Comprehension check

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Pre-reading tasks
1. The text you are to read is headlined “The Pre-atomic Age”. In your opinion, what can it run about? 2. Think of and write down 4-5 questions the answers to which you expect

THE PRE-ATOMIC AGE
Ancient Greek philosophers were the first known scientists to suggest that matter was made up of small, unseen elements, a theory described as “atomism” by Democritus of Abdera in the 5th century В

Comprehension check
1. Choose the best ending a, b, or c to complete the sentences.   1. Ancient Greek philosophers a) were the first to suppose that matter was composed of small

Vocabulary work
  1. The words given in A are used in the text above. Find their synonyms in B.   A B to suggest

Pre-reading tasks
1. Have you ever heard about John Dalton, Heinrich Geissler, William Crookes? 2. Can you recollect what they are famous for? What contributions to science did they make?

FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF ATOMIC THEORY IN THE 19th CENTURY
    By the early 19th century, atomism had re-entered scientific thought, particularly chemistry, where it strongly influenced British philosopher and m

Comprehension check
  1. Consult the text above and complete the following sentences.   1. Atomism reentered scientific ... in the 19th century. 2. Dalto

Pre-reading tasks
  1. Do you know: a) the names of Henri Becquerel and Pierre and Marie Curie? What are they famous? b) when the Curies and Becquerel worked? c) what

HENRI BECQUEREL AND THE CURIES’ DISCOVERIES
  X-rays were only the first, surprise of the 1890s. New rays were soon detected which proved to be even more profoundly alien to known science. The French p

Vocabulary work
  1. There are some words given in bold type in the text. Choose their synonyms in the box below.   to emit to discover

Pre-reading tasks
  1. The text you are going to read is headlined “Further advances in the field of radioactivity”. In your opinion, - what does it run about? - what

FURTHER ADVANCES IN THE FIELD OF RADIOACTIVITY
  Their work, which led to the Nobel Prize for both (and two prizes for Marie, a rare honor), confirmed the cathode-ray research of British scientist J. J.Thomson, who had experimente

RADIOACTIVITY AND RADIOACTIVE EXPOSURES
  Radioactivity and the associated radiation exposures are sometimes thought of as environmental problems that have been created by modern science and technology. However, substantial

Pre-reading tasks
  1. If you were asked to make a report on the theme “From nuclear reactions to nuclear fission” which events would you include in it and what scientists would you mention? Comment

FROM NUCLEAR REACTIONS TO NUCLEAR FISSION
In 1913, Neils Bohr, a brilliant Danish physicist and a post-doctoral student of Rutherford’s, elaborated and modified Rutherford’s model by incorporating quantum mechanical (the study of mechanica

Comprehension check
  1. Some dates, namely years are mentioned in the text. Match them with the events described.   J. Chadwick discovered the

Vocabulary work
  1. The words given in two columns of the box are mentioned in the text and they have similar meanings. Find and name these pairs.   A

Pre-reading tasks
1. The paragraphs of the text given below are jumbled. Arrange them in the logical order. Comment on your choice of paragraphs succession. 2. You are sure to know the name of a f

SPECULATIONS BEFORE THE DISCOVERY OF FUSION
  Atomic energy, now usually called nuclear energy, became a gleam in the eye of scientists in the early part of the 20th century. The possibility that the atom held a vast

Pre-reading tasks
1. Otto Hahn, Lise Meitner, Fritz Strassman made several key breakthroughs revealing secrets of nuclear fission. Can you give any information about these scientists? If nothing is known to you,

REVEALING SECRETS OF NUCLEAR FISSION
Enrico Fermi and his colleagues missed a reaction in the uranium which would later be determined to be the first example of nuclear fission. The task, therefore, fell tо scientist Otto Hahn, who wa

Comprehension check
1. Match the names of scientists with the information about them. (Sometimes information refers to more than one scientist).   Otto Hahn co

Vocabulary work
  1. Find synonyms or antonyms among the words given in italics in the text and name them. Be careful as the verbs are used in different forms 2. Fill in the tab

Follow-up activities
  1. In pairs, discuss the information given in the text. 2. Make up a short report based on the text. (Presenting only key ideas). 3. Find some add

FISSION AND THE FIRST REACTORS
  Fission of uranium was discovered—or, more precisely, recognized for what it was—in 1938. Scientists quickly recognized that large amounts of energy are released in fission and that

Pre-reading tasks
1.In the text below the names of Henri Becquerel, Pierre and Marie Curie, Ernest Rutherford are mentioned. Recollect what each of them is famous for. The table below will help you to fulfill the

RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS AS SOURCES OF NUCLEAR ENERGY
  Radioactive … involves the spontaneous disintegration of an atomic nucleus. As the nucleus …, various particles as well as high-energy electromagnetic waves are … . Ra

Pre-reading tasks
1. The text you are to read is headlined “Boiling water reactors”. In your opinion, what problems are discussed in this text? 2. If you were to make a report on this theme wha

BOILING WATER REACTORS
Consider the simplified schematic of one of the most common types of nuclear reactor, a boiling water reactor. (See the accompanying illustration.) Boiling water reactors were firs

GLOBAL WARMING AND NUCLEAR POWER
The idea behind global warming is simple enough. Earth’s atmosphere retains some of the heat that Earth receives from the Sun. The amount of heat retained depends upon the chemical composition of t