Unidad II

Textos descriptivos
2.1 Pre-reading activities: previous knowledge and prediction
In the first Unit we read, analyzed and discussed a text on concrete technology. That text
was essentially what we can call a review article where the author describes
developments in a particular field. Remember what the author himself states at the end of
the Introduction:
It is not intended to present a comprehensive review of all the recent advancements in
concrete technology. Only selective developments of the last 30 years, that are judged to be
significant by the author, are briefly reviewed.
The first text in this second Unit deals with a different topic but is also a kind of review
article.

Read the Abstract and complete the basic information provided in the frame.
Title: Advanced technologies in water and wastewater
Problem: Conventional treatments .
Emerging treatment technologies:
1.
2.
3.

///

Discussed here:a. basic principles

b.
c.
d.
e.
f.

Advanced technologies in water and wastewater treatment

H.Zhou and D.W.Smith
Abstract: The use of conventional water and wastewater treatment processes becomes increasingly
challenged with the identification of more and more contaminants, rapid growth of population and
industrial activities, and diminishing availability of water resources. Three emerging treatment
technologies, including membrane filtration, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), and UV
irradiation, hold great promise to provide alternatives for better protection of public health and the
environment and thus are reviewed in this paper. The emphasis was placed on their basic principles,
main applications, and new developments. Advantages and disadvantages of these technologies are
compared to highlight their current limitations and future research needs. It can be concluded that,
along with the growing knowledge and the advances in manufacturing industry, the applications of
these technologies will be increased at an unprecedented scale.
Key words: water treatment, wastewater treatment, membrane filtration, ozonation, advanced
oxidation processes, UV irradiation.
H. Zhou. School of Engineering, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada.
D.W. Smith. Environmental Engineering Program, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of
Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G7, Canada.

55

From the information you have so far, what can you say about:
(a) the probable content of all or some of the parts of the text

(b) the type of reader for whom it is intended

Choose one or more of the sections listed above. Note down what you think you already
know about the topic and also what you would like to know about it.

2.2 Reading and Comprehension

56

We are now going to look at the introduction to the text in much more detail. Read it
and then discuss the statements which follow.
Introduction
Conventional water and wastewater treatment processes have been long established in
removing many chemical and microbial contaminants of concern to public health and the
environment. However, the effectiveness of these processes has become limited over the
last two decades because of three new challenges (Langlais et al. 1991; Mallevialle et al.
1996). First, increased knowledge about the consequences from water pollution and the
public desire for better quality water have promoted the implementation of much stricter
regulations by expanding the scope of regulated contaminants and lowering their maximum
contaminant levels (MCLs). In water treatment, among the most important developments
are the establishment of the possible link between halogenerated disinfection by-products
(DBPs) and cancers, and the recent outbreaks caused by Giadia cysts and Cryptosporidium
oocysts. These have promoted the United States Environmental Protection Agency
(USEPA) to propose the Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule for the mandatory
destruction of these microbial contaminants and the DisinfectionDisinfection By-Product
Rule for lowering the MCLs for total trihalomethanes (THMs) and setting new MCLs for
haloacetic acids (HAAs). Similarly, the stricter regulations have been set over a much
broader range of contaminants for wastewater discharge. Among them, the most significant
are perhaps the new requirements to remove nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and
synthetic organic compounds (SOCs) due to their significant impacts on public health and
the environment.
The second factor is the diminishing water resources and rapid population growth and
industrial development. The reuse of municipal and industrial wastewaters and the recovery
of potential pollutants used in industrial processes become more critical. This is especially
true in arid or semiarid areas where the potable water and irrigation water must be imported
at great expense. The reclamation may be further justified in view of growing concern over
the contamination of water resources by the release of more toxic compounds. Advanced
treatment technologies have been demonstrated to remove various potentially harmful
compounds that could not be effectively removed by conventional treatment processes. In
addition, advances in the manufacturing industry and the growing market associated with
advanced treatment processes have resulted in substantial improvements to the versatility
and costs of these processes at the industrial scale. Using life-cycle analysis, for example,
Wiesner et al. (1994) concluded that the costs of new pressure-driven membrane filtration
plants are expected to be comparable with or even less than those using conventional
treatment processes for capacities up to 20,000 m3/day. To resolve these new challenges and
better use economical resources, various advanced treatment technologies have been
proposed, tested, and applied to meet both current and anticipated treatment requirements.
Among them, membrane filtration, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), and UV
irradiation have been proven to successfully remove a wide range of challenging
contaminants and hold great promise in water and wastewater treatment. As a result, this
paper focuses on examining these three groups of advanced treatment technologies with
emphasis on their process fundamentals, main applications, and advantages and

57

disadvantages. The current limitations and future research needs associated with these
technologies are also discussed.

Comprehension and discussion statements:

1. Conventional treatment processes eliminate chemical and microbial contaminants
found in water.

2. Water quality has improved because of stricter laws concerning treatment processes.

3. Some of the new regulations are based on a hypothetical connection between

pollution and public health safety.

4. More people and greater industrial development means less water.

5. Re-cycling water requires unconventional treatment processes.

6. In the future, treatment technologies will lead to potable water becoming safer and
cheaper.

2.3 Language and Discourse: coherence and cohesion

58

In Unit I, we spent some time classifying and analyzing sentences. But, of course, a text is
not a series of isolated sentences. There are connections and, most of the time, we can see
these connections and make sense of what we read. Read the Abstract again, for example,
but this time in French.
Rsum : Lutilisation de procds conventionnels de traitement de leau et des eaux
uses sont de plus en plus mis au dfi avec lidentification de plus en plus de
contaminants, la croissance rapide de la population et des activits industrielles, et la
disponibilit dcroissante des ressources en eaux. Trois technologies de traitement en
voie de dveloppement, incluant la filtration par membrane, les procds doxydation
avancs (POA) et lirradiation par ultra violet, tiennent la grande promesse de fournir des
alternatives pour une meilleure protection de la sant publique et de lenvironnement, et
pour cela, elle ont t revues dans cet article. Lemphase a t place sur leurs principes
de base, les applications principales et les nouveaux dveloppements. Les avantages et
inconvnients de ces technologies ont t compars pour mettre en lumire leur
prsentes limitations et les futurs besoins en recherche. Il peut tre conclu que,
conjointement avec les connaissances accrues et les avances dans lindustrie
manufacturire, les applications de ces technologies vont saccrotre une chelle sans
prcdent.
Mots cls : traitement de leau, traitement des eaux uses, filtration par membrane,
ozonation, procds doxydation avancs, irradiation par ultra violet.

When we talk about a text making sense we sometimes say that it is coherent or that we
find it coherent. Coherence is not an easy term to define. Its perhaps easier to talk about
the opposite: we all feel it when we consider something (or somebody) incoherent. What
makes a text incoherent?
One way of looking at it is to think of the interaction between the reader and the text. If I
can understand the relations between the sentences that make up the text, thanks to my
knowledge of the topic, of texts and the language in which the text is written, then Ill
probably say that it makes sense to me, that its coherent. Of course, the problem may lie in
the text itself: its badly organized, the information is not presented in what I consider a
logical sequence.
If we concentrate on the text itself, we can trace how it uses explicit linguistic devices to
signal relations in and between sentences. These linguistic devices are, in fact, elements
of what is known as cohesion.
Cohesion can either be grammatical or lexical.
1. Grammatical cohesion is achieved by grammatical elements such as pronouns like
it, they, he she, them, this that, these, those, etc. These words usually refer back to
something or someone already mentioned in the text.
2. Another way to achieve cohesion is through omission, a way to say something very
briefly instead of repeating what has already been said.

59

3. The writer can also substitute items (clauses, verbs) with words like so, one, the
former, the latter.
4. When cohesion is expressed through vocabulary, it is called lexical cohesion. In
this instance the writer can repeat words, use synonyms, antonyms or hyponyms.
5. Parts of a text can also be related through the use of connectors, words like but,
because and besides.

a) Identify the cohesive elements in the following short extracts:

1. Anns daughter is ill again. The child is always sick. She is hardly ever well. Ann
said she would take her to the doctor.
2. All students must enroll for the following semesters courses next week. Any
student who fails to do so will not be allowed to enter classes.
3. The original producers of the hit independent film My Big Fat Greek Wedding,
have sued star Nia Vardalos , saying they havent received their share of the films
profits.
4. Two games which share some similarities but also some important differences are
rugby and American football. The former is played in many European countries as
well as in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Argentina, whereas the latter is
almost exclusively played in the United States.
5. I cant see you today but I can tomorrow.

b) With this text, identify what all the marked cohesive items refer to.

60

(1) The old belief that the universe never changes is quite wrong. (2) Even before the
invention of the telescope, astronomers noticed that bright stars suddenly appeared in the
sky, and then later disappeared. (3) These stars were called novae because they were
thought to be new. (4) In fact, we know that they are really old stars which are slowly
dying. (5) A recent case of nova occurred in 1918, and one of the people who saw this was
the American astronomer Edward Barnard. (6) He was driving along in a car, occasionally
looking up into the sky. (7) Suddenly, he noticed a star he had never seen before, and
exclaimed: That star should not be there! (8) He was in fact watching the explosion of a
nova.
(9) Novae are old stars which are slowly dying. (10) As they do so, they let out huge clouds
of material, sometimes as large as the earth, and these explode into space at a speed of
about 8 million kilometres per hour. (11) When this happens, the hotter parts of the star
become visible, and this is why novae are so bright. (12) Although the explosions are huge
on a human scale, they only consume a small part of the dying stars energy. (13) The
death is a slow one, and the star may continue to explode for thousands of years. (14)
Indeed, there are even some stars which explode one a fortnight.
(15)There are other old stars which do not die slowly, but are completely destroyed by one
great explosion. (16)These are known as supernovae. (17)The explosion of a supernova
is equivalent to many millions of hydrogen bombs going off at the same time. (18)Just
before the explosion the stars density becomes very great and it spins at a very high speed.
these stars (3)
___________________________
they (3)
___________________________
they (4)
___________________________
this (5)
___________________________
he(6)
___________________________
that star (7)
___________________________
they do so (10) ___________________________
they (10)
___________________________
these (10)
___________________________
this happens(11) ___________________________
this (11)
___________________________
they (12)
___________________________
One (13)
___________________________
these (16)
___________________________
it (18)
___________________________
c) Read the following text.

61

Researchers Aim to Harvest Solar Energy from Pavement to Melt

Ice, Power Streetlights
ScienceDaily (Nov. 10, 2010) The heat radiating off roadways has long been a
factor in explaining why city temperatures are often considerably warmer than
nearby suburban or rural areas. Now a team of engineering researchers from the
University of Rhode Island is examining methods of harvesting that solar energy
to melt ice, power streetlights, illuminate signs, heat buildings and potentially use
it for many other purposes.
(1)"We have mile after mile of asphalt pavement around the country, and in the
summer it absorbs a great deal of heat, warming the roads up to 140 degrees or more," said
K. Wayne Lee, URI professor of civil and environmental engineering and the leader of the
joint project. (2)"If we can harvest that heat, we can use it for our daily use, save on fossil
fuels, and reduce global warming."
(3)The URI team has identified four potential approaches, from simple to complex,
and they are pursuing research projects designed to make each of them a reality.
(4)One of the simplest ideas is to wrap flexible photovoltaic cells around the top of
Jersey barriers dividing highways to provide electricity to power streetlights and illuminate
road signs. (5)The photovoltaic cells could also be embedded in the roadway between the
Jersey barrier and the adjacent rumble strip.
(6)"This is a project that could be implemented today because the technology
already exists," said Lee.(7) "Since the new generation of solar cells are so flexible, they
can be installed so that regardless of the angle of the sun, it will be shining on the cells and
generating electricity. (8)A pilot program is progressing for the lamps outside Bliss Hall on
campus."
(9)Another practical approach to harvesting solar energy from pavement is to embed
water filled pipes beneath the asphalt and allow the sun to warm the water. (10)The heated
water could then be piped beneath bridge decks to melt accumulated ice on the surface and
reduce the need for road salt. (11)The water could also be piped to nearby buildings to
satisfy heating or hot water needs, similar to geothermal heat pumps. (12)It could even be
converted to steam to turn a turbine in a small, traditional power plant.
(13)Graduate student Andrew Correia has built a prototype of such a system in a
URI laboratory to evaluate its effectiveness, thanks to funding from the Korea Institute for
Construction Technology. (14)By testing different asphalt mixes and various pipe systems,
he hopes to demonstrate that the technology can work in a real world setting.
(15)"One property of asphalt is that it retains heat really well," he said, "so even
after the sun goes down the asphalt and the water in the pipes stays warm. (16)My tests
showed that during some circumstances, the water even gets hotter than the asphalt."
(17)A third alternative uses a thermo-electric effect to generate a small but usable
amount of electricity. (18)When two types of semiconductors are connected to form a
circuit linking a hot and a cold spot, there is a small amount of electricity generated in the
circuit.
(19)URI Chemistry Professor Sze Yang believes that thermo-electric materials could
be embedded in the roadway at different depths -- or some could be in sunny areas and
others in shade -- and the difference in temperature between the materials would generate
62

an electric current. (20)With many of these systems installed in parallel, enough electricity
could be generated to defrost roadways or be used for other purposes. (21)Instead of the
traditional semiconductors, he proposes to use a family of organic polymeric
semiconductors developed at his laboratory that can be fabricated inexpensively as plastic
sheets or painted on a flexible plastic sheet.
(22)"This is a somewhat futuristic idea, since there isn't any practical device on the
market for doing this, but it has been demonstrated to work in a laboratory," said Yang.
(23)"With enough additional research, I think it can be implemented in the field."
(24)Perhaps the most futuristic idea the URI team has considered is to completely
replace asphalt roadways with roadways made of large, durable electronic blocks that
contain photovoltaic cells, LED lights and sensors. (25)The blocks can generate electricity,
illuminate the roadway lanes in interchangeable configurations, and provide early warning
of the need for maintenance.
(26)According to Lee, the technology for this concept exists, but it is extremely
expensive. (27)He said that one group in Idaho made a driveway from prototypes of these
blocks, and it cost about $100,000. (28)Lee envisions that corporate parking lots may
become the first users of this technology before they become practical and economical for
roadway use.
(29)"This kind of advanced technology will take time to be accepted by the
transportation industries," Lee said. (30)"But we've been using asphalt for our highways for
more than 100 years, and pretty soon it will be time for a change."

URI student Andrew Correia and Professor K. Wayne Lee conduct a laboratory experiment
to measure the solar energy generated by a patch of asphalt. (Credit: URI Department of
Communications & Marketing photo by Michael Salerno Photography)

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101109102720.htm
1. What is the text about?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2. Is the authors discovery successful?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
3. Identify what all the marked cohesive items refer to.
1. It (1):

_____________________
63

2. We (2):
3. It (2):
4. They (3):
5. Them (3):
6. They (7):
7. It (7):
8. He (14):
9. It (15):
10. My (16):
11. This (22):
12. It (23):
13. It (26):
14. It (27):
15. They (18):

_____________________
_____________________
_____________________
_____________________
_____________________
_____________________
_____________________
_____________________
_____________________
_____________________
_____________________
_____________________
_____________________
_____________________

4. Identify at least three lexical cohesive items in the text.

1. ________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________
3. ________________________________________________

2.4 Language and Discourse: connectors

In the previous section, connectors were mentioned as one of the ways in which parts of a
text can be joined together to make it both cohesive and coherent.
In Activity (a) we have already identified some:Two games which share some similarities but also some important differences are rugby and
American football. The former is played in many European countries as well as in Australia, New
Zealand, South Africa, and Argentina, whereas the latter is almost exclusively played in the United
States.
I cant see you today but I can tomorrow

With connectors it is important first to know exactly what each one means and what its
basic function is. In the examples above each one emphasizes what we could call contrast,
difference, or comparison (some similarities-important differences; many European
countries-United States; cant see you today-can tomorrow). This type of connector we
shall call adversative.
But there are other types. If we take sentence 1 in Activity (a) above, we can see that has no
connectors:64

Anns daughter is ill again. The child is always sick. She is hardly ever well. Ann said she
would take her to the doctor.

Of course, even without them, we can make the connections. We could say, however, that
Anns daughter is ill again so shes going to take her to the doctor, where theres a kind of
cause-effect relationship.
Read this first paragraph of the Introduction again. Note the connectors marked in bold.
What function does each one have? The following suggestions may help you, but if you
prefer to use a different terminology, thats fine.
Possible connector classification:
Adversative

Causal

Additive

Temporal

Conditional

Illustrative

Conventional water and wastewater treatment processes have been long established in
removing many chemical and microbial contaminants of concern to public health and the
environment. However, the effectiveness of these processes has become limited over the
last two decades because of three new challenges (Langlais et al. 1991; Mallevialle et al.
1996). First, increased knowledge about the consequences from water pollution and the
public desire for better quality water have promoted the implementation of much stricter
regulations by expanding the scope of regulated contaminants and lowering their maximum
contaminant levels (MCLs). In water treatment, among the most important developments
are the establishment of the possible link between halogenerated disinfection by-products
(DBPs) and cancers, and the recent outbreaks caused by Giadia cysts and Cryptosporidium
oocysts. These have promoted the United States Environmental Protection Agency
(USEPA) to propose the Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule for the mandatory
destruction of these microbial contaminants and the DisinfectionDisinfection By-Product
Rule for lowering the MCLs for total trihalomethanes (THMs) and setting new MCLs for
haloacetic acids (HAAs). Similarly, the stricter regulations have been set over a much
broader range of contaminants for wastewater discharge. Among them, the most significant
are perhaps the new requirements to remove nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and
synthetic organic compounds (SOCs) due to their significant impacts on public health and
the environment.
*use this space for your classification. Add more words or expressions you
know to each list.

After reading the whole text, answer these questions:

1. What kind of connectors are repeated?
65

2. What type of text is it?

Now compare your classification with the following table

Adversative
although
even though
though
whereas
while
but
yet

Causal
as
because
since
so
consequently

however

instead
in contrast

thus
accordingly
as a result
due to
because of

on the other hand

nevertheless
nonetheless

hence

Additive
and
furthermore
moreover
besides
in addition
as well as
too

Temporal
after
before
as soon as
when
whenever
while
until

therefore

also

then

in consequence

Conditional
if
unless
whether

Illustrative
for example
for instance
such as
like

meanwhile
since
later
finally
first, second,
next

on the contrary

in fact
in spite of
despite

All the above have been classified according to their function. For example, if we
take the following sentence:
Although petroleum consists basically of compounds of only two elements, carbon and
hydrogen, these form a large variety of complex molecular structures.
We can see that it consists of two propositions:
a) petroleum consists basically of only two elements, carbon and hydrogen
b) carbon and hydrogen form a large variety of complex molecular structures

66

The two can be joined in a number of ways:

1. ALTHOUGH petroleum consists basically of only two elements, carbon and hydrogen,
these form a large variety of complex molecular structures.
2. Petroleum consists basically of only two elements, carbon and hydrogen; HOWEVER,
these form a large variety of complex molecular structures.
3. Petroleum consists

basically of only two elements, carbon and hydrogen; these

HOWEVER, form a large variety of complex molecular structures.

As you can see, although and however take up different positions in the sentence. Their
syntactic use differs, but they are similar in semantic terms, that is, they both signal
difference or contrast, and, in consequence, are known as adversative connectives.
Other connectives join parts of a sentence or two sentences to express relationships of
cause-effect or consequence-reason. These connectives are classified as causal. The most
common examples are because, since, therefore, and thus.
Another type of connective is used when we want to add something to what we have
already said or written. This type is called additive. The most typical examples are besides,
moreover, and.
A fourth important type of connective is frequently used in texts that describe processes
and indicate sequence. We can call these examples temporal and include words like first,
second, third, etc., as well as subordinators such as before and after.
2.5 Language: Passive Voice
(a) Read the following text.
HOLLYWOOD ACTRESS FINED!!
Hollywood actress Melissa Cheesecakes career took another downward turn
yesterday after the star was found guilty by a California court of shoplifting. She
was fined $10,000 and was ordered to do six months community service and was
told by the judge that if she committed any further offences she would be sent to
prison.

67

Ms.Cheesecake, who was accompanied to court by her husband, former

heavyweight boxing champion, Johnny The Fist Freeman, stood with her head
bowed as the sentence was passed.
So, whats next for this favourite of the gossip columns? Readers will remember
that last year she was axed from the popular TV series Enemies because of her
well-publicized drinking problems. Now, although successfully cured, after
receiving treatment at the Los Angeles Drug and Alcohol Abuse Center, it is
doubtful whether her career can be resurrected.
On leaving the courtroom, Ms. Cheesecake refused to speak to the press, but her
lawyer, Jacob Feinstein, said in a short statement that his client had been
wrongfully accused and that an appeal against the sentence would be made as
soon as possible.
When we read certain types of text, even this one above about a famous person, we can
find lots of examples of verbs in the passive voice.
What exactly is the passive voice?
In very general terms, the passive voice is used if the agent (the subject) is considered less
important than the action or if the agent is very general (we, they, the people, the police) or
simply unknown (someone, something).
In our news article, for example, we are as much, if not more, interested in what has
happened to Melissa Cheesecake than what she has done. What do we know about her
case?
Find at least 5 things that happened to Melissa
She was (1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
These are the consequences of what she had done. But what did she do? All we know is that
she was fined for shoplifting. This word means stealing from shops. Lets imagine what she
did.
What did she steal? From what type of shop? How was she caught?
Fill in the details of the story.

68

(b) Fill in the following text with the appropriate form of the verb.
Millions of pounds of damage 1............................ by a storm which 2.................... across the
north of England last night. The River Ribble 3..................... its banks after heavy rain.
People 4......................... from the floods by firemen, who 5.......................... numerous calls
for help. Wind speeds 6....................... 90 mph in some places. Roads 7......................... by
fallen trees and electricity lines 8......................... , leaving thousands of homes without
electricity. Everything possible 9....................... to get the situation back to normal, a
spokesman 10..........................

1. has caused / has been caused

3. burst /was burst
5. received / were received
7. blocked / were blocked
9 is doing / is being done

2. passed / was passed

4. rescued / were rescued
6. reached /were reached
8. brought down/ were brought down
10. said / was said.

(c) Passive Voice and Active Voice.

As we can see from activities (a) and (b), we use the Passive Voice when we are more
interested in what happened to someone or something rather than what someone or
something did.
If we change, for example, the first part of the Melissa story and make all the verbs active,
we change the focus: we are apparently more interested in what the Court and the judge
did, rather than what happened to Melissa as a consequence of what she did.

69

Hollywood actress Melissa Cheesecakes career took another downward turn

yesterday after a California court found her guilty of shoplifting. The court fined her
$10,000 and ordered her to do six months community service and the judge told
her that if she committed any further offences he would send her to prison.
Of course, we also use the Passive Voice for other reasons.
Look at these sentences in column A. Which of the alternate pairs is the best way to
continue each one? Why? Make your choices and discuss your answers with classmates and
teacher.
A

1. He lives in a small house.

a. Somebody built it about 40 years ago.

b. It was built about 40 years ago.

2. English is worth learning.

a. People speak it in a lot of countries.

b. It is spoken in a lot of countries.

3. He bought a sports car, but didnt like it.

a. So he sold it.
b. So it was sold.

4. That new Tarantino film is great!

a. They are showing it at the Lido.

b. It is being shown at the Lido.

5. My uncle is a writer.

a. He has just finished another novel.

b. Another novel has just been finished by
him.

(d) Passive Voice: tense and structure.

So far, we have looked at some examples of passive (and active) voice verbs and discussed
some of the main reasons why it is used. Now its time to review the structure or formation
of verbs in the passive voice as well as the various tenses it can take.

70

First, it is important to remember that only verbs which can take an object (transitive verbs)
can be used in the passive voice.

The plant produces only 200 cars a year.

SUBJECT

OBJECT

verb

Only 200 cars are produced (by the plant) a year.

SUBJECT

passive verb

(optional) OBJECT

Secondly, to form the passive voice we need to use the verb BE together with the past
participle of the main verb. If we ignore verb forms with s (third person singular, present
tense) and ing (gerund or present participle), verbs have three basic forms:
BASE

PAST SIMPLE

PAST PARTICIPLE

produce

produced

produced

start

started

started

make

made

made

drive

drove

driven

As you can see with these examples, a verb may be considered regular or irregular,
depending on whether the past simple and past participle forms end in ed or not. At the
end of the Gua you will find a list of irregular verbs (Appendix 1).
The form of the verb BE depends on person (singular or plural) and either tense (present,
past, present perfect, etc.) or modality (words like must, can, may, etc.). Study the following
table and examples.

Passive tense

Structure

Example

simple present

am/are/is + past participle

English is spoken here.

present progressive

am/are/is being + pp

simple past

was/were + pp

Excuse the mess! The house is being

painted.
We werent invited, but we went
anyway.

71

past progressive

was/were/ being + pp

present perfect

have/has been + pp

I dont know, but I felt I was being

watched.
Mary has been offered the job.

past perfect

had been + pp

He thought he had been forgotten.

will future

will be + pp

future perfect

will have been + pp

going to future

am/are/is going to be + pp

Youll be informed as soon as

possible.
Everything will have been done by
next Wednesday.
Theyre going to be fired, Im sure.

Examples of passive infinitives: (to) be told I dont like to be told what to do.
(to) have been taken It appears to have been taken by one
of the professors.
Examples of passive ing forms: being told On being told the good news, she gave
everyone in the room a kiss.
having been taken After having been taken to the place of
execution by an excited crowd, the
professor was guillotined.
Modal passives:
should / shouldnt
must / mustnt
can / cannot
could / couldnt
may / may not
might / might not

be taken

His plans must be taken seriously.

(e) Write passive sentences.

1. Chinese (speak) in Singapore.
___________________________________________________________________
2. The Tal Majal (build) around 1640.
___________________________________________________________________

72

3. The new hospital (open) next year.

___________________________________________________________________
4. She (interview) now.
___________________________________________________________________
5. He found that all his money (steal).
___________________________________________________________________
6. These computers (make) in Korea.
___________________________________________________________________
7. Passengers (ask) not to speak to the driver.
___________________________________________________________________
8. I (rob).
___________________________________________________________________
9. The suspected killer (arrest) early this morning.
___________________________________________________________________
10. All projects (must finish) by the end of the month at the latest.
___________________________________________________________________
11. The players badly (injure) during the game.
___________________________________________________________________
12. The car (steal)
___________________________________________________________________

(f) Passive voice and translation.

Sometimes you will need to translate parts of text from English into Spanish. Translation is
not easy and you are studying Civil Engineering, not translation. Consider the following:1.
Una Propuesta para el Diseo de Prticos de Concreto Armado
con Control del Dao
73

Se presenta una metodologa para el diseo de prticos de concreto

armado que permite controlar los ndices de dao en los elementos
estructurales y mantenerlos dentro de rangos tolerables. Las
resistencias de los elementos estructurales se determinan de manera tal
de satisfacer la filosofa bsica de diseo que requiere comportamiento
elstico para sismo moderado y comportamiento inelstico con daos
aceptables para sismo fuerte. Se utilizan como requerimientos de diseo
el desplazamiento lateral mximo y la energa plstica disipada de la
estructura durante el sismo fuerte. El mtodo utiliza una serie de anlisis
estticos inelsticos que optimiza la resistencia de los elementos
estructurales a fin de satisfacer los ndices de dao seleccionados en el
diseo. El mtodo propuesto fue aplicado a un prtico de seis pisos
tomado de un edificio real, y condujo a la solucin esperada despus de
dos ciclos de bsqueda de los parmetros de optimizacin. La estructura
diseada con el mtodo propuesto fue sometida a un conjunto de
acelorogramas correspondientes a sismos registrados en el pasado. Su
respuesta se determin mediante anlisis dinmico inelstico,
encontrndose ndices de dao similares en el diseo, lo cual destaca la
precisin de la metodologa propuesta.
(193 palabras)
2.

A Proposal for the Design of Reinforced Concrete Frames

with Damage Control

A reinforced concrete frame design methodology to control damage

indices in structural elements and keep them within tolerable ranges is
presented. The structural element strengths are determined to satisfy
the basic design goal, which requires elastic behavior during moderate
earthquakes and inelastic behavior with tolerable damage during strong
earthquakes. Maximum lateral displacement and plastic dissipated
energy during the strong earthquakes are used as design parameters.
The method uses several inelastic static analyses to optimize the
strength of the structural elements in order to satisfy the previously
accepted damage indices. The proposed method was applied to a sixfloor frame obtained from a real building and the expected solution was
achieved after two optimization cycles. The structure designed with the
proposed method was subjected to a set of earthquake acceleration
records. Its response was determined through inelastic dynamic analysis.
The resulting damage indices were similar to those accepted in the
design, which confirms the accuracy of the proposed method.
(157 words) (1)
1

Taken from Revista de la Facultad de Ingeniera (UCV), 2004, vol. 19, p.35. Authors: Miguel F. Cruz A.
(Universidad de Costa Rica) & Oscar A. Lpez (IMME, Fac. de Ingeniera, UCV).

74

The English version is shorter (157 words v. 193 in Spanish). One reason for this could be
that the authors are native speakers of Spanish and it is normal that when they write in
another language, like English, they try to make their language as simple as possible.
Of course, both versions are typical of academic writing: they both aim to be as objective
as possible. But, if we compare them, there are some interesting differences: not in terms of
content, but in how the sentences are put together, especially the now familiar nominal
groups, and the use and position in the sentence of passive-type verb forms.
Read and compare the two versions. Then complete the Table. You are given one example
to help you.
Spanish version

English version

Se presenta (verbo al inicio)

.is presented (VP- at the

end)

2.6
It was a long time ago, but remember the text on wastewater treatment? Heres where we
left it at the end of the Introduction:
..Among them, membrane filtration, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), and UV irradiation have been
proven to successfully remove a wide range of challenging contaminants and hold great promise in water and
wastewater treatment. As a result, this paper focuses on examining these three groups of advanced treatment
technologies with emphasis on their process fundamentals, main applications, and advantages and

75

disadvantages. The current limitations and future research needs associated with these technologies are also
discussed.

Lets go on then with the next part on membrane filtration.

Underline all the passive verbs

Lets go on Read, analyze this part for cohesion, connectors, then next part
introduce passive voice.

Text 1
Membrane Filtration technologies
Membrane filtration can be broadly defined as a separation process that uses
semipermeable membrane to divide the feed stream into two portions: a permeate that
contains the material passing through the membranes, and a retentate consisting of the
species being left behind (Mallevialle et al. 1996). More specifically, membrane filtration
can be further classified in terms of the size range of permeating species, the mechanisms
of rejection, the driving forces employed, the chemical structure and composition of
membranes, and the geometry of construction. The most important types of membrane
filtration are pressure-driven processes including microfiltration (MF), ultrafiltration (UF),
nanofiltration (NF), and reverse osmosis (RO).
Membrane filtration system selection and design
The successful use of membrane processes depends on a proper selection of
membrane material. Ideally, a membrane should have a high permeate flux, high
contaminant rejection, great durability, good chemical resistance, and low cost. The
permeate flux is usually defined as the rate at which permeate passes through a unit area of
membrane. Extensive research has been conducted to develop new membrane materials
(Wiesner and Chellam 1999). Inorganic membranes, although having very high chemical
and temperature resistance, are now still of little commercial use due to brittleness and
expense. Organic polymers remain the most widely used commercial membrane materials.
They are usually constructed by coating a thin active polymeric layer onto a microporous
support to provide desirable mechanic strength while having higher water permeability and
chemical resistance. The polymers typically used for the active layer include cellulose
acetates, polyamides, polypropylene, and polysulfones. More information about the
properties of the membranes has been reviewed by Mallevialle et al. (1996) and the
American Water Works Association (AWWA) Membrane Technology Research Committee
(1998).
From a practical application point of view, one of the most important membrane
properties in the selection of a membrane process is the pore size or molecular weight
cutoff (MWC), which specifies the maximum molecular weight of a solute to be rejected.
Table 1 summarizes the main characteristics of common membrane filtration processes. MF
is permeable to species up to 0. 5 min diameter and is capable of a relatively high flux
under a small pressure difference across the membrane. Thus, it is often used for separating
micrometre particles and microorganisms from water. By comparison, RO has the smallest
pore size and can virtually retain all the ions while operating under a very high pressure
difference and at a relatively low permeate flux. It is commonly used for desalting brackish
water and seawater. UF and NF have characteristics between those of MF and RO.

76

Recently, these two types of membrane processes have gained considerable interest because
they are very effective in removing natural organic matter (NOM) and trace SOCs while
still maintaining a high permeate flux. Membrane processes are suitable for removing a
wide range of contaminants in water and wastewater treatment because of the wide range
of pore sizes available.
The performance of membrane processes also depends on the use of proper module
configurations. A comparison among different model configurations is presented in Table 2.
NF and RO are typically of the spiral wound configuration to promote turbulence, thereby
reducing concentration polarization fouling and particle cake deposition. However, this
type of membrane configuration is vulnerable to the occurrence of biofouling. The
weakness of seals and glue lines also prevents the use of vigorous backwashing and may
cause the loss of module integrity. In contrast, MF and UF usually use hollow fibre
geometry to facilitate backwash and yield a high surface area to volume ratio. A major
drawback is the high energy consumption necessary to maintain high cross-flow velocity.
Recently, many new design concepts have been introduced by modifying module
configurations to minimize membrane fouling and reduce operating costs. Winzeler and
Belfort (1993) and Mallubhotla and Belfort (1997) studied the fluid dynamics in membrane
modules and proposed a special curved wall configuration that promotes Taylor or Dean
vortexes at the membrane surface as a means of minimizing membrane fouling. Reed et al.
(1997) developed a rotating disc membrane filter which consists of hollow, membranecovered disks stacked along a hollow rotating shaft inside a pressurized container to
generate high shear at the membrane surface. Another noted development is the use of
submerged hollow fibre bundles which can be mounted directly in process tanks. Permeate
is drawn into the hollow fibres under a slight vacuum, thus eliminating the energy
required to recirculate the flow to maintain sufficient cross-flow velocity. Air can also be
introduced at the bottom of the membrane modules to create turbulence, which scours and
cleans the outside of the membrane fibres, thereby reducing the membrane fouling caused
by particle deposition and microorganism attachment. It appears that these submerged
membrane configurations could offer greater tolerance to high turbidity and solids loading.
Because of complex transport phenomena and interactions between membrane and
contaminants underlying membrane filtration, the design practices of membrane filtration
remain largely empirical. Consequently, site-specific bench and pilot testing are often
necessary to assess treatment feasibility and provide process parameters for plant scale-up.
Common considerations and experimental protocols in conducting these tests have been
summarized by Mallevialle et al. (1996).

Text 2

Mass transport and fouling control

Particle separation and water permeation involve various mass transport steps in membrane
filtration processes. Many efforts have been directed to identify and characterize basic
mechanisms underlying mass transport. For colloids and fine particles, main transport
mechanisms include convection, Brownian diffusion, shear-induced diffusion, inertial lift,
77

gravitational settling, and lateral migration. Their relative importance depends strongly on
shear rate, particle size, and, to a lesser extent, the bulk concentration of particles in the
feed solution (Belfort et al. 1994). Recent research has shown that the mass transport is also
affected by the short-range interactions between particles such as adsorption, van der Waals
attraction, and electrostatic double layer repulsion. These forces become particularly
significant near the membrane wall where the presence of concentration polarization and
the formation of surface cake dramatically reduce the distances between particles.
Consequently, any factors that could change the hydrodynamic characteristics of membrane
modules and the chemical characteristics of feed solutions would affect the overall
membrane performance. Mass transport can lead to the attachment, accumulation, or
adsorption of materials onto membrane surfaces and (or) within membrane pores, causing
permeate flux decline over time, a phenomenon called membrane fouling. It has been
observed that less soluble salts, dissolved organic compounds, colloids, fine particles, and
biological growth can all cause membrane fouling (Braghetta et al. 1997a; Cho et al. 1999;
Fu et al. 1994; Jacangelo et al. 1995a; Wiesner et al. 1989; Zhu and Elimelech 1995).
Consequently, five principal fouling mechanisms have been identified: (i) concentration
polarization, (ii) cake formation, (iii) inorganic precipitation, (iv) organic adsorption, and
(v) biological fouling. Each of these fouling mechanisms has different effects on flux
recovery from backwash. Fouling inside membrane pores by salt precipitates and small
colloids is often considered as an irreversible process and is responsible for long-term
declines in the flux rate unless they are dissolved by cleaning agents in backwash water. In
contrast, flux decline due to the development of a surface cake is largely reversible. Efforts
to predict permeate flux decline are complicated by the simultaneous occurrence of these
fouling mechanisms. For example, biofouling is usually accompanied first by adsorption

Text 3
From Highway Capacity Manual
a. definitions in glossary
This manual presents methods for analyzing capacity and level of service for a broad
range of transportation facilities. It provides procedures for analyzing streets and
highways, bus and on-street light rail transit, and pedestrian and bicycle paths.
78

Facilities are classified into two categories of flow: uninterrupted and interrupted.
Uninterrupted flow facilities have no fixed elements, such as traffic signals, that are
external to the traffic stream and might interrupt the traffic flow. Traffic flow conditions
result from the interactions among vehicles in the traffic stream and between vehicles
and the geometric and environmental characteristics of the roadway.
Interrupted-flow facilities have controlled and uncontrolled access points that can
interrupt traffic flow. These access points include traffic signals, stop signs, yield signs,
and other types of control that stop traffic periodically (or slow it significantly),
irrespective of the amount of traffic.
Uninterrupted and interrupted flows describe the type of facility, not the quality of the
traffic flow at any given time. A freeway experiencing extreme congestion, for example,
is still and uninterrupted-flow facility because the causes of congestion are internal.
Freeways and their components operate under the purest form of uninterrupted flow.
Not only are there no fixed interruptions to traffic flow, but access is controlled and
limited to ramp locations. Multilane highways and two-lane highways also can operate
under uninterrupted flow in long segments between points of fixed interruption. On
multilane and two-lane highways, it is often necessary to examine points of fixed
interruption as well as uninterrupted flow segments.
The analysis of interrupted-flow facilities must account for the impact of fixed
interruptions. A traffic signal, for example, limits the time available to various
movements in an intersection. Capacity is limited not only by the physical space but by
the time available for movements.
Transit, pedestrian, and bicycle flows generally are considered to be interrupted.
Uninterrupted flow might be possible under certain circumstances, such as in a long
busway without stops or along a pedestrian corridor. However, in most situations,
capacity is limited by stops along the facility.
Capacity analysis, therefore, is a set of procedures for estimating the traffic-carrying
ability of facilities over a range of defined operational conditions. It provides tools to
access facilities and to plan and design improved facilities.
A principal objective of capacity analysis is to estimate the maximum number of
persons or vehicles that a facility can accommodate with reasonable safety during a
specified time period. However, facilities generally operate poorly at or near capacity;
they are rarely planned to operate in this range. Accordingly, capacity analysis also
estimates the maximum amount of traffic that a facility can accommodate while
maintaining its prescribed level of operation.
Operational criteria are defined by introducing the concept of level of service. Ranges
of operating conditions are defined for each type of facility and are related to the
amount of traffic that can be accommodated at each service level.
The two principal concepts in this manual capacity and level of service are defined
in the following sections.
498 words.
Facility 4
Facilities 9
Traffic 15
Interrupted/un 13
Capacity 8
79

Flow 21
The capacity of a facility is the maximum hourly rate at which persons or vehicles
reasonably can be expected to traverse a point or a uniform section of a lane or roadway
during a given time period under prevailing roadway, traffic, and control conditions.
Vehicle capacity maximum number of vehicles that can pass a given point during
specified period under prevailing conditions.
Person capacity maximum number of persons that can pass a given point during specified
period under prevailing conditions.

Text 4
1. Read the following text and underline the Passive voice.
2. Circle the connectors that are present in the text. After classify them according to their
function..

Nanostructured Materials Repel Water Droplets Before They Have a

Chance to Freeze
ScienceDaily (Nov. 14, 2010) Engineers from Harvard University have
designed and demonstrated ice-free nanostructured materials that literally repel
water droplets before they even have the chance to freeze.
The finding, reported online in ACS Nano on November 9th, could lead to a new
way to keep airplane wings, buildings, powerlines, and even entire highways free of ice
during the worst winter weather. Moreover, integrating anti-ice technology right into a
material is more efficient and sustainable than conventional solutions like chemical sprays,
salt, and heating.
A team led by Joanna Aizenberg, Amy Smith Berylson Professor of Materials
Science at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and a Core
Member of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard, focused on
preventing rather than fighting ice buildup.
"We wanted to take a completely different tact and design materials that inherently
prevent ice formation by repelling the water droplets," says Aizenberg. "From past studies,
we also realized that the formation of ice is not a static event. The crucial approach was to
investigate the entire dynamic process of how droplets impact and freeze on a supercooled
surface."
For initial inspiration, the researchers turned to some elegant solutions seen in
nature. For example, mosquitos can defog their eyes, and water striders can keep their legs
dry thanks to an array of tiny bristles that repel droplets by reducing the surface area each
one encounters.
"Freezing starts with droplets colliding with a surface," explains Aizenberg. "But
very little is known about what happens when droplets hit surfaces at low temperatures."
To gain a detailed understanding of the process, the researchers watched high-speed
videos of supercooled droplets hitting surfaces that were modeled after those found in
80

nature. They saw that when a cold droplet hits the nanostructured surface, it first spreads
out, but then the process runs in reverse: the droplet retracts to a spherical shape and
bounces back off the surface before ever having a chance to freeze.
By contrast, on a smooth surface without the structured properties, a droplet remains
spread out and eventually freezes.
"We fabricated surfaces with various geometries and feature sizes -- bristles, blades,
and interconnected patterns such as honeycombs and bricks -- to test and understand
parameters critical for optimization," says Lidiya Mishchenko, a graduate student in
Aizenberg's lab and first author of the paper.
The use of such precisely engineered materials enabled the researchers to model the
dynamic behavior of impacting droplets at an amazing level of detail, leading them to
create a better design for ice-preventing materials.
Another important benefit of testing a wide variety of structures, Mishchenko adds,
was that it allowed the team to optimize for pressure-stability. They discovered that the
structures composed of interconnected patterns were ideally suited for stable, liquidrepelling surfaces that can withstand high-impact droplet collisions, such as those
encountered in driving rain or by planes in flight.
The nanostructured materials prevent the formation of ice even down to
temperatures as low as -25 to -30 degrees Celsius. Below that, due to the reduced contact
area that prevents the droplets from fully wetting the surface, any ice that forms does not
adhere well and is much easier to remove than the stubborn sheets that can form on flat
surfaces.
"We see this approach as a radical and much needed shift in anti-ice technologies,"
says Aizenberg. "The concept of friction-free surfaces that deflect supercooled water
droplets before ice nucleation can even occur is more than just a theory or a proof-ofprinciple experiments. We have begun to test this promising technology in real-world
settings to provide a comprehensive framework for optimizing these robust ice-free
surfaces for a wide range of applications, each of which may have a specific set of
performance requirements."
In comparison with traditional ice prevention or removal methods like salting or
heating, the nanostructured materials approach is efficient, non-toxic, and environmentally
friendly. Further, when chemicals are used to de-ice a plane, for example, they can be
washed away into the environment and their disposal must be carefully monitored.
Similarly, salt on roads can lead to corrosion and run-off problems in local water sources.
The researchers anticipate that with their improved understanding of the ice forming
process, a new type of coating integrated directly into a variety of materials could soon be
developed and commercialized.
In addition to Aizenberg, who is also the Susan S. and Kenneth L. Wallach Professor
at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study and a Professor of Chemistry and Chemical
Biology at Harvard, and Mishchenko, the co-authors of the paper included Benjamin
Hatton and Vaibhav Bahadur, both at SEAS and Wyss, and Ashley Taylor and Tom
Krupenkin, both at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The researchers acknowledge L. Stirling and A. Grinthal for their valuable
contribution and funding from DARPA (Award Number HR0011-08-C-0114); the Wyss
Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University; and the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Scholarship and Fellowship Program.

81

These are sequential images of ice layer removal from hydrophilic Al, fluorinated
hydrophobic Si, and microstructured fluorinated Si (SHS). A group of droplets (Tdroplet = 20C)
was impinged from a 10 cm height simultaneously onto three surfaces (Tsubstrate = 30C) tilted
at 15, freezing immediately upon contact (A). As the substrate temperature was raised above 0 C,
the droplets on the SHS that were not in contact with those pinned at the unpatterned hydrophobic
region (see droplets located at the bottom of the imaged area) immediately slid off (B), followed by
the removal of the droplets on SHS that were bridged with the droplets frozen on the unpatterned
hydrophobic region (C) (shown with a dashed oval); while droplets on the unpatterned hydrophobic
region (indicated with a white arrow) and the hydrophilic region remained pinned even upon fully
melting (D). This indicates that even below the transition temperature, droplets are able to stay
nonwetting on a SHS upon impact. (Credit: Courtesy of the laboratory of Joanna Aizenberg)

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101113170001.htm
Connector

Sentence number

Function

Unidad III
PROBLEM-SOLUTION PATTERN.
The PROBLEM-SOLUTION PATTERN is a common structure that we find in
most of scientific texts. It is composed of: A SITUATION
A PROBLEM
A SOLUTION

82

The situation is that part in the text which gives sufficient background information or
context to suggest that a problem exists.
The problem is the part of a situation which requires or demands a response. It describes a
particular difficulty.
The solution might solve the problem but it is not always like this.

Activity 1
Read the following titles of scientific articles. Underline once all the words that refer
to the problem and twice the ones that make reference to the solution.

*Researchers develop low-cost, low-energy desalination process.

* Smart' traffic boxes could help monitor roads, save money.

* Bridges Will Rock -- Safely -- with New Quake Design.

* Cooperation in Brazil on water supply and sanitation capacity building.

Activity 2
Read the following title and text.

PORTUGAL WAVE ENERGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.

Although wave power technology has been around for thirty years, there has been slow
progress to commercialization, due to technological setbacks. Oceans are an untapped

83

resource of power for generating useful energy. Commercial technology for conversion of
energy from tides, marine currents, thermal gradients or ocean waves is still in its infancy.
Ocean energy systems must be able to endure harsh environments of mooring, saltwater
corrosion and storm damage while fulfilling environmental require-ments at an economical
price. Concerted efforts in research and developments are required to move past the
technical and commercialization barriers. With climate change concerns and investments in
renewable energy, there has been recent focus in wave resource utilization.
Since 1978 Portugal has played a significant role in Wave energy research and
development, particularly Oscillating or Assisted Water Columns (OWC). The principle of
the OWC used in this case lies in its ability to convert the wave action into a motion that
pumps high pressure fluid through a hydraulic motor. This in turn drives an electrical
generator. In 2000-2001, a 400kWe shoreline OWC was developed on the island of Pico in
the Azores, supplying 8-9% of the islands electricity demand. The worlds first commercial
wave power generators off the coast of Povoa de Varzim will begin operation in 2006-2007.
(Renewable Energy for Development, May 2007, Vol. 20, N 1)
1. What is the text about?
2. What is the purpose of the test?
3. What words have been repeated in the text? Why?
4. Read the first paragraph again and say what this is about: a Problem or a solution? Justify
your answer.
5. What is basically the information in the text about?

1. situation
2. problem
3. solution

Activity 3
1) Read the following text.
WHATS NEW ROAD
Para. 1

The International Road Safety Academy (IRSA) Association is a nongovernmental, non-profit organization initiated by the Dutch Institute for Traffic
Care (ITC); which is accredited by the United Nations and has ECOSOC Roster
consultative status.
84

Para. 2

The IRSA is part of the European Road Safety Charter, the European
Commission initiative that aims to reduce the number of deaths on European
roads by at least 50% by 2010.

Para. 3.

The main goal of the IRSA Association is to improve worldwide road safety, in
particular in developing countries.

Para. 4.

The IRSA believes its approach is successful because it focuses on optimizing

quality (by sunning train-the-trainer courses and developing Master / PhD
programmes), sustainability (by establishing regional centres to prevent the
knowledge acquiered from dissipating) and impact (by collaborating closely
with global and local technology partners).

(Source: Taken from: Traffic Safety, January 2007. Holland. www.hollandtrade.com)

2) Answer the questions.

1. In which paragraphs does the author describe the problem?
2. What is the problem?
3. What is the solution proposed by the author?
4. Is the proposed solution successful? What can it do?
5.Underline all the words that helped you choose your answers.
Activity 4
a) Read the following text.

What is Genetic Engineering?

Genetic engineering is a laboratory technique used by scientists to change the DNA
of living organisms.
DNA is the blueprint for the individuality of an organism. The organism relies upon
the information stored in its DNA for the management of every biochemical process. The
life, growth and unique features of the organism depend on its DNA. The segments of DNA
85

which have been associated with specific features or functions of an organism are called
genes.
Molecular biologists have discovered many enzymes which change the structure of
DNA in living organisms. Some of these enzymes can cut and join strands of DNA. Using
such enzymes, scientists learned to cut specific genes from DNA and to build customized
DNA using these genes. They also learned about vectors, strands of DNA such as viruses,
which can infect a cell and insert themselves into its DNA.
With this knowledge, scientists started to build vectors which incorporated genes of
their choosing and used the new vectors to insert these genes into the DNA of living
organisms. Genetic engineers believe they can improve the foods we eat by doing this. For
example, tomatoes are sensitive to frost. This shortens their growing season. Fish, on the
other hand, survive in very cold water. Scientists identified a particular gene which enables
a flounder to resist cold and used the technology of genetic engineering to insert this 'antifreeze' gene into a tomato. This makes it possible to extend the growing season of the
tomato.
At first glance, this might look exciting to some people. Deeper consideration
reveals serious dangers.
http://www.safe-food.org/-issue/ge.html

b) Make inferences in order to guess their meaning of the words below.

1. Genentic: ________________________________________
2. Relies: ________________________________________
3. Growth: ________________________________________
4. Enzymes: ________________________________________
5. Strands: ________________________________________
6. Vectors: ________________________________________
7. Frost: ________________________________________
8. Enables: ________________________________________
9. Flounder: ________________________________________
10. Glance: ________________________________________

Making waves: New research could minimize the impact of future tsunami
Published: 03:31 EST, July 02, 2007
For the first time, a team of experts is preparing to create tsunami in a controlled
environment in order to study their effects on buildings and coastlines - ultimately paving
the way for the design of new structures better able to withstand their impact.
Ahead of todays Coastal Structures 2007 International Conference Dr Tiziana
Rossetto, UCL Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, unveiled plans to
develop an innovative new tsunami generator capable of creating scaled-down versions of

86

the devastating waves. The UCL team will be working with marine engineering specialists
HR Wallingford (HRW) throughout the project.
Tsunami are water waves generated by earthquakes, underwater landslides,
volcanic eruptions or major debris slides, said Dr Rossetto. The waves travel across
oceans with small vertical displacements and in open water you could easily bob over one
without noticing. Its when the waves approach the coastline, hit shallower water, slow
down, and grow taller that you get the huge wall of water that people visualise when you
mention a tsunami.
The main gap in our knowledge is about what happens when the tsunami wave
approaches the nearshore region and then runs inland. These flow processes cannot be
simplified using mathematical models because of the complex interaction that takes place
with beaches, sediment, coastal defences and then in and around buildings.
It is possible for the whole process to be simulated with hydraulic models, but to
get meaningful data the tsunami wave has to be accurately generated in the first place.
Conventional wave generators havent been able to replicate tsunami because of the
unusually long wavelength that is required.
Professor William Allsop of HRW said: Our new machine will control the flow of a
large mass of water by using air suction within an inverted tank. We have used this
technology over many years to make model tides in large scale models and our
collaboration with UCL means we will be able to produce a unique research facility.
The new tsunami generator will be able to create multiple waves, replicating the
three or four peaks experienced during the Boxing Day tsunami that hit the Indian Ocean in
2004. The tsunami will pass down a 45m long flume at realistic wavelengths, mimicking
the characteristics of waves which have passed from deep water (approx. 200m) into
shallow water (20m 50m) as they approach the coast. The wave flume will be equipped to
measure coastal processes, inundation and wave forces as the tsunami travels up a shelving
seabed, breeches the coastline and flows inland.
After the initial series of experiments, a team of researchers from UCL and HRW
will go on to examine the effects of retreating and repeated waves on seawalls and beaches.
The tests will measure the force exerted by the waves on representative buildings and
quantify the waves ability to erode the coast, potentially destabilising structures
completely.
The tsunami experiments will take place at HR Wallingfords laboratories in
Oxfordshire and construction of the generator is scheduled for completion in the summer of
2008. UCL and HRW plan to make the facility available to international teams of
researchers in autumn 2009.

87

Artist's impression of the tsunami generator and wave flume. Credit: HR Wallingford
Source: University College London
http://www.physorg.com/news102565892.html

b) Underline and write below the unknown words. Make inferences in order to guess their
meaning.
________________________: ___________________________
________________________: ___________________________
________________________: ___________________________
________________________: ___________________________
________________________: ___________________________
________________________: ___________________________
________________________: ___________________________

c) Complete the following chart.

Paragraph
Number

Parts of the Pattern

(Discourse)

Key words
(Lexis)

88

Summary

2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

Hints Para identificar el patrn:

SITUACIN ( )
PROBLEMA (?)
SOLUCION ( )

1. Estructura problema-solucin: es una estructura compuesta de:

a) una situacin que requiere de una respuesta y
b) de una respuesta ante esa situacin que es evaluada como exitosa o de otra forma.
2. Situacin: es esa parte del discurso que suministra la informacin necesaria y/o el
contexto para una apreciacin completa del problema. Como tal, puede ser solamente
identificada en conjuncin con el problema. A este nivel, por consiguiente, situacin y
problema se definen mutuamente.
3. Problema: es un aspecto de la situacin que requiere una respuesta.
4. Respuesta o Solucin: es esa parte de la estructura problema-solucin que indica la
respuesta dada a la situacin que requiere una respuesta. Todas las soluciones son
respuestas pero no todas las respuestas son soluciones. Esto se debe a que la solucin
contiene una evaluacin exitosa, mientras que la respuesta es neutra en cuanto a xito. Si la
respuesta es evaluada negativamente, la evaluacin negativa es una seal de la necesidad

89

para otra respuesta, es decir, vuelta a un problema. Sin embargo, la mayora de las
respuestas son soluciones.
5. Evaluacin: La evaluacin responde a la pregunta: Fue la solucin buena?, Cun
exitosa fue la solucin?

How to identify the pattern.

SITUATION

PROBLEM

SOLUTION

EVALUATION

1. Lexical signals:
Introductory
information. It provides
the context for the
subsequent
information.

1. Lexical signals:
Words or phrases that
indicate the presence of
a problem:
* negative adjectives:
poor, bad, inefficient
* negative nouns:
problem, dilemma,
controversy

1. Lexical signals:
Words or phrases that
indicate the solution to
a previous problem:
avoid, develop, find
out, solution, well

1. Lexical signals:
Words that describe the
success of a solution to
a problem.

2. Verbs:
need, prevent, stop,
avoid

2. Verbal tenses:
Present perfect
generally describes the
answers to problems.
After describing the
answer, use simple
present.

2. Modal Verb: can

Place in the pattern: At

the beginning
generally.
2. Verbal tenses:
Simple present.

Activity 5
a) Read the following text and identify the parts of problem-solution pattern.

90

Better Commutes, Reduced Pollution, Greater Safety: Traffic Operations Academy

Produces Experts with New Solutions
Newswise Designing and building more roads is not the only way to solve the
nations traffic problems. Managing the flow of traffic on those roads is as vital as paving
them, according to a new educational program offered to the nations state highway
administrators by traffic researchers at the University of Marylands A. James Clark School
of Engineering.
For example, over a two year period, the Maryland State Highway administration
developed improved signal timing for 330 traffic signals. This work resulted in a 13.9
percent reduction in delay, a 10 percent reduction in the number of stops made by arterial
traffic, and a 2.4 percent reduction in fuel consumption. This produced an estimated twoyear benefit to the motoring public of $60 millionsignificant in an era of rapidly
increasing gasoline prices.
Such insightsand how to put them into practiceare among the topics covered by
the Operations Academy, a new program presented by the Center for Advanced
Transportation Technology (CATT), a research group within the Clark Schools Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering. The academy has recently produced its first
graduating class, a new cadre of 22 traffic experts from across the country who use an
operations perspective, and operations solutions, to solve traffic problems.
In the transportation community, there is a shortage of folks with operations
experience, explained Phil Tarnoff, CATT director. Most highway offices specialize in
building and there is a lack of focus on traffic flow in most university transportation
courses. Our program fills the gap.
The Clark School program is the first of its kind in the nation to offer focused
training dealing with the effective management of the transportation system120 hours of
intense immersion in signal studies, traffic flow and safety measures, in addition to
personnel management, funding and supply/demand relationships. The course fills a critical
need as more vehicles clog the nations highway systems, said Tarnoff.
The Operations Academy is open to employees in any public agency and is targeted
towards mid- to high-level managers in transportation departments on the local, state and
national level. The first cohort this spring boasted traffic officials from New Mexico,
Pennsylvania, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Florida, Washington State,
Maine, New York, Illinois, Arizona and Texas.
The students noted the valuable interactions with their colleagues from around the
country, in addition to the workshops, field trips and coursework.
This program allowed me time to interact with other agencies that are already
performing the functions of what New Hampshire will be doing in the next 10 years, said
Jon Hanson, assistant administrator of the New Hampshire Department of Transportations
Bureau of Turnpikes.
The program involves a week of pre-study (including exams) in traffic operations,
traffic safety, planning, intelligent transportation systems, freight and management. Then,
the students converge for formal instruction by industry experts and Clark School faculty.
To complete the program, students must pass a final exam.
Students also participate in field studies including freeway service patrol ridealongs, visits to traffic operations centers and a tour of the Port of Baltimore container

91

facility. Workshops on solutions to congestion and the creation of an operations unit are
also a part of the curriculum.
The Operations Academy is funded by the I-95 Corridor Coalition. A steering
committee made up of representatives from the Coalition, state transportation departments,
the Institute of Transportation Engineers and private industry assisted in developing the
program.
The next Operations Academy session will take place November 5-15, 2007.
http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/530224/
b) Complete the following chart.
Paragraph
Number

Parts of the Pattern

(Discourse)

Key words
(Lexis)

Summary

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12

b) Read the following text and identify the parts of problem-solution pattern.

Civil engineers pump energy into machines

Denise Brehm, Civil and Environmental Engineering
92

Start with a little sawdust. Throw in a flywheel, some pulleys, a pendulum, a ball
and lever, and you've gotnot just a gizmo, but also a vehicle for teaching engineering
design to civil and environmental engineering sophomores, who spent part of the year
working on a class project, then worked up to designing and building their own machines.
"Our fourth mechanics lab assignment was to build a motion machine, a gizmo, a
Rube Goldberg-type contraption--the coolest project we've come up with thus far to for this
assignment, which teaches practical concepts of construction and provides shop
instruction," explains Jack Germaine, senior research associate in the Department of Civil
and Environmental Engineering (CEE), as he guides a guest through the workshop where a
dozen or so students busied themselves assembling their final projects--energy harvesting
machines.
Germaine taught 1.102 Introduction to CEE Design II this spring, along with
lecturer Jessica Banks and technical instructor Steven Rudolph. Germaine is describing a
lab assignment tackled by the students in March. The teachers didn't reveal the product to
students beforehand. Instead they handed out shop drawings of 150 pieces--labeled easy,
medium and hard--and asked students to read the drawings, use the appropriate shop tools,
and prepare pieces to the satisfaction of the "inspectors."
"We had people who had never put a screw into a hole, who have now mastered the
drill press, cutoff saws, welding, etc.," said Germaine.
After two weeks, students graduated to subassembly, and were given drawings that
required assembling seven to 10 pieces at a time, and proceeded from there until the class
had built a full-fledged thingamajig that did, well, just what it was meant to--throw the
sawdust back at you. In spite of the lighthearted theme, the project provided valuable
experience in craftsmanship, mechanics, fabrication, physics and team building.
Those same students ended the semester by showing off their own energyharvesting machines around campus: six original designs that convert kinetic energy to
electrical energy via a generator, which then powers a device of some sort. That
assignment--design and build your own machine--followed the distributed energyharvesting theme of the semester.
"Energy is a powerful common element to use for teaching the 1E and 1C students,"
said Germaine, referring to the environmental engineering and civil engineering majors.
Both undergraduate majors take the same core curriculum sophomore year. "If you
integrate energy considerations into all of the things that you do in the building process and
make the product more energy efficient--you get something more marketable. For instance,
if someday these students are designing a building, maybe they'll design it with a
combination of solar panels, wind mills, and passive underground storage resulting in a
dramatic reduction in the energy footprint of the structure."
He motions to a large box with what looks like the curved blades from a barber pole
standing on it. This is a triple-helical windmill designed to catch wind coming from any
direction. "These vertical windmills could potentially be built into the exterior corners of a
building to catch wind diverted by the structure, and use that to generate power," said
Germaine.
Another student designed machine, the erg or rowing machine, was an enticing
enough product idea that a manufacturer (Concept 2) donated a $3,000 machine. The
students modified it with an attached generator that supplies energy to charge the battery of
the coxswains box while the rower trains. As you might suspect, that student team

93

contained a few members of an MIT crew team. The final product is on its way to the MIT
boathouse for long-term evaluation as a potential commercial product.
The other four projects are a merry-go-round that powers a light show mounted on
top; a stationary bike that generates enough power to operate a laptop computer, while the
user gets her daily exercise; a traditional windmill tested at the MIT Sailing Pavilion; and
the "Power Peddler," a stationary recumbent bike with a bright white boat seat mounted on
top. The Peddler powers its own CD player.
Students displayed their machines the last two weeks of the term, inviting
community members to take a spin on the merry-go-round in Lobby 7 and row on the erg in
the Stata Center. Germaine said that one of the objectives of the course was to increase
public awareness of energy issues. The students used feedback from the community
demonstrations in their final project evaluations.
"I am always extremely impressed with the creativity, enthusiasm and thoroughness
our undergraduates bring to any task," said Germaine. "I believe they set a very high
benchmark for the level of effort and the quality of the prototype products. In addition, they
gained a first-hand experience in the design process--the reality that no single solution is
correct, that non-technical factors can impact the product, and that there's plenty of
opportunity for frustration. But we still had a great time. Labs can truly be memorable
experiences."
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2007/exercycle-0622.html
Paragraph
Number

Parts of the Pattern

(Discourse)

Key words
(Lexis)

Unidad IV
The research article.
WRITING ABSTRACTS.

94

Summary

What is an abstract?
An abstract is a stand-alone statement that briefly conveys the essential information
of a paper, article, document or book. It presents the objective, methods, results, and
conclusions of a research project. It has a brief, non-repetitive style. Thus, it has to be clear,
concise, and powerful in language.
The abstract of a thesis or article is a short summary that explains the main
argument(s), topic(s) or findings. In theses, the abstract normally appears before the table of
contents.
When do people write abstracts?
when submitting articles to journals, especially online journals
when applying for research grants
when writing a book proposal
when completing the Ph.D. dissertation or MA thesis
when writing a proposal for a conference paper
when writing a proposal for a book chapter.
What types of Abstracts are there?
There are two types of abstracts: Descriptive and Informative. They have different
aims, so as a consequence they have different components and styles. There is also a third
type called Critical, but it is rarely used.
1. Descriptive Abstracts
o tell readers what information the report, article, or paper contains.
o include the purpose, methods, and scope of the report, article, or paper.
o do not provide results, conclusions, or recommendations.
o are always very short, usually under 100 words.
o introduce the subject to readers, who must then read the report, article, or
paper to find out the author's results, conclusions, or recommendations.
2. Informative Abstracts
o communicate specific information from the report, article, or paper.
o include the purpose, methods, and scope of the report, article, or paper.
o provide the report, article, or paper's results, conclusions, and
recommendations.
o are short -- from a paragraph to a page or two, depending upon the length of
the original work being abstracted. Usually informative abstracts are 10% or
less of the length of the original piece.
o allow readers to decide whether they want to read the report, article, or
paper.
Why are abstracts so important?
The practice of using key words in an abstract is vital because of today's electronic
information retrieval systems. Titles and abstracts are filed electronically, and key words
are put in electronic storage. When people search for information, they enter key words

95

related to the subject, and the computer prints out the titles of articles, papers, and reports
containing those key words. Thus, an abstract must contain key words about what is
essential in an article, paper, or report so that someone else can retrieve information from it.
What goes in an abstract?
According to Wilkinson, Antoinette Miele, in his book The Scientist's Handbook for
Writing Papers and Dissertations (1991), a researcher has an objective, uses methods,
obtains results, and draws conclusions. However, an abstract of the paper should:
describe the objective, methods, results, and conclusions;
omit background information, a literature review, and detailed description of
methods;
avoid reference to other literatures.

What are the parts of an Abstract?

According to Koopman, it should in most cases include the following sections. Each
section is typically a single sentence, although there is room for creativity.
Motivation / Reason for Writing::
Why do we care about the problem and the results? This section should include the
importance of your work, the difficulty of the area, and the impact it might have if
successful.
Problem statement:
What problem are you trying to solve? What is the scope of your work (a
generalized approach, or for a specific situation)? Be careful not to use jargon.
Approach / Methodology:
How did you go about solving or making progress on the problem? Did you use
simulation, analytic models, prototype construction, or analysis of field data for an
actual product? What important variables did you control, ignore, or measure?
Results:
What's the answer? Something is so many percent faster, cheaper, smaller, or
otherwise better than something else. Put the result there, in numbers. Avoid vague,
hand-waving results such as "very", "small", or "significant."
Conclusions / Implications::
What are the implications of your answer? Are your results general, potentially
generalizable, or specific to a particular case? What changes should be implemented
as a result of the findings of the work?

Thus, in order to analyse abstracts, consider the following tips:

1. In terms of STRUCTURE it generally follows the structure of the text itself. Perhaps an
abstract can be broken down into the following "parts":

96

Antecedents (the situation)

Problem (our knowledge is "incomplete " or imperfect)

Purpose (objectives of this study)

Method (procedures)

Results (often quantitative)

Conclusions (discusses results)

Of course, the abstract may present the information in a different way. These
are only general guidelines.
2. In terms of the "GRAMMAR" of the abstract, the following features may be noted:
(a) The tendency to use verbs in the past tense (simple or perfect) to describe the results.
(b) Abstracts use the present tense because we assume texts speak to the present even if
their authors are dead and/or wrote the words in the past. As a result, write about the
text and/or author as if they were composing the words at the moment.
(c) The use of the passive voice. It helps writers focus on the paper/report/study.
(d) The use of the third person (singular) as subject. Although the use of "I" or "we" is
acceptable in some disciplines, many frown on its use in abstracts. When in doubt, do
not use "I." Most abstracts make the paper/report/study the focus of the abstract and
the grammatical subject of sentences in the abstract. Try these sentence openers:
This paper explores. . .
This study suggests. . .
The report investigates. . . .
(e) The preponderance of affirmative verbs and the lack of negative ones.
(f) The tendency to avoid complex sentences - few subordinate clauses.
(g) The occasional use of phrases instead of clauses.
97

2.1. Effective Transitions

Transitions alert readers of changes within your writing. By using transitions,
readers are prepared for the flow of ideas. Effective transitions logically connect paragraphs
with one another.
Transitions are used to:
Introduce an idea:
First, readers will know this is the first idea.
Introduce examples:
For example, this is a transition.
Indicate a contrast:
However, be sure your transitions accurately show how ideas relate to one another.
Prepare readers for more information about the same idea:
In addition, transitions connect sentences to one another. Words such as "and,"
"or," "nor," "but," "so," "for," "yet" link sentences together.
Indicate a conclusion:
Finally, readers will know this is the last idea.

3. In LEXICAL and discoursal terms, abstracts tend to:

(a) Be relatively "dense" - give a lot of information in very little space.
(b) Avoid repetition and exemplification.
(c) Avoid abbreviations, "jargon" and symbols.

(Taken from:
http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/bizwrite/abstracts.html;
http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/abstracts.html;
http://www.rpi.edu/web/writingcenter/abstracts.html;
http://www.ece.cmu.edu/~koopman/essays/abstract.html;
http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/processes/organize/pop4a.cfm)
Activity 1
Read the following abstract and complete the chart below.
"Gravitational radiation from black hole spacetimes"
Luis Lehner, Ph.D. University of Pittsburgh, 1998 DAI-B 59/06, p. 2797, Dec 1998

98

(1)The problem of detecting gravitational radiation is receiving considerable

attention with the construction of new detectors in the United States, Europe
and Japan. (2)The theoretical modeling of the wave forms that would be
produced in particular systems will expedite the search and analysis of the
detected signals. (3)The characteristic formulation of GR is implemented to
obtain an algorithm capable of evolving black holes in 3D asymptotically
flat spacetimes. (4)Using compactification techniques, future null infinity is
included in the evolved region, which enables the unambiguous calculation
of the radiation produced by some compact source. (5)A module to calculate
the waveforms is constructed and included in the evolution algorithm.
(6)This code is shown to be second-order convergent and to handle highly
non-linear spacetimes. (7)In particular, we have shown that the code can
handle spacetimes whose radiation is equivalent to a galaxy converting its
whole mass into gravitational radiation in one second. (8)We further use the
characteristic formulation to treat the region close to the singularity in black
hole spacetimes. (9)The code carefully excises a region surrounding the
singularity and accurately evolves generic black hole spacetimes with
apparently unlimited stability.
http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/abstracts.html
Sentence Parts of the abstract
n
1

Lexis and style

2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

Activity 2
Read the following abstract and answer the questions below.
"Quantifying the Mechanics of a Laryngoscopy"
Laryngoscopy is a medical procedure that provides a secure airway by
passing a breathing tube through the mouth and into the lungs of a patient.
The ability to successfully perform laryngoscopy is highly dependent on
99

operator skill; experienced physicians have failure rates of 0.1% or less,

while less experienced paramedics may have failure rates of 10-33%, which
can lead to death or brain injury. Accordingly, there is a need for improved
training methods, and virtual reality technology holds promise for this
application. The immediate objective of this research project is to measure
the mechanics of laryngoscopy, so that an advanced training mannequin can
be developed. This summer an instrumented laryngoscope has been
developed which uses a 6-axis force/torque sensor and a magnetic
position/orientation sensor to quantify the interactions between the
laryngoscope and the patient. Experienced physicians as well as residents in
training have used this device on an existing mannequin, and the force and
motion trajectories have been visualized in 3D. One objective is to use
comparisons between expert and novice users to identify the critical skill
components necessary for patients, to identify the mechanical properties of
the human anatomy that effect laryngoscopy, and thus enable the
development of a realistic training simulator. In the future an advanced
training mannequin will be developed whose physical properties will be
based on our sensor measurements, and where virtual reality tools will be
used
to
provide
training
feedback
for
novice
users.
http://research.berkeley.edu/ucday/abstract.html
a) What are the parts of the abstract? Identify the key words of each one.
Key words
Antecedents:
Problem:
Purpose:
Method:
Results:
Conclusions:
Activity 3
Read the following abstract and complete the chart below.

Recycling of materials in civil engineering

100

Abstract: (1)Although Britain is relatively rich in natural aggregate reserves, planning

approvals to develop new quarries are running at about half the rate of aggregate extraction.
(2)The use of secondary materials, such as recycled aggregate, might not create a major
course of aggregate but if secondary material were used in less demanding situations, the
quantity of natural aggregate required by the construction industry would be reduced.
(3)This dissertation reports mainly on laboratory tests conducted on crushed concrete and
demolition debris to examine the potential use of these materials in new construction.
(4)Standard aggregate tests were conducted on the materials to check their compliance with
the Specification for Highway Works (1986), particularly for use as aggregate in road subbase layers. (5)A more detailed examination of the aggregates was conducted with regard to
CBR, shear strength and frost susceptibility where the influences of moisture content,
density and particle packing on these properties were investigated. (6)One part of the study
involved examining the use of recycled aggregate as the coarse aggregate fraction in new
concrete. (7)An analysis of the shear strength data was conducted using the dilatancy index
defined by Bolton (1986). (8)From the frost susceptibility results, it was concluded that
further work would be required in this area to determine the main factors which influence
the frost heave of recycled aggregates. (9)The recycled aggregate concrete compared well
with the natural aggregate concrete and appeared to be of superior quality than that
produced in other research. (10)During the study, it became evident that the recycled
aggregates could perform as well as limestone in most cases and therefore could be
considered for many potential uses. (11)Some recommendations are presented at the end of
this dissertation for the development of a standard on recycled materials which would help
to promote the use of recycled aggregates in the construction industry in Britain.
Type of Award: DPhil
Level of Award: Doctoral
Awarding Institution: Oxford University, UK
http://ora.ouls.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:25b3c922-4720-4424-a2c6-b19f00013148

101

Sentence Parts of the abstract

n
1

Lexis and style

2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11

Activity 4
Read the following text and write a summary.

Say no to genetic engineering

Genetic engineering is threatening rice - the world's most important food.

While scientific progress on molecular biology has a great potential to increase our
understanding of nature and provide new medical tools, it should not be used as
justification to turn the environment into a giant genetic experiment by commercial
interests. The biodiversity and environmental integrity of the world's food supply is too
important to our survival to be put at risk.
Your help is needed NOW!
Take action now to protect the world's most important food.
Find out about our new GE-rice campaign.

102

What's wrong with genetic engineering (GE)?

Genetic engineering enables scientists to create plants, animals and micro-organisms
by manipulating genes in a way that does not occurnaturally.
These genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can spread through nature and
interbreed with natural organisms, thereby contaminating non 'GE' environments and future
generations in an unforeseeable and uncontrollable way.
Their release is 'genetic pollution' and is a major threat because GMOs cannot be
recalled once released into the environment.
Because of commercial interests, the public is being denied theright to know about
GE ingredients in the food chain, and therefore losing the right to avoid them despite the
presence of labelling laws in certain countries.
Biological diversity must be protected and respected as the global heritage of
humankind, and one of our world's fundamental keys to survival. Governments are
attempting to address the threat of GE with international regulations such as the Biosafety
Protocol.
We believe:
GMOs should not be released into the environment since there is not an adequate
scientific understanding of their impact on the environment and human health.
We advocate immediate interim measures such as labelling of GE ingredients, and
the segregation of genetically engineered crops and seeds from conventional ones.
We also oppose all patents on plants, animals and humans, as well as patents on
their genes. Life is not an industrial commodity. When we force life forms and our world's
food supply to conform to human economic models rather than their natural ones, we do so
at our own peril.
Find out more:
- Go to the Food section to find out about: labelling legislation for GE products inyour
country, how GE crops are used in animal feed and the corporate giants who are trying to
control what you eat.
- Go to the Feeding the world - facts versus fiction section: to find out the truth about world
hunger and why GE crops will not help.
- Go to the GE agriculture and genetic pollution section to find out about: the dangers of
GE agriculture, which crops are currently being developed, genetic pollution and the
dangers of patenting life.
- Go to the Biosafety Protocol section to find out about this important legislation that
regulates the transboundary movements of GE and who is for and against it.
- Go to the Failings of GE section to find out about how the biotech industry is basing its
products on crude and old-fashioned science.
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/genetic-engineering
103

Activity 4
Choose an abstract from any magazine related to your career and analyse it in terms of
structure, grammar and lexis.

1) Underline the key words.

2) Circle all the verbs.
3) Name the parts of the abstract.
4) What are the main ideas of the article.

104