malawi _windmill_boy

IUT Génie Civil Rennes 1 – ANGLAIS L3
Improving the welfare of your community
(Compréhension Orale + Ecrite / Production Ecrite + Orale)
Mission: Work in pairs. Think about a project which could improve the welfare of your community.
Write a short description of the project using expressions to suggest solutions and including
compound nouns. You will then make an oral presentation of your project.
ACTIVITY 1/ Watch the following video “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind”
Video Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcxZoDfIQjM
Now try to sum up the interview. You can use the words below to help you and take a few notes:
William Kamkwamba / Malawi / Farming /Tobacco / dropped out of school / school fees / enough
wind / books about windmills / generate electricity /pump water / to figure out on one’s own / try /
14 years old / power radio / crazy / mad / useful / help / librarian / journalists / the United States /
NYC / wind farm in Palm Springs, California / dream / own company / reliable electricity / solar
panels / water well
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ACTIVITY 2/ Malawi windmill boy with big fans
Read the following paragraphs on the story of William Kamkwamba. Can you put them into the
correct order?
Excerpts adapted from BBC News World Service by Jude Sheerin, BBC News
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8257153.stm)
The extraordinary true story of a Malawian teenager who transformed his village by
building electric windmills out of junk is the subject of a new book, The Boy Who
Harnessed the Wind.
Mr Kamkwamba's story was sent
The teenager had a dream of
Neighbours were perplexed at the
through the blogosphere when a
bringing electricity
youngster spending so much time
reporter from the Daily Times
and running water to his
scouring rubbish tips. "People
newspaper in Blantyre wrote an
village. And he was
thought I was smoking marijuana,"
article about him in November
not prepared to wait for
2006.
he said. Mr Kamkwamba, who is
politicians or aid groups
Meanwhile, he installed a solarnow 22 years old, assembled a
to do it for him. The need for
powered mechanical pump,
turbine from spare bicycle parts
action was greater after
donated
by well-wishers, adding
with other objects, and fashioned
the 2002 drought. Unable to
water
storage
tanks and bringing
blades from plastic pipes, flattened
attend school, he kept up
the first potable water source to
by being held over a fire. "I got a
his education by using a local
the entire region around his
few electric shocks climbing that
library.
village.
windmill," he says.
Fascinated by science, his life
Then he built a new windmill,
dubbed the Green Machine, which
turned a water pump to irrigate
his family's field. The fame of his
renewable energy projects grew,
he was invited in 2007 to the
prestigious Technology
Entertainment Design conference
in Arusha, Tanzania. He is now on
a scholarship at the elite African
Leadership Academy in
Johannesburg, South Africa.
Mr Kamkwamba has the world at
his feet, but is determined to
return home after his studies.
The hero aims to finish bringing
power to all Malawians, only 2%
of whom have electricity.
changed one day when
he picked up a textbook and saw
a picture of a windmill.
Self-taught William Kamkwamba
has been
feted by climate change
campaigners like
Al Gore and business leaders the
world over.
His achievements are all the more
remarkable considering he was
forced to quit school aged
14 because his family could no
longer afford
the fees.
Mr Kamkwamba told the BBC News
website: "I was very interested
when I saw the windmill could make
electricity and pump water.
"I thought: 'That could be a defence
against hunger. Maybe I should build
one for myself'."
But his neighbours were amazed
when Mr Kamkwamba climbed
up the windmill and hooked a
car light bulb to the turbine. As
the blades began to spin in the
breeze, the bulb flickered to
life and a crowd of astonished
onlookers went wild.
Soon the kid's 12-watt wonder
was pumping power into his
family's mud brick compound.
WORD BOX
Scouring:
Feted:
Assembled:
To quit:
Fashioned:
Meanwhile:
Flattened:
Well-wishers:
Renewable:
Storage:
To be determined to:
Pump:
To aim to + BV / at + BV ing:
To flicker (flames, light):
Running water:
Compound:
Aid groups:
enclos, enceinte / pomper / aplatir, aplanir / bienfaiteurs, sympathisants /
renouvelable / viser, aspirer à / quitter, s’en aller, abandonner / eau courante
assembler, monter / danser / récurer, décaper / stockage / fabriquer / pendant ce
temps, dans l’intervalle / être determiné à / fêté / groupes d’aide humanitaire
WORD BOX
Scouring:
Feted:
Assembled:
To quit:
Fashioned:
Meanwhile:
Flattened:
Well-wishers:
Renewable:
Storage:
To be determined to:
Pump:
To aim to + BV / at + BV ing:
To flicker (flames, light):
Running water:
Compound:
Aid groups:
enclos, enceinte / pomper / aplatir, aplanir / bienfaiteurs, sympathisants / renouvelable
/ viser, aspirer à / quitter, s’en aller, abandonner / eau courante
assembler, monter / danser / récurer, décaper / stockage / fabriquer / pendant ce
temps, dans l’intervalle / être determiné à / fêté / groupes d’aide humanitaire
GRAMMAR BOX
1/ La construction du GN anglais : comprendre un GN complexe.
3 structures principales :
Le nom composé (nom+nom), c’est le 2nd nom qui porte la marque du pluriel. Le 1er nom a une
valeur proche de l’adjectif, il qualifie le 2nd (ex : a water pump) ET PAR CONSEQUENT, IL NE PREND
PAS LA MARQUE DU PLURIEL (sauf cas exceptionnels). On peut rajouter un 3ème nom, un 4ème nom
(ex : oil production costs, road accident research centre).
Parfois certains noms composés sont écrits en 1 seul mot (ex : bathroom, seaside…)
Le cas possessif (nom +’s + nom)
Ex : the kid’s windmill
Nom + PREPOSITION+ nom, on ne peut parfois pas employer les 2 premières structures et on utilise
alors une structure avec OF ou une autre préposition.
Ex : a feeling of disappointment / a letter from home
2/ Les adjectifs composés dans le langage technique.
A solar-powered mechanical pump solar (adjective) – powered (verbe + ed)
= une pompe mécanique qui marche à l’énergie solaire
On peut aussi avoir :
Nom + V-ingA labour-saving device
Nom + Participe-passéHome-made cookies
Adjectif + Nom -ed A two-storied house, a low-necked dress
Your Turn…
1/Soulignez le noyau (le nom de base) des GN de la 1ère liste. Trouvez la traduction dans la 2ème
liste. Comparez les 2 langues.
Anglais
Français
spare bicycle parts
Le miracle (la merveille) de 12 watts conçu(e)
par l’enfant
business leaders
a solar-powered mechanical pump
Une pompe mécanique à énergie solaire
water storage tanks
Des dirigeants d’entreprise
a car light bulb
Une ampoule de phare de voiture
the kid's 12-watt wonder
Des pièces détachées (de rechange) de vélo
Des réservoirs de stockage d’eau
2/Fabriquez des adjectifs composés (ex : a car powered by oilan oil-powered car)
a-A car powered by gasoline
b-A truck powered by diesel
c-A machine powered by the wind
d-An engine powered by electricity
3/L’accentuation des mots à suffixe fort. Lisez en accentuant bien la syllabe en gras. Retrouvez la
règle d’accentuation pour chaque série de mots.
1-Pollution
9-Convert
2-Emissions
10-Produce
3-Electric
11-Require
4-Mechanic
12-Modern
5-Hydrogen
13-Driver
6-Oxygen
14-Petrol
7-Gasoline
15-Problem
8-Energy
16-Stations
COMMUNICATIVE SKILLS
To suggest solutions and ideas, the following expressions can be used :
One option is… Another option would be…
Alternatively…
What about + BV –ing…?
Why not + BV –ing…?
Why don’t we + BV…?
Practice: Work in pairs. Suggest ideas to improve Mr Kamkwamba’s project in Malawi using the
expressions above.
COMMUNICATIVE SKILLS
To suggest solutions and ideas, the following expressions can be used :
One option is… Another option would be…
Alternatively…
What about + BV –ing…?
Why not + BV –ing…?
Why don’t we + BV…?
Practice: Work in pairs. Suggest ideas to improve Mr Kamkwamba’s project in Malawi using the
expressions above.
CORRIGE
Scouring: récurer, décaper
Feted: fêté
Assembled: assembler, monter
To quit: quitter, s’en aller, abandonner
Fashioned: fabriquer
Meanwhile: pendant ce temps, dans
l’intervalle
Flattened: aplatir, aplanir
Well-wishers: bienfaiteurs, sympathisants
Renewable: renouvelable
Storage: stockage
To be determined to: être determiné à
Pump: pomper
To aim to + BV / at + BV ing: viser, aspirer
à
To flicker (flames, light): danser
Running water: eau courante
Compound: enclos, enceinte
Aid groups: groupes d’aide humanitaire