Task 2.27. Describe one of your lab experiments in a laboratory of your department.

Task 2.28. Role-play: work in groups of two persons, one playing the role of a reporter from a local newspaper, the other - that of a student or staff member of your department. Read your role-card and prepare for your interview carefully.

Reporter’s role-card

You are to write an article about one of the departments of the university.Try to get information about different laboratories of the department, equipment and students research work. Don’t forget to put down any comments that might make suitable quotes in your story.

Staff member’s role-card

Present your department in a good light. Convince the reporter that students are provided with excellent conditions for studying here, have up-to-date laboratories with all necessary equipment and fulfil very interesing research programs. Invite the reporter to visit the labs.

Student’s role-card

Tell about your work in labs of the department. Compare lab facilities at the university and those at school.

ШлгЗ

Task 2.29. Discuss the following questions:

1. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Students should attend lectures, but their work at special laboratories is not that important. Why?

2. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Students should carry out experiments by themselves. They do not need any guidance. Why?

3. It has recently been announced that a new research laboratory may be built in your neighbourhood. Do you support or oppose this plan? Why?

4. Do you approve of carrying out medical experiments on animals? Why?

5. What is your attitude to conducting military experiments in the Earth’s atmosphere or in space?

Task 2.30. Match the English word combinations with their Ukrainian equivalents:

A. 1. industrial enterprise; 2. processing speed; 3.data transfer; 4. description of
installations; 5. computer-aided design; 6. further research activity; 7. relevant;
8. floppy disk; 9. harmful or explosive substances; 10. measuring devices; 11.'Read-
Only-Memory (ROM) // Random-Access-Memory (RAM); 12. laboratory assistant;
13. input/output devices; 14. prompts on the screen.

B. 1. вишрювальт прилади, 2. шкіднш або вибухонебезпечт речовшш,
3. постиша//оперативна пам’ять, 4. доречний (вщповщшй), 5. пщказки на екра-
Hi, 6.промислове годприємство, 7. передача данта(шформацп), 8.пристрої
вводу/виводу, 9. автоматизоване проектування, 10. подальша дослщна дкль-
нють, 11. опис установок, 12. швидгасть опрацювання, 13. дискета, 14. лаборант.

Task 2.31. Read the text, divide it into sections, discuss each section in small groups and present the results in the form of an interview:

WORK IN LABORATORIES

There is an old proverb “Practice makes perfect” which means that an experienced specialist is able to cope with any шк.ГТо train such highly-qualified, skilled and creatively thinking specialists is the main purpose of our university. That is why the profound study of theory should be accompanied by practical training. There exist many ways of gaining practical skills in your field of specialization, while you are still studying for a degree. In most cases, practical training begins with the work in laboratories of the university and is completed at industrial enterprises of Lviv and Lviv

Ukrainian names in world science

region. Besides, you may participate in the work of students’ construction bureaux or take some relevant job during your summer vacations. But even if you don’t feel like working in summer, you are sure to acquire the necessary practical experience in specialized laboratories during the academic year.

There is a number of general laboratories in our university intended for practical work of students of all specialities, for example, the laboratories of physics and chemistry. In physics laboratories students investigate certain physical phenomena; carry out exercises in mechanics, optics, and molecular physics; measure electrical (voltage, frequency, resistance) and non-electrical (temperature, pressure, dimensions) quantities. One should be especially careful while working in chemical laboratories, because some substances are harmful or explosive.

Besides, each department of the university is provided with its own laboratory facilities, so that students could acquire skills according to the speciality chosen. Some laboratories are equipped with various apparatuses and measuring devices, while in others, computers of different generations are installed. The work in the laboratories enables students to (1) assess the practical value of their knowledge, (2) master the basic experimental techniques necessary for their further research activity, (3) learn how to handle modem equipment, (4) independently find solution to problems that arise in the process of work, and (5) analyse the results obtained. The laboratory experiments are carried out under the guidance of qualified teachers and in the presence of laboratory assistants. Before performing a laboratory work, students get acquainted with the instruction which contains the description of installations to be used and presents the order in which the lab exercise should be done and other useful information. After completing the work, students write down and analyse the results.

All the Departments of the university have laboratories equipped with computers, including Pentium computers with huge memory capacity and high processing speed. Before operating the computers, students listen to a course of lectures on means of data transfer, study fundamentals of computing techniques and programming. In these labo­ratories students are engaged in different kinds of activity. They learn how to handle computer hardware (keyboard, mouse and other input/output devices) and get acquain­ted with computer software. The lab exercises are given to students either as printed worksheets or in the form of files recorded on floppy disks. The answers are pre­programmed, and the students’ performance is evaluated automatically by computers. Besides, students may use the laboratory computers while working on their course and diploma projects: they do calculations, simulate processes and design new devices or constructions with the help of CAD (Computer-Aided Design) programs. If students need some additional information on the latest achievements in their field of study, they may use compact disks with Read-Only-Memory (CD ROM) or they may look for it in the Internet. The installed software is easy to use, and system prompts on the screen will help students to find the site in the Internet they are interested in.

So, English philosopher Francis Bacon was absolutely right, when he uttered his famous statement “Knowledge is power”. But you will never benefit from this power, unless you apply your theoretical knowledge to practice.

ишЗ

Task 2.32. Read the text and answer the questions below it: