Grammar

1. 1. Venus death dive to unlock secrets of Earth's evil
twin
2. Time to kick cigarette butts – they're toxic trash
Taken from: Newscientist Magazine
1. 05 June 2014
2. 30 June 2014
1. http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22229722.800-venus-death-dive-
to-unlock-secrets-of-earths-evil-twin.
html?full=true#.VAOxWMWSxgo
2. http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22229750.200-time-to-kick-cigarette-
butts--theyre-toxic-trash.html#.VAPp7MWSxgo
By: Jessica M. Ponce Orellana
Class: Language System Study
Section: 01

2. Venus death dive to unlock secrets of Earth's evil twin
 05 June 2014 by Jacob Aron
 Magazine issue 2972. Subscribe and save
 For similar stories, visit the Solar System Topic Guide
On its final plunge, the Venus Express probe will fly deeper than ever before – but a return
mission could tell us more about climate change and alien life
On its final plunge, the Venus Express probe will fly deeper than ever before – but a return
mission could tell us more about climate change and alien life.
The: article
TIME to wave goodbye to Earth's fiery twin. Next week, a European spacecraft will
start a series of dives into the hellish atmosphere of Venus, marking the beginning of
the end for the only probe now orbiting the planet.
Next week, a European spacecraft will start a series of dives into the hellish
atmosphere of Venus, marking the beginning of the end for the only probe now orbiting
the planet.
Sentence Structure: Simple Sentence
The dives will take the craft, called Venus Express, deeper into the atmosphere than it
has gone before, allowing it to record conditions in a largely unstudied region. It will
also be a test of the spacecraft's endurance as it drags itself through the planet's thick
air, which will provide valuable data for future interplanetary missions.
The dives will take the craft, called Venus Express, deeper into the atmosphere than it
has gone before, allowing it to record conditions in a largely unstudied region.
Largely: adverb
Venus Express may not survive the month-long campaign of daredevil plunges. Even if
it does, the craft will run out of fuel later this year. No dedicated probe is due to launch
in the next decade, and a damaged Japanese craft has just a slim chance of making it
there next year.
Venus Express may not survive the month-long campaign of daredevil plunges.
Sentence Structure: Simple Sentence

3. But there is still so much to discover about our neglected neighbour. Better knowledge
of Venus could help answer two of the most important questions in modern science:
how is Earth's climate changing, and are we alone in the universe?
"Venus is so similar to Earth and yet so different," says project scientist Håkan
Svedhem at the European Space Agency (ESA). "One really needs to understand Venus
to understand all terrestrial planets."
At first glance, Venus seems nothing like Earth. It is shrouded in a haze of carbon
dioxide, with toxic sulphuric clouds and temperatures topping 450 °C. Its surface is
bone dry, and the air pressure is high enough to rupture the hull of a submarine.
At first glance, Venus seems nothing like Earth. It is shrouded in a haze of carbon
dioxide, with toxic sulphuric clouds and temperatures topping 450 °C.
Sentence Structure: Compound Sentence
However, Venus is almost exactly the same size and mass as Earth, and is made from
similar materials. It is thought to have started out with a water-rich atmosphere like
Earth's, which may even have made the surface briefly habitable. But Venus is closer to
the sun and lacks a global magnetic field, which is what protects Earth from our star's
harshest rays.
It is thought to have started out with a water-rich atmosphere like Earth's, which may
even have made the surface briefly habitable.
Briefly: adverb
Without this shield, young Venus was blasted by radiation that boiled away most of the
water in its air, leaving dense carbon dioxide and triggering a runaway greenhouse
effect.
Without this shield, young Venus was blasted by radiation that boiled away most of the
water in its air, leaving dense carbon dioxide and triggering a runaway greenhouse
effect.
Sentence Structure: Simple Sentence
"Venus is like a controlled experiment: what would happen if you took another Earth
and started it off in slightly different conditions," says David Grinspoon, a NASA
astrobiologist who worked on Venus Express.
During its eight years in orbit, the Venus Express mission has made many discoveries
about our "evil twin", most notably about the planet's wind patterns.

4. During its eight years in orbit, the Venus Express mission has made many discoveries
about our "evil twin", most notably about the planet's wind patterns.
Sentence Structure: Simple Sentence
"It has really been our first weather satellite on another planet," says Grinspoon. "A lot
of advantages have come from observing it over a long period of time and seeing the
patterns of changes in the atmosphere."
"A lot of advantages have come from observing it over a long period of time and seeing
the patterns of changes in the atmosphere."
Atmosphere: noun
Oddly, feeding atmospheric data from Venus Express into a variety of climate models
throws up some surprising results. While these simulations can faithfully reproduce
conditions on Earth, they all fail to recreate the climate of Venus, says Svedhem.
While these simulations can faithfully reproduce conditions on Earth, they all fail to
recreate the climate of Venus, says Svedhem.
Earth: noun
Figuring out why could tell us about the underlying processes of climate change, and
perhaps improve our models of climate on Earth.
Such knowledge would also be useful to astronomers hunting for Earth-like worlds
elsewhere in the galaxy. At the moment, we are able to identify planets with a
similar mass and radius to Earth that orbit their stars at the right distance to support
liquid water.
Technically, Venus falls into this category, so worlds that look friendly from afar may be
hellish up close. "If we can't figure out Venus, we have no chance of predicting
conditions on exoplanets," says Grinspoon.
Technically, Venus falls into this category, so worlds that look friendly from afar may be
hellish up close.
Friendly: adjective
Daring dives
For its swansong, Venus Express will perform aerobraking, a way to reduce the speed
of a spacecraft and so reduce its altitude. This lets an orbiting probe get much closer to
a planet's surface and study it in greater detail.

5. This lets an orbiting probe get much closer to a planet's surface and study it in greater
detail.
An: article
On 18 June, Venus Express will take its first dip into the clouds, where it will record the
effects of friction from the atmosphere. During a series of these dives until 11 July it
will also take readings on the atmosphere's density and composition.
On 18 June, Venus Express will take its first dip into the clouds, where it will record the
effects of friction from the atmosphere.
Sentence Structure: Complex Sentence
ESA has never attempted aerobraking before, so lessons from the Venus experiment
will be valuable for future probes.
ESA has never attempted aerobraking before, so lessons from the Venus experiment
will be valuable for future probes.
Sentence Structure: Compound Sentence
For instance, the agency plans to use the technique when the ExoMars satellite arrives
at the Red Planet in 2017, says ESA's Olivier Witasse.
For instance, the agency plans to use the technique when the ExoMars satellite arrives
at the Red Planet in 2017, says ESA's Olivier Witasse.
To: preposition
Learning more about aerobraking could also be useful for human missions. A related
manoeuvre, called aerocapture, would help spacecraft land on Mars or return to Earth
without needing prohibitively large landing rockets.
"People think the hard part of space travel is going as fast as you can," says Grinspoon.
"There is also the hard part of slowing down when you get places, because you need a
big rocket for that or you just keep going."
"There is also the hard part of slowing down when you get places, because you need a
big rocket for that or you just keep going."
Because: conjunction

6. If Venus Express survives the ordeal, the plan is to take the probe back into a higher
orbit and continue observations until its fuel runs out.
If Venus Express survives the ordeal, the plan is to take the probe back into a higher
orbit and continue observations until its fuel runs out
Into: preposition
Many questions will remain unanswered, including whether the planet is still
volcanically active, and whether life could have thrived in the planet's past.
However, neither NASA nor ESA has plans for another dedicated Venus mission. And
other space agencies hold only faint hope. For the past decade, Russia has been talking
of a follow-up to the Soviet Union's successful Venera series of probes in the 1960s and
70s. "It is not doing very well," says Oreg Korablev at the Space Research Institute in
Moscow. "The Russian programme is dominated by lunar exploration." The mission,
known as Venera-D, is set for a 2024 launch at the earliest.
For the past decade, Russia has been talking of a follow-up to the Soviet
Union's successful Venera series of probes in the 1960s and 70s.
Sentence Structure: Simple Sentence
Geopolitics has also become an obstacle. Last December, NASA expressed interest in a
Venera-D collaboration. Then Russia invaded Crimea and NASA drew back from most
joint operations.
Then Russia invaded Crimea and NASA drew back from most joint operations.
Invaded: finite verb
In 2012, the Indian space agency, ISRO, announced that a Venus orbiter would be
launched next year, but no details have emerged since then. That leaves the Japanese
space agency, JAXA. Its Akatsuki probe tried to enter Venus orbit in 2010. Though it
was unsuccessful, due to engine damage, the craft is swinging back for another try next
year.
In 2012, the Indian space agency, ISRO, announced that a Venus orbiter would be
launched next year, but no details have emerged since then.
Announced: finite verb
Mars, meanwhile, enjoys much greater popularity. Two spacecraft are in route, and at
least four more are set to launch in the next decade (see chart). Venus Express only
exists because ESA threw together spare parts from its Mars Express mission.

7. The difference in attitude to our two nearest planets is partly technological. On the
surface of sweltering Venus, robotic probes survive for no more than a few hours. Even
then, power is a problem. Other probes use solar panels, but thick clouds makes this
impossible on Venus.
Two spacecraft are in route, and at least four more are set to launch in the next
decade (see chart).
And: conjunction
The cloud barrier might be a mental block, too. "Imagining ourselves going there is
easier on Mars. That's a big part of it," says Grinspoon.
Geoffrey Landis at the NASA John Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, is working
on Venus-specific technology, including electronics that operate at high temperatures
and a solar-powered plane that would direct a rover on the ground.
Perhaps an ambitious rover mission is key to reigniting interest in Venus. "We've
discovered how fascinating Mars is because we have been able to land on the surface
and rove around," says Landis. "If we could drive around on Venus, we would discover:
wow, it is just as interesting as Mars."
Perhaps an ambitious rover mission is key to reigniting interest in Venus.
Ambitious: adjective

8. Time to kick cigarette butts – they're toxic trash
 30 June 2014 by Thomas Novotny
 Magazine issue 2975. Subscribe and save
 For similar stories, visit the Comment and Analysis and Drugs and Alcohol Topic Guides
Poisons leach from the 4 trillion cigarette filters that we chuck each year, harming health
and environment alike. They should be banned
FOR the past two decades, the environmental group Ocean Conservancy has organised
the annual International Coastal Cleanup. Hundreds of thousands of volunteers scour
beaches all over the world, picking up trash. By far the most common item they pick up
is cigarette butts. Last year they removed more than 2 million of them. Cigarette butts
are also the most common item collected during urban litter surveys.
By one estimate, around two-thirds of the 6 trillion cigarettes smoked worldwide every
year end up being dropped, flicked or dumped into the environment – around 750,000
tonnes in total.
The effects of cigarettes on smokers' health is well known. I think it is time we paid
more attention to the effects of cigarette waste on public health and the environment.
My non-profit Cigarette Butt Pollution Project has studied cigarette waste from a
number of perspectives, including toxicity, accidental consumption by children and
animals, and potential for human health effects. The results suggest that we urgently
need to reduce this burden of toxic waste.
My non-profit Cigarette Butt Pollution Project has studied cigarette waste from a
number of perspectives, including toxicity, accidental consumption by children and
animals, and potential for human health effects.
My: possessive pronoun
Used cigarette butts are not just pieces of non-biodegradable plastic. They also contain
the carcinogens, nicotine and toxins found in all tobacco products.
We have found that one cigarette butt soaked in a litre of water for 96 hours leaches
out enough toxins to kill half of the fresh or salt water fish exposed to them. We know
that children and animals consume these pieces of toxic trash, that there are costs to
the communities that must deal with them, and that there is biological plausibility to
the idea that so many cigarette butts tossed into the environment each year may leach
out chemicals that could impact human health.
We have found that one cigarette butt soaked in a litre of water for 96 hours leaches
out enough toxins to kill half of the fresh or salt water fish exposed to them.
We: personal pronoun

9. We have also found that the tobacco industry has thoroughly distanced itself from any
sense of responsibility. Many other industries have signed up to Extended Producer
Responsibility (EPR), a principle which assigns responsibility for the environmental
management of consumer waste to manufacturers of the original product. EPR has
been applied to electrical appliances, batteries, paint, mattresses, car tyres, electronic
gadgets, beverage containers and other consumer products, and has dramatically
reduced the environmental blight and health risks associated with these products.
However, it has been assiduously avoided by the makers of the most deadly of all
consumer products, cigarettes.
We have also found that the tobacco industry has thoroughly distanced itself from any
sense of responsibility
Sentence Structure: Complex Sentence
The tobacco industry is aware of the problem of cigarette butt waste but has largely left
responsibility for clean-up to communities and individual smokers. Its own efforts are
more about image than action, such as supporting reputable environmental groups'
clean-up campaigns and distributing hand-held ashtrays, as if these might somehow
encourage smokers to refrain from butt-flicking. These approaches have not worked.
Some in the tobacco industry have proposed replacing plastic filters with
biodegradable ones. This is not the answer. Biodegradable filters would still leach out
toxins while falsely reassuring smokers that they were protecting the environment.
They would be more likely to dump their butts without feeling as guilty as they do now.
We have proposed a number of options to address the problem. One in particular holds
promise: get rid of filters altogether.
According to the US Surgeon General and the US National Cancer Institute, filters do not
have any health benefits for smokers; in fact, cancer risks have actually increased over
the 50 years they have been used.
Filters were originally designed to keep loose tobacco out of smokers' mouths, not to
protect their health. So they are really a marketing tool. They seem to reassure smokers
that they are doing something to limit the health consequences of smoking and thus
may discourage them from quitting. They also make smoking more palatable and make
it easier for children to start. The ventilation provided by the filter may reduce the tar
and nicotine yields of cigarettes as measured by a machine, but smokers compensate
by changing their puffing behaviour and inhaling more deeply.
For these reasons, filters may be considered a health hazard. If their purpose is simply
to market cigarettes and make it easier to get addicted, they should be banned. This
would simultaneously slash the environmental burden of cigarette butt waste and

10. decrease the addiction potential of tobacco. Both the environment and public health
would benefit.
The first moves are being made in that direction. Earlier this year, a group of politicians
submitted a bill to California's State Assembly to ban the sale of filter-tipped cigarettes.
The bill failed, but its sponsors say they will try again.
In the meantime, the problem is likely to get worse. Indoor smoking bans may make
public spaces more pleasant but they encourage people to dump butts outdoors. The
environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy reported a 43 per cent increase in cigarette
littering in England after an indoor smoking ban was introduced in 2007. And the e-cigarettes
now widely used by smokers may be a new source of environmental
contamination, with the batteries and used nicotine cartridges being carelessly
discarded.
Smokers and policy-makers have been deceived by the promise of filters as health-protective
devices when in fact they do not make cigarettes safer and they discourage
quitting. If these marketing tools were removed, many more smokers will decide to
quit, fewer kids will take up smoking, the environment will be cleaner, and those who
do quit smoking will spend their money on other consumer products. It's time to stub
them out.