Exercise 5. Conduct a scientific meeting on: «Laser and its applications».

Use texts 10A, 10B, and IOC as a basis for the preparation of an oral talk (устное сообщение), short abstracts (краткие тезисы), summary (реферат) of the presenta­tion and for the discussion of the theme (тема).

Useful Words and Phrases of Scientific Communication at a scientific meeting, conference, round-table discussion, symposium, colloquium, seminar, session, con­gress, etc.

 

Stages of a meeting

Phrases

Opening a meeting Introducing a speaker Interrupting a speaker Opening a discussion Ending a discussion Thanking Ending a meeting Introducing the report

Chairman I declare the meeting open. Right, can we start? Ladies and Gentlemen, are we ready to begin? OK then, perhaps we could make a start? I have a great pleasure to introduce Dr. (Prof.) Baker, an expert in... Our first speaker, Dr Baker, will speak on... May I draw your attention to the fact that this point will be discussed later? And now I'd like to open the discussion on the presentation given by Dr Baker. Are there any questions to Dr Baker? May I propose that we stop there? I'm sure I'm speaking for everyone when I say how grateful we are to Dr Baker for his informative (excellent) presentation, (talk, speech, lecture). Pd like to thank everybody here. I declare the meeting closed. Speaker Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, it is a great honour to address this meeting (conference); I'd like to talk in my report about... First of all (in the first place) I'd like to name the main points of my paper.

Продолжение

 

While reporting	Now, let us turn to the point... The second point is... Moving to point three...And finally... So much about... I'd like to attract your attention to... Allow me to call your attention to... I should like to note (emphasize)...
	If you look at this diagram... Have a look at...
	If you remember, I mentioned... As I've already mentioned...
	Do you see what I mean... Do you follow me... As far as I know... Sorry, I got lost...
Ending the report	In conclusion I'd like to stress the importance... Thank you for your attention.
	Audience
Introducing oneself	My name is John Smith. I am from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. I'm very impressed with Dr. B's complete (interesting) presentation. I'd like to give you my view on this subject...
Questions	My question is as follows... I have a question to ask... One question is, the second question is... I'd like to ask a question in this connection... There is a practical question which... Pd like to ask a question concerning... May I address a question to Dr. В.? Is it possible to describe simply, how...
Agreement with the speaker	I think you are entirely right speaking about... I'd like to express agreement with the speaker
Disagreement	But I am not sure you are right. I am very sorry to have to say that I don't agree with Dr. B. Unfortunately, I cannot agree with your final statement. I wish I could agree with you but... We are not yet certain....

Окончание

 

Making remarks	This is an interesting work but it has a lack...
	It is surprising...
	It is unbelievable...
	I'm not surprised that it is possible...
	I find it hard to believe...
	Td like to make a comment of general nature...
	Fd like to make two more remarks...
	I have a few points to make...
	I have just a small point, but it may make things
	much clearer a bit.
	Excuse me, but Td just like to point out...
Making contribution	I'd like to add in connection with...
to the discussion	In addition, Td like to mention...
	Let me put some more questions...

Exercise 6. Read and smile.

A Story Too Terrible To Tell

Three men came to New York for the first time. They took a room in a hotel. In the evening they went sight-seeing and did not come back till nearly three in the morning. The room they had taken was on the 43rd floor. «I am sorry, gentlemen», said the por­ter, «but the elevator does not work, there is something wrong with it. You will have to walk up to your room». This was too bad, but the men agreed to tell stories on the way up in order to kill the time.

By the time the first one had told his story, they had climbed up to the 11th floor. The next story kept them amused till they had reached the 31st floor. At last it was time for the third man to tell his story, but he refused. He said the story he had in mind was too terrible, he simply couldn't tell it. They continued climbing and all the time the two asked him to begin. At last they stopped and re­fused to go on unless he told them his terrible story. «The story I have to tell you is a short one», he said at last, «we have left the key to our room downstairs with the porter».

Text 10B

Прочитайте текст и найдите информацию о преимуществах применения оптических волокон в технике связи; о том, что послужило основой разра­ботки систем оптической связи, а также о практическом применении опти­ческой технологии. Соотнесите отмеченные в тексте факты со следующими датами: 1960, 1970, 1982 гг. Изложите эту информацию по-английски.

Optical Technology

One of the most interesting developments in telecommunica­tion is the rapid progress of optical communication where optical

fibers are replacing conventional telephone wires and cables. Just as digital technologies greatly improved the telephone system, opti­cal communication promises a considerable increase in capacity, quality, performance and reliability of the global telecommunica­tion network. New technologies such as optical fibers will increase the speed of telecommunication and provide new, specialized in-information service. Voice, computer data, even video images, will be increasingly integrated into a single digital communication network capable of processing and transmitting virtually any kind of information.

It is a result of combining two technologies: the laser, first dem­onstrated in 1960, and the fabrication 10 years later of ultra-thin silicon fibres which can serve as lightwave conductors. With the further development of very efficient lasers plus continually im­proved techniques to produce thin silica fibres of incredible trans­parency, optical systems can transmit pulses of light as far as 135 kilometers without the need for amplification or regeneration.

At present high-capacity optical transmission systems are being installed between many major US cities at a rapid rate. The system most widely used now operates at 147 megabits (thousand bits) per second and accommodates 6,000 circuits over a single pair of glass fibres (one for each direction of transmission). This system will soon be improved to operate at 1.7 gigabits (thousand million bits) per second and handle 24,000 telephone channels simultaneously.

A revolution in information storage is underway with optical disk technology.

The first digital optical disks were produced in 1982 as compact disks for music. They were further developed as a storage medium for computers. The disks are made of plastics coated with alu­minium. The information is recorded by using a powerful laser to imprint bubbles on the surface of the disk. A less powerful laser reads back the pictures, sound or information. An optical disk is al­most indestructible and can store about 1000 times more informa­tion than a plastic disk of the same size.

One CD-ROM disk (650 MB) can replace 300,000 pages of text (about 500 floppies), which represents a lot of savings in databases.

The future of optical storage is called DVD (digital versatile disk). A DVD-ROM can hold up to 17 GB, about 25 times an ordi­nary CD-ROM. For this reason, it can store a large amount of mul­timedia software and complete full-screen Hollywood movies in different languages. However, DVD-ROMs are «read-only» de­vices. To avoid this limitation, companies also produce DVD rewritable drives.

Besides, it is reported that an optical equivalent of a transistor has been produced and intensive research on optical electronic computers is underway at a number of US companies as well as in countries around the world.

It is found that optical technology is cost-effective and versa­tile. It finds new applications every day — from connecting com­munication equipment or computers within the same building or room to long-distance transcontinental, transoceanic and space communications.

Text IOC