Technical English Level 3

Progress Test 6 (Units 11-12)

Answer all the questions.

Section 1: Vocabulary

1 Choose the correct option.

1 You need to describe all the data in the findings/attachments part of your report.

2 This boot provides great torsional/tensile stability so there is less danger of twisting the foot badly.

3 We are impressed by the lightweight/lightness of the material.

4 The rope is made with the newest technology and is one of the best graphite/synthetic fibres on the market.

5 I need a watch that is water resistance/resistant as I am always getting it wet.

6 The material has many qualities, one of which is absorbing/absorbent vibrations.

7 Soft metals like gold and copper re extremely malleable/flammable and can be easily hammered into different shapes.

8 They made some very scary weaknesses/predictions about the future.

9 The mountain glaciers/cyclones will have all melted.

10 I'm afraid that this product isn't very impact tough/resistant.

11 Which of these systems is least danger/harmful to the environment?

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2 Complete the sentence with a word formed from the word in capitals at the end.

12 The material is used because of its __________.RIGID

13 We need a material with a lot of ________ELASTIC

14 This material has ________ properties. EXCEPT

15 We need to buy an __________ container if we are going to roast this meat. OVEN

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Section 2: Language

2 Complete the paragraph with words from the box and put the verbs in brackets in the correct tense.

similar/same/different/instead/inability/capacity/incapable/can/ability/could/unable

We all wonder what (16) __________ (happen) to us and the world by the year 2040 but, although we try to imagine it, we are (17) __________ of knowing for sure. Man does not have the (18) __________ to see into the future, as far as evidence suggests. What we (19) __________ do is look at trends and technology, use our brains to compute the information and make educated guesses. In the (20) __________ way, we (21) __________ put all the data into a computer and let it do the work for us, which is what experts have been doing for years. And these experts happily tell us that all the forests (22) __________ (disappear), the polar ice-caps melted and by the time our grandchildren are in charge of the world, there will be nothing left. Our descendants will be horrified at our (23) __________ to save the planet and they will wonder at our (24) __________ for destruction. It is impossible to believe that, with all the technological developments, we have been (25) __________ to improve our lives on this planet. Our grandchildren (26) __________ (inherit) a planet very (27) __________ from the one most us once knew. So does this mean we should stop developing technology or should we work even harder (28) __________. Many technological advances have been useful to society and most people have used them for good things. Perhaps our grandchildren won't make mistakes (29) __________ to ours. Perhaps they (30) __________ (learn) from our mistakes.

Let's hope so.

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Section 3: Reading

4 In which paragraph (A-E) are these mentioned?

31 a medical application ________

32/33 uses for retaining heat ________ & ________

34 uses in portable consumer products ________

35 improving vehicle fuel consumption ________

36 ability to create energy ________

37 use of plastic bags ________

38 silica ________

39 compressive strength ________

40 a military application ________

HI-TECH MATERIALS

A Gas Filled Panels (GFPs) are a new, advanced approach to ambient-temperature thermal insulation applications. They use thin polymer films and low-conductivity gas to create great thermal insulation. The panels are easy to make as they are basically hermetic plastic bags of various shapes and sizes. The outer cellular structure is called a baffle and this is filled with argon, krypton and xenon gases. The potential uses of this material, are: improving the thermal insulation of refrigerator/freezer doors, various construction uses such as insulating windows, and could also be used in future car production by reducing the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment, thus having a positive effect on fuel consumption.

B Aerogel is a nearly transparent material which is one of the lightest weight solids ever developed and can be composed of up to 99.98% air by volume. The lowest density solid materials that have ever been produced are all aerogels, including a silica aerogel which could be made even lighter than air by taking the air out of it. Aerogel has superb insulating properties and is very strong.  Theoretically, a block weighing less than a pound could support a weight of half a ton.  Aerogel has an incredible insulating effect on any kind of energy transfer; thermal, electrical or acoustic.  For instance, a one-inch thick Aerogel window has the equivalent insulation properties of a normal window with 15 panes of glass. NASA are also using a silicon based Aerogel to collect particles from space which are normally very difficult to capture. These particles are smaller than a grain of sand and capturing them can damage their structure or vaporize them totally.

C Nanowires are considered as building blocks for the next generation of electronics, photonics, sensors and energy applications. Nanowire lasers are one of the smallest lasers ever made. The device emits flashes of ultraviolet light and measure just under 100 nanometers in diameter. The laser is smaller than a red blood cell and can be tuned to emit different colors. It can be used with features from multiple microscopy techniques, to reveal new information about the structure and behavior of living cells. It could give researchers a better understanding of how cells work, which ultimately could lead to understanding what happens when cells go wrong and result in cancer, for example.

D Metamaterials Naturally occurring matter exhibits behavior based on the molecules that make it up -- the atomic material that composes the finished product determines what properties the product will have. However, metamaterials the sum of the parts, not the parts themselves, determines how the material behaves as they take on the properties of the materials that it is made from and the way they are put together. These synthetic materials have a property called `negative refractive index' which lets light and other electromagnetic waves bend in a very strange way which could, theoretically, make objects invisible. Light is therefore guided around an object, rather than reflected or refracted.

Apart from being able to create clothes which would make you invisible, one of potential applications is for military use. For instance, a stealth bomber covered in the right layer of metamaterials, could avoid radar detection.

E Power Plastic is photovoltaic material created by a sandwich of multiple layers of electrodes and polymer which make a paper-thin flexible plastic strip, which can convert both indoor and outdoor light into direct current. This energy can either be stored or used immediately or converted to other forms. There are numerous potential applications of this material. It is currently being used in a solar products such as lanterns, backpacks, briefcases, café umbrellas and temporary building so that consumers have power wherever they are. Uses in the building industry are also being investigated as solar powered glass is being tested in wall structures.

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Section 4: Writing

5 You have been asked to write a report for your CEO about a meeting to choose the type of electric vehicle your company will produce in the future. You should say:

41/42 why the meeting was held

43/44 give pros and cons of hydrogen fuel cells (low emissions/combustion risks)

45/46 give pros and cons of solar cars (sun free/big, heavy panels)

47/48 compare the cost (2.5 euro cents per Km to driver/very expensive

49/50 recommend hydrogen fuel sell (cost effective + easier to produce)

41/42 ________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

43/44________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

45/46_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

47/48 ________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

49/50_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

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Section 5: Listening

Track 6

6 Listen to the recording twice and decide if the statements, are True (T), False (F) or Not Given (NG).

51 Last years' shoes had more impact resistance than competitors' shoes. ________

52 Current shoes cost 40% less than last year ________

53 Anil presents his report on the Japanese shoes. ________

54 It usually rains during Olympic marathons. ________

55 They all think that swimsuits need to be aerodynamic. ________

56 Designers have developed a material based on fish skin. ________

57 New materials might be banned by the Olympic Committee. ________

58 It is suggested that more money should be put into sensors. ________

59 The rowing team have benefited greatly from new technology. ________

60 Wind speed and direction are monitored by sensors. ________

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