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# 54
 

THE TOWER OF SUN

I - Students' worksheet

1- The text is to be found in the 'BTS exam papers' page
(2004 mechanical enginnering exam paper) file: 2004gm.html

Global Understanding

Associate each title with one of the paragraphs

1. A very expensive project
2. How it works
3. The project
4. A plant working 24 hours a day

 

Fill in this table with information from the text

Detailed Understanding

Vocabulary

1. Here are definitions found in the dictionary. Choose the right meaning for each of the words (in bold characters in the text, according to the context). Then find a suitable translation for each of the words in French.

Pioneer ¤ (n) 1. person who goes into a new or undeveloped country to settle or work there. ; first student of a new branch of study, etc; explorer 2. (mil) one of an advance party of soldiers (eg clearing or making roads).¤ (vi, vt) act as a ~ ; open up (a way, etc) ; show (new methods, etc) to others.

Concrete ¤ (adj) 1. of material things ; existing in material form ; that can be touched, felt, etc : A lamp is ~ but its brightness is abstract. ~ music, composed of re-arranged recorded natural sounds. ~ noun, name of a thing, not a quality 2. definite, positive : ~ proposals/evidence/proof. ¤ (n) [U] building material made by mixing cement with sand, gravel, etc. : road surfaced with ~ ; a ~ wall ; a ~ cement mixer (usu a revolving drum) ¤ (vt) cover with ~ : a ~ road. ~ly (adv)

Panel ¤ (n) 1. separate part of the surface of a door, ceiling, wall, etc usu raised above or sunk below the surrounding area. 2. piece of material of a different kind or colour inserted in a dress. 3. board or other surface for controls and instruments : instrument ~, of an aircraft or motor-vehicle ; control ~, on a radio or TV set. 4. list of names, eg of men who may be summoned to serve on a jury. 5. group of speakers, esp one chosen to speak, answer questions, take part in a game, before an audience, eg of listeners to a broadcast : (attrib) a ~ discussion/game. ¤ (vt) furnishe or decorate with ~s : a ~led room/wall.

Facility (n) (pl -ties) 1. separate [U] quality which makes learning or doing things easy or simple : have great ~ in learning languages ; show ~ in performing a task ; play the piano with ~. 2. (pl= aids, circumstances, which make it easy to do things : facilities for travel, eg buses, trains, air service : facilities for study, eg libraries, laboratories ; sports facilities, eg running tracks, swimming pools.
THE TOWER OF SUN

Propel (vt) drive forward : mechanically ~led vehicles ; a boat ~led by oars ; a ~led pencil, with lead that is ~ forward as the outer case is turned. ~lant, ~lent (adj), (n) ~ling (agent); explosive substance that ~s a bullet from a firearm ; fuel that burns to ~ a rocket, etc. ~ler (n) two or more spiral blades, fixed to a revolving shaft, for driving a shift or an aircraft.

Suction (n) [U] 1. action of sucking ; removal or air, liquid, etc from a vessel or cavity so as to produce a partial vacuum and enable air-pressure from outside to force in liquid or dust : Some pumps and all vacuum-cleaners work by ~. 2. similar process, eg in a rubber disc with a concave surface, a fly's foot, causing two surfaces to be held together.

2. Find in the text the words which mean

l'intérieur du pays (Australie) - d'habitude - fournir - serre - faire tourner - courant ascendant - une centrale - ascension - efficace - échelle - donner son accord - espérance de vie

3.

a - Convert : 7.5 square miles - 35 mph - 3000 feet

** Hint : one mile = 1.609 km ; one square mile = 2.59 km2 ; one foot = 30.48 cm **

b - Write complete sentences to say what the following numbers correspond to (write the numbers in full letters) :

e.g. : 3,000 : three thousand feet correspond to the height of the concrete chimney.

7.5 - 35 - 32 - 200 - 200.000 - 670 - 100

4. Answer the following questions

1. Where will the Tower Sun will be built ?
2. How will it work ?
3. How will the plant work at night ?
4. What are the advantages and drawbacks of the concept ?

5. Translate paragraph 4

Grammar

In the 2nd paragraph, analyse the nominal groups.

II - Teacher's Sheet

The text we're going to study is entitled The Tower of Sun. Can you imagine what it is going to be about ?

Introduce the vocabulary : sun, (adjective : solar), sunlight, (<> dark, darkness, night)to heat (hot), to warm (warmth), temperature, energy

Read the tex, then

Associate each title with one of the paragraphs

1. A very expensive project (§4)
2. How it works (§2)
3. The project (§1)
4. A plant working 24 hours a day (§3)

 

Fill in this table with information from the text

Vocabulary

Pioneer ¤ (n) 1. person who goes into a new or undeveloped country to settle or work there. ; first student of a new branch of study, etc; explorer 2. (mil) one of an advance party of soldiers (eg clearing or making roads).¤ (vi, vt) act as a ~ ; open up (a way, etc) ; show (new methods, etc) to others.

Concrete ¤ (adj) 1. of material things ; existing in material form ; that can be touched, felt, etc : A lamp is ~ but its brightness is abstract. ~ music, composed of re-arranged recorded natural sounds. ~ noun, name of a thing, not a quality 2. definite, positive : ~ proposals/evidence/proof. ¤ (n) [U] building material made by mixing cement with sand, gravel, etc. : road surfaced with ~ ; a ~ wall ; a ~ cement mixer (usu a revolving drum) ¤ (vt) cover with ~ : a ~ road. ~ly (adv)

Panel ¤ (n) 1. separate part of the surface of a door, ceiling, wall, etc usu raised above or sunk below the surrounding area. 2. piece of material of a different kind or colour inserted in a dress. 3. board or other surface for controls and instruments : instrument ~, of an aircraft or motor-vehicle ; control ~, on a radio or TV set. 4. list of names, eg of men who may be summoned to serve on a jury. 5. group of speakers, esp one chosen to speak, answer questions, take part in a game, before an audience, eg of listeners to a broadcast : (attrib) a ~ discussion/game. ¤ (vt) furnishe or decorate with ~s : a ~led room/wall.

Facility (n) (pl -ties) 1. separate [U] quality which makes learning or doing things easy or simple : have great ~ in learning languages ; show ~ in performing a task ; play the piano with ~. 2. (pl= aids, circumstances, which make it easy to do things : facilities for travel, eg buses, trains, air service : facilities for study, eg libraries, laboratories ; sports facilities, eg running tracks, swimming pools.

Propel (vt) drive forward : mechanically ~led vehicles ; a boat ~led by oars ; a ~led pencil, with lead that is ~ forward as the outer case is turned. ~lant, ~lent (adj), (n) ~ling (agent); explosive substance that ~s a bullet from a firearm ; fuel that burns to ~ a rocket, etc. ~ler (n) two or more spiral blades, fixed to a revolving shaft, for driving a shift or an aircraft.

Suction (n) [U] 1. action of sucking ; removal or air, liquid, etc from a vessel or cavity so as to produce a partial vacuum and enable air-pressure from outside to force in liquid or dust : Some pumps and all vacuum-cleaners work by ~. 2. similar process, eg in a rubber disc with a concave surface, a fly's foot, causing two surfaces to be held together.

2. Find in the text the words which mean

l'intérieur du pays (Australie) the Outback - d'habitude typically- fournir supply - serre greenhouse - faire tourner spin, span, spun- courant ascendant updraft - une centrale a plant - ascension a way up- efficace efficient - échelle scale - donner son accord to OK - espérance de vie expected life span

3. Convert : 7.5 square miles = 19.425 km2 (or sq km) 35 mph = 56 km/h (or kph) 3000 feet = 91440 m

Write complete sentences to say what the following numbers correspond to (write the numbers in full letters) :

7.5 : seven point five square miles is the surface of the panels
35 : thirty-five miles per hour is the speed of the updraft which will power the turbines
32: thirty-two is the number of turbines powered by the updraft and generating 200 megawatts
200 : two hundred is the number of megawatts of electricity generated by the turbines and which will supply 200 000 homes
200 000 : two hundred thousand is the number of homes which will be supplied by the turbines
670 : six hundred and seventy-two is the estimated cost of the plant
100 : one hundred is the number of years that the plant will last.

Answer the following questions

1. Where will the Tower Sun will be built ? It will be built in Australia.
2. How will it work ? It will use the heated air to power turbines that power electricity.
3. How will the plant work at night ? Tubes will be filled with water that will be heated/warm during the day and will continue to heat the air under the glass at night.
4. What are the advantages and drawbacks of the concept ?
advantages : durability - low maintenance costs - absence of pollution ;
drawbacks : its cost

Translate paragraph 4

Le concept a été essayé/testé pendant 7 ans dans un prototype plus petit en Espagne. Mais pour être vraiment efficace, ses concepteurs disent que l'échelle est le plus important. Une tour de 10 000 m ne serait pas bon marché : la strucutre génate coûtera environ 67 millions de dollars. La compagnie avance l'argument qu'une espérance de vie de 100 ans, associée avec des coûts de maintenance peu élevés et l' absence de pollution rendra l'effort/tentative digne d'intérêt. On attend que le gouvernement donne son accord pour la construction mais, jusqu'à présent, il n'a pas proposé d'argent.

Grammar

The worksheet has been devised by Caroline Yaich ( Lycée Jean-Pierre Timbaud - Brétigny)

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