Technical English II Practice Civil Engineering M.Sc. Lic.

Rosario Molina Gareca

PRACTICE UNIT 3
Sala N°………………
Participants surnames and names in alphabetical order:

1.-
2.-
3.-

VOCABULARY
Task 1. Complete the sentences with appropriate words from the unit:

levee, channel, fluid mechanics, canals, and spillway.

a) …………spillway…..
…… is a type of landform consisting of the outline of a path of relatively shallow and
narrow body of fluid; it is typically outlined in terms of its bed and banks.
b) …canals………. are man-made channels for water. There are two types: waterways
and aqueducts.

c) …levee…. dike, embankment, floodbank or stopbank is a natural or artificially

constructed wall, which regulates water levels. It is usualw and often parallel to the
course of a river to prevent the flood.

d) ……fluid mechanics…… is the branch of physics that studies fluids and the forces on
them. It can be divided into fluid statics, the study of fluids at rest; fluid kinematics,
the study of fluids in motion; and fluid dynamics, the study of the effect of forces on
fluid motion.

e) …channel… is a passageway through which surplus water escapes from a reservoir or

lake.

READING
Task 2. Read the text and identify the disadvantages of dams’ construction.

Impact assessment in Dam construction

Impact is assessed in several ways: the benefits to human society, nature and wildlife, impact on
the geology of an area – whether the change to water flow and levels will increase or decrease stability,
and the disruption to human lives (relocation, loss of archeological or cultural matters underwater).
Environmental impact
A large dam can cause the loss of entire ecospheres, including endangered and undiscovered
species in the area, and the replacement of the original environment by a new inland lake. Large
reservoirs formed behind dams have been indicated in the contribution of seismic activity, due to changes
in water load and/or the height of the water table.
Dams are also found to have a role in the increase of global warming. The changing water levels
in dams and in reservoirs are one of the main sources for greenhouse gas like methane. While dams and
the water behind them cover only a small portion of earth's surface, they harbour biological activity that
can produce large amounts of greenhouse gases.

Human social impact

The impact on human society is also significant. Nick Cullather argues that dam construction
requires the state to displace individual people in the name of the common good, and that it often leads
to abuses of the masses by planners. He cites Morarji Desai, Interior Minister of India, in 1960 speaking
to villagers upset about the Pong Dam, who threatened to "release the waters" and drown the villagers if
Technical English II Practice Civil Engineering M.Sc. Lic. Rosario Molina Gareca

Environment Human society

a) ………………………………………. a) ……………………………………………….
b) ……………………………………….. b) ……………………………………………….
c) …………………………………………. c)……………………………………………………

GRAMMAR
Task 3. Complete the table with words from the reading (task 2).

Prefix Root Word Translation of the new word

Re locate relocate Reubicar, relocalizar

En dangered Endangered En peligro de extinción

Un Discovered Undiscovered Desconocido

In Crease Increase Incrementar

Suffix Root Word Sentence

-ty

-tion

-al

-ment

-er

-able

Task 4. Read the two texts again and summarize the main ideas in Spanish.

__________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

Task 5. Read the text again and translate it into Spanish by using the Semantic Method.

Environmental impact
A large dam can cause the loss of entire ecospheres, including endangered and undiscovered
species in the area, and the replacement of the original environment by a new inland lake. Large
reservoirs formed behind dams have been indicated in the contribution of seismic activity, due to
changes in water load and/or the height of the water table.
Technical English II Practice Civil Engineering M.Sc. Lic. Rosario Molina Gareca

Dams are also found to have a role in the increase of global warming. The changing water
levels in dams and in reservoirs are one of the main sources for greenhouse gas like methane. While
dams and the water behind them cover only a small portion of earth's surface, they harbour biological
activity that can produce large amounts of greenhouse gases.

Una presa larga puede causar la pérdida de ecosferas enteras, incluidas las especies en peligro
de extinción y no descubiertas en el área, y el reemplazo del medio ambiente original por un
nuevo lago interior. Las grandes reservas formadas detrás de las presas se han indicado en la
contribución de la actividad sísmica, debido a cambios en la carga de agua y / o la altura del
nivel freático.
También se ha descubierto que las presas influyen en el aumento del calentamiento global.
Los niveles cambiantes del agua en presas y embalses son una de las principales fuentes de
gases de efecto invernadero como el metano. Si bien las presas y el agua detrás de ellas
cubren solo una pequeña parte de la superficie terrestre, albergan una actividad biológica que
puede producir grandes cantidades de gases de efecto invernadero.

Tarija October 29th., 2021