27 According to the reasons stated in the introduction,to educate the public on radiation issues,a sufficient level of knowledge should ensure democratic decisions and personal safety.is there any evidence that an individual's level of knowledge actually has an effect on his/her political considerations and judgments?The findings from the present survey do not lend much support to such a hypothesis.There was no significant difference between the high-score group and the low-score group with respect to the degree of radiation fear or the attitude to the submarine Komsomolets;however,a small,but significant difference was found between the two groups in the proportion who were positive about Swedish the nature of radioactivity and attitudes to nuclear power policy. 2s In view of these findings.the prospects for attaining the obiective presented in the introduction seem gloomy indeed.If information and knowledge don't have the power to influence attitudes,how can rational decisions and personal well-being then be secured?The way out of this impasse may lie in taking the lay conceptions into account and increasing the integration between factual information and practical/political onsideration swhen designing teaching and information materials for use in schools, en ninars and m ass media,so that the connection between factual knowledge and therea world"is clarified.Within school curriculum development,this is called the STS(Science, Technology and Society)approach.The unit developed by Millar et al.and similar approaches in the teaching of radiation topics show some promise.However,further esearch is needed to establish the best ways of presenting information on radiation topic in various seminars and to various parts of the population. References (1)Weart.S.R.Nucear Fear:A History of maesCambridge.MA:Harvard University Press (1). 人器动d (5)Durant,R.Evans,G.A.and Thomas,G.P.The Public Understanding of Science.Nature 340.11-14 1989】 (6)Lucas,A.M.Public Knowledge of Radiation.Biologist 34,12-129(1987). （mLof6ted,R E.and R Research.Oslo(CICERO)(19). (8)Skiak.K.K.and Bevum.B.Undersokin g om verdier,natur og milj 1993.Report no 100 from"Norsk samfunnsvitenskapelig datatjeneste"(1994). (9)Slovic.P.Perception of Risk.Science26.280-28(1987). UNIT 1 Choosing a Topic 11
()ppedLM-ppo5 (1)Lucas,A.M.Scientific Lteracy and Informing Learning.Stud.Sci.Educ.10.1-36(1983). (13)Eijkelhof.H.M.C.Radiation and Risk in Physics Education.Doctoral Dissertation at the University of Utrecht (1990). 12EAP1学术英语理工（第二）
Read the text and answer the following questions 1 How much do the respondents know about radiation? 2 What is their attitude to nuclear power? 3 What is the major reason for their lack of correct understanding of radiation? 4 How can laypeople's understanding of radiation be improved? Match the following academic words with their definitions or synonyms. Paras.1-2 I shroud a direct toward a given destination 2 exaggerate b end of the world 3 do nsdav existing very commonly or happening frequently 4 destine the act of getting rid of sth.uselessor used up 5 prevalent e hide information or keep it secret and mysteriou 6 perception f overstate 7 pragmatic g solving problems in a realistic way 8 disposal h insight Paras.3-6 1 laypeople a sb.who answers questions,esp.in a survey 2 interaction b manage;organize external coming from the outside 4 prior d before a particular time or event 5 respondent e easy to obtain or use 6 administer f showing or suggesting sth accessible cause to becom assume mutual effect 9 indicative 1 non-objective consideration of an issue or a situation 10 bias i suppose 11 render k nonprofessional Para.7 I coverage a groceries;food product 2 refer b the reporting of news constitute mention foodstuff d seasoning 5 spice e a ship which can travel under water 6 bacteria f microscopic single-celled organisms 7 submarine g clearly and exactly explicitly form;establish Paras.8-11 I assign a give;designate 2 appoint b (cause animals to)eat grass 3 maximum c distinction UNIT 1 Choosing a Topic 13
presume d danger overview counteraction decay allocate differentiation the process of becoming gradually damaged,worse or less lichen a general view 9 graze the largest amount allowed or possible 10 hazard a grey,green or yellow plant-like organism that grows esp.on rocks,walls and trees 11 countermeasure k suppose Paras.12-18 1 irradiation egration d exposure toa large amount of radioactivity a part of the whole 6 agent the process of some substance being taken in initiate 8 the state of losing unity as if by breaking into parts 8 proportion h unveil Paras.19-20 】antagonist a choice;option 2 protagonist b viewpoint;stance 3 alternative 4 standpoint pobad.important.unimportant etc.compared with similar thi :unconscious 6- 8 involuntary extremely harmful:destructive 9 aura gas,water etc.escaping from a hole or crack Paras.21-28 1 exemplify a carefulness 2 localize b a sound like a bell 3 cautiousness c use up (resources or materials) 4 prerequisite d having reason or understanding 5 realm e a difficult situation of which there is no way out 6 ring f the act of combining things to work together 7 deplete without much hope integration k domain 14EAP1学术英语理工（第二版】
Match each of the following main ideas (summarized from Paras.1-28)with the appropriate paragraph number of the text. No. Main Ideas Para. The survey has been conducted for three reasons. The students in an elementary physics course are chosen as subjects for two reasons. The objective is tostudy the understanding of radiation and risk among genera 15 Norwegians. Radiation has been viewed as a serious threat to health and hence a source of fear. People's prior knowledge of radiation has a big effect on how well they learn about radiation The respondents'level of understanding is measured in a scientific way. Most questions were open-ended and connected to real-life examples Mo 6-10 bout radioactive decay and absorption of Some respondents'failure to answer the questionnaire will not affect the results. The answers were categorized and coded. ealack of knowledge about sbsorption of radiation among Respondents were aware of the effect of radiation on health. 11-15 There was confusion about the source of radiation among respondents. There was some misunderstanding about the concept of the half-life Fear of radiation from nuclear power was still popular in Norwegians. There was a bigger proportion of respondents who don't support Swedish nuclear power. 16-20 Only a small number of respondents feared the exposure to radiation. Although respondents knew the harmful health effects of radiation,they had a limited understanding of some central concepts of radiation. Men and women had almost the same knowledge of radiation. Mass media tend to influence people's judgment and conception of radiation. Mass media play a very important role in the misunderstanding of radiation 21-25 Most respondents feared the contamination of nuclear wastes Everyday conceptions are more influential than school education. Women were more worried than men about radiation and nuclear power. Sufficient knowledge of radiation has little to do with one's political considerations and judgments. Taking the lay cond 26-28 Analyzing preconceptions about radiation may improve the public understanding of radiation phenomena. UNIT1 Choosing a Topic 15