St Baron Rutherford of Nelson Ernest Rutherfor
Learning Objectives
The objectives of this unit are:
· to express opinions, agree and disagree with the partner
· to do information search, note taking and reporting
· to write a brief description of a tool/device
· to study the structure of the lab report
· to distinguish international words from ‘false friends’ words
· to revisit different functions of modal verbs
| Lead In |
1. 
Work in small groups. Brainstorm 7-10 words to complete the mind map for the word ‘laboratory’. Compare your results as a class.
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2. Give a definition to the word “laboratory”. Compare your definitions as a class.
3. Answer questions.
· Are there many laboratories at your faculty? What are they?
· Do you often work in the lab?
· Which courses in biology require doing lab work?
· What kind of laboratory equipment and tools do you use?
· What do you like/dislike most about laboratory classes?
| Reading |
1. Give the Russian equivalent to the words and phrases on the list. Compare your list with a partner’s. Use a dictionary if necessary.
| · to get a benefit | · thrill of discovering |
| · profitable | · to draw conclusions |
| · life processes | · laboratory manual |
| · technique | · to correlate |
| · hand-on approach (experience) | · to think for yourself · valuable |
| · fruitful | · innumerable examples |
| · to prepare solvents and specimens | · command · application |
2. Read the text about the importance of laboratory classes in biology.
THE LABORATORY
The laboratory work in biology can be an exciting or boring part of the course depending upon your attitude toward it. If you regard it as an obstacle to your getting through the course, probably you will not enjoy it and, get very little benefit from it. On the other hand, if you approach laboratory work with the thought that it is an opportunity to learn and with a desire to make the most out of it, then it is almost certain you will find the time you spend on it profitable, interesting and even fun.
There are several ways in which you may expect to benefit from the laboratory work. It helps you to understand and remember the material you have studied by applying it to real cases. This hands-on approach gives you both a real sense of biological concepts and some skill in the use of scientific instruments and techniques. Lab sessions also give you a chance to get hands-on experience of techniques you have learnt about in lectures.
It is true that you are not likely to be the discoverer of anything new in biology during your first-year course, as most (but not all) of the material in first-year biology has been known for decades. Anyway, in the laboratory you are certain to experience the thrill of discovering for yourself main processes and mechanisms of life. With the equipment in front of you, you have the chance to try out your own ideas, to reason about the results, and to draw conclusions from them. In brief, you should regard the laboratory as a place for intellectual exploration.
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Before you come to the laboratory, study the laboratory manual so that you will know what you are going to do and so that you can plan in advance how to use your time and equipment efficiently. As you do the experiment, make an effort to correlate the behavior of the apparatus and/or specimen investigated with the material discussed in lecture. Pay special attention to the lab safety rules, preparing solvents and specimens for your tests and experiments.
Keep your mind open to the possibilities of the experiment: try out things not specifically asked for in the instructions. You must begin thinking for yourself sometime (rather than merely learning from a book or instructor) and the laboratory is a good place to start. Constantly ask yourself such questions as: Why do we do it this way? What would happen if we did it another way? What does this test show or prove?
A student must realize that laboratory work has applications outside the laboratory. For instance, laboratory tests on microbial processes showed that they can be managed effectively to enhance the degradation of harmful pollutants, produce valuable products from waste. The experiments on genome sequencing allowed to produce better vaccines, diagnose diseases more quickly and develop treatment against cancer and Aszgaimer’s disease. There are, of course, innumerable other examples.
Writing laboratory reports is a significant part of your professional training. Speaking and writing are the most important tools of the experimentalist. Learn to handle them well. Your report should be well-organized, accurate, clear, concise, and easy to read. Since you will have to write reports anyway, while you’re doing them try to improve your command of your native language. Do not try to impress the reader with your own learning but write as if you were trying to explain the matter to an intelligent personal friend. Ability to express oneself clearly is extremely important for the professional man, even if a few people may tell you otherwise.
Comprehension check
1. Mark the statements below T for ‘true’ or F for ‘false’. Correct the false ones and expand on the true ones. ()
a) The laboratory work in biology is always boring. ()
b) You are unlikely to discover something new during your lab work. ()
c) It is lab work that gives you skills in the use of scientific instruments and techniques. ()
d) If you follow all the instructions during the lab work you will never be able to try out your own ideas. ()
e) Studying laboratory manual is optional and not very helpful. ()
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f) A professional man’s scientific or technical laboratory reports should not always be short. ()
Discuss
Agree or disagree with the following. Give reasons.
Ø You should regard a laboratory as a place for intellectual exploration.
Ø A student must realize that laboratory work has applications outside the laboratory.
Ø When doing lab work students’ initiative is not encouraged.
Ø Writing laboratory reports is a significant part of your professional training.
| Functional language: Agreeing and disagreeing | |
| Opinions | I think (that)… In my opinion… As for me… |
| Agreeing | Absolutely; Right / That’s right; I agree/ You’re right |
| Disagreeing | I know, but… I take/see your point, but… I’m not sure… That’s not true… |
Focus on language
1. Translate these words into your native language. Use a dictionary to check your translation.
course manual accurate intelligent directivity example
| International words vs. “False friends” The words mostly of Greek and Latin origin that are used in many other languages especially in different areas of science and technology are called international words, e.g. biology, atom, mathematics, radio, integral, theorem, structure, etc. Knowledge of such words helps a lot in reading and translation. However, there are the so called ‘false friends”. These are words that look like the international ones but have different meanings in English and in Russian, e.g. a list (a series of names, items, figures, etc), actual (real, existing in fact, etc), spectacles(a pair of eyeglasses), etc. |
Practice
1. Sort out the words below into categories. Use the dictionary if necessary.
| International words | “False Friends” |
Lecture, battery, detail, form, control, technology, massive, magazine, fact, logic, pioneer, mixture, nature, repetition, intelligent, general, argument, prospect, problem, actual, technique, original, paragraph, transparent, focus, lamp, list, test, category, primitive, cyberspace, combination, activity, priority, sodium, application, fabric, metal, guarantee, industry, type, location, material, vibration, phenomenon, physician, data, encyclopedia, menu, clay, system, correspondent, probe, familiar, unique, scheme, lava, to speculate, cabinet.
| Listening |
1. Listen to a lab instructor telling students about the laboratory work classes they will do during the semester. Answer the questions.
a) How many lab work classes will students do during the semester?
b) What are students required to do after performing experiments?
c) Which day of the week should lab reports be turned in?
d) In what case can students get a lower grade for their report?
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e) What two methods are students going to explore when doing the labs?
f) Which method helps to learn data analysis skills and basic laboratory skills?
g) How many times can students be excused for being absent from the lab class?
2. Choose the correct word from the box to fill in the gaps in the extract below. Listen to part 2 of the talk to check your guesses.
| graphs to evaluate nature actively to share experience procedure reports to include information |
In all aspects of this class you will be investigating the 1) _______ of science. I believe that the best way to do this is through hands-on 2) _______ and laboratory activities. The lab is a place for you to 3) _______ engage in the process of “SCIENCE”. Along with this goes the importance of writing a laboratory report. The lab report is not only the time for you 4) _______ the results discovered during experimentation, but it is also an opportunity for you to analyze your 5) _______, and 6) _______ any mistakes you may have made. Remember that science is imperfect - we learn new 7) _______ by trying out new things and continuing to ask questions outside the classroom. In this class, lab 8) _______ must always be word processed. Figures and 9) _______ should be generated on the computer and must 10) _______ a title and units.
3. Listen to the rest of the talk about the procedure of writing a lab report. As you listen, mark the components of the report in the order the speakermentions them.
| ___ Materials | ___ Introduction/Purpose | ___ Conclusions |
| ___ Discussion/Analysis | ___ Methods | ___ Results |
| ___ Title | ___ Figures and Graphs |
4. Listen again and take notes on the key elements of each section.
5. Sum up in your own words the information you have heard.
Discuss
Comment on the statements:
Ø When in doubt, leave it out!
Ø You can’t explain something to someone else if you don’t understand it yourself.
Focus on language
| Modal verbs The main modal verbs are must, can, could, may, might, should, ought to, will and would. Most of the meanings of all these modal verbs can be divided into two groups. One is to do with obligation and freedom to act, prohibition or permission and ability. e.g. You must know how to solve this equation in order to pass your exam. The other is to do with degrees of certainty: modal verbs can be used to say that a situation is certain, probable, possible or impossible. e.g. You must be very clever if you know how to solve this equation. |
Practice
1. Put a tick (V) if a sentence expresses probability and a cross (X) if it expresses obligation, permission or ability.
a) Good morning. May I speak to Mr. Jones?
b) You may have difficulty in understanding this phenomenon.
c) You may become famous if you prove the Fermat’s theorem.
d) If you feel you are not coping you should ask your tutor to help you.
e) It shouldn’t be too difficult to do a Combined Science course.
f) With the help of new software scientists can create a more accurate model of the process.
g) Things might not be as bad as they seem.
h) Do you think we might take a break now?
i) Students must register at the tutorial office in the first week of term.
j) Books may not be taken out of the library.
k) You can’t be saying this! It doesn’t make any sense.
| Speaking |
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| Do’s | Don’ts | ||||||||||
- What else could you add to these lists? Hold a cross-groups discussion and compare your lists.
| Reading |
1. Label the pictures and give a definition to the devices.
1___________
| 2____________
| 3_____________
| 4_____________
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a) Bunsen Burner b) microscope
c) petri dish d) magnifying glass
2. Do you use them at your biology lab classes?
3. What other instruments and devices do you use in your university laboratories? How are they applied?
4. Look at the words in the box. What parts of speech are they? Check if you know their meaning. Use a dictionary if necessary.
| · improvements | · lens | · surface |
| · focused | · microscopy | · focal |
| · refractive | · three dimensional | · transmission |
| · electron-sensitive | · magnification | · finest |
| · curvature | · enlarged | · reflection |
| · electrons | · scanning | · preparation |
5. Complete the text using the words in the box. Compare as a class.
| A microscope is an instrument for viewing objects that are too small to be seen by the naked or unaided eye. The earliest simple microscope was merely a tube with a plate for the object at one end and, at the other, a 1) _____________ which gave a 2) ________ less than ten diameters - ten times the actual size. Many 3) ________ have been made since the Dutch biologist Anton van Leeuwenhoek of Holland taught himself new methods for grinding and polishing tiny lenses of great 4) ________ which gave magnifications up to 270 diameters, the 5) _________ known at that time. These led to discoveries in biology for which he is famous – discovery of bacteria, yeast* plants, the life in a drop of water, and the circulation of blood corpuscles* in capillaries. Technical innovations improved microscopes resulting in the ultramicroscope that could study objects below the wavelength of light and the phase-contrast microscope that allowed to study of colorless and transparent biological materials. As a result 6)_____________________ became popular among scientists. The most common type of microscope is the optical microscope. It is an optical instrument containing one or more lenses that produce an 7) _________ image of an object placed in the 8) _______ plane of the lens(es). Optical microscopes typically use 9) ___________ glass to focus light into the eye or another light detector. The invention of electron microscopes allowed scientists view individual cells, even living ones. This kind of microscope depends on 10)________________ rather than light to view an object. Beams of fast-moving electrons are 11) ________ on a cell sample and are absorbed or scattered by the cell’s parts so as to form an image on an 12) ____________ photographic plate. Electron microscopes make it possible to view objects as small as the diameter of an atom. There are many electron microscope designs: scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, etc. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) looks at the 13) _________ of bulk objects by 14) ___________ the surface with a fine electron beam and measuring 15) ____________ and produces a three dimensional image. 16) ________________ electron microscope (TEM) passes electrons completely through the sample, analogous to basic optical microscopy. This requires careful sample 17)____________________, since electrons are scattered so strongly by most materials. Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) gives 18)_______________________ images of objects down to the atomic level. It is the strongest microscope to date. |
* yeast - дрожжи
*blood corpuscles - форменный элемент крови
Focus on language
1. Practice the pronunciation of the following terms and give their Russian equivalents.
| microscope | ['maɪkrǝskǝυp] | |
| microscopy | [maɪ'krͻskǝpi] | |
| lens | [lenz] | |
| electron | [ɪ'lktrͻn] | |
| surface | ['sɜ:fɪs] | |
| scanning | ['skænɪŋ] | |
| to scatter | [tǝ 'skætǝ] | |
| to measure | [tǝ 'meʒə] | |
| tunneling | ['tᴧnlɪŋ] | |
| image | ['ɪmɪdʒ] | |
| atom | ['ætǝm] | |
| atomic | [ǝ'tͻmɪk] | |
| sample | ['sɑ:mpl] | |
| specimen | ['spesɪmǝn] |
Discuss
Ø Think of a tool or a device that was used to make a significant discovery in biology:
§ What is this device/tool?
§ When and how was it first used?
§ Has it changed since that time?
§ Is it still being used in scientific research or for educational purposes?
| Get real |
Search the Internet to find information about one of the devices/tools used in modern biology. Summarize the information to describe the device/tool.
| Writing |
Write a brief description of the tool/device. Make sure to include the information about its parts and components, operation and application.
| Speaking |
QUIZ
1. Work as a team. Describe the tool or device from your writing task without naming it. Follow the guidelines below to help your fellow students to make the right guess about this tool/device.
· the purpose the tool/device is used for
· the way it operates/works
· its parts and components
· areas of its application
Example: This tool/device is extremely important for/when measuring… It’s very simple in operation… and it consists of…
| Summarizing |
1. Read the text below to find the Russian equivalents to the following English word combinations.
1) major laws of natural science
2) to reveal/manifest the essence of various natural phenomena
3) theoretical foundations/basis
4) thorough knowledge of measuring instruments and their capabilities
5) to make observations
6) to make corrections
7) to obtain/get more accurate results
8) to carry out/to perform/to make an experiment
9) additional preparation for lab work outside the classroom
10) to complete laboratory work
11) to learn the procedures of the experiment
12) to interpret the results
Add new vocabulary to your vocabulary notebook.?
Лабораторные занятия
Усвоить такие естественные науки, как, например, биологию, химию и др., в которых исследуются важнейшие законы естествознания, раскрывается сущность различных природных явлений, невозможно, изучая только теоретические основы этих наук. Нужно пронаблюдать многие явления экспериментально, а для этого необходимо владеть экспериментом, уметь проводить его. Такие навыки приобретаются на лабораторных занятиях, практикумах, требующих дополнительной внеаудиторной подготовки к ним. Лабораторные работы и практикумы по зоологии, ботанике, физико-химическим методам в биологии способствуют как практическому освоению научно-теоретических основ изучаемых дисциплин, так и овладению техникой эксперимента.
При проведении опыта необходимо знать цель работы и правила пользования лабораторным оборудованием, отбирать необходимое оборудование для проведения эксперимента и выполнять измерения, вносить поправки для получения более точных результатов, интерпретировать результаты и делать выводы, соотносить изученный материал и полученные результаты.
Лабораторная работа считается выполненной только в том случае,
если отчет по ней принят. Чем скорее составлен отчет о выполнении работы, тем меньше будет затрачено труда и времени на ее оформление.
2. Read the text again and summarize it in English. Make sure you use the phrases for summarizing.
| In the Realm of Science |
1. Read and remember the names of the instruments used in biology. Give their Russian equivalents.
| Balance | an instrument for weighing things |
| Bunsen burner | an instrument used in scientific work to produce a hot gas flame |
| Burette | a device for measuring out amounts of a liquid |
| Calorimeter | instrument for measuring absorbed or evolved heat |
| Centrifuge | a machine for separating substances |
| Chemostat | a bioreactor for controlling the growth rate of the microorganism |
| Chromatograph | a device for separation a mixture |
| Colony counter | an instrument used to count colonies of bacteria or other microorganisms growing on an agar plate |
| Condenser | a device that cools gas in order to change it into a liquid |
| Forceps | an instrument used for picking up and holding small objects |
| Funnel | an instrument used for pouring liquids or powders into a small opening |
| Germinator | a device for growing seeds |
| Glovebox | a sealed container designed to manipulate objects while being in a different atmosphere from the object or in a vacuum chamber |
| Homogenizer | a piece of laboratory equipment used for the homogenization of various types of material, such as tissue, plant, food, soil, and many others |
| Incubator | a device for controlling the temperature, humidity, and other conditions in which a microbiological culture is being grown |
| Laminar flow cabinet (laminar flow closet or tissue culture hood) | a carefully enclosed bench for preventing contamination of semiconductor wafers, biological samples, or any particle sensitive device |
| Magnifying glass | an instrument that makes things look bigger than they really are |
| Meteorograph | instrument recording a variety of meteorological observations |
| Microbiological safety cabinet | a piece of laboratory equipment that provides a safe working area for people handling material potentially contaminated with pathogens |
| Microscope | an instrument for viewing objects that are too small to be seen by the naked or unaided eye |
| Operant conditioning chamber (the Skinner box) | a laboratory apparatus used in the experimental analysis of behavior to study animal behavior |
| Photometer | a device for measuring light intensity |
| Scalpel | a small sharp knife used in operations |
| Spectrograph | instrument for viewing a spectrum |
| Spectrophotometer | an instrument used to measure the spectrum of light absorbed by a sample |
| Stand | a tool for holding a piece of glassware in place |
| Thermometer | an instrument used for measuring the temperature |
| Tongs | a tool used for picking up and holding things |
| Vortex mixer | a simple device used commonly in laboratories to mix small vials of liquid |
| Wire gauze | a tool used to spread heat of a burner flame |
2. Read and remember the names of the glassware used in laboratories.
| Agar plate | a sterile petri dish used to culture microorganisms or small plants |
| Beaker | а container used for measuring liquids |
| Crucible | a pot used to heat a small amount of a solid substance at a very high temperature |
| Flask | a bottle for mixing, storing chemicals, measuring precise volumes |
| Glass funnel | a tool for funneling liquids from one container to another, or for filtering when equipped with filter paper |
| Gas syringe | a tool used to measure gaseous products from a reaction |
| Graduated cylinder | a container for measuring an amount of liquid. |
| Petri dish | a shallow glass or plastic cylindrical lidded dish that biologists use to culture cells |
| Picotiter plate | a flat plate with multiple wells used as small test tubes |
| Pipette (dropper) | an instrument used to transport a measured volume of liquid |
| Test tube | a container used as holder of small amount of solution, small samples or for containing small-scale reactions |
| Vacuum flask | a container like a bottle with double walls with a vacuum between them, used for keeping liquids hot or cold |
| Wash bottles | a container for dispensing small quantities of distilled water. |
Unit 3. Progress Monitoring
In this unit you have worked on the following vocabulary on the topic: “Laboratory”
Tick (V) the points you are confident about and cross (X) the ones you need to revise. |
Progress test
1. Cross out the “false friend ” word.
a) test, detail, activity, instrument
b) system, location, vibration, application
c) intelligent, unique, massive, experimental
d) type, technique, category, scheme
e) to practice, to observe, to produce, to speculate
f) real, actual, logical, detailed
2. Give English equivalents to the following Russian word combinations.
a) важнейшие законы естествознания
b) раскрывать сущность природных явлений
c) соотносить изученный материал и полученные данные/результаты
d) получать точные результаты
e) получить практический опыт
f) проводить наблюдения/эксперимент
g) объяснить цель исследования
h) составить письменный отчет
i) приобрести навыки анализа данных
j) придерживаться правил/следовать правилам
k) получить и обобщить данные эксперимента
l) подтвердить гипотезу
3. Write the word and the Russian equivalent next to each transcription.
e.g. [ prə'si:ʤə ] - procedure – процедура
| a) [ ɪn'strʌkʃn ] | b) [ˏ lǝ'bͻrǝtrɪ ] |
| c) [ 'ɪnstrǝmǝnt ] | d) [ˏ ɪntǝ'lektjuəl ] |
| e) [ haɪ'pͻɵǝsɪs ] | f) [ tek'nɪk ] |
| g) [ 'mænjǝl ] | h) [ 'seɪfti ] |
| i) [ 'ækjǝrǝt ] | j) [ 'deɪtǝ ] |
| k) [ ɪk'sperɪmǝnt ] | l) [ 'ænǝlaɪz ] |
| m) [ ə'næləsɪs ] | n) [ 'spesɪmǝn ] |
4. Identify the function of the modal verbs.