a Site for Teachers of English ( as a Foreign Language) for Engineering
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a Site for Teachers of English ( as a Foreign Language) for Engineering
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# 25
Websites vie for engineers’ attention
1 - Design engineers are a conservative lot, made so by the serious nature of their job. It's not surprising, then, that engineers are approaching the Internet with some caution. Other web users may be more aggressive in their willingness to try new website functions, but engineers seem to prefer using the Internet as an online library, and as a speedier means to communicate with colleagues.
2 - Says Steven Unikenicz, a senior engineer at Northeast Generation Services (Rocky Hill, Connecticut). "If I'm looking for pumps, for example, I can go to a website and get preliminary design information without having to wait for a catalog."
3 - Unikenicz also appreciates the benefits of e-mail because the contact base is much broader. "It's practical with e-mail to communicate with someone who has, or has solved, the same problem," he says.
4 - One example of such communication can be found at www.Control.com where engineers help each other solve machine/motion/process control problems. Run by Ken Crater, the website contains chat threads on myriad topics, plus new job opportunities and links to other Web resources.
5 - "Like a professional society, our site is a community of interest for automation professionals," Crater says. "We host a very active forum through which professionals can interact with their peers even if they work in small organizations or in remote locations." Crater notes that without the Internet, such a collaborative project would be logistically impossible.
6 - Professional engineering organizations such as ASME International (the American Society of Mechanical Engineers) are also enhancing their websites. Its site (www.asme.org) has a message board to stimulate online discussions. It also makes white papers and journal articles available, provides links to educational resources, etc.
7 - Despite the proliferation of such websites, and the benefits they bring, Steven Unikenicz cautions engineers against becoming too insular.
8 - Engineers can become overly dependent upon electronically generated data. "Newer engineers don't have a feel for temperatures, weights, pressures, and forces," Unikenicz says. "They presume that if the computer says something's right, it must be okay, but they also have to know whether or not what the computer is telling them makes sense in the real world."
9 - The Internet is a wonderful tool, he concludes, but it isn't the
be-all and end-all. It is a great way to get information and to communicate,
but it doesn't take the place of solid engineering experience and judgment."
John H. Day, Design News Contributing Editor, U.S.
WARMING UP
What do you use the Internet for? Is it for entertainment or for school
work? How often?
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
1 - Vocabulary
a- Mind these words which have several meanings ( §1)
LOT - is it here a noun a verb, a word used as an adverb?
Does it mean: a group ( people) or many (people)?
SO - What is the meaning of ‘so’ in the following sentences:?
- Hundreds of engineers in Europe, the USA, Japan, and so on have visited
this Website.
- Engineers are not so interested in the Internet as other users.
- They use the Web to order catalogs and, by doing so, gain a lot of
time.
- They send email messages, so they easily communicate with colleagues.
- All technicians use calculators, so that very few would still be
able to use sliding rules (= règles à calcul).
What does ‘so’ mean here in the text?
AS - What is the meaning of ‘as’ in the following sentences?
- People appreciate the benefits of email, as it allows them to communicate
easily.
- The first thing I do, as I arrive at my office, is to read my email.
- Some people consider the internet only as a working tool, but it’s
also a place for friendly entertainment.
- Websites, such as www.control.com offer online services to technicians
and engineers.
What does ‘as’ mean here in the text?
MEANS - What is the meaning of ‘means’ when it is a verb ? when
it is a noun? What is it here?
b - Pick up all the vocabulary related to the Internet .
c - §9: Explain "the Internet is not the be-all and end-all".
Careful, 'be-al' and end-all' are not to be found in a dictionary.
Use the context ( especially paragraph 8) to guess the meaning.
GRAMMAR
1 -ING forms
Pick up all the -ING forms in paragraphs 1 and 2 and classify them :
- adjectives
- part of a continuous tense
- gerunds required after some verbs
- gerunds required after prepositions
2 - Modal verbs
a - Pick up the modal verbs (or equivalents) in § 1, 4 and 8 and say which one means / expresses:
- something is 95% sure (1 modal)
- something is 50% sure ( 2 modals)
- something is possible / feasible ( 1 modal)
- obligation ( 1 equivalent)
b - Look at this advert and
- imagine what this firm produces(Do not forget to download the picture: teledyne.jpg)
- say xhat it is possible to do with this equipement
3 - Compound nouns and adjectives
a- Pick up a (long) compound noun in §4 and a compound adjective in §8.
b- Read this text and transform the phrases in italics into compound nouns or adjectives:
A breakthrough ( = major discovery) in the reduction of the depth of CRT, the Cybertube Slim features a reduction of the depth from front to rear of 20%, corresponding with a reduction of volume of about 15%… Innovations in tubes for the market of monitors for computers include a model of Cybertube of 17" with a surface of screen that is really flat. … This concept offers a slim design, resulting in TV sets that save space ( and ) that are more fashionable and more mobile as well as a screen free from distortion and truly flat.
ORAL WORK
Discuss the last two paragraphs and especially :
"If the computer says something's right, it must be okay"; and the computer
must not" take the place of solid engineering experience and judgment".
WRITTEN WORK
You have visited the Newport Website (see below). You write an e-mail message to a colleague of yours explaining him the kind of help and information he can ( perhaps / certainly) find at this site.
You can use:
It allows the user / you to (do) - It makes it possible [for the user / you] to (do) - You / the user can (do) -
Thanks to…- By referring to / by using …
Thus + ING ( e.g. thus making it possible to (do)
Imperative verbs: refer to / go to / visit / don’t forget to…
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