ENGLISH

1st Year
- Part I -

University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine

Faculty of Agriculture

Specialisation: Biology

Bucharest
2024
 UNIT 1
HOW DO YOU DO?

Exercise 1. Introducing oneself in English (I). The way you introduce and present yourself
provides people with a first impression of you. How to introduce yourself depends on the type of
situation (formal or casual) and how many people are present but generally there are some basic
things you need to do.
a) Watch a video about how to introduce yourself informally and write down the type of
information you should give when you meet someone:
A) ______________________________
...........................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................
B) ______________________________
...........................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................
C) ______________________________
...........................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................

b) Character and personality. Quite often we are asked to talk about our qualities and defects
(Remember that one of the most common questions asked during job interviews refers to
personal strengths and weaknesses).
Read the following text about the essential psychological types that influence people’s character
and behaviour, and match the four basic temperaments with their description:
choleric phlegmatic melancholic sanguine
- If a person is highly talkative, enthusiastic, active and social, s/he is
considered ............................................ They tend to be more extroverted and enjoy being part of
a crowd; they find that being outgoing and charismatic is easy to accomplish. Individuals with
this personality have a hard time doing nothing and engage in more risk seeking behaviour.
 - If someone tends to be more extroverted is regarded as ............................................
They are described as independent, decisive, goal-oriented and ambitious. Combined with their
dominant, result-oriented outlook, these features of character make them natural leaders.
However, sometimes they tend to be violent, vengeful and short-tempered.
- ............................................ people tend to be analytical and diligent, and they are deep
thinkers and feelers. They are introverted and try to avoid being singled out in a crowd. This type
of personality leads to self-reliant individuals who are thoughtful, reserved and often
anxious. They often strive for perfection within themselves and their surroundings, which leads
to tidy and detail oriented behaviour.
- An individual who tends to be relaxed, peaceful, quiet, and easy-going is labelled
as ............................................ They are sympathetic and care about others, yet they try to hide
their emotions. This type of individuals are also good at generalising ideas or problems to the
world and making compromises.

c) What kind of person are you? To find out your personality type, take the test at
https://semac.16characters.com/

Exercise 2. Introducing oneself in English (II). In a professional setting, you need to focus on
your role and responsibilities withing the company.
a) Listen to the conversation and write down the details you hear:
Larina Rios
- Workplace ………………………………………………………………………………………..
- Job ..………………………………………………………………………………………………
- Duration …………………………………………………………………………………………..
- Current projects ..
………………………………………………………………………………….
George Paterson
- Workplace ………………………………………………………………………………………..
- Job ..………………………………………………………………………………………………
- Duration …………………………………………………………………………………………..
- Current projects ..
………………………………………………………………………………….
 April Wei
- Workplace ………………………………………………………………………………………..
- Job ..………………………………………………………………………………………………
- Duration …………………………………………………………………………………………..
- Current projects ..
………………………………………………………………………………….
Amar Kumar
- Workplace ………………………………………………………………………………………..
- Job ..………………………………………………………………………………………………
- Duration …………………………………………………………………………………………..
- Current projects ..
………………………………………………………………………………….
Joey Marino
- Workplace ………………………………………………………………………………………..
- Job ..………………………………………………………………………………………………
- Duration …………………………………………………………………………………………..
- Current projects ..
………………………………………………………………………………….

b) Watch a video clip and discuss the way the characters introduce themselves at work.

Exercise 3. Small talk in every-day situations. Match the questions and sentences below with
the right replies (you must use all the given sentences):

No, the whole family. On business? So am I.

They are over there. What are you doing here? Yes.
Well, well, Jon, fancy meeting you here.

A: Jack, is this Jack, isn’t it?

B: _______________________________
A: Small world, isn’t it?
B: _______________________________
A: I’m here on holiday with my wife. And you?
 B: _______________________________
A: Only yourself?
B: _______________________________

How do you do, Ms. Alice? How do you do? I’m glad to meet you.
Jack, it’s nice to meet you. Same here. Yes, I am.

A: I believe you’re Mr. Smith, aren’t you?

B: _______________________________
A: How do you do? My name is Jack. I’m glad to be here.
B: _______________________________
C: May I introduce myself? My name is Alice.
A: _______________________________
C: How do you do? It’s my pleasure to meet you.
A: _______________________________

And you? How’s Jack? OK, I’ll call you. Yes, not too bad.
Maybe we could have a together sometime. I’ve got to, if I want to get a pay raise.

A: Hello Kate! Overtime again, are you?

B: _______________________________
A: How are things going? Everything is all right?
B: _______________________________
A; I’m doing good. Thank you.
B: _______________________________
A: Oh, he’s all right. But busy as usual.
B: _______________________________
A: Sounds like a great idea. You are the boss.
B: _______________________________

Which of the above conversations is proper for the following situation?

- I. Greeting a familiar face
- II. Introducing oneself
 - III. Meeting accidentally

Exercise 4. Coming or going? Listen to some more formal conversations and decide whether the
people are arriving or leaving:

1. .......................................... 2. ..........................................
3. .......................................... 4 ..........................................
5 ..........................................

* Listen to conversation 1 again:

- Was the meeting successful? What do they say about it?
- What do they say Thank you for?

* Listen to conversation 2 again and answer the questions:

Did you have ……… ……… finding us?
…...... …...... …...... a cup of coffee first?

* Listen to conversation 3 again:

- Where is the woman’s passport?
- What other ID does she have?
- What does she need to do?

* Listen to conversation 4 again and rearrange the sentences in the right order:
.......... You’re welcome. .......... Where are you going? To the station?
.......... Do you want me to give you a lift? .......... Yes, go ahead.
.......... Can I use your phone? .......... Yes.
.......... I just need to call a taxi. .......... Could you? That’s very kind of you.

* Listen to conversation 5 again:

- What does he need to do to enter the building?
- Where is the office?
- How does he ask for help?
Complete the sentences:
I’m ………………………………. I have three big boxes to ………………………………. up.
Can somebody ………………………………. me a ……………………………….?

Exercise 5. Spelling. In English, learning to write words by pronouncing letters in the right order
helps us avoid embarrassing situations.
a) Revise the English alphabet and note some differences in pronunciation.
- British English and American English

- Consonants

- Vowels

b) Say these letters aloud and cross out the letter with a different sound:
1. a, j, k, v 2. b, c, h, g 3. q, w, u, z 4. d, e, t, y
5. i, l, n, s 6. g, p, r, t 7. f, j, s, x 8. l, m, n, o

c) Listen to some words and write them down:

 ........................................................... ...........................................................
........................................................... ...........................................................
........................................................... ...........................................................
........................................................... ...........................................................
........................................................... ...........................................................

Exercise 6. What’s your name? Could you spell that? a) Practise spelling your forename and
surname (also, your middle name, if you have one).

b) Watch a video and write down the names that the people spell.

........................................................... ........................................................…
........................................................... ........................................................…
........................................................... ........................................................…
........................................................... ........................................................…
........................................................... ...........................................................
...........................................................

Exercise 7. a) Say these company names. Then listen to eight people say who they work for and
write the number next to the correct company name:

…... BBC …… SHV …… LTV

…... SAP …… GEC …… NBC
……WSY …… KAO …… CSX
…... NKK …… CBS …… IBM
…… BTR …… TJX …… ICI

b) Listen to the dialogue and fill in the gaps with the right words, paying attention to the visitor’s
name:

- Good morning.
- Good morning. I’m here to see John Heath.
- What’s your name, please?
 - It’s ……………………………………….……………….
- How do you spell that?
- My first name’s …………………………………………..
- And your last name?
- ………………………., that’s ………….………..……….
- And what company are you with?
- I work for …………..………. Technologies.
- ………………..….?
- That’s right.
- Thank you. Please have a seat.

Exercise 8. Spelling and pronunciation. Saying the order of the letters in a word is not the same
thing as saying the word itself.
a) Watch a video about the pronunciation of some common words. How do you pronounce
them?

b) How do you spell the following names? How do you say them?
Douglas Graham Hugh
Leigh Leonard Murray
Seymour Keith Kirk
Jack Jake Joan

Durham Fulham Tottenham

Alnwick Chiswick Warwick
Bromwich Greenwich Norwich
Leicester Gloucester Worcester

Exercise 9. Writing e-mail addresses. There are also situations when you are asked to spell out
your e-mail address or important websites. You need to use the following words:
at dot hyphen
one word underscore slash
backslash colon
a) Listen and write down the e-mail address:
A Can I have your email address, Jean-Luc?
B Sure, no problem. It’s ……………………, that’s ……………………
A …...…………………? Is that all one word?
B Yes, one word, then …..…………………

b) Listen to a phone call and correct the e-mail address, explaining the mistakes:
[email protected]
- Correct: ……………………………………………………………………

c) Write down the email and web addresses that you hear:

............................................................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................
…........................................................................................................................................
….......................................................
....................................................................................................................................
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………….

Exercise 10. Abbreviations. a) Read the text below and think of other shortened forms of words
or expressions that you may use every day:
Sometimes people need to send complex messages in a very short time, so they need to
develop creative ways to be effective. There are terms that have become so popular that they are
now included in the dictionaries. The AP Stylebook includes IMO (“In my opinion”), ROFL
(“Rolling on the floor laughing”) and BFF (“Best friends forever”), while Merriam-Webster
defines LOL (“Laugh out loud”) and OMG (“Oh my God”).
Misunderstanding the jargon can be at least embarrassing. For example, there was this
woman whose friend’s mother had died. The woman texted her friend: “I’m so sorry to hear
about your mother passing away. LOL. Let me know if there’s anything I can do.” It turns out
she thought LOL meant “Lots of love.”

b) Can you guess what these letters stand for?

- CID ………………………………………………………………………
- GBTW ………………………………………………………………………
- GFTD ………………………………………………………………………
- HAND ………………………………………………………………………
- IAT ………………………………………………………………………
- IMS ………………………………………………………………………
- KUTGW ………………………………………………………………………
- NMP ………………………………………………………………………
- PCM ………………………………………………………………………
- WRUD ………………………………………………………………………

NOTES
 UNIT 2
WHAT DO YOU DO?

Exercise 1. Jobs, professions, occupations (I). How many job names can you list below?
 Which of the jobs you have listed do you consider:
- the most admired?
- the highest paying?
- the most dangerous?

b) Can you guess what these people actually do?

- accounting ninja …………………………………………………………………………….
- chief chatter …………………………………………………………………………….
- digital overlord …………………………………………………………………………….
- dream alchemist …………………………………………………………………………….
- initiative officer ...........…………………………………………………………………….
- marketing rock star .........…………………………………………………………………….
- problem wrangler …………………………………………………………………………….
- retail jedi ...........…………………………………………………………………………….
- room attendant ....…………………………………………………………………………….
- wet leisure attendant ...……………………………………………………………………….

Exercise 2. Work-related vocabulary. Choose the right word that matches the explanations:
- to inspire, to induce, to give a reason or incentive to someone to do something.
A) motivate B) promote C) provoke
- a person employed by someone else, working for money.
A) earner B) employee C) employer
- relations between employers and employees, managers and workers, management and
unions.
A) human relations B) labour relations C) labour unions
- having control of something as part of your job.
A) command B) power C) responsibility
- money paid (per hour or day or week) to manual workers.
A) earnings B) salary C) wages
 - a fixed regular payment made by employers, usually monthly, for professional or office
work.
A) earnings B) salary C) wages
- advantages that come with a job, apart from wages or salary.
A) benefits or perks B) profits C) supplements
- to be raised to a higher rank or better job.
A) motivation B) promotion C) sales promotion
- knowing that there is little risk of losing one's job.
A) bureaucracy B) job safety C) job security
- having particular abilities, acquired by training.
A) educated B) skilled C) talented

b) Complete the following sentences with the right word:

broker doctor judge nurse pilot
potter shepherd soldier tailor tinker
- He was not in good shape, having to …………………………… an injury.
- Let’s run the scheme as a kind of trial, a …………………………… project.
- The candidate stood as a ‘Mr Clean’, as an honest ……………………………
- She’s the perfect applicant - ……………………………-made for the post.
- He loved to …………………………… around, doing unnecessary necessities.
- From an early age she loved to …………………………… with mechanical things.
- In vain did he protest that he was as sober as a ……………………………
- The crooked manager had …………………………… the accounts for years.
- The teacher had to …………………………… her class of 25 around the city.
- He’s not going to retire next year, he’ll …………………………… on.

Exercise 3. Job-related outfit, tools and instruments. a) Which jobs need the following special
clothing?
- apron: …………………………………………………………………………….
- earmuffs: …………………………………………………………………………….
- face shield: …………………………………………………………………………….
- gas mask: …………………………………………………………………………….
- goggles: …………………………………………………………………………….
- cap: …………………………………………………………………………….
- high-visibility vest: …….…………………………………………………………………….
- knee-high boots: …………………………………………………………………………….
- overalls: …………………………………………………………………………….
- rubber gloves: …………………………………………………………………………….
- safety helmet: …………………………………………………………………………….
- suit and tie: …………………………………………………………………………….
- toque: …………………………………………………………………………….

b) Which jobs need the following special implements?

- blender: …………………………………………………………………………….
- calculator: …………………………………………………………………………….
- compass: …………………………………………………………………………….
- hose: …………………………………………………………………………….
- ladle: …………………………………………………………………………….
- marker: …………………………………………………………………………….
- microscope: …………………………………………………………………………….
- oven: …………………………………………………………………………….
- power drill: …………………………………………………………………………….
- printer: …………………………………………………………………………….
- scissors: …………………………………………………………………………….
- screwdriver: …………………………………………………………………………….
- shovel: …………………………………………………………………………….
- test tube: …………………………………………………………………………….
- thermometre: …………………………………………………………………………….

Exercise 4. Work and happiness. a) In your opinion, is it important to be happy at work? Why
(not)?
Listen to somebody talking about his past and current jobs, and answer the following questions:
- What is the speaker’s current job? How long has he had this job?
….…………………………………………………………………………………………………
- Does he find any advantages in his job?
….…………………………………………………………………………………………………
 - What was his previous job? How long did he do it?
….…………………………………………………………………………………………………
- Is the speaker happy with his present job? Do you think he was happy with the previous one?
….…………………………………………………………………………………………………
- How would you explain people’s reaction? Identify the words referring to their reaction.
….…………………………………………………………………………………………………

b) What was the worst job experience you have ever had? Do you think you could have changed
anything about it?
Listen to two friends talking about their worst jobs and fill in the following chart:
BONNIE MIKE
Job

Responsibilities

Why it was a bad job

Exercise 5. Introduction to Biology. Read the text below and match the names of the main
branches of biology with their explanations:
Cytology Ecology Evolutionism Genetics
Histology Morphology Physiology Taxonomy
- ………………………………: This branch deals with both the external and internal
structures of an organism. The subject concerning internal structures is also known as Anatomy.
- ………………………………: Each living organism consists of one or more cells. The
structures and functions of the cells are treated in this branch of biology.
- ………………………………: In this branch discussion is made on the structure,
location and function of different tissues.
- ………………………………: This branch includes all the activities of the living
things, e.g growth, respiration, excretion, photosynthesis and other biological activities.
- ………………………………: In this branch discussion is made on the identification,
naming and classification of plants and animals into groups and subgroups.
 - ………………………………: How different characters are inherited from parents to
offsprings, and how the processes can be controlled and improved etc. are brought under study
and research in this branch.
- ………………………………: This branch considers the effects of the environment on
the living organisms or living communities, as well as the interaction between them.
- ………………………………: This branch deals with the origin and successive
transformations of the living organisms.

Exercise 6. What does a biologist do? a) As a biologist, you will have various duties and
responsibilities. Do you think you:
- will travel a lot?
- use a computer?
- work long hours?
- work night shifts?
- need to wear special clothing?
- work outside?
- meet a lot of different people?
- make a lot of money?

b) Listen to a brief presentation of the activities of a biologist and fill in the text with the right
words and expressions:
If you enjoy developing scientific ………………… and devising ………………… to
prove them, a career as a biological scientist could prove challenging and rewarding. Biological
scientists study ………………… organisms; they specialize in a particular area of biology, such
as the study of animals (…………………) or the study of tiny organisms (…………………).
Their research can lead to improvements in medicines and the environment.
Some biological scientists are employed by private industry, performing
…………………, ………………… and the ………………… of new products. Others seek
grants to cover the cost of specific research at ………………… or universities where they might
also teach. And trained scientists are always welcome in middle and high-school classrooms
where their hands-on experience in ………………… science enhances their ability to engage
young people. Most biological scientists have advanced degrees: a …………………’s or
………………… but some non-research positions require only a …………………’s degree.
Some of the work that biological scientists do involves ………………… substances or
………………… organisms but the scientists protect themselves by following safety procedures.
They are pioneers on the …………………, making the world better for those who follow.

Exercise 6. What a biologist should know (I): English. a) Varieties of English. English is
spoken in many countries either as the mother tongue or as a second language. That is why
instead of ‘English’ there are many ‘Englishes’ – variations of the language: British, American,
Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, South Asian, African. The differences are somewhat minor
(they involve mostly pronunciation and vocabulary) and tend to enrich communication rarther
than slow it down.
Watch a short clip about the best-known varieties of English and write down the
differences:

- British English: ………………………………………………………………………………

- American English: ………………………………………………………………………………
- Australian English: ………………………………………………………………………………

- British English: ………………………………………………………………………………

- American English: ………………………………………………………………………………
- Australian English: ………………………………………………………………………………

b) For the Europeans, British and American are the most important varieties of English.
- What do you know about the differences between the two varieties regarding: spelling,
pronunciation, word stress, vocabulary, grammar?

- What are the corresponding words for the following?

British English American English
autumn
biscuit
drugstore
chips
 film
apartment
vacation
lift
pavement
mail
bar
candy
torch

- British and American slang (very informal words and phrases that are more common in speech
than writing, and are typically restricted to a particular context or group of people). Listen to the
dialogue, and write down the words you hear and their meanings:

- There are many words that have different meanings in British and American English, e.g. bill =
(BE) banknote, (AE) check; block = (BE) building, (AE) informal unit of distance; brilliant =
(BE) excellent, (AE) stupid (sarcastic use); cider = (BE) alcoholic drink, (AE) non-alcoholic
drink, etc.
Can you match the words below with their British and American meanings?
brew ...................................................................................................................................
carriage ...................................................................................................................................
casket ...................................................................................................................................
closet ...................................................................................................................................
coach ...................................................................................................................................
entrée ...................................................................................................................................
fix ...................................................................................................................................
hire ...................................................................................................................................
lavatory ...................................................................................................................................
mate ...................................................................................................................................

(AE) beer (AE) coffin

(AE) main course (BE) bus
(AE) shopping cart (BE trolley), (BE) friend
baby transport vehicle (BE pram) (BE) railway coach
(AE) sports teacher (BE) small box
(AE) spouse or partner (BE) starter
(AE) to employ (BE) tea
(AE) to repair, to prepare (BE) to fasten, to attach
(AE) wardrobe (BE) to rent
(AE) washbasin (BE) toilet
(BE) brew (BE) water closet

Exercise 7. What a biologist should know (II): General and Specialist English.
- In your opinion, what are the differences between EFL (English as a Foreign Language) and
ESP (English for Specific Purposes)?
- The key to Specialist English is simplicity. In order to communicate specific information, it is
very important to make it easier to read, write and understand. Here are several rules that must be
observed when using Specialist English:
1. Do not use words that belong to the conversational style.
2. Use consistent spelling (either British or American).
3. Keep to one topic per one sentence. Put sentences in a logical sequence of action,
preferably underneath one another.
4. Keep sentences as short as possible. Divide long sentences into a number of shorter
sentences (max. 25 words per sentences is acceptable, but less is better).
5. Use lists where appropriate, in order to promote the logical sequence of the actions in
language.
All these rules result in several advantages: the text is faster to read and you get your
message across more often, more easily and in a friendlier way. The following three examples
show the same content and meaning:
* random sentence:
Typically, protoplasm is a translucent, greyish slimy substance, somewhat viscous, but
capable of flowing, consisting of a matrix termed a colloid, which is a state rather than a kind of
matter, and contains minute particles that measure 1/10,000 to 1/1,000,000 mm in diameter, thus
being larger than most chemical molecules but impossible to be seen with ordinary microscopes.
 * better syntax and clear style:
Typically, protoplasm is translucent, greyish slimy, somewhat viscous, but capable of
flowing. It consists of a matrix termed a colloid, which is a state rather than a kind of matter. It
contains minute particles that measure 1/10,000 to 1/1,000,000 mm in diameter. This makes
protoplasm larger than most chemical molecules but impossible to be seen with ordinary
microscopes.
Which one is the easiest to read? Why?

Exercise 8. What a biologist should know (III): Specialist vocabulary. In biology, very many
English words come from Latin and Greek. Consider the following examples:
alga biology cell computer fungus
invertebrate microscope notochord organ reptile

- How many other similar words can you list in 2 minutes? (Work with a colleague.)

- Notice that many of the words above have plural forms from the language they come from
(Latin or Greek): alga – algae, larva – larvae, nucleus – nuclei, bacterium – bacteria, stratum –
strata, criterion – criteria, phenomenon – phenomena. Others form the plural according to the
English rules (sinus – sinuses, virus – viruses) or even have two forms (aquarium –
aquaria/aquariums, maximum – maxima/maximums, minimum – minima/minimums).
Give the plural forms of the following nouns:
antenna ................................................ crisis ................................................
automaton ................................................ datum ................................................
bacillus ................................................ diagnosis ................................................
cactus ................................................ formula ................................................
ganglion ................................................ paralysis ................................................
genus ................................................ spectrum ................................................
index ................................................ synthesis ................................................
matrix ................................................ vertebra ................................................
narcissus ................................................ vortex ................................................

Exercise 9. What a biologist should know (IV): Chemistry. The names of most of the 118
chemical elements included in the periodic table are identical or quite similar in both English and
Romanian (eg. carbon, neon, nitrogen, zinc, copper, hydrogen, nickel, oxygen). Others have
different endings (eg. chromium, lithium, sodium, manganese, chlorine, fluorine, iodine,
phosphorus) or are completely different words (eg. gold, iron, silver, tin).

- Give the names of the chemical elements according to their symbols:

B ............................................................ N ............................................................
Ca ............................................................ Pb ...........................................................
Hg ............................................................ Si ............................................................
K ............................................................ Sn ...........................................................
Mn ........................................................... W ............................................................

- Listen to a song and write down as many chemical elements as you can identify:

….…………………………………………………………………………………………………..
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

NOTES