UNIT 1

Engineering - What's it all about?

A. Understanding a printed text
This passage will give you some information about different branches of engineering. Now
look at the following tasks:

1. List the main branches of engineering

2. Read this text to find out how many of the branches listed are mentioned

Branches of Engineering

Engineering is largely a practical activity. It is about putting ideas into action. Civil
engineering is concerned with making bridges, roads, airports, etc. Mechanical
engineering deals with the design and manufacture of tools and machines. Electrical
engineering is about the generation and distribution of electricity and its many
applications. Electronic engineering is concerned with developing components and
equipment for communications, computing, and so on.

Mechanical engineering includes marine, automobile, aeronautical, heating and

ventilating, and others. Electrical engineering includes electricity generating, electrical
installation, lighting, etc. Mining and medical engineering belong partly to mechanical and
partly to electrical.

Transport: Cars, trains, ships, and planes are all products of mechanical engineering.
Mechanical engineers are also involved in support services such as roads, rail track,
harbours, and bridges.

Food processing: Mechanical engineers design, develop, and make the machine and the
processing equipment for harvesting, preparing and preserving the foods and drinks that
fill the supermarkets.
Medical engineering: Body scanners, X-ray machines, life-support systems, and other
high-tech equipment result from mechanical and electrical engineers combining with
medical experts to convert ideas into life-saving and life-preserving products.

Building services: Electrical engineers provide all the services we need in our homes and
places of work, including lighting, heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, refrigeration, and
lifts.

Energy and power: Electrical engineers are concerned with the production and
distribution of electricity to homes, offices, industry, hospitals, colleges and schools, and
the installation and maintenance of the equipment involved in these processes.

Vocabulary

aeronautical [eərə'nɔ:tikəl] adj thuộc về hàng không

application [æpli'kei∫n] n sự áp dụng, ứng dụng
automobile ['ɔ:təməbi:l] n xe ô tô
body scanner ['bɔdi 'skænə] n máy chụp, chiếu toàn thân
branch [brɑ:nt∫] n Ngành
cable ['keibl] n dây điện, dây cáp
concern [kən'sə:n] n, v mối liên quan, có quan hệ
combine ['kɒmbain] v kết hợp, hợp nhất
communication [kə,mju:ni'kei∫n] n viễn thông, sự trao đổi thông
tin
component [kəm'pounənt] n cấu kiện, bộ phận, linh kiện
computing [kəm'pju:tiη] n tin học
design [di'zain] n, v sự thiết kế, thiết kế
distribution [,distri'bju:∫n] n sự phân bố
electrical [i'lektrikəl] adj thuộc về/ liên quan đến điện
engineering [,endʒi'niəriη] n kỹ thuật
equipment [i'kwipmənt] n đồ trang bị, đồ dùng, thiết bị
generation [,dʒenə'rei∫n] v sự phát ra, tạo ra, sinh ra
harbour ['hɑ:bə] n cảng
harvest ['hɑ:vist] v gặt hái, thu hoạch
heating ['hi:tiη] n nhiệt, sưởi ấm
include [in'klu:d] v bao gồm
industry ['indəstri] n ngành công nghiệp
installation [,instə'lei∫n] n sự lắp đặt
* electrical ~ n sự lắp đặt điện
involve [in'vɔlv] v gồm có, liên quan tới
lighting ['laitiη] n sự thắp sáng, chiếu sáng
lift [lift] n thang máy
machine [mə'∫i:n] n máy móc
maintenance ['meintinəns] n bảo quản, bảo dưỡng
manufacture [mænju'fækt∫ə] n, v sản xuất
marine [mə'ri:n] adj thuộc về hàng hải, biển
mine [main] v, n đào, khai thác, hầm mỏ
partly ['pɑ:tli] adv một phần
prepare [pri'peə] v chuẩn bị
preserve [pri'zə:v] v giữ gìn, bảo tồn, bảo quản
process ['prouses] n, v sự chế biến, xử lý, chế biến,
produce ['prɒdju:s] v sản xuất
rail track [reil] [træk] n đường sắt
result in [ri'zʌlt] phr dẫn đến, kết quả là
support [sə'pɔ:t] n, v sự hỗ trợ, ủng hộ, hỗ trợ,
switchgear [swit∫giə] n công tắc, hộp số
tool [tu:l] n công cụ, dụng cụ
ventilation [,venti'lei∫n] n sự thông gió, thông hơi
B. Check your understanding
1. Complete the blanks in this diagram using information from the text.

Engineering

Civil 1 Electrical 2

3 Automobile Aeronautical 4 Electricity Electrical 6

5 installation

7 Medical

2. Put T or F to indicate if the statements below are true or false:

a. Engineering is about putting ideas into action.
b. Mechanical engineering is concerned with making bridges, roads, airports, etc.
c. Electrical engineering is about developing components and equipment for
communications, computing and so on.
d. Cars, trains, ships and planes are all products of civil engineering
e. Mechanical engineers deal with the design, making the machines and the
processing equipment for harvesting, preparing and preserving the food that fill the
supermarkets.
f. Mechanical engineers are concerned with the production and distribution of electricity
to homes, offices, and industry.

C. Word study Word formation – Suffixes

Suffixes are endings on words. They change the form of the word, for example, from a
noun to an adjective or from a verb to a noun.

Eg. aeronautics – aeronautical; act – action; install – installation

1. Complete the table

- al -ion - ation
noun adjective verb noun verb Noun
electricity distribute install
mechanics refrigerate combine
practice generate transport
industry ventilate form

2. Fill the blanks with the correct forms of the words in brackets
a. When developing a new engine, scientists want to ____________ high power output
and low fuel____________ (COMBINE/CONSUME)
b. Body scanners can give doctors far more ____________ than X-rays and there’s no
risk to the patient. (INFORM)
c. Do you know what branch of engineering electrical ____________ belongs to?
(INSTALL)
d. _____________ preserves foods and drinks by lowering their temperature.
(REFRIGERATE)
e. _____________engineering appeared as a field during the _____________ revolution
in Europe in the 18th century. (MECHANICS/INDUSTRY)

3. What is the link between column A and column B?

A B
mechanical machines
electrical electricity
Column A lists a branch of engineering or a type of engineer. Column B lists
things they are concerned with. We can show the link between them in a number of ways:

1. Mechanical engineering deals with machines.

2. Mechanical engineering is concerned with machines.
3. Machines are the concern of mechanical engineers.

Match each item in column A with an appropriate item from column B and link the two in
a sentence:
A B
1. marine a. tools and machines
2. aeronautical b. roads and bridges
3. heating and ventilating c. body scanners
4. electricity generating d. cables and switchgear
5. automobile e. communications and equipment
6. civil f. ships
7. electronic g. planes
8. electrical installation h. cars and trucks
9. medical i. power stations
10. mechanical j. air-conditioning

1.................................................................................................................................
2. ...............................................................................................................................
3. ...............................................................................................................................
4.................................................................................................................................
5.................................................................................................................................
6.................................................................................................................................
7.................................................................................................................................
8.................................................................................................................................
9 ................................................................................................................................
10……………………………………………………………………………...……………..
D. Language study
1. Present simple
2. Present continuous
3. Simple past
4. Present perfect
5. Future
Tense Revision
S + V (-s; -es)
S + is/am/ are + V-ing
S + V-ed
S + have/has + past participle
S + will + V(infinitive)/ to be + V-ing/ to be going to

Put the verbs in brackets in the correct form.

1. Engineering (be) ……………an aspect of life since the beginning of human existence.
2. A long time ago, before the development of nuclear power plants, people
(have)................ the sun as their source for mechanical energy.
3. A combustion engine (can/ convert)............................... heat into mechanical energy?
4. You (know) ……………………. who (invent)……………..……. the steam engine?
5. Nowadays, scientists (do) ....................different research to find out better materials to
produce cars, ships and planes.
6. People hope that the Government (spend) ......................more money building hospitals
with modern medical equipment in the coming years.
7. A German scientist, Wilhelm Konrad Roentgen, (discover)........................ X-rays by
accident when he was doing an experiment with electricity.
8. Scientists and engineers (apply)……………..……a lot of modern equipment and
technology in food processing recently?
9. Internal combustion engines so far (appear)........................ in almost all vehicles such
as automobiles, trucks, motorcycles and boats.
10.Many people (think) ….…………………that the earliest practice of civil engineering
(start) …………….………..between 4000 and 2000 BC.

E. Writing Summarizing a text from a diagram

Fill in the gaps in the following description of the different branches of engineering using
information from this diagram and language you have learnt in this unit.
 Engineering

Civil Mechanical ______________________ Electrical Electronic

Marine Automobile Aeronautical Heating and Electricity Electrical

ventilating generating installation Lighting

Mining Medical

The main branches of engineering are civil, (1)..................., (2) ..............., and electronic.
Mechanical engineering is(3)...................(4) .....................machinery of all kinds. This
branch of engineering includes (5) ......................, automobile,(6) ..........................,and
heating and ventilating. The first three are concerned with transport: (7)
........................,cars and planes. The last(8)……................with air-conditioning,
refrigeration, etc. Electrical engineering deals with (9) …...................... from generation to
use. Electricity generating is concerned with (10) ..................... stations. Electrical
installation deals (11)........................cables, switchgear, and connecting up electrical
equipment. Two branches of engineering include both (12) ..........................and
(13)........................engineers.These are mining and (14) ........................engineering. The
former deals with mines and mining equipment, the latter with hospital (15)
.........................of all kinds.

F. Further Practice
1. Translate into English
a. Tôi là sinh viên năm thứ hai khoa cơ khí trường Đại học giao thông. Chúng tôi đang
học tiếng Anh chuyên ngành cơ khí.
……………………………………………………………………………………………….……
………………………………………………………………………………………….
b. Có bốn ngành kỹ thuật chính là kỹ thuật cơ khí, kỹ thuật công trình, kỹ thuật điện và kỹ
thuật điện tử.
………………………………………………………………………………………………..........
..………………………………………………………………………………………..
c. Bạn có biết kỹ thuật cơ khí liên quan đến lĩnh vực nào không?
……………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
d. Việc sản xuất, phân phối và lắp đặt điện là lĩnh vực thuộc về kỹ thuật điện.
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
e. Có phải ô tô, tàu hỏa, tàu thủy và máy bay tất cả đều là sản phẩm của kỹ thuật cơ khí
không?
…………………………………………………………………………………….…………
……………………………………………………………………………………….………

2. Translate into Vietnamese

1. Electrical engineering is about generating and supplying power.
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
2. Electronic engineering is about designing and making machines that use electric
power.
………………………………………………………………………………..………………
3. Civil engineering is about designing, building, and looking after structures.
………………………………………………………………………….…………………….
4. Marine engineering is applying engineering to take advantage of the sea.
……………………………………………………………………………………………….
5. Manufacturing engineering is about making useful things from raw materials.
…………………………………………………………………….………………………….

3. Put the list of common technical words into groups using the table below.

mechanical mechanism mechanics mechanic

electronics electron electronic
technical technology technician
electricity electrician electrical
engineer engine engineering

Subjects People and jobs Things Adjectives

engineering engineer engine engineering