Unit 5

Technical Problems

Lecture 5 (page 41)

Ex. 6. d.: the phrases used in this exercise can be used later to help you in writing a
paragraph about a technical problem you have experienced (ex. 5. a.)

Ex. 6. e.:

1. It must be... (you are sure that this is the cause of the problem)

2. It sounds like it is... (You are not 100% sure that this is the cause, but you are
almost totally sure)

3. It could be/ It might be... (this is probably the cause of the problem)

4. I doubt it is... (You are almost totally sure that this is not the cause of the problem,
but not 100% sure)

5. It can't be... (You are sure that this is not the cause of the problem)

Now, try to do the following exercise:

1. It _________________ Jonathan whom you saw. He is away in Paris on a

business trip.

a. must be b. can't be c. may be

2. The engine runs for a while, then the temperature gauge goes into red. There
____________ something wrong with the cooling system.

a. can't be b. must be c. is certainly not

3. The starter motor sometimes works and sometimes does not. It _____________
be a loose connection.

a. can't b. mustn't c. might

4. The engine is down on power. It is almost new, so it ______________ a

manufacturing defect.

a. can't be b. sounds like it is c. is probably not

5. The warning message comes up only when you start the vehicle from cold. It
_____________ be a defective sensor.

a. mustn't b. sounds c. could

Answers:

1. can't be 2. must be 3. might 4. sounds like it is 5. Could

Ex. 7. a.: In this exercise, a problem is described in details. Read the text carefully.

Vocabulary items found in the text:

Dump (verb): through away/ get rid of something

Dump (noun): waste/ garbage/ trash

Dump truck

Quarry: an area that is dug out from a piece of land or the side of a mountain, in order
to get stones or minerals.

Progressively (adverb): gradually/ a little at a time

Apart from: except for/ not considering. For example: Apart from the salary, her job is
a good one (this means everything is good about the job except for the salary; it is not
good)

Consistently (adverb): steadily

Misfire (verb): fail to work properly because the fuel mixture burns at the wrong time.

Constant: fixed/ steady

Ex. 7. b.: A number of possible causes of the problem mentioned in 7.a. are listed.
Read them carefully and try to figure out one possible cause.

Once you have studied the above material, please do the following exercise. (the
answers are on the next page)

Fill the spaces with words from the given list"

dump / progressively / quarry / consistently / constant /

misfires

1. The engine ___misfires____________ when the fuel in it fails to ignite.

2. A large amount of coal is dug out from this ____quarry___________.

3. The _______dump_______ trucks take the garbage to a location far from the city.

4. This technology is ______consistently___________ improving.

5. Things are getting _____ progressively _______ worse. More and more people are
becoming sick.

6. The degree of power loss remains ______constant________ throughout a given

period of use.

Today's saying:

"There are no shortcuts to anyplace worth

going"

-Beverly Sills
Answers:

1. misfires 2. quarry 3. dump 4. consistently 5. progressively 6. constant