responsible for defending the command post—they work together closely and can improvise, after all. In between citing a charmingly wide variety of cases, Mr. Abrahamson provides more generic examples of how “creative recombination” might work. A division that ought to be shut down, and its hundreds of employees laid off, might flourish as a spun-off company. Or if layoffs are the best course of action, it might be in the company’s interest to invest heavily in re-training and networking, keeping in close touch with the former employees so that re-hiring them in better times remains an option.

With so many ways for companies to “creatively recombine”, how do you recognise an opportunity? Fortunately, Mr. Abrahamson has some practical recommendations: draw on knowledge within the firm. If your firm feels the need to shake up its organisational structure, for example, it may help to go to “the company basement” and see how one highly regarded division organises itself informally. Mr. Abrahamson points approvingly to Jorma Ollila, chief executive of Nokia, shaking things up in 1998 by moving each member of his top management team to a new position—so the former head of handsets, for example, could bring knowledge and a fresh eye to customer relations. Even if it turns out that wholesale change is the way to go, it’s best to have a period of stability afterwards, to allow employees to catch their breath and reassess market conditions.

Mr. Abrahamson has a good deal of practical advice, especially when discussing painless change in company structure or in a management team. Nevertheless, the idea of “creative recombination” remains fairly vague. It is easier to say what it should not produce—new business plans every six months, top-to-bottom re-engineering, constant changes in a company’s mission statement—than what it should. For that reason, “creative recombination” will probably never catch on the way “creative destruction” did.

Marvin Schaefer, a computer security expert from the UK, about the book “In Code: A Mathematical Journey” by Sarah Flannery with David Flannery (Workman Publishing, 2001):

Here is a multifaceted book that is truly inspiring — inspiring to the parent in us, to the teacher in us, to the student in us, and to we who know and love the problem-solving obsession mathematics can often provide. The book is about the development of mathematical passion and excellence. The exposition, a joint collaboration of Sarah Flannery, then a secondary school girl, and her father, David, is clearly written and is exceptional for its bare and realistic honesty.

In this review, you will find a short summary of the narrative story, Sarah's mathematical development and maturation, the book's mathematics, and a little about her projects' evolution.

At its simplest level, this book is the story of Sarah Flannery, an Irish girl, who at the age of 15 was talked by one of her teachers into entering the annual national science fair to be held in Dublin a few months later, in January. Her father suggested she enter a mathematics project that investigated cryptography. This was her first science fair, and her initial entry into the January 1998 Irish Young Scientist Exhibition received a first place in the Individual Intermediate Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry division. Along with this prize, she was chosen to represent Ireland at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), which took place in Fort Worth that May. Sarah continued her independent studies and her new ISEF entry won a third-place Karl Menger Memorial Award from the American Mathematical Society, a fourth-place Grand Award in Mathematics, and the prestigious $2000 Intel Fellows Achievement Award.

Following considerable additional study, and now 16 years old, Sarah produced a new project and won the IR£1000 first place in the 1999 Irish Young Scientist Exhibition for her entry in the Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry competition, and thence in September to Thessalonìki where she become a first-place winner of the 1999 European Union Young Scientist Award. Along with her European Young Scientist Award, Sarah was given an invitation to attend the Nobel Prize ceremonies in Stockholm. Fame, trophies, and media attention came following her 1999 Irish Young Scientist award, and Sarah was invited to lecture internationally on mathematics, puzzle solving, and on her projects.

Sarah Flannery is the eldest of five children. She lives rurally in a farmhouse near Blarney, near Cork, Ireland. However, it is not a typical farm household. Sarah and her four brothers live with their parents, David and Elaine, who respectively lecture in mathematics and microbiology at the Cork Institute of Technology (CIT). There is a blackboard in their kitchen, and it is on this blackboard that David has posed mathematical puzzles for his children to solve. The puzzles were clearly chosen to bring the children into enjoying abstract reasoning. They included magic square construction, crossing the river with lion, goat and cabbage, liquid-measuring with various containers, etc. And take note: Sarah does not fit the nose-always-in-a-book nerd stereotype. She rides horses, plays basketball and hurling, boating, and other outdoor and team sports.

On Tuesday nights, David conducts a non-credit course at CIT called Mathematical Excursions. The course has minimal prerequisites and explores popular and recreational mathematical themes. David has allowed Sarah to participate in the three-hour sessions. It is here that she became familiar with modular arithmetic, elementary number theory and monoalphabetic-substitution cryptography, and the RSA public-key algorithm.

When she was 15, Sarah entered her "transition year" in the Irish secondary school system. This is an optional year during which students can investigate a large number of subjects prior to going on to the final two years of more concentrated study. David's suggestion for Sarah's first Young Scientist project was that she program several cryptographic algorithms and demonstrate encryption and decryption using two laptops. Sarah did this using Mathematica. Using handmade cardboard coding disks and other props, she was able to explain her project to the judges and to answer their questions about how everything worked. By no means did she simply make props and code the algorithms: she learned the underlying mathematics. For example, to help her understand the workings of implementing the RSA algorithm, David found relevant papers for her to read. As a 15-year old, it took her many weeks of diligent study to master A. R. Meijer's "Groups, Factoring and Cryptography," Math. Mag. 69 (1996), pp. 103-109.

As part of her transition year, Sarah was given the opportunity to work in industry for two weeks. After winning the '98 Young Scientist award, Sarah worked at Baltimore Technologies' Dublin office where she was assigned to read a paper describing an algorithm by one of their cryptologists, vacationing Michael Purser. This algorithm, designed to speed-up computationally the RSA algorithm, substituted noncommutative multiplications over the quaternions for the RSA's more costly exponentiations. Sarah was asked to implement a prototype of Purser's algorithm, which she did in Mathematica.

Sarah asked and received permission from Baltimore Technologies to modify this algorithm and use it as part of her May entry in the ISEF. David showed Sarah the noncommutative multiplicative properties of matrices, and she implemented a demonstration of the modified algorithm using 2x2 matrices for Fort Worth. David had her read several additional papers and mathematical biographies, and she learned of Cayley's early work. Sarah continued evolving the project after the ISEF, and matured the coding, the algorithm and the presentation for her entry for the 1999 Young Scientist Exhibition. At this point she asked permission and named her new algorithm Cayley-Purser, or CP.

The CP algorithm's speed was compared to that of RSA in her project, and her conclusion was that CP runs approximately 22 times faster than RSA. Sarah's paper presents the mathematics underlying both algorithms as well as empirical results. While Sarah's paper conjectured that the algorithm was secure, it left open the possibility that it might be flawed. After winning Young Scientist '99, the CP algorithm came under close scrutiny and a crucial flaw was identified by a mathematician at University College Dublin and by Purser and William Whyte of Baltimore Technologies. A consequence of the Cayley-Hamilton Theorem, the flaw is intrinsic to the algorithm, and it was a painful experience for Sarah to realize that her algorithm was not secure after all. This left Sarah with the problem of how to present her work in Thessalonìki in June. Sarah's decision was to keep the discovered flaw secret prior to the European Union Young Scientist Exhibition, but to include a full disclosure and explanation of the flaw as an appendix to her entry's paper. She did, and the entry won. Sarah called her winning project "Cryptography-A New Algorithm Versus the RSA." Its text can be found in one of the book's appendices.

As mentioned above, Sarah's achievements were greeted with a great deal of media attention. Even the London Times waxed poetic in their promotion of Sarah to the stature of mathematical genius and her work to a revolutionary and patentable technology. As detailed in the book, the attention and such gushingly imprecise reporting caused Sarah, David and her mentors at Baltimore Technologies some embarrassments and difficulties. It was here that I believe the book really shines. Flannery père et fille make no bones about stating that Sarah is a bright young woman, but not a genius. Thanks to David, Sarah has read Men of Mathematics and the biographies of many mathematicians. She knows what Gauss and Euler achieved in their youth, and she understands that what she has been doing is not of that calibre. She also knows about the important history of counterexamples in mathematics as well as in cryptology. There is no false modesty here. Sarah's frank voice rings very true and maturely on these points, and I believe these aspects are the best reasons for giving this book to bright young students.

So you have listened to many various reviews of science and technology books. Choose the review you like most and answer the following questions about it:

 

1. What is the title of the reviewed book? 2. Who are the authors of the book under review? What country do the authors come from? 3. What is the name of the reviewer? 4. When and where was the book published? 5. How much does it cost? 6. In what volume and number of what journal was the review published? 7. Who will the book prove useful to, according to the reviewer? Who is the book addressed to? Who is the book written for? 8. How many parts does the book contain? 9. What does the book acquaint the reader with? What subjects were included and what subjects were excluded from the book? 10. What areas of science is the reader introduced to? 11. What is the purpose of the book? 12. To whom is reference made? 13. Under how many headings does the subject matter appear? What defects does the book suffer from? 14. Are the authors to blame for careless proof-reading? Who are to blame for this? 15. Give some examples of minor mistakes of fact. 16. What mistakes can de considered as more serious ones? 17. Which chapter is to be considered especially useful? What is its subject? 18. Why else is the book to be considered an interesting and valuable source of information? 19. Are there any illustrations in the book? 20. What is your opinion of the book? How do you estimate its value?

 

Practice your vocabulary.

Exercise 1. Find the Russian equivalents for the following English words and word combinations.

 

Comprehensible to the interested layman; this book aims to acquaint the readers with; it consists of articles; reference is made to; the subject matter relates to; the subject matter appears under six headings; to be included; to be excluded; each article contains a summary and a section recommending further reading; the style is refreshingly different from; learned journals; the book is profusely illustrated with diagrams, photographs and marginal sketches, as well as some colour plates; the editor is to be congratulated on producing this excellent collection of articles; diverse subjects; the book is stimulating to read; the book deserves a place in any library used by those with an interest in science; the book presents a collection of articles; to be experts in different fields of science and technology; the book is addressed both to professional scientists and the interested laymen; a leading authority; the purpose of the article is to acquaint the reader with the work carried on and the data obtained; to be extremely interesting; the book is timely; the book suffers from some defects which detract from its value; careless proof-reading; in the second place; mistakes of fact; the review of… is much too short; the detailed account of… in chapter three is useful; an interesting and valuable source of ready information.

 

Exercise 2. Find the English equivalents for the following Russian words and word combinations.

 

Я привык думать о химии как об одной из наименее интересных естественных наук; книга рассматривает пограничные области химии; книга начинается с рассмотрения элементов; материал детально освещает …и объясняет; результаты используются для оценки; глава о … включает интересное описание; слегка отличный подход; глава о происхождении жизни могла бы быть расширена; в общем (везде, во всех своих частях) это захватывающая книга; книга представляет собой обзор современной химии и ее применений; обзорные статьи выражают различные подходы; охват описываемого материала огромен; первые пять статей включают; одна из самых доступных глав; хороший подбор цветных иллюстраций; заключительная глава очерчивает вклад химии; избегать проблем с окружающей средой.

 

Exercise 3. Find synonyms of the following words and word combinations.

 

Specialists; suppose; intellect; quickly; undoubtedly (unquestionably); the chief performers (operators); additionally; the viruses are directed by; overview; visionary (day-dreamer); complicated; compelling; start with; to sketch; first-rate; laconic; parallel to (comparable to); give convincing arguments; that’s why; it’s quite natural; abilities; ten years.

Exercise 4. Find antonyms of the following words and word combinations.

 

In detail; believable; inner space; wrong; doubtful (disputable); hardcover book; worse; in the negative; to negate (deny); natural; disintegration; likely; ineffectively; to contract; to forbid; to weaken (lessen); unifying (uniting); concealment.

Exercise 5. Fill in prepositions where necessary.

 

1. Eric Abrahamson, a professor … management … Columbia Business School, begins his book somewhat … the defensive. 2. The book is … the development … mathematical passion and excellence. 3. … its simplest level, this book is the story … Sarah Flannery, an Irish girl, who … the age … 15 was talked … one … her teachers … entering the annual national science fair. 4. As mentioned above, Sarah's achievements were greeted … a great deal … media attention. 5. … the morning the participants are discussing various publications which are … great importance … modern science. 6. … general, the style is refreshingly different … that … learned journals. 7. Almost all the authors … the articles work … the United States … America. 8. As the article is … the subject I am greatly interested … I read it … pleasure. 9. The booksuffers … some defects which detract … its value. 10. The focus then moves … biology, again beginning … a historical approach.

Exercise 6. Fill in articles where necessary.

 

1. … first five articles involve … fair bit of … physics. 2. Hans Moravec is both … practical robotics engineer and … transcendent dreamer. 3. This … book is … work of … pessimism delivered by … optimist. 4. That … question is at … core of this … book, and … author responds in … affirmative. 5. It is not … smoothest start. 6. Sarah Flannery is … eldest of … five children. 7. As … part of her … transition year, Sarah was given … opportunity to work in … industry for … two weeks. 8. … each article contains … summary and … section recommending … further reading. 9. … reader will need … solid understanding of …chemistry and … basic knowledge of … biology, … physics and … astronomy. 10. … latest technology is rapidly changing our lives; most of us feel it's for … better, but … issues are pressing … closer.

      

Exercise 7. Match the word and its definition.

 

1) Scientific publication      a) in spite of the fact that;

2) Comprehensible              b) to be concerned with or be about a particular subject;

3) Originally                        c) practical use(s);

4) Although                         d) a scientific book or journal;

5) Reference                        e) in the beginning;

6) To relate to                      f) the title written at the top of a piece of writing;

7) Heading                           g) easy to understand;

8) At present                        h) something you say or write that mentions another person or

                                                 thing;                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

9) Profusely                         i) at this time, now;

10) Application(s)               j) in large quantities.

 

Exercise 8. Match the beginning of the sentence to its ending.     

 

1) It is not very easy for them   a) this excellent collection of articles on such diverse subjects. 

2) They want to be aware of some b) are an interesting and valuable source of ready           

general tendencies                          information.

3) The second half of the day is    c) because they represent different branches of science. 

devoted

4) Subjects have been chosen for  d) the author lays out the issues and his answers in a clear

the potential usefulness,                and compelling manner. 

5) The author is to be congratulated e) which take place in modern science in general.

on producing

6) The book deserves a place         f) to students and those working in the chemical industry.

7) They are experts in different fields g) rather than for the fact that they are well understood or

                                                              widely used at present.

8) This book is timely and will be useful h) of science and technology.

9) The summarized particulars of almost i) to some excursions to research centres of Moscow.

two hundred companies

10) Whether you agree with him or not, j) in any library used by those with an interest in

                                                                   science.

Practice your grammar.

Exercise 1. Change the following sentences according to the model:

He wrote the article.