Unit 4: Technology Solution
(Hyperloop)
Working with words
A. Choose the correct words from the box to complete the following sentences.
a. I think that covering up the facts is equivalent to lying really.
b. If there is not a substantial move to public transport, we will have deceleration and the whole regeneration will not work.
c. Each new leader would blame his predecessor for all the evils of the past.
d. We have, in fact, envisioned a better world and have made it happen.
e. The main linear actuators of the pneumatic systems are cylinders.
f. The barrel was short and the bullet emerged at subsonic speed.
g. The city is said to receive two-fifths of the total freight delivered in the country.
h. It would still take four hours to get down, in a spiral of gridlock.
i. Apparently, the magician will be doing some levitation on the stage tomorrow.
j. We might be experiencing some turbulence on this flight due to an approaching electrical storm.
B. Add three more words that are formed with the following prefixes.
Ans:
a. hyper: hyperloop, hyperactive, hyperbole, hyperthermia
b.ultra: ultrahigh, ultrasound, ultrasonic, ultralight
c.up: uphil, upstairs, upstream, upcoming
d. over: overcoming, overconfident, multicoloured, multiplication
Comprehension
Answer the following questions..
a.What is a hyperloop? How does it work ?
Ans: A hyperloop is an ultra-high-speed ground transportation system for passengers and cargo travelling in a hovering pod inside a vacuum tube at speeds as high as 760 mph (1220 km/h). In the hyperloop system floating pods travel through giant, low-pressure tubes either above or below the ground. In this system, the pods travel through tubes or tunnels from which most of the air has been removed to reduce friction by using magnetic levitation.
b.How is hyperloop more beneficial than the traditional trains?
Ans: As the speed of the hyperloop is faster than any other means, travelling through the hyperloop will be quicker. Also, this system is assumed to be less polluting than trains and the cost will also be cheaper So, the hyperloop is more beneficial than the traditional trains.
c.Does hyperloop have a successful history? How?
Ans: The idea of using low pressure or vacuum tubes as part of a transport system has a long heritage. The Crystal Palace Pneumatic Railway used air pressure to push a wagon uphil way back in Victoria South London in 1864 Also, similar systems using pneumatic tubes to send mail and packages between buildings have been in use since the late nineteenth century, which are still seen in supermarkets and banks to move money around. Many ideas and concepts have been developed from the concept of vactrain developed by Robert Goddard Thus, it shows that the history of the hyperloop seems successful to some extent
d.Write the contributions of Robert Goddard and Elon Musk for the development of hyperloop. Ans.: Robert Goddard developed the concept of vactrain early in the twentieth century which helped to develop several ideas regarding the hyperloop.
Likewise, Elon Musk reignited interest in the concept with his ‘Hyperloop Alpha’ paper which set out how a modern system would work and how much it would cost.
e.What relation does speed have with air resistance? Explain.
Ans.: Air resistance happens when an object moves through the air. The faster an object moves. the greater becomes its area and as a result, there is higher air resistance. In the hyperloop, most of the air is removed in order to reduce friction and subsequently increase the speed of the hyperloop.
f.What are hyperloop capsules compared with? How are they similar?
Ans.: Hyperloop capsules are compared with the puck that floats just above the table on an air hockey game. They are similar in the way that they both float above some surface.
g.How do the passengers feel while travelling via hyperloop? What will be done to make it luxurious?
Ans.: The passengers might feel the sense of nausea-inducing acceleration and lateral G-force on bends in the route according to warnings of some critics. However, Virgin Hyperloop One. an American transportation technology company, says that riding through the hyperloop will feel about the same as riding in an elevator or a passenger plane.
To make the journey through hyperloop luxurious, beautiful landscapes will be displayed in the cabin and each passenger will have access to their own personal entertainment system
h.Why does the writer doubt about the success of hyperloop? What does the success depend on?
Ans.: The writer doubts about the success of the hyperloop because the investment in the hyperloop is too high and the technology is lacking until now. Going from short test routes to hundreds of kilometres of the track is a big jump that none of these firms has made yet The system is too complicated and expensive. Also, many engineering hurdles may arise which could be very challenging to overcome.
The success of the hyperloop highly depends upon carrying out the right technological inventions at right time with the right price and also on the effectiveness of utilizing financial and physical resources along with human resources.
Critical Thinking
a.Is the hyperloop the future of transportation or just a dream? What do you think? Justify your opinion with suitable reasons.
Ans: A hyperloop is an ultra-high-speed ground transportation system for passengers and cargo travelling in a hovering pod inside a vacuum tube at speeds as high as 760 mph (1220 km/h). The ideas and concepts of the hyperloop are promising and praiseworthy. Some advantages of hyperloop are:
i.The technology offers a very fast speed of transportation which is twice that of aircraft.
ii.It has very low power consumption.
iii.It is a low-cost transportation system in long run.
iv.It is immune to bad weather conditions.
However, this concept is more hyping than the progress itself. Besides the concepts, the progress in this system has not been known yet. I think the hyperloop is just a dream because the problem is maintaining a vacuum well enough to support high-speed travel. Maintaining a vacuum on that scale is a very difficult task. In addition to that, it won’t be a complete vacuum. It will be about 1/10th atmosphere, so there will end up being a lot of air that will have to be pushed. So even if a vacuum could be maintained, speed would never be that of jet aircraft. The concept has been around for more than 200 years and it has yielded very little progress even in this technological era. Also, the success of the hyperloop is really doubtful because the investment in the hyperloop is too high and the adequate technology to facilitate its smooth operation is lacking until now. Going from short test routes to hundreds of kilometres of the track is a big jump that none of these firms has made yet. The system is too complicated and expensive. Also, many engineering hurdles may arise which could be very challenging to overcome. Therefore, I think a hyperloop is just a dream. Nonetheless, who knows what will happen in future. Even high- speed trains and aeroplanes were once a dream that has turned into reality at the present time. So, even if the development of the hyperloop is really challenging, we cannot ignore the fact that it will be successful one day.
b.The number of private vehicles is increasing day by day in Nepal beyond the capacity of our infrastructure. What do you think should be done to curb the ever-growing number of private vehicles ? Discuss.
Ans.: In the past few decades, mankind has made tremendous technological advancement and the world has truly become a small village because of globalization. Now, more and more people are able to afford vehicles and this increasing number of vehicles in Nepal has reached beyond the capacity of our infrastructure. This has caused an increase in the level of noise and air pollution in large cities like Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Pokhara, Biratnagar, Birgunj, Butwal, etc. Also, an increase in the number of private cars also leads to more accidents. Countless lives are lost in accidents every day. This is clearly an indication that our existing infrastructure is incapable of handling more vehicles.
One of the solutions to this problem would be to impose a large amount of tax on privately owned cards. This would discourage people to use their own vehicles to commute to work and utilize other means of public transport. This can definitely reduce the traffic in urban city areas. However, this only deals with a part of the population. Rich could easily afford to pay the higher tax; while, on the other hand, only the poor and the middle-class citizens would he affected by this law.
Another way government could tackle this problem is to encourage people to use pu transportation. The legal authorities could introduce more comfortable and convenient trains buses and metro trains to attract more people. The service provided should be of high quality and at the minimum price possible. As a result, more and more citizens would use public transport services and thus, the level of traffic and pollution would definitely reduce
Lastly, the government should put more money into researches to find more renewable resources such as solar power and wind instead of using coal and petrol. In addition, there could be seminars or lectures to educate people about how our ways of living are affecting the environment. The curriculum and textbooks should incorporate ways of encouraging public transportation rather than a personal one. This may not be a quick solution but it does help to tackle the issues in a long run.
In summary, it is partly the government and partly the public’s responsibility to pay attention to increasing pollution and find ways to reduce it if we want to leave a greener and cleaner planet for our children.
B.Suppose you are the General Manager of Nepal Airlines. Issue a press release on behalf of the airlines about the cancellation of flights to the mountain regions due to the poor weather condition. (
Ans:
Yeti Airlines
PRESS RELEASE
Cancellation of Mountain Flights
Yeti Airlines, Kathmandu (November 22): Yeti Airlines informs all our travelling public that our Monday, November 22 schedule has been negatively impacted by weather- related closures at Everest and Annapurna base camp.
Unfortunately, the flights to Everest Base Camp and Annapurna Base Camp were closed several times yesterday due to thunderstorms, lightning and poor visibility that occurred in most of the mountain regions throughout the day. One flight to Everest base camp was tried but was unsuccessful and had to be diverted due to poor visibility in the fog.
As the weather of today in these regions is similar to that of yesterday, we would like to inform all our valued customers that all the scheduled mountain flights of today have been cancelled. Our intent is to continuously provide a safe and dependable service as we strive to be the airline of choice connecting the Himalayas of Nepal.
We are really sorry for the inconvenience created.
Anoj Rimal
CEO
Grammar
B. Rewrite the following sentences with the correct form of the verbs in the brackets.
a. The invitation is for one person. I don’t mind whether you or she (come) to the party.
The invitation is for one person. I don’t mind whether you or she comes to the party.
b. Neither the MPs nor the Prime Minister (have) felt regret for the party split.
Neither the MPs nor the Prime Minister has felt regret for the party split.
c. I don’t care whether he or she (win) the lottery.
I don’t care whether he or she wins the lottery.
d. Either the Kantipur or the Republica (be) used for the advertisement.
Either the Kantipur or the Republica is used for the advertisement.
e. She speaks in a strange accent. Neither I nor my sister (understand) her.
She speaks in a strange accent. Neither I nor my sister understands her.
f. I forgot whether the singers or the actress (be) given the Film Fair Award last year.
I forgot whether the singers or the actress was given the Film Fair Award last year.
g. Neither the tracksuit nor the pajamas (fit) me perfectly.
Neither the tracksuit nor the pajamas fit me perfectly.
h. Neither the gas fire nor the electric heaters (be) suitable for room heating.
Neither the gas fire nor the electric heaters are suitable for room heating.
C. This passage contains the agreement errors. Correct the subjects or verbs that don’t agree with each other. Remember to use present tense in your corrections.
Corrected Passage:
Within the state of Arizona, Rob, along with his family, moves frequently from city to city. After his arrival, one of his first tasks was to find an apartment close to work, as he did not have a car. Usually, there are many different places to choose from, and he considers cost, location, and luxury. If one apartment has a washing machine and dryer and costs four hundred dollars a month, he prefers to rent it over another apartment which has significantly less rent and is located two blocks from a Laundromat. Rob’s family never wanted to live in an apartment on the thirteenth floor, since all of them fear heights. He also tried to choose an apartment with a landlord recommended by former tenants. Everybody knows that it is important to find a responsible landlord. Rob and his wife love to cook together when both are free, so they need a spacious, well-equipped kitchen. Rob often looks for a place with an air conditioner because there are so many scorching days and nights in Arizona. Whenever Rob finds a new apartment, all of his concerns disappear. He felt relieved and called his mother. Someone understands!