1. Assignment:
Please read the following text and answer these questions in complete sentences:
a) Who is involved in the experiment?
b) What are the researchers trying to find out?
c) Why can COOL be highly efficient?
English German
dairy product – Milchprodukt
vital – wesentlich, notwendig, sehr wichtig
ingredient – Bestandteil, Zutat
to pay attention to – Aufmerksamkeit widmen
to upgrade – auf eine höhere Stufe heben
Cow power (biogas)
In addition to nuclear energy, coal, gas and solar power we have other interesting developments.
At the present time, cows on a farm in Germany are earning plenty of money. In addition to dairy products, they supply all the energy that the farm needs, and a little more. The cows, 1,000 of them, provide the vital ingredients for the largest biogas plant of all time. The plant, at Ismaning near Munich, is an experiment run by Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm. Researchers at the University of Munich’s Biological Institute are helping with this work. They are hoping to prove that biogas can be an important source of energy-power from the countryside.
COOL, as the experiment is known, consists of two reactors. These together hold 1,000 cubic metres of animal waste. The plant should, at its full potential, produce every day the same energy as 2,000 litres of fuel oil. One reason for COOL’s efficiency is that the designers have paid a lot of attention to detail. The plant is carefully insulated and it can upgrade heat from the warm methane it produces.
Figure A.1: Biogas plant on a farm (© creativenature.nl / 82485907 stock.adobe.com)
[. . .]
2. Assignment:
Look at the following words and their definitions. When you understand what the words mean put them into the spaces in the text.
definition
exploiting – using, making use of
decomposing – breaking down of the structure of a vegetable substance (verb: decompose)
plants – many factories together in one complex. They usually manufacture goods
self-sufficiency – surviving by oneself or supporting oneself (independence)
traces – small parts which are left over. It proves that a substance existed
slurry – a mixture of water and animal waste used as fertilizer
The waste slurry, which eventually creates fertilizers for the farm, is a useful source of gas. They pump the (a) [. . .] into a lake and cover it with a huge plastic bag. This collects the last (b) [. . .] of methane from the (c) [. . .] mass. In the mid 1950’s, agriculturalists spoke of (d) [. . .] in energy. By (e) [. . .] waste materials, they hoped to cut their production costs by up to 20 per cent. But until the project at Ismaning started up, the country had only 45 small biogas (f) [. . .] that together held a total of 40,000 cubic metres of animal waste.
3. Assignment:
Passive: Please translate the following sentences into English (using the passive form).
a) Einstein wird als einer der brillantesten Wissenschaftler aller Zeiten angesehen (regard).
[. . .]
b) Er war an der Universität Berlin angestellt.
[. . .]
c) 1921 wurde ihm der Nobelpreis (Nobel Prize) verliehen (award).
[. . .]
d) Ihr wurde ein neuer Arbeitsplatz angeboten.
[. . .]
e) Die Substanz wird in einem teuren Verfahren gewonnen.
[. . .]
f) Dieses Produkt wurde in Amerika und Europa verkauft.
[. . .]
4. Assignment:
Comparative and superlative
a) List two points against () each of the following sources of energy and two points in favour ().
Nuclear power
Coal/Oil driven power stations
Solar energy
b) Use these points to write FIVE sentences comparing the sources of energy. (Use both comparative and superlative forms.)
e.g.: Comparative: Solar energiy is more environmentally friendly than energy from coal.
Superlative: Solar power is the most environmentally friendly form of energy of these three types.
1) [. . .]
2) [. . .]
3) [. . .]
4) [. . .]
5) [. . .]
5. Assignment:
Text production: Write about 150 words suggesting how we can reduce our energy consumption
2.00
2.00
;)
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