Tasks for the Summative Assessment for term 3

LISTENING

Task. Listen to a talk about refugees and complete the sentences with appropriate word(s) or/and number.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS OR NUMBER.

1. People become environmental refugees because of climate change and ____________________.

2. It has been predicted that by 2050, _________________________ people may have become environmental refugees.

3. Many environmental refugees are forced to cross ________________________ to find a new home.

4. Environmental refugees may lose members of their family, their homes and belongings, as well as their _________________________.

Task. Answer the following questions

5. How does the speaker feel about the limited international response?

__________________________________________________

6. What does the speaker think about giving up the use of fossil fuels?

__________________________________________________

Total _____

READING

Task. Read the text and complete the tasks.

Nanotechnology: A revolution in production

1. We make nearly everything by tearing things apart. To make paper, trees are planted, chopped down and sent through our mills. This is often called a top-down method of production. But what if we could work from the bottom up? What if paper was constructed atom by atom, the smallest building blocks of life and matter? It is thought that nanotechnology is the way to do this. Nanotechnology is the science of creating objects on a level smaller than 100 nanometres, a scale 50,000 times smaller than a human hair. The aim of nanotechnology is the bottom-up production of virtually any material or object by assembling it one atom at a time.

2. Nanotechnology moved from idea to reality when tools such as the Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) and the Scanning Tunnelling Microscope (STM) were developed by IBM Zurich. These microscopes do more than just let people see small things, they also allow atoms to be manipulated in a vacuum, liquid or gas. Individual atoms and molecules are probed by AFM to create three- dimensional images at the nanoscale level as the microscope is moved across the surface of an object. STMs can etch surfaces and move individual particles. Even more advanced tools for nanoscale growth and nanoparticle assembly are under development.

3. One of the problems in the field of nanotechnology is to develop self-replicating nanomachines or nanobots. Nanobots are miniature robots that work on the scale of atoms and molecules. One of the most anticipated uses of nanotechnology is the creation of medical nanobots. These nanobots will be used to manipulate other molecules, destroy cancer cells or construct nerve tissue atom by atom in order to end paralysis. Although they are made and function on the scale of atoms and molecules, nanobots will be able to work together to produce macroscale results. Precursor devices to nanobots have already been created; some can even walk. However, true nanobots have not yet been created.

4. Some environmentalists are concerned that nanobots may go wrong, leading to unlimited and uncontrolled self-replication. If this takes place, nanobots may destroy our ecosystem. While mankind must be careful to ensure that this does not occur, there is also the possibility that nanobots could form the ultimate environmentally – friendly recycling system. Nanobots may one day convert our mountains of trash and hazardous waste into useful products and beneficial materials.

Part 1. Read the passage and choose the most suitable headings for paragraphs A and B.

1. From theory to practice

2. Recycling with nanotechnology

3. Advantages and dangers of nanotechnology

4. An alternative method of production

5. Types of nanobots

Transcript Term 3

The environment can affect our lives in many different ways, and can even force us to become refugees. Climate change and natural disasters can destroy our habitat, making us leave the place we call home to go and live elsewhere. Today, I’d like to talk about environmental refugees and why this is a growing problem. It’s a challenge to accurately work out how many environmental refugees there are, and how many we can expect in the future, but some say that changes to the environment may have forced as many as 20 million people to leave their homes in 2008. I’ve even heard that some experts claim that the number will increase to 50 million by 2050- a worrying figure.

For those living in affected areas, their environment often becomes uninhabitable, leaving people little choice but to move. These movements can take place within a country or across international borders. It’s hard to imagine how devastating it must be for people who are forced to move, especially to another country. Entire communities are often left desperately trying to work out what to do next and where to go. I’ve heard terrible stories of families being separated and belongings, which have taken a lifetime to collect, being lost forever. But it seems to me that while these people lose their homes, they possibly lose their culture along with them. Leaving your surroundings is so much more than simply leaving your home.

Natural disasters, such as earthquakes or tsunamis, are responsible for a large percentage of environmental refugees. However, this movement is not necessarily permanent; in some cases these short-term refugees are forced to relocate while the damage and destruction to their community is being repaired.

Going on to climate change; as global warming gets worse, we will experience extreme weather conditions such as heavy rainfall and higher temperatures in some parts of the world are expected to lead to more droughts and desertification. Rising temperatures also cause ice caps to melt and sea levels to rise, so flooding is another problem that threatens several communities around the world. Those living in low-lying areas are likely to see their homes totally washed away and be left in search of somewhere new to live. Bangladesh is one example.

I’d like to see wealthy countries get more involved. Unfortunately, the response from the international community has not been sufficient to deal with the size of the problem and, the way things are heading. There is little we can do to stop natural disasters, but we can help to reduce global warming. As a priority, we must move away from our obsession with fossil fuels, the very thing that got us into this situation in the first place. But, to be honest, I’m doubtful the world will ever give them up willingly. A lot has been done to introduce alternative sources of energy into our lives; however, there are countries that still refuse to use them to any great extent.