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PROBLEM-SOLVING PROCESS
Read the text and fill in the gaps with the following words:
| discipline Testing solutions knowledge evaluate find known |
Engineers use their (1) __________ of science, mathematics, and appropriate experience to (2) __________ suitable solutions to a problem. Engineering is considered a branch of applied mathematics and science. Creating an appropriate mathematical model of a problem allows them to analyze it (sometimes definitively), and to test potential (3) __________ .
Usually there may be several reasonable solutions, so engineers must (4) __________the different design choices on their merits and choose the solution that best meets their requirements.
Engineers typically attempt to predict how well their designs will perform to their specifications prior to full-scale production. They use, among other things: prototypes, scale models, simulations, destructive tests, nondestructive tests, and stress tests. (5) __________ ensures that products will perform as expected.
Engineers as professionals take seriously their responsibility to produce designs that will perform as expected and will not cause unintended harm to the public at large. Engineers typically include a factor of safety in their designs to reduce the risk of unexpected failure. However, the greater the safety factor, the less efficient the design may be.
The study of failed products is (6) __________ as forensic engineering, and can help the product designer in evaluating his or her design in the light of real conditions. This (7) __________ is of greatest value after disasters, such as bridge collapses, when careful analysis is needed to establish the cause or causes of the failure.
Now answer the following questions about the text:
8) What should an engineer do if there are many possible solutions for a problem?
9) How can possible solutions be evaluated?
10) Why is testing so important?
11) Does the high degree of safety always mean the efficiency of the design?
Part III
(… адрес интернет-странички с видеороликами…)
BEING AN ENGINEER
(01:02)
PRE-LISTENING
1. How can you characterize an engineer? What kind of person is an engineer?
2. Study the following words and phrases:
‘to disassemble’, ‘to take things apart’, ‘components’, ‘to run a test’,
‘vision’, ‘inaptitude’, ‘to lead a normal life’.
WHILE-LISTENING
Watch the whole video-track and answer the following questions:
3. What kind of video is this?
- a documentary;
- a comedy;
- a humoristic cartoon.
4. Why did they come to the doctor?
5. Was the result of a visit good? Why do you think so?
Watch the parts of the video and answer the following questions:
00:00 – 00:24
6. What did the child do yesterday?
7. How long did it take the child to do this?
00:25 – 00:41
8. What happened to the diagnostic machine?
9. Was the doctor satisfied with this?
00:42 – end
10. What was the doctor’s diagnosis?
Watch the whole video again:
11. Fill in the gaps in the following text:
| - I’m worried about this little Dilbert. He’s not like other kids. - What do you mean? - (1) __________ I left him alone for a (2) __________ and he disassembled the (3) __________ , our clock and the stereo. - That is perfectly (4) __________ . Kids take things apart. - The part that worries me is that he used the components to build a home radio set. - Oh, dear … - Is that (5) __________ ? - Normally I’d run an EEG…mmm… but machine is not (6) __________ . ……… - It’s …… . - What is it? - I’m afraid your (7) _________ has the “mark”. - The “mark”? - The “mark” – it’s a rare condition characterized by an extremity vision about all things, mechanical and (8) __________ , and other social inaptitude. - Can he lead a normal (9) __________ ? - No. He’ll be an (10) __________ . :o)) :o)) :o)) |
POST-LISTENING
12. What is the general idea of the track?
13. What do you think about this?