TOPIC: FUEL NATURAL RESOURCES
MENU: brushing up the words and phrases connected with fuel industry
listening comprehension
reading for a gist; noting the main idea in one sentence
commenting on graphs and diagrams
T. Good morning. So, we are ready for our a little bit unusual lesson, since we have got guests today. We have already discussed The UK’s and The USA’s natural resources and today we are exploring Russia’s fuel resources. The menu is on the blackboard, so have a look & let’s start.
Slide 1 [Приложение 1]
T. Comment on this slide, please.
S. This is the map of The Russian Federation and its symbols: matryoshka, valenky, samovar, Spasskaya tower, sub-machine gun.
T. Ok, but what’s Russia associated with today?
S. Gas & oil.
Slide 2 [Приложение 1]
T. Russia is a vast country, the largest in the world, and possesses both fuel and non-fuel natural resources. What non-fuel could you name which are extracted in Russia ?
Ss. zinc, copper, silver, gold, phosphate rock, lead, iron, uranium, timber, tin, cobalt, potassium, tungsten, minerals.
T. Good for you. What are the main fuel natural resources which are mined in Russia?
S. Oil, gas, coal and peat.
Slide 3 [Приложение 1]
T. What does the slide demonstrate?
S. It demonstrates world natural gas resources.
T. Let’s brush up the words which are associated with fuel industry. Work in pairs. You have 2 min to make a list.
T. How many have you written? (the pair which has written most is answering)
S. High-pressure pipelines, submarine pipelines, a refinery, offshore oil, thermal power stations, nuclear power stations, lifespan of a gas field, volume of gas production, gas output, a barrel, cubic meters.
T. Russia produces huge amounts of natural gas and it’s the second largest oil producer in the world. Before we turn to Listening task, let’s remember other oil or gas producing countries.
S. Iran, Iraq, India, The UK, The USA, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Libya.
T. Look through the task & get ready for it. You’re going to listen to it twice.
Students are doing Listening Comprehension task. [Приложение 2]
T. Let’s check now.
Students ’ responses.
T. What’s, in your view, the main concept of the text you’ve heard?
S. Russia is strengthening its position as an energy supplier and, undoubtedly, the need for gas & oil is increasing more & more.
Slide 4 [Приложение 1]
T. Ruins, thousands of victims, lack of food and medicines &, to cap it all, radiation. How could you comment on these slides?
S. The Nuclear Power Stations of Japan were damaged on the earthquake on the 11th of March, 2011, which affected public opinion on them.
T. You are absolutely right. Many politicians have claimed that it is the beginning of the end of nuclear age. In view of the latest events, the steady growth of gas and oil cannot be ignored. I suggest you watch the next slide & explain it.
Slide 5 [Приложение 1]
S. It’s Kovyktinskoye gas & condensate field in East Siberia, which is located in Irkutsk region and expected to be one of the largest natural gas accumulations in the world.
T. Excellent. Let’s carry on with reading. Do task 1, please, to find out what kind of text it is. [Приложение 3]
S. This is a scientific article.
T. Right you are. Now you have two minutes to skim for a gist.
S. The text contains key facts about Kovyktinskoye gas accumulation.
T. Let’s have a look at the structure of the text now.
S1. There are six paragraphs in this text: introduction, conclusion & four parts of the main body.
S2. The 1st paragraph of the main body is a general description of the gas field.
S3. The 2nd paragraph of the main body is an explanation of advantages of gas.
S4. The 3rd paragraph is a narration about the potential market of gas.
S5. The 4th paragraph is a narration about the lifespan of the field.
T. Excellent. Will you study the next diagram attentively and answer the questions?
Slide 6 [Приложение 1]
Students’ answers.
Slide 7 [Приложение 1]
Students’ comments.
T. Let us sum up. We can draw a spidergram to point out the benefits and drawbacks of the growing export of gas and oil.
S1. The development of Kovyktinskoye and other ‘fields’ will bring a great number of working places.
S2. It will bring huge amounts of foreign currency into Russian economy.
S3. Gas burns cleanly and efficiently and can play a major role in reducing urban and industrial pollution.
T. Wonderful and what are the disadvantages?
S4. Russia relies very heavily on exports of fuel resources and the industrial sector is mostly run down and uncompetitive.
S5. Our resources are not inexhaustible.
T. Your answers are absolutely right but I have to add that we need to find new sources of energy which are environmentally friendly, and use energy more efficiently. Thank you.