INTRODUCTION
Part I
Reading comprehension, retelling and rendering a text
No matter what academic discipline you pursue, you’ll have to make sense of tense, complex written materials.
This means that being able to understand and assess what you read is a critical skill for every graduate student , and to be good at this the most essential thing to do is to read a wide range of texts, including current articles from newspapers and magazines.
Reading is ultimately the best way to increase your vocabulary. You should get the habit of reading publications written in a sophisticated register with tense prose, such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Economist.
Besides that, the following steps might help you work on a text.
Step I
Reading the passage/ the text strategically.
Reading strategically means identifying the topic, scope and purpose of a text (article).
1. The topic is the general subject matter.
2. The scope is the specific aspect of the topic that the author focuses on. (e.g. The topic is baseball. The scope might be limited to promoting baseball among students.)
3. The purpose of the text – why was it written?
The key is to identify whether the text is informative or argumentative.
This can be done by recognizing the tone the author uses.
The tone is the attitudes the author has towards his or her subject.
a) If the author writes in a mere straightforward style with no persuasive or judgment terminology, the text is likely informative.
Pieces (texts) written in that tone are more likely to have the purpose of explanation and description in mind.
b) If the author makes use of comparison (better, more effective) or assertion (should, must, have to), then the author is likely to persuade you.
Purpose is important, as it is closely tied to the author’s opinion on the subject matter.
Step II
Writing a summary.
1. Start off with the main idea of the text.
(Identify the topic and the scope.)
You don’t have to memorize or retain all the dates, dates or minutiae of each passage.
The main idea is usually presented in the first-third of the passage, but occasionally the author builds up to it gradually; any other information in the passage supports the main idea.
2. Express the main idea in your own words.
a) If the text is informative use the following phrases:
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b) If the text is persuasive use the following phrases:
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the author/ the article
informs the readers of
tells the readers about
dwells on
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the author/ the article
raises the issue of
expresses concern about
expresses his opinion on
attracts the readers’ attention to
outlines the importance of the following issues
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Step III
Providing your retelling/rendering with more information.
For each paragraph:
a) Write a 2-sentence summary that highlights the main points.
It is also important to use key words and phrases to identify the important ideas and statements.
b) Identify some important supporting details.
Step IV
Evaluating the text.
(Expressing your opinion on the issue, raised in the text).
a) Say whether you share the author’s opinion on the text or not
Useful phrases:
- I find the issue important/ acute/ complicated
- The author is right saying, warning…
b) Find some arguments pro and against the author’s opinion
Useful phrases:
arguments for:
- Doing it, we have a chance of…
- It is worth doing
- There is nothing wrong in it/doing it
- It lets us do smth
arguments against:
- I doubt if…
- It is no use doing
- It is a waste of time and money
- I don’t trust their opinion/actions…
c) Say what you would do in a similar situation
Useful phrases:
- If I were him/ them I would do…
- I would rather do
- They had better do
- It is time they did
- I would prefer to do (rather than do)
Part II
1. As you read the text, look for specific words in the sentences that will help you to understand the meaning of the whole text.
They are called «key words».
2. Look for some linking devices which might help you figure out the meaning of the passage of the text.
Words that connect one part of a sentence (passage) to another include the following:
and
in addition
consequently
since
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also
thus
because
moreover
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Words that indicate that one part of the sentence (passage) contradicts another part of the sentence (passage) include these:
but
despite
yet
however
unless
rather
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although
while
on the one hand
on the other hand
unfortunately
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3. A solid knowledge of prefixes and suffixes (prefixes and suffixes are attached to the item of a word to change its meaning) will help you derive the meaning of thousands of words you are not familiar with, especially when they are used in a context.
4. Remember that words can have more than one meaning, and they can also function as more than one part of speech.
The reason you should care about being able to identify the part of speech of a word is that it can help you to understand the text.
5. In technical texts the writer often helps the reader to understand difficult words on concepts by giving examples or definitions, describing causes and effects, using synonyms, linking expressions.
Unit I
Living in big cities
Part I
Start up.
A. Discuss these questions in small groups.
1. Are cities becoming more or less popular places to live in?
2. What do you think makes a city a good place to live in?
3. If you were asked to submit a photograph to promote your own city or region, what image would you choose?
B. Agree or disagree.
“Generally the future of mankind looks bright; those who argue otherwise are being unnecessarily pessimistic”.
How far do you agree with this opinion?
Reading tasks.
Text 1
A. Understanding main points.
Skim the text.
Identify the topic and the scope of the text.
Find out whether the text is informative or argumentative.
The Guardian
Where will we live in the future?
Will innovation in urban development change the face of our cities?
The return of high-rise living, homes built as part of working film sets, new public open spaces in reclaimed retail malls and a dramatic re-evaluation of the relative merits of slums and suburbia. These are just some of the challenging concepts now being canvassed among those developing new ideas about the future of our urban landscape.
It is a landscape where designers and planners take the advantages of modern technology as a given, where a city's "smartness" is expected and where sustainability is built into the system, leaving only one big question: what will our future look like?
And it is not, according to most thinkers, a science fiction fantasy where everyone behaves like robots in eco-friendly but featureless buildings, despite the move towards these developments.
For some, it is a world where the latest technology, such as energy monitoring "smart meters", is introduced in venerable urban buildings, sustainably reused, thus combining the best of old and new. "People want good quality of space – high ceilings, big windows, and interesting architecture. I'm not a great fan of building over-insulated homes on eco-suburbs on greenfield sites, miles from anywhere,'' said Tom Bloxham, of developers Urban Splash, who specialize in elegant urban conversions and regeneration projects in cities such as Manchester and Birmingham. "Sustainability is as much about re-using old buildings and working on Brownfield sites."
However, this regeneration of some inner cities – which has involved innovative greening, such as the pop-up roof garden at the Southbank Centre and the idea of growing food in parks, on rooftops and in other urban spaces – has helped develop a new pastoral type of "suburbanized city centre" argues Sam Jacob, co-founder of cutting-edge design and architecture consultancy FAT (Fashion, Architecture, Taste). "It is important to realize that parts of some former decaying city centers are becoming more 'suburban' in ambience – with chic shops and farmers markets. We used to associate inner city areas with a clashing of cultures, but maybe in the future the outer suburbs will become relatively more challenging places to live compared to the more affluent centers.''
Paul Jones, a sociologist at Liverpool University, whose book The Sociology of Architecture was published this year, argues for a re-think of the form and function of cities and believes their future will be about the public reclaiming private spaces: "Modernist architecture dehumanised spaces by organising cities around cars. We need to reclaim city spaces on a human scale.''
But it is not only the architects and planners of the past: "Today, shopping is seen as a leisure activity and shopping centers feel like public spaces. But they are actually private. And so maybe, with the collapse of the economic system, which promoted consumerism they will become less essential and will become spaces for true public use.''
Whether it is in eco-developments, converted buildings or former shopping centers, the homes of the future may be radically different to what has gone before. Some people might even find themselves living on a film set – at Pinewood Studios, in west London plans have been lodged to create 1,400 homes with facades from some of the world’s great cities, including Amsterdam, Prague and New York, giving a whole new meaning to the phrase "dual purpose" and which simultaneously reduces the studio's carbon footprint and provides affordable, interesting living spaces.
Even the high-rise building, once the town planner's solution to urban overcrowding, then the source of many inner city ills, may be due for a renaissance.
In Croydon, plans to build Britain's tallest residential building, at 53 storeys, have already been approved and Professor Colin Fournier, of the Bartlett School of Architecture at University College, London, believes the value of high-rise should be re-assessed in a future where the expansive, car-dominated suburban developments of the postwar era are endangered by a more low-carbon world.
Fournier believes the potential of tall buildings, such as those built against hillsides in Hong Kong, where access is not simply at ground level, represents a three dimensional approach that has yet to be fully explored, despite the fact that architects have been discussing the potential for many years. "We need to look at how high-density environments are created, where there might be access on the 42nd or the 100th floor. Three-dimensional, spatial urbanism hasn't really taken off yet, but it is something that is bound to happen.''
Although he points out that some architects argue that vertical living is more cost efficient and sustainable, it does involve greater spending on energy and materials. "It's a very challenging point, but the overall balance remains unclear and needs to be very carefully looked at.''
But would any new high rises be built, as happened in Britain in the past, to accommodate those moved by slum and inner city clearances? Not necessarily.
Some believe the new vast slums in the developing world, created by urbanisation, should be renovated and revived – in perhaps the same way that Urban Splash renovates the post-industrial buildings of Britain – since they provide both homes and a workforce for the cities.
Cameron Sinclair, who founded the San Francisco-based organisation Architecture for Humanity, which promotes architecture and design to help improve living conditions in the developing world and in disaster relief situations, believes slums to be "good parasites" that help cities function and should not be simply swept away in favor of new homes on greenfield sites that lack community resources. ''Slums are incredibly resilient, incredibly tight-knit and have considerable community and adaptive strengths as part of the dynamic of cities.''
Such places hold important lessons for Western urban planning, he suggests, with a lack of affordable housing in the centers of cities such as London, to house the workforce. Sinclair, born in London, argues that commuter suburbs lack a sense of "village" and was not surprised that some of recent rioting took place in areas like Croydon: "We fear suburbs, but we still plan for them.'.
B. Understanding details.
1. Look up the meaning and pronunciation of the following words and phrases in a dictionary, read and translate them.
- to reclaim
- relative merits
- slums
- suburbia
- landscape
- sustainability
-featureless
- smart meter
- venerable
- to be insulated
- generation
- cutting edge technology
- decaying
- to be affluent
- to be swept away
- resilient
- to be tight-knit
2. Read the text for more information
C. Answer these questions.
1. Will all people live in eco-friendly but featureless buildings in the future?
2. What does Tom Bloxham think about building over-insulated homes on greenfield sites?
3. According to Sam Jakob, what is the best place for living?
4. Will the homes of the future be radically different from the homes of the past?
5. Is vertical living cost efficient and sustainable?
6. Should the new vast slums in the developing world, created by urbanization, be renovated and revived? Why?
D. Write a summary of the text.
E. Retell the text.
F. Translate into Russian.
Extract 1 “And it is not a science fiction fantasy….re-using old buildings and working on Brownfield sites.”
Extract 2 “Although he points out … the dynamic of cities.”
F. Express your opinion on the issue raised in the text.
Text 2
A. Understanding main points.
Skim the article.
Identify the topic and the scope of the article.
Начало формы
Конец формы
Record urban growth
Начало формы
Конец формы
Latin America struggles to cope with record urban growth
UN report casts new light on urban migration in Latin America, but forecasts improved living conditions for city dwellers
Latin America is no longer a largely rural region. After 60 years of chaotic but rapid urban development, four-fifths of its population now live in towns or cities, a prey to all the ills of modernity and globalisation. Despite the fact that exports from these countries depend mainly on farming and mining, more than two-thirds of their gross national product comes from cities, home to services and industry. Although Latin America has huge expanses of territory, nowhere else has achieved this level of urbanisation.
In its most recent report on the state of the world's cities, focusing on trends in Latin America and the Caribbean, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) casts new light on the contrasts. Urbanisation is a positive process, it concludes, despite the trauma, violence and environmental degradation sometimes involved. The rural exodus is irreversible and almost at an end in most countries. By 2050, 90% of Latin America's population will be in towns and cities. Brazil and the southern cone may reach this level by 2020.
The cities are steadily expanding, sometimes outstripping the rise in population two or three-fold, due to urban sprawl. UN-Habitat's experts oppose this trend and advocate taller buildings, to limit outward growth and boost population density. This, they believe, is the price to pay to manage urban areas efficiently and secure sustainable development, concentrating the infrastructure necessary for city dwellers.
Inequality and violence are the main problems cited. Latin American cities are the most unequal and often most dangerous places in the world, with social divisions hardwired into the urban fabric. The geographical segregation is visible to all. Rio de Janeiro, for instance, is a city divided between its residential districts and favelas.
Some 111 million Latin Americans (out of a total of 588 million) live in shanty towns. Improving such dwellings and their surroundings has contributed to their stability, all the more necessary given the housing shortage. About 50m new homes are needed. But the answer is not to move the slum population to the outskirts of cities, because it would take them away from their work and modern amenities.
Despite efforts in the past 10 years to redistribute riches, 122 million city residents still live in poverty. The informal economy, with the associated lack of welfare coverage, hits young people and women particularly hard.
The existence of urban territories controlled by, or at the mercy of, organised crime and drug dealers illustrates the complexity of the challenge posed by security. Insecurity is the prime concern for most people in Latin America, ahead of jobs. The poor are the first to suffer from the widespread violence, and their makeshift homes are the most exposed to extreme weather events and natural disasters.
The region's 16,000 cities include eight megalopolises, each with more than 5 million people, and a growing number of medium conurbations, some just as innovative as their giant counterparts. The formation of these massive cities, home to 65 million, raises problems for regional cooperation. Half the urban population of Latin America is packed into medium-sized cities, but they find it hard to balance their budgets, often requiring the support of central government.
But the UN-Habitat report is resolutely upbeat, asserting that Latin America has reached a turning point and could be entering a "new cycle of urban transition", heralding improved living conditions for city dwellers. Thanks to devolution, local government now has valuable experience which deserves to be better shared.
In addition to paying off national debt and making the economy less vulnerable to international crises, Latin American countries have another asset: a "demographic bonus", with an active population exceeding the number of children and seniors, opening a window of opportunity forecast to last 30 years. The report says this period should be used to reclaim urban space, upgrade infrastructure and services, encourage local jobs, social and cultural diversity, and sustainable development, boost territorial cohesion and inclusiveness, and reduce inequality.
This article originally appeared in Le Mond
B. Understanding details.
1. Look up the meaning and pronunciation of the following words and phrases in a dictionary, read and translate them.
- rapid
- rural
- city dwellers
- to prey
- to cast a new light on
- to reach a turning point
- to pay off
- to be vulnerable
- shortage
2. Read the text for more information.
C. Answer the questions.
1. Where do the majority of the Latin Americans live? (in rural regions or urban towns?)
2. What type of growth do UN-Habitat’s experts advocate to limit to boost population density?
3. Why are Latin American cities considered to be the most dangerous places in the world?
What are the ways to solve this problem?
4. Is it possible to solve the problems of the housing shortage by moving the slum population to the outskirts of cities?
5. Who controls the existence of urban population?
6. Is local government able to solve the existing problems?
D. Write a summary of the text.
E. Retell the text.
E. Translate into Russian.
Extract 1 “Latin America… degradation sometimes involved.”
Extract 2 “Un-Habitat’s experts… take them away from their work and modern amenities.”
Extract 3. “Half of urban population…to be better shared.”
H. Express your opinion on the issue raised in the text.
Part II
Text 1
Reading tasks.
A. Skim the article.
Identify the main idea of the article.
Convey it in your own words.
Экологическое авто получат льготы
Владельцы экологических авто во Франции получат льготы при пользовании подземным паркингом. К «счастливым» машинам относятся GPL и GNV, оснащенные электрическим двигателем или гибридом., способным работать как на бензине, так и на этаноле. Первым районом, решившим опробовать нововведение, станет Бордо.
B. Translate the article into English.
Text 2.
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A. Skim the article.
Identify the main idea of the article.
Convey it in your own words.
« Дом солнца» сделал ставку на климат Валенсии
Светлана Перцова
Современные технологии.
Испанцы возводят дома, в которых будут использоваться экотехнологии.
В Валенсии представили уникальный жилой дом, который получил название «Дом солнца». Строительство было проведено в рамках реализации социально- градостроительного проекта Sjciopolis.
Главная идея проекта – создания целого района, состоящего из построек, в которых бы применялись лучшие экономические и экологические решения.
Архитектор Иньяки Абалос разъяснил журналистам, что при возведении «Дома солнца» сделали ставку на климат Валенсии, где почти 300 дней в году светит яркое солнце, а потому его энергию нужно использовать.
Округлая форма здания, не имеющего острых углов, по словам Абалоса, должна обеспечить оптимальную ориентацию квартир: каждая из них имеет окна на две стороны света, что позволяет контролировать их без помощи кондиционера.
Кроме того, в проекте использованы окна, покрытые специальной пленкой и защищающие жилье от избытка ультрафиолета. Эта же пленка позволяет избежать излишних потерь тепла.
B. Translate the article into English.
Use the following words and phrases:
- residential house
- in the framework of
- to count on smth
- acute angle
- to provide
- to be covered with smth
- to avoid doing smth
Text 3.
A. Skim the article.
Identify the main idea of the article.
Convey it in your own words.
Велопарковка по – японски
Японская компания Giken нашла необычный способ парковки велосипедов – роботизированное сооружение под названием Eco Cycle.
Разпаботка позволяет не только экономить место, но и гарантирует владельцам двухколесного транспорта стопрцентную защиту oт грабителей.
Изделие Eco Cycle напоминает вход в метро ил автозаправку, но на самом деле это сложный механизм, способный принимать велосипеды от владельцев, опускать их под землю в специальное хранилище, брать плату и в нужное время возвращать велосипеды обратно владельцам. Подземная часть сооружения
впечатляет - она представляет собой цилиндр, внутри которого установлен лифт, а по бокам – стеллажи для велосипедов.
Высота цилиндра – 11 метров, диаметр -8.
Одновременно в нем могут поместиться 204 велосипеда.
Арендовать такое место для двухколесной техники предлагается на срок не меньше месяца. Цена вопроса для студентов - $14., для остальных - $19 в месяц.
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B. Translate the article into English.
Use the following words and phrases:
-- to park
- construction
- to design
- to resemble smth
- owner
-shelves
- shelves
.
Part III
A. Skim the article.
Identify the topic and the scope of the text.
Find out whether the text is informative or argumentative.
Как будут выглядеть города будущего?
Представьте себе город будущего. Вы видите чистые улицы или Ваше представление о городе более мрачное, с темными аллеями, где совершаются преступления, где люди вынуждены жить в контейнерах. В действительности никто не знает, что представляет собой наше будущее.
Реальность такова, что в наше время городское пространство перенаселено и сильно загрязнено. Почти половина населения Земли сейчас проживает в больших городах, и по прогнозам, к 2050 году население городов увеличится до 75%, но что будут представлять эти города? По прогнозам экспертов, настало время проектировать «умные города», удобные для проживания.
Озеленение.
Представление о «зеленом городе» часто подразумевает наличие небоскребов, в которых расположены жилые и офисные помещения наряду с теплицами и мини огородами на крышах. Подобное озеленение городов вызвано насущной проблемой, связанной с серьезными экологическими проблемами больших городов. Тем не менее, эксперты предсказывают, что в будущем города станут экологически чистыми, будет использоваться транспорт с электрическим двигателем, а воздух станет настолько чистым, что офисные работники смогут позволить себе открывать окна.
Система датчиков.
В настоящее время, по словам проф. Дэвида Ганна, ситуация в больших городах достигла критической точки.
Увеличивается транспортный поток, очереди становятся длиннее. Проблему могут решить датчики. Разветвленная сеть датчиков представляет данные о функционировании города, что позволяет городу работать более эффективно.
Технологические компании, такие как Siemens, IBM, Intel полагают, что самыми “умными» будут те города, которые подключены к датчикам. Компания IBM разработала 2000 проектов, которые внедряются по всему миру, начиная с системы предупреждения преступности и заканчивая более «умной» системой общественного транспорта.
Передовым проектом является проект IBM, согласно которому, руководство деятельностью всего города осуществляется операционным центром, распложенным в Рио-де-Жанейро. Изначально этот операционный центр был создан для борьбы с наводнениями, которые постоянно угрожают городу, а сейчас этот центр координирует деятельность 30 правительственных агентств и предоставляет мобильные приложения, позволяющие
предупреждать жителей о возможных чрезвычайных ситуациях.
B. Words and phrases to learn.
-to be full of smth
- to be forced to do smth
- to be overcrowded
- the time is ripe
- completely
- to reach the breaking point
- flagship project
C. Find in the text the Russian equivalents of the following English phrases.
1. Nobody knows what the future holds
2. Urban spaces are overcrowded
3. The time is ripe to design smaller cities
4. Visions of green cities include
5. The situation in big cities is reaching the breaking point
6. Behind such greenification lies a very pressing need
7. Traffic jams are getting worse
8. A network of sensors will provide a host of data about how a city is performing
D. Render the article in English.
E. Translate into English.
St. A – Extract 1. «Представьте себе город будущего… города, удобные для проживания».
St .B – Extract 2. «Представление о …подключены к датчикам».
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