What is not mentioned in the text?

 

1. plus-energy houses concept

2. the usage of renewable materials in construction

3. making sustainable construction affordable

4. sustainable development of the German economy

5. the necessity to be ecologically oriented

 

10. Make sure you can explain the following word combinations:

 

Recyclable houses

Renewable materials

Sustainable construction

Environmentally friendly building future

Ecologically inspired architects

Energy-wasting rubble

Intelligent house

Energy-saving construction

Energy-self-sufficient house

Sustainably managed forests

 

11. What do you think:

 

1. Do new types of houses have any chances to get ground in Germany and other countries?

2. What do you know about such trends in the construction industry in our country? Does it follow the lead of Hubert Fritz and his supporters?

3. Can you imagine living in such a house? Would you like to have such an experience?

 

Make up the plan of the text.

13. Make a summary according to your plan. The following word-combinations will help you:

The title of the text is…

Such problems as… are touched upon in the text.

The first part is devoted to…

The second part enumerates/ illustrates/ gives examples of/emphasizes…

The final part draws our attention to/ proves that/ stresses the necessity of…

The main idea of the text is …

From my point of view the text is rather helpful/ useful/ informative/ interesting.

The article is provided with pictures/ drawings.

 

Language focus

 

14. Match the words with their synonyms:

1) proprietor 6) breakthrough a) overlook f) support

2) estimate 7) squander b) stable g) evaluate

3) conventional 8) consumption c) compensate h) use

4) face 9) advocate d) traditional i) waste

5) recoup 10) sustainable e) owner j) advance

 

15. Match the words with their antonyms:

 

1) roughly 6) affordable a) hire f) relaxed

2) lay off 7) strenuous b) expensive g) shortcoming

3) surplus 8) skilled c) shortage h) exactly

4) unobstructed 9) boom d) incompetent i) dependant

5) self-sufficient 10) virtue e) slump j) blocked

 

 

16. Match the words with their definitions:

 

1. store a) to pass through a system again for further treatment or use or to reclaim for further use

2. by-product b) to close tightly so as to render airtight or watertight

3. assembly c) capable of being maintained at a steady level without exhausting natural resources or causing severe ecological damage

4. insulate d) a one-storey house, sometimes with an attic

5. seal e) a junction of two or more parts or objects

6. bungalow f) to prevent or reduce the transmission of electricity, heat, or sound by surrounding with a non-conducting material

7. shingle g) the process of putting together a number of parts to make a machine or other product

8. joint h) to keep, set aside, or accumulate for future use

9. sustainable i) a thin rectangular tile, esp. one made of wood, that is laid with others in overlapping rows to cover a roof or a wall

10. recycle j) a secondary or incidental product of a manufacturing process

 

Language development

 

1. Fill in the gaps with the words below making all necessary changes to them:

 

a) fulfilled low-energy standards b) are laying off

c) are gaining ground d) put their faith in

e) strenuous f) a number of

g) brings to mind h) to gain a scientific foundation

i) on exactly the same wavelength j) limit himself to

k) gives priority to l) gives it a cold shoulder

m) to make a profit n) to put his concept into practice

o) are following his lead p) apex

 

1. The _____ of this building philosophy is represented by so-called “plus-energy houses”, small power plants that feed more electricity into the grid over a year than they take out.

2. While some _______ stone, concrete or plastic, Hubert Fritz is a firm believer in the virtues of wood.

3. The architect lets the sunshine in during the winter, but on hot summer days he _______ – turning the almost completely closed metal side of the house toward the sun.

4. Disch always _______ the economical use of electricity and heat.

5. Yet we want to show that it’s possible – through intelligent planning – not only to save money, but even ______.

6. The eco-manager has worked with the wood technologists in Rosenheim for many years in order ________ for his ideas.

7. Wood has _________ advantages.

8. In many German towns, what are known as “low energy houses”, “ultra houses” or “passive houses”_______.

9. On this point, Hubert Fritz is _______ as Rolf Disch, the Freiburg-based solar pioneer.

10. In German the term ______ images of health food, but Fritz is not a muesli manager” advocating a return to nature.

11. In contrast to Fritz, however, Disch does not ______ using only one building materials.

12. This is what Fritz works on both night and day, and a growing number of architects, engineers, and clients ________.

13. By 1995 it was estimated that some 5% of new houses in Germany already ________.

14. While other construction firms _______ employees, the wood sector has began to boom.

15. “And we now have a _______ day ahead of us”.

16. The solar architect plans soon ________ of the “plus-energy house” _____ in a housing area in Freiburg.

 

1. Think of not less than 5 sentences of your own using the words and word-combinations from the previous exercise.

 

1. Complete the sentences with a suitable preposition. You can choose from the following ones: up, with, of, at, by, in, out, for, via. Some of them can be used more than once.

 

1. The engineers are especially proud ___ improving this construction material.

2. The cost of maintaining these new low-energy houses will be reduced ___ roughly half.

3. It will be possible to control the operation of all the technological units installed into this house ___ monitors or the telephone.

4. The houses in this new residential area will be sold ____ affordable prices.

5. The team of ecologically-inspired architects spent a strenuous day thinking ___ new ideas and concepts for their research project.

6. This insulating material is made ___ wood chips mixed ___ whey.

7. Wood chips are produced ___ the ton in sawmills.

8. The houses are equipped ___ electronic systems letting the residents ___, but keeping the burglars ___.

9. Hubert Fritz appeals ___ environmentally friendly construction.

10. The new power plant is working ___ full capacity to satisfy the energy needs of the city.

 

1. Read the following quotations and try to guess people from which spheres of life and of what professions they could belong to:

 

1. "Right from the beginning, I considered light and sun to be essential elements in housing construction, initially as a source of brightness and well-being, then increasingly as an energy factor — until I moved over to solar architecture altogether."

2. "Today the task of architecture is to give people living spaces that have a future in both ecological and economic terms."

3. "People who live in surplus energy housing are not affected by oil crises and rising energy costs."

4. "I was fascinated by the idea of being an energy producer in my own home."

5. "Most of people still believe that the sun does not shine enough in Germany and that therefore it doesn’t make economic sense to use solar energy."

6. “And perhaps one day I will be able to fulfill a special dream of mine: a fitness studio of the future in which people create their own energy, as they work out on exercise bikes and treadmills.”

7. “But the architect does not just put his faith in modern technology. He also exploits the skills of solar architects that have been passed down through the centuries.”

 

21. Translate the following sentences from Russian into English:

 

1. Древесина – это натуральный экологически чистый возобновляемый материал с превосходными строительными характеристиками.

2. Не все строительные фирмы единодушны в вопросе использования каких-либо одних строительных материалов.

3. Экологическое строительство только тогда закрепит свои позиции, когда оно будет выгодно большинству покупателей.

4. Энергетические потребности «пассивных домов» можно полностью удовлетворить, используя энергию солнца, ветра, воды и энергетического сырья.

5. Более низкие расходы на отопление компенсируют более высокие затраты на строительство «пассивных домов».

6. Гелиотроп, солнечный дом Рольфа Диша, производит в 5 раз больше электроэнергии, чем ему необходимо за счет установки солнечной панели на крыше и способности всегда поворачиваться к солнцу.

 

Follow-up