科技英语口语话题

Topic 1: Advantages and Disadvantages of the Internet Advantages Communication: 1. We can communicate in a fraction of second with a person who is sitting in the other part of the world by e-mail, and MSN the instant chatting provider. We can chat for hours with our loved ones. There are plenty messenger services in offering. 2. It has become very easy to establish a kind of global friendship where you can share your thoughts, can explore other cultures of different ethnicity. Information 1. Any kind of information on any topic under the sun is available on the Internet. The search engines like Google, yahoo is at your service on the Internet. You can almost find any type of data on almost any kind of subject that you are looking for. 2. Students and children are among the top users who surf the Internet for research. Today, it is almost required that students should use the Internet for research for the purpose of gathering resources. Teachers have started giving assignments that require research on the Internet. Entertainment Media of internet has become quite successful in trapping multifaceted entertainment factor. Downloading games, visiting chat rooms or just surfing the Web are some of the uses people have discovered. Services Many services are now provided on the internet such as online banking, job seeking, purchasing tickets for your favorite movies, guidance services on array of topics engulfing the every aspect of life, and hotel reservations. Often these services are not available off-line and can cost you more. E-Commerce Ecommerce has become a phenomenon associated with any kind of shopping, almost anything. With its giant tentacles engulfing every single product and service will make you available at your door steps. It has got a real amazing and wide range of products from household needs, technology to entertainment. Disadvantages Theft of Personal information If you use the Internet, you may be facing grave danger as your personal information such as name, address, credit card number etc. can be accessed by other culprit’s culprit to make your problems worse. Spamming: Spamming refers to sending unwanted e-mails in bulk, which provide no purpose and needlessly obstruct the entire system. Such illegal activities can be very frustrating for you, and so instead of just ignoring it, you should make an effort to try and stop these activities so that using the Internet can become that much safer. Virus threat Virus is nothing but a program which disrupts the normal functioning of your computer systems. Computers attached to internet are more prone to virus attacks and they can end up into crashing your whole hard disk, causing you considerable headache. Pornography: This is perhaps the biggest threat related to your children’s healthy mental life. A very serious issue concerning the Internet. There are thousands of pornographic sites on the Internet that can be easily found and can be a detrimental factor to letting children use the Internet. Topic 2: Advantages of IC Card ( Smart Card) · Flexibility. They allow multiple applications to be stored in one card. There is no need, for example, to carry several cards. One card can simultaneously be an ID, a credit card, a stored-value cash card, and a repository of personal information such as telephone numbers or medical history. One card can access multiple transactions · Security. 1. Such a card can be easily replaced if lost. And, because a PIN number (or other form of security) must be used to access information, is totally useless to people other than its legal bearer. At the first attempt to use it illegally, the card would be deactivated by the card reader itself. 2. Smart cards can be electronic key rings, giving the bearer ability to access information and physical places without need for online connections. · Portability · Increasing data storage capacity: The amount of information can be stored in smart cards is much greater compared to magnetic stripe cards. Some of them can also be reprogrammed to add, delete or rearrange data. · Reliability that is virtually unaffected by electrical and magnetic fields. · Longer life: They are much more durable. They are reusable. Topic 3: What can we do to protect the environment? 1. Don’t smoke. (reduce air pollution) 2. Car fumes produce carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide - so try to cut down on car journeys if possible. Use a bike or walk - it's good exercise for you too! 3. Sort out your rubbish. Recycle as much of your waste as you can. Methane, the most effective 'greenhouse gas', is released into the air as the rubbish in landfill sites rots.Try to avoid buying plastic. It's hard to recycle. One way to cut down on plastic is to refuse to use carrier bags offered by supermarkets and use strong, long lasting shopping bags instead, or re-use plastic bags over and over again, until they wear out. 4. Try to buy 'environmentally-friendly' products. 5. Use recycled paper to help save trees. 6. Don't buy over-packed goods. Many things we buy have unnecessary amounts of plastic and paper around them. 7. Use mobile phones, computers, microwave stoves properly. ( reduce electromagnetic pollution ) 8. Take your old clothes to charity shops. Some are sold, others are returned to textile mills for recycling. 9. Use less energy by switching off lights when rooms are not in use, not wasting hot water, not overheating rooms and not boiling more water than necessary when making a cup of tea! 10. If you spot pollution, such as oil on the beach, report it to the local council. If you suspect a stream is polluted, report it to the local Environmental Health Officer 11. If you use chlorine-based bleach or detergents containing phosphates you are contributing to water pollution. 12. Don't waste electricity. Electricity is produced by burning coal, oil and gas and this action gives off carbon dioxide. Topic 4: Advantages and Disadvantages of Renewable Energy Advantages 1. Renewable it is therefore sustainable and so will never run out. 2. Renewable energy facilities generally require less maintenance than traditional generators. Their fuel being derived from natural and available resources reduces the costs of operation. 3. Renewable energy produces little or no waste products such as carbon dioxide or other chemical pollutants, so has minimal impact on the environment. 4. Renewable energy projects can also bring economic benefits to many regional areas, as most projects are located away from large urban centres and suburbs of the capital cities. These economic benefits may be from the increased use of local services as well as tourism. Disadvantages 1. It is difficult to generate the quantities of electricity that are as large as those produced by traditional fossil fuel generators. This may mean that we need to reduce the amount of energy we use or simply build more energy facilities. It also indicates that the best solution to our energy problems may be to have a balance of many different power sources. 2. The reliability of supply. Renewable energy often relies on the weather for its source of power. Hydro generators need rain to fill dams to supply flowing water. Wind turbines need wind to turn the blades, and solar collectors need clear skies and sunshine to collect heat and make electricity. When these resources are unavailable so is the capacity to make energy from them. This can be unpredictable and inconsistent. The current cost of renewable energy technology is also far in excess of traditional fossil fuel generation. This is because it is a new technology and as such has extremely large capital cost. Topic 5 Introduce 3 kinds of Materials Innovations · Lightweight construction A material can be a match-winner - something tennis players are all too aware of. In the past, when tennis rackets were still made from wood, it took very little effort to smash one. For a while sports equipment was then made from lightweight materials, for example aluminum. Modern racquets are made from composite materials and weigh only half as much as the old wood racquets. What you can't now do is smash them, though. The tennis racquet is an example of one of the most important areas of application of materials research, namely lightweight construction. Besides sports equipment, car engines, notebooks or parts used to construct a bridge, the more stable and lighter they are the better. Lightweight construction saves resources and energy. · Intelligent and efficient Researchers can now do more with materials than just make them lightweight. Over the past few years they have developed a number of so-called intelligent materials, for instance. These materials can't think for themselves, of course. What they can do is react directly or indirectly to environmental conditions. For example they can dampen（v.消音） noise or block out sunlight. Aircraft engineers are even working on constructing wings that can automatically adapt to the air stream, thereby preventing turbulence（n.气流的震荡） which can slow down the aircraft. When it comes to materials being developed for renewable energy sources, it is less a question of intelligence than of the degree of efficiency. Most solar cells are currently still made from silicon. Research is already being done on new modules made from alternative materials - polymers or organic substances, for instance. Along with the ability to generate electricity from sunlight the aim is for the surface of the solar cells not to reflect the light away. Another important field of materials research is the storage and conversion of energy. Batteries and fuel cells, for example, are in future to be more lightweight and more efficient. · Materials for a healthy life Made-to-measure（a. 定做的） materials are already indispensable in the medical field. For example, scientists are working on biomaterials to help treat those with extensive burns（大面积烧伤）. In future burns are to be covered with a type of artificial skin. Nanotechnology procedures are of great benefit in medical materials research. For example, nano particles can be fitted into surfaces where they act as sensors and detect certain diseases. In fact, materials research often has to do with protective surfaces. Nano particles are already being used industrially to produce thin anti-corrosion layers. And engineers constructing mobile phones are hoping to be able to shield users from the electromagnetic radiation by coating the plastic casing with a special material. Topic 6 Find applications of biotechnology in different fields Classical technology Bread, cheese, vinegar, marinades, wine and beer have been made using fermentation by microbes - yeasts, bacteria, molds and fungi - for thousands of years. Tools of Gentic Ingenuity: Food Production Genetic engineering (gene splicing) and techniques such as DNA mapping can be used to develop improved livestock and crops for greater yield and better quality, as well as new crop varieties with reduced impact on the environment. Examples include faster genetic analysis of cattle, disease-resistant vegetables and producing cheese-making enzymes from bacteria instead of from the stomach of calves. Fiber: Biopulping (生物制浆) A new example of industrial biotechnology for fiber is biopulping -- using a fungus (真菌) to convert wood chips to paper pulp while reducing energy use and pollutants.Other fibers from plants and animals include cotton, wool, silk, linen, leather, lumber and paper. Fuel Biotechnology can speed the production of ethanol for gasohol, methane for natural gas and crops for biorenewable fuel. For example, yeasts ferment cornstarch to yield ethanol; bacteria decompose sludge (污泥), manure(粪便)or landfill wastes to produce methane; and firewood heats homes. Feedstocks: bioplastics Instead of petroleum, biorenewable materials such as starch from corn or whey (乳清) from cheese-making can be used to make plastics. Industry uses microbes or their enzymes to convert biomass to feedstocks -- building blocks for biodegradable plastics (生物降解塑料), industrial solvents and specialty lubricants. Genetic Counseling and Gene Therapy Prospective or curent parents learn about diagnosing and treating inherited diseases and whether their children may inherit such diseases. Pharmaceuticals (药品): Prevention and Treatment Using vaccines (疫苗), antibioitcs and therapeutics produced by microbes, plants or animals. Diagnosis Using biotechnology to speed diangosis of genetic disorders or infectious diseases and early detection of pregnancy. For exmaple, strep throat (链球菌性喉炎) can now be diagnosed in 20 minutes rather than in two days. BIOTECHNOLOGY and its APPLICATIONS http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/foodsci/ext/pubs/bioapp.html Topic 7 How to promote public transportation · Develop sound infrastructure to promote public transport 1. Long distance public transport sells food and drink on board and is equipped with dedicated buffet car or dining car. 2. Sleeping accommodations are attractive to commuters. 3. Music is played and free TV such as gossip and hi-tech news is provided. 4. It is essential to develop efficient road system. · Flexible ticket systems 1. Multi-use tickets 2. Electronic fare card 3. Provide free local shuttles and inner-city loops 4. Provide free travel pass for students, elderly persons, children, employees and persons with physical and mental disabilities · Carry out polices to reduce car-dependence 1. Limit car ownership ( Singapore ) 2. Develop efficient car-sharing services 3. Limited lanes are available for rush hour car users 4. High cost of parking Real time passage information (实时乘客信息) Public Interactive Terminals are located near public transport network facilities as terminals or stations. They are intended to help passengers to plan their journeys as to select the bus line and to find the arrival and departure times. Dynamic Bus Stop Displays They will give passengers the real-time information of the next bus arrival. On-board Information will help passengers to have the information of the next bus stop to be served. Information at Home/Office is mainly pre-trip information about routes, connections, fares and time-tables. Portable information equipment as mobile telephones or hand-held terminals are new instruments to give information for passengers before or during the journey Topic 8 Pros and Cons of E-commerce Pros Cons No checkout queues Unable to examine products personally Reduced prices: Cost of purchases can be cheaper as a result of direct access to suppliers, cutting down the cost of intermediates. Not everyone is connected to the Internet Can shop anywhere in the world from home, office, or on the road, etc. You can get addicted Purchases can be made 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Customer fear of personal information being used wrongly. There is the possibility of credit card number theft. Wide selection to cater for all consumers On average only 1/9th of stock is available on the net Linguistic challenges & Cultural obstacles For Consumers Pros Cons No checkout queues Unable to examine products personally Reduced prices: Cost of purchases can be cheaper as a result of direct access to suppliers, cutting down the cost of intermediates. Not everyone is connected to the Internet Can shop anywhere in the world from home, office, or on the road, etc. You can get addicted Purchases can be made 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Customer fear of personal information being used wrongly. There is the possibility of credit card number theft. Wide selection to cater for all consumers On average only 1/9th of stock is available on the net Linguistic challenges & Cultural obstacles For Businesses