International Students NZ

Today’s picture: Early summer scene from Christchurch

What Skill is in the frame of Insects shown?
How fine the Threds, in their small Textures spun?
How close those Instruments and Engines knit,
Which Motion, and their slender Sense transmit?
Like living Watches, each of these conceals
A thousand Springs of Life, and moving wheels.
Each ligature a Lab'rynth seems, each part
All wonder is, all Workmanship and Art.
Rather let me this little Greatness know,
Then all the Mighty Acts of Great Ones do.
These Engines understand, rather than prove
An Archimedes, and the Earth remove.
These Atom-Worlds found out, I would despise
Colombus, and his vast Discoveries.

Greatness in Little - Richard Leigh (1675)

Part 1: Today's word

If a situation is stable it means it is not changing much and, in particular, isn’t becoming worse. So, for instance, it’s important to have a stable currency so that people can be confident about planning for the future. If a person has a stable temperament, it means they are not moody and tend to stay calm. In chemistry, if elements are stable, it means they don’t react very much, so that their state tends to stay the same. If a situation is very unstable, it may be necessary to do something to stabilise it. For example, when a patient is admitted to hospital, it may be necessary to wait until their condition becomes stabilised before the surgeons can think of operating. And, of course, there has been a focus on the stabilisation of the world economy over the last year or so.

interactive exercises on academic vocabulary and writing

Part 2: Test

Here are FOUR sentences with the word of the day. But only THREE are correct. Which is the Odd One Out?

The main attraction of a fixed-rate mortgage is the opportunity to stabilize personal outgoings over an extended period.

The value of the Brazilian currency was stabilized against the dollar for several years in the 1990s in order to control inflation.

The plants play a major role in stabilizing river banks and preventing them being washed away by the current.

The political and security situation will need to be stabilized in order for free and fair elections to be held in the country.

Part 3: Practice Questions:

What chemical elements are particularly unstable?
Do any of your friends (or teachers!) have an unstable temperament?
What measures have been taken to stabilise the banking sector?

Part 4: Vocabulary Focus

Divide these words into two groups: words which mean ‘very small’ and words that mean ‘very big’

tiny
miniscule
vast
minute
enormous
gigantic
microscopic
infinitesimal
huge
giant

Part 5: Kiwi Quiz Question

What has just become illegal to do while driving in New Zealand?

Part 6: Today’s online listening

This is an interview from Radio New Zealand with Professor Peter Schwerdtfeger from here at Massey University, Albany. He talks about what we know about the world of atoms and subatomic particles.

Vocabulary for the article:

the holy grail

Questions for the article:

1) Which particle helps to stabilise atoms?

electron
neutron
proton

2) Which of these is a component of a proton?

a quark
a nucleus
a quantum

3) Which of these is an example of an element existing in its ‘pure’ form in nature?

quartz
carbon dioxide
coal

4) Nitrogen atoms are unstable on their own because ...

they have undergone chemical bonding
there is an uneven number of electrons in the shell
there is an odd number of protons in the nucleus

5) Chemical reactions ...

involve a rearrangement of the shell
involve a rearrangement of the nucleus
involve a rearrangement of neutrons

6) Which of these is NOT one of the four fundamental forces of nature?

gravity
radiation
electromagnetism

7) Which of these scientists was one of the pioneers of quantum theory?

Heisenberg
Einstein
Rutherford

8) Which of these aspects of an electron cannot be determined?

its charge
its size
its mass

9) Which of these scientific ideas is especially strongly demonstrated in relation to gold?

the special theory of relativity

the uncertainty principle

The second law of thermodynamics

10) Electrons in the inner shell of a gold atom are travelling at great speed and therefore ..

are unstable
have a greater mass
are more reactive

11) Peter Schwerdtfeger is critical of ....

the focus on practical applications of research
the search for answers to fundamental scientific questions
the artificial separation between different disciplines in the sciences

12) Which force is particularly responsible for the solid quality of materials?

gravitational
electromagnetic
nuclear

Today’s media link:
Running the length of New Zealand

Today’s Video suggestion:
Fun Theory : a wonderful site with examples of ‘fun’ technologies to encourage better living
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