Technical english 4 CB

Contents

Unit2Design

Unit1Innovations

Unit/Section

Function/Skill

Genre/Texttype

Grammar/Discourse

Lexis/Technology

1.1Eureka!  p.4 

Questioning

Talk + Q&A session

Past / present perfect 
continuous

Oil and gas drilling

1.2Smartwells  p.6

Clause linking

Technical article

Past participle; cohesion

Drilling; remote control

1.3Lasers  p.8

Giving a talk

Lecture; technical description

Section markers in a talk

Laser technology

2.1Spin-offs  p.10

Function of a device

Product description

Present / past simple passive; to
+ infin; for + -ing; which

Products from space 
research

2.2Specifications  p.12

Necessity, ability, 
recommendation

Design specification; meeting

Modals and semi-modals

Design; mechanical 

2.3Properties  p.14

Describing properties

Brainstorming session

Phrases to encourage 
participation

Construction; synthetic 
textiles

3.1Problems  p.20

Low probability; reassuring

Product recall notice

Present continuous passive; 
phrases suggesting low risk

Automotive

3.2Solutions  p.22

Summarising; linking

Product recall notice

Non-defining relative clause; 
present participle; although

Automotive; braking systems

3.3Controls  p.24

Contrasting; note-taking

Lecture 

Linkers of contrast

Automotive; aeronautics

4.1Shutdown  p.26

Past events

Engineering article

Two-part phrasal verbs 

Mechanical; electrical; 
physics

4.2Overhaul  p.28

Past procedure; instructions

Engineering article; 
instruction manual

Nouns derived from phrasal 
verbs

Mechanical; maintenance

4.3Instructions  p.30

Instructions and feedback; 
simultaneous actions

Practical demonstration; 
instruction manual

Oral vs written instructions; 
while / as + -ing

Mechanical; electronics

5.1Causes  p.36

Cause and effect

Brainstorming session; 
‘fishbone’ diagram

Verb / noun / prepositional 
phrases of cause and effect

Metallurgy; chemistry

5.2Steps  p.38

Explaining a process

Technical brochure

Choosing active or passive

Iron and steel making

5.3Stages  p.40

Note-taking; writing up

Lecture; flow diagram

Gerunds / nouns as captions; 
lexical cohesion

Aluminium refining / smelting

6.1Risk  p.42

Degrees of certainty

Risk assessment tool

Phrases expressing degrees of 
certainty

Petroleum; environment

6.2Crisis  p.44

Immediate / long-term plans

Critical path analysis; crisis 
meeting

Future / future perfect passive; 
about to / on the point of

Petroleum; marine

6.3Projects  p.46

Participating in meetings

Project proposal meeting

Phrases for chairing a meeting

Civil engineering

Unit4Procedures

Unit3Systems

ReviewUnitA  p.16

Unit6Planning

Unit5Processes

ReviewUnitB  p.32

ReviewUnitC  p.48

2



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Unit8Incidents

Unit7Developments

Unit/Section

Function/Skill

Genre/Texttype

Grammar/Discourse

Lexis/Technology

7.1Prototypes  p.52

Describing developments 
and progress

Technology review

Range of forms and functions 

ICT; smart phones

7.2Comparisons  p.54

Comparing; contrasting

Product comparison

Phrases / linkers expressing 
comparison and contrast

Electronics; touch screens

7.3Products  p 56

Explaining technology to 
non-specialists

Product launch

Phrases introducing 
explanations / analogies

Electrical; materials science

8.1Theft  p.58 

Speculating about past

Work memo; work discussion

Present perfect passive modal

Logistics; warehousing

8.2Security  p.60

Investigating; questioning

Incident report; product 
brochure

Indirect questions and related 
noun phrases

ICT; telecoms; security 

8.3Emergency  p.62

Degrees of agreement / 
disagreement

Safety talk; serious incident 
report

Phrases qualifying ‘yes’ or ‘no’;
up to a point / on the contrary

Health and safety; HazMat

9.1Proposals  p.68

Proposing; recommending

Meeting with client

Noun clause / gerund after 

propose / recommend / suggest

Electronics; wireless controls

9.2Definitions  p.70

Defining a term

Definition; glossary

Defining relative clause; pre- / 
post-modifiers in definitions

Sensor technology

9.3Contracts  p.72

Stipulating conditions

Contract; pre-contract 
discussion 

Alternatives to if: on condition /
provided that

Work contracts

10.1Plans  p.74

Concise technical writing 

Test plan

Nouns / hyphenated phrases 
used as pre-modifiers

Destructive testing; 
earthquake proofing

10.2Reports  p.76

Report format; report-writing

Test report

Grammar / markers associated 
with report sections

Testing buildings and 
bridges

10.3Methods  p.78

Collaborative problemsolving

Meeting; pre-meeting briefing 
documents

Range of language forms 

Non-destructive testing

11.1Investigations  p.84

Collaborative data 
organisation 

Raw data for a report

Expressions of causation, 
sequence and speculation.

Hydro-electric power; 
maintenance

11.2Reports  p.86

Format of report; abstract; 
writing a report

Investigative report

Third conditional, present 
perfect modal

Accident investigation

11.3Communication  p.88

Assertiveness; summarising; 

writing an abstract 

Communication guidelines

Phrases to signal 
communicative intent

Aviation; aeronautics

12.1Projects  p.90

Sequence of events; past 
necessity 

Project evaluation report

Perfect participle; past tense of 
modals 

Agricultural engineering

12.2Performance  p.92

Past ability; self-evaluation

Employee appraisal interview 

Three-part phrasal verbs; past 
tense of modals

IT, robotics, petroleum

12.3Innovations  p.94

Debating; persuading; 
teamwork 

Team presentation; awards 
committee

Range of language forms

Nanotechnology

Unit10Testing

Unit9Agreements

ReviewUnitD  p.64

Unit12Evaluation

Unit11Accidents

ReviewUnitE  p.80

ReviewUnitF  p.96
Languagesummary  p.100
Extramaterial  p.110
Speedsearch  p.116

Audioscript  p.118



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1

Innovations
1 Eureka!



Starthere

1 Workinpairs.Talkaboutaccidentaldiscoveriesorinventions
inscienceortechnologywhichyouhaveheardabout.
Example:1 Alexander Fleming was growing some bacteria in his
lab when some penicillium fungus fell on the bacteria and killed
them. That is how he accidentally discovered antibiotics.

Task

2 Workinpairs.Matchthenotes1–6withtheaccidental
discoveries.
X-ray
vulcanisedrubber
safetyglass
1
2

3

4

5

6

inkjetprinter
co-ordinategeometry
antibiotics 1

AlexanderFleming–growsbacteriainlab–penicillium
fungusfallsonbacteria–funguskillsthem
CharlesGoodyear–workswithrawrubberpowder
containingsulphur–brushespowderoffhands–powder
fallsontohotstove–formstoughelasticsubstance
ReneDescartes–watchesinsectflyingaroundroom–
realiseshecanspecifyinsect’spositionin3Dspaceas–
distancefromtwowallsandceiling

WilhelmRoentgen–projectslightfromcathoderay
generatorontowall–seesoutlineofbonesofownhandon
wall
IchiroEndo,engineer–workswithahotironandasyringe
fullofink–touchesneckofsyringewithiron–forcesink
out
EdouardBenedictus–putsawayglassflask–flask
containsliquidplastic–dropsflaskonfloor–flaskdoesn’t
break–thinplasticfilmholdspiecestogether

3 Describetheaccidentaldiscoveriesoutlinedinthenotes
in2.Usethepastcontinuousandthepastsimpletenseswhere
appropriate.

Language
page 101

Example:1–seetheexamplein1.


Writing

4 Writeaboutthediscoveriesandinventionsyoutalkedabout
in1,usingthepastsimpleandcontinuous.Followtheexample
in1.



Scanning

5 Practiseyourspeedreading.LookfortheinformationyouneedontheSPEEDSEARCH
pages(116–117).Trytobefirsttocompletethistext.
Wedon’tknowifArchimedesreallysteppedintohisbathandshouted‘Eureka!’
(‘I’vediscoveredit!’)whenthewaterlevel(1)
.Butwedoknowthathe
discoveredthatabodyimmersedinfluidexperiencesa(2)
forceequal
totheweightoftheliquiddisplaced.WealsoknowthatArchimedesinventedthe
(3)
andthe(4)
.

4

1

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Listening

6

02 Listentothistalkandchoosethepicturethat

illustrateswhatJaap(Will’scolleague)waslookingatwhenhe
hadhiseurekamoment.

7 Listenagainandanswerthesequestions.
1
2
3
4
5


Speaking

8 Inthequestionandanswersessionafterhistalk,Willgives
theseanswers.Writedownthequestionsthatwereasked.Then
practisethequestionsandanswersinpairs.

Language
page 102

1

2

3

4
5
6
7

8



WhatisWill’s(thespeaker’s)jobtitleathispetroleum
companyinBrunei?
Whatproblemhasthespeakerbeentryingtosolveforthe
lastfewyears?
WhatwashappeningwhenJaapsuddenlyhadhiseureka
moment?
WhatwasthenameofthetypeofdrillthatJaapandhis
teaminventedasaresult?
HowdoesthisnewdrillsolveWill’sproblem?

Language

Well,Iwouldsaythatthemainreasonforusingsnakewell
technologyismainlyeconomic.Snakewellsallowustoget
moreoiloutofasinglefield.
Yes,itdoes.Thetechnologyhasaverybigenvironmental
benefit,becausesnakewellsmeanthatyoucanbuildfewer
oilplatformsanddolessdrilling.
Yes,weare.We’reusingitrightnow,atthisverymoment.
Wehaveanumberofsnakewellsinoperationoffthecoast
ofBrunei.
Well,mostoftheoilintheBruneifieldisbetween2,000and
4,000metresbelowtheseabed,Ithink.
We’vebeendrillingsnakewellsofftheBruneicoastsince
2005.

Well,ourcompanyfirststartedexploringtheBruneifielda
longtimeago.Ibelievethefirstsurveywasinthe1980s.
Yes,wehave.Inadditiontothesnakewell,we’vebeen
developingasystemofsensorsthattransmitdatafromthe
drillbitbacktocomputersonthesurface.
Well,Idon’tknowexactlywhatmynextprojectisgoing
tobe!MaybeI’lldrillasnakewelloffthecoastofNigeria.

Present perfect continuous
How long

have

Our company 



Speaking

you
has

been

using

snake wells?
them 

since 2005.

9 Workinpairs.Taketurnstoacttherolesofareporterandanoilcompany
representative.Whenyouarethereporter,usethepresentperfectcontinuousinyour
firstquestionabouteachproject,andthenfollowupwithdifferenttypesofquestions.
StudentA:Turntopage115.StudentB:Turntopage113.

1 Oil sands, Canada: how long? surface / underground
mining? area project covers? kind of oil extracted?
extracted oil converted into …? expected length of
project?

2 Drilling for gas, Russia: how long? based where in
Russia? onshore / offshore? gas converted into ...?
meaning of ‘LNG’? future exports to ...? expected
production (tonnes)?



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2 Smartwells

Starthere

1 Workinpairs.Discussthesequestionsabouttheillustrationbelow.Makenotes.
1
2

Whataretheadvantagesofthismethodofoilextractioncomparedwithvertical
wells?
Howdoyouthinkcomputersareusedinthismethod?

‘Snake’ well system below seabed

‘Snake’ wells connect pockets
of oil that stretch for up to
3 miles under the seabed.
seabed
gas

oil
Valves and seals are located
in the oil pockets so they can
be isolated if they start to pump
too much gas or water.



Reading

OIL FIELDS

10

15

6

Ifanoilcompanydiscoversalargesingle
reservoir of oil and gas, the solution is
simple: drill a vertical well down to the
reservoir and bring up the oil. But what
can be done when an oilfield consists
of hundreds or even thousands of small,
isolated pockets of oil? It would be too
expensive to drill hundreds of vertical
wellstoreachallthesmallpockets.
Theinnovativesolutiontothisproblem
isthe‘snakewell’.Unliketheconventional
verticalwell,thisisahorizontalwellthat
weaveslaterallybackandforthacrossa
numberofoil-containingzones.Guidedby
smarttechnology,asinglesnakewellcan

1

gas
oil
water

2 Readthisarticleandcheckthenotesyoumadein1.

SMART
5

oil

20

25

30

35

accessmultiplepocketsofoilandachieve
output equivalent to several individual
wells, which has the dual advantage of
reducingcostandensuringthatnooilis
overlooked.
Asnakewellusessteerabledrillsthat
can be positioned with great accuracy.
Special imaging software generates
detailedcomputermodelsofunderground
geologyandreservoirs.Thisenablesdrills
tohitatargetfarundergroundthatisless
thantwometresacross.
Located90kmoffthecoastofBrunei,the
ChampionWestoilfieldisShell’sflagship
projectusingSmartFieldstechnology.For

30years,ChampionWestlaydormant,its
rich oil reserves locked 2,000 to 4,000 m
beneaththeseabedinacomplexwebof
smallreservoirs(seeillustrationabove).
In the past, these small pockets of
oil were too expensive to develop. But
now Champion West has been changed
into one of the world’s most advanced
oil and gas fields by means of Smart

40

45

50

55

60

Fields  technology and new drilling
techniques.
BurieddeepbeneathChampionWest’s
seabed,sensorsrelaydigitalinformation
about temperature, pressure and other
factors to control centres on land by
meansofanetworkoffibre-opticcables.
This enables continuous monitoring
of production, and engineers can make
speedydecisionsonhowbesttoextract

the maximum amount of oil, monitor
its movement within the reservoir and
instantly notice production problems,
suchasblockages.
Theycantakeactiontosolveproblems,
for example by the remote electronic
activationofhydraulicwellvalves.Ifgas
orwaterthreatenstobreakintothewell,
forexample,thevalveforthatsectioncan
be closed down using a remote control.
Swellable seals are used to isolate the
zonesfromoneanother,andpreventfluid
from one zone from flowing into another
adjacentzone.

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3 Answerthesequestionsaboutthearticle.
1 Whatarethetwomaineconomicreasonsfordrillingasnakewell?
2 Howaccurateisthedrillofasnakewellwhenitisguidedremotely?
3 ForhowlongwastheChampionWestoilfieldleftunusedfollowingthediscovery
ofoilthere?Whywasitleftunused?
4 Howisdataaboutconditionsinsidethesnakewelltransmittedtothesurface?
5 Howdoengineersstoptheoilinthewellbeingcontaminatedwithwaterorgas?

4 Matchthereferencewords1–6fromthearticlewiththecorrectwordsorideasa–j
thattheyreferto.
1
2
3
4
5
6



Vocabulary

Language

a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
j)

increasedoutputfrommanyoilzones
conventionalverticalwell
engineers
snakewell

blockages
transmissionofdata
computermodelgeneration
undergroundreservoir
steerabledrills
networkofcables

5 Matchthesewordsorphraseswiththeirsynonyms(inbold)inthearticlein2.
1
2
3
4
5



this(line12)
which(line18)
that(line21)
This(line25)
This(line47)
They(line54)

capableofbeingexpanded
complicated
capableofbeingguided
neighbouring
normal

6

7
8
9
10

havingtwoparts
trapped
separatedfromoneanother
horizontallysideways
equalinvalue

Linking (past participial phrase)
Thepast participlealonecansometimesreplacesubject + passive verb.Itmakesthe
textmoreconcise.
• The Champion West oilfield, located 90 km off the coast of Brunei, is Shell’s flagship
project …(=The Champion West oilfield, which is located ...)
Thepastparticiplecanalsobeplacedatthebeginningofasentence.Findthese
examplesinthetextin2:
• Located 90 km off the coast of Brunei,theChampionWestoilfieldisShell’sflagship
project…
• Guided by smart technology,asinglesnakewellcanaccesspocketsofoil…
• Buried deep beneath Champion West’s seabed,sensorsrelaydigitalinformation…
Notethattheparticiplemusthavethesamesubjectastheverbinthemainclause.

6 Jointheinformationineachnoteintoasinglesentenceinasimilarway.Begineach
sentencewiththepastparticipleinitalics.
Example:1 Isolated in small pockets, the oil can’t be extracted using vertical wells.
1
2
3

4
5
6

theoilisisolatedinsmallpockets+itcan’tbeextractedusingverticalwells
thesensorsareconnectedbyfibre-opticcable+theycollectdatafrominsidethe
snakewell
thedrillsareguidedbyremotecontrollers+theycanhitatargetonly2mwide
theoilislocked4,000mbeneaththeseabed+itcouldn’tbeextractedfor30years
thesensorsareattachedtothedrillbit+theyallowcontrollerstoguidethedrill
thesoftwarewasdevelopedbyGeoSolutions+itgeneratescomputermodelsof
thegeology



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3 Lasers

Starthere

1 Workinpairs.Discussthesequestionsandmakenotes.Thenshareyourideaswith
therestoftheclass.
1

2

WhatdoesLASERstandfor?

by Stimulated
of
Studythediagramsbelow.Whatarethethreemaindifferencesbetweenordinary
lightandlaserlight?Usesomeofthewordsandphrasesinthebox.

An ordinary light beam

A laser beam

Laser

Torch

laser    light amplification    stimulated emission of radiation    organised    disorganised    
directional    in one direction    in all directions    coherent    concentrated    photon     
03
colours of the spectrum    wavelength                                                                              

Listening

2

04 Listentopartofatalkaboutlasers.Matchthewordsintheboxwiththe
labels1–8inthediagramonthenextpage.

ruby crystal    atom    light tube    mirror    power source    photon    laser beam    partial mirror

8

1

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2

3

4

5
8

6

7
1

3 Workinpairsorsmallgroups.Beforeyoulistentothenextpartofthetalk,putthese
notesintothebestorder.
Note:Theeightitemsinthenotescorrespondtotheeightpointsinthediagramabove.
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H

4

escapingphotonsformapowerfullaserbeam
atomabsorbsphoton–getsexcited–calmsdown–emitsnewphoton
tubeflasheson/offrapidly–pumpsenergy(photons)intocrystal
partialmirrorlets1%ofphotonsescape
powersourcemakestubeflashon/off 1
newphotonhitsexcitedatom–atomemitstwophotons(insteadofone)
photonsarereflectedbymirroralonginsideofcrystal
newphotonstravelinsidecrystalatspeedoflight
05 Listentothenextpartofthetalk,andcheckyouranswersto3.

5 Listenagainandtickthephrasesthatyouhear.(Note:Xisanumber,andAis
someone’sname.)
1

2
3
4
5
6
7
8

Ahasbeenexplaining
let’smoveontothenextsectionofthetalk
ifyoulookatpointXonthediagram,youwillsee
wecannowturntothenextpartofthetalk
asyoucanseeinpointXonthediagram
IthinkI’vecoveredthemainpoints
I’llnowaskAtotakeover
nowI’mgoingtohandovertoA

6 Groupthephrasesfrom5undertheseheadings.
Movingtothenexttopic
Handingovertothenextspeaker


Speaking

Referringtotheprevioustopic(s)
Referringtoavisual

7 Workingroupstoprepareatalkonlasers.Divideintothreesub-groupsandprepare
onesectionofthetalkwithyoursub-group.Thenreturntothemaingrouptofinalise
thetalk.

Sub-groupA:Laserlight–abriefexplanation
Sub-groupB:Thebasiccomponentsofalasermachine
Sub-groupC:Howalasermachineworks

8 Giveyourtalktoanothergroup.Usephrasesfrom5tosignpostthesectionsofthe
talk,torefertothediagramandtohandovertothenextsub-group.Inviteandanswer
questionsfromtheaudience.


Writing

9 Writeadescriptionofhowalasermachineworks,referringtothediagramabove.Use
pastparticipialphraseswherepossible.
Begin:Here is a brief outline of how a laser machine works. First of all, the high-voltage
power source, located below the ruby crystal, makes the tube flash on and off rapidly.
These flashes inject particles of light, known as ‘photons’, into the ruby crystal. …


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