ИНОСТРАННЫЙ ЯЗЫК В ТЕХНИЧЕСКОМ УНИВЕРСИТЕТЕ (И. В. Орловская, Л. С. Самсонова, А. И. Скубриева - Учебник английского языка), страница 29

Departure

Ann: Well, good-bye, then! I hope you will have a pleasant journey.

Bob: I hope so too. The weather isn't too bad, anyway.

A.: No, it looks good. Just write me a few lines when you arrive,

will you?

B. A. B. A. B.

I will, indeed. And many thanks for your hospitality.

It was nice having you with us. When will you come again?

It is hard to say. It depends on a number of things.

Give my love to your mother.

I will. Thanks. Bye.

Bob: I think, the people of today are the most intelligent (умный)

people who have ever lived. Mary: Before answering this question I want you to listen to the fol­lowing words: «Flying machines are possible. A man may sit in

the middle of the machine and turn some device. This device

makes the artificial wings beat the air in the manner of a flying

bird.» В.: Why have you said this? There is nothing new or interesting. M.: But they were written six hundred years ago. В.: Oh, really, who made this statement? M.: Roger Bacon, an English scientist. Of course, his sentences

have been made easier, but these were his words and thoughts.

Have you heard about him? В.: Certainly, I have heard about him. But I have thought he was

a monk (монах) and was in prison for many years. M.: You are quite right. Besides, he made a deep study of physics.

And this was the reason (причина) for his being in prison. He

made men think about new things. В.: Oh, Mary, Fve always said you are the most clever (умный)

girl I've ever met. Do you agree with me, Peter? Peter: Oh, sure. And I remember Bakon's statement about cars that

can go very rapidly by their own power and great ships on

rivers and oceans guided by one man.

Exercise 4. Speak about:

1. The characteristics of a new hypersonic passenger liner.

2. The main difficulties of its construction.

Use exercises 1, 2 and the following words and word combinations for your topic: The text gives the information on... It is interesting to note that... Speaking

about... Further description of... is given. It is pointed out that... As far as I know...

In conclusion I'd like to say that...

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aviation designers, to display, to cover the distance, overall, to heat to a very high temperature, new generation aircraft, to overcome difficulties in, a great amount of, without using, extensive use of new materials, exceed, to solve a prob­lem.

Exercise 5. Comment on the following statement.

Air transport has many advantages and many disadvantages.

One point of view : It is fast, comfortable, safe, it is particularly good and effi­cient for long distances, it is independent of roads, it is good for the health because it is not tiring (утомительно), it is the most modern means of transport and it is the best way of travelling.

A contrary point of view : It is not safe, it is not reliable, it depends on the weather, it is not always good for the health, it always takes a long time to get from and to the airport, it is expensive, it is always connected with nervous strain (напряжение, стресс)

Exercise 6. Read and smile.

A teacher was explaining fractions to the class of girls and boys. After having written several examples on the blackboard, he asked a boy whether he would prefer (предпочитать) one-fifth or one-eighth of a lemon.

«Fd prefer one-eighth, sir.»

Then the teacher began explaining again that though the frac­tion one-eighth looked larger than the fraction one-fifth, it was re­ally the smaller of the two.

«I know that, sir. I don't like lemons.»

Einstein for a Day

Albert Einstein, one of the world's most brilliant and respected scientists, is best known for formulating the theory of relativity which played a critical part in the development of atomic energy. What may not be widely known is that Einstein had a fine sense of humor.

There is an amusing story about Einstein's visiting universities in a car driven by a chauffeur, giving lectures on relativity. One day the chauffeur said: «Mr. Einstein, I've heard you give this lecture about 30 times. I know it by heart, and I am sure I could give it my­self.» «Well, I'll give you a chance», said Einstein. «They won't re­cognise me at the school. When we get there, I'll put on your cap and you introduce yourself as me and give the lecture.»

The chauffeur gave Einstein's lecture without making a single mistake. On finishing, he started to leave, but one of the professors stopped him to ask a complex question. The chauffeur thought fast.

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«That problem is so trivial», he said, «I'm surprised that you have to ask me. In fact, to show you how simple it is, I'm going to ask my chauffeur to come up here and answer your question.»

Text 8B

Прочитайте текст. Ответьте на следующие вопросы:

Почему вернулись вновь к использованию дирижабля?

Чем отличаются современные дирижабли от первых конструкций?

Каково их практическое применение?

Какие сведения из текста вам знакомы?

Что нового вы узнали, прочитав этот текст?

The Return of the Dirigibles

When it comes to technology, people are not inclined to return to the past. Yet, some exceptions do exist. Such is the attitude at present towards dirigibles. Having abandoned the skies more than 40 years ago, they have suddenly begun to reappear. Designers have once again sat down to design this kind of transportation. Their use can still be limited, but there is no doubt that dirigibles are coming back.

Why is dirigible attractive? What do you do with it? As its cruis­ing speed is about 60 miles per hour, it is too slow to be used as a passenger carrier. But it is cheaper to operate than a helicopter, comfortable and capable of flying for several days. The craft's large size and staying power (dirigibles have remained in skies for as long as a week) make it ideally suited for exploration.

Their use in countries that have large territories and are rich in forests and are planning to explore and exploit new regions is most promising. They may be used to make a geological survey and to make maps, to look for off-shore oil and minerals, to take tourists to roadless, but beautiful places, to deliver heavy loads to remote regions and bring the products back. They have a potential use as a flying platform. In general, their possibilities are endless. They do not need expensive runways required by cargo planes.

Besides, the technological possibilities of manufacturing these crafts have changed. In 1920 and 1930s the dirigibles were manned by a big crew. Today being equipped with electronic control they can be operated by three pilots.

The modern dirigibles have one more important advantage over older models — that of complete safety in flight, for, instead of hy­drogen, they are filled with helium which does not burn. The craft is 200 feet long and is made of superstrong materials.

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In the future it may be possible to build a dirigible with a metal hull that could carry hundreds of passengers and transport cargo around the world. In fact, it is probably as a cargo vehicle that the dirigible will have the best chance to find its use.

Text 8C

Прочитайте текст. Расскажите по-английски о трех способах навигации и применяемых для этого устройствах.

Off the Ground: How do We Find Where We are Going?

Scientists who are concerned with such a problem generally agree that birds have some kind of so-called «second sense» that al­lows them to fly over land and water without getting lost. Indeed, birds are always able to find their destinations and make a return fly without any trouble at all.

But people need help in finding their destination when piloting their own airplanes. This, of course, is called navigation.

Navigation is the art of finding your way from where you start to your destination. Whether used by the seamen, explorer or the pilot, navigation falls into three basic categories: dead reckoning (счисление пути) which is the basis for all navigation, celestial navigation which is flying by the aid of the sun and other stars, and radio and radar navigation.

Several different kinds of aeronautical maps provide all the de­tails which might be needed by the pilot. And hundreds of radio navigation stations are located at different places around the world to help guide the pilot. All the pilot needs to do is to tune to these radio transmitters and he will get the directional signals he needs. Distance measuring equipment now used in many airplanes tells the pilot exactly how far he is from a radio station and at what speed he is travelling over the ground.

When certain types of weather prevent the pilot from seeing the ground, additional radio transmitters let him make his approach to an airport by simply watching his flight instruments and his radio receiver indicators. These receivers help the pilot descend on the runway, thus landing at an airport even though he cannot see the ground.

At the world's larger air terminals airplanes are provided with radar guidance as another means of guiding the pilot to the destina­tion. With the help of an electronic transponder (ретранслятор) in each airplane which shows it on the radar screen, radar controllers guide hundreds of airplanes to landing.

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Because of the great improvement in electronic and radio navi­gation equipment, flying to where you are going is done as effi­ciently as the birds do it and much more scientifically.

Text 8D

Прочитайте текст. Расскажите по-английски о Нью-Йорке, культурном, финансовом и промышленном центре США.

New York

Situated at the mouth of the deep Hudson River, New York has always been the gate of the USA. But it is more than just a door: it is also a window through which the life of the whole nation may be observed. New York is a city of striking social contrasts. It is a place where most of the millionaires live and at the same time a greater proportion of New Yorkers live at a lower level than the average for the US. In 1626 Dutch colonists set up here the first settlement, named New Amsterdam. They bought Manhattan Island from In­dians for 24 dollars and a barrel of rum. The Americans say that it was the best business deal ever made in New York. In 1664 the colony was captured by British fleet under Duke of York and re­named New York.

Now New York includes five boroughs: Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and Richmond.

Manhattan is the smallest of the five city boroughs in size and it is not the largest in population although the majority spend a con­siderable part of the day in this center of business life. Here are Broadway, Wall Street and the Stock Exchange. This is the heart and source of American policy.

Harlem is also in Manhattan. Thick walls separate this «Black Bottom» with 450,000 coloured people from the white population.

In the bay stands the bronze Statue of Liberty given to the United States by France as a present in 1886. Its torch is 60 meters high and can be seen at night for many miles. A new American Mu­seum of Immigration is open at the base of the Statue.

The Bronx is a more residential rather than industrial part of the city. The well-known Zoo and Botanic Gardens are in the Bronx.

Queens is both a residential and industrial area. New York's two biggest airports are both there.

The Brooklyn Navy Yard is the largest naval shipbuilding cen­ter in the world. Brooklyn has more people than any other part of the city — about 3,000,000. It is mostly a district of middle-class people.

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Richmond is the borough of piers and warehouses. Its popula­tion is only 200,000.

What makes New York? First of all, it is a great seaport, the greatest in the USA. The sea encircles many of the city areas. It is also a great financial center, where «money-making» is the main law of life. It is the symbol of big business and its Wall Street has become a ruckname for big monopolies all over the world. New York is the leading textile center of the country and its clothes in­dustry. It has a considerable printing industry and many book-shops; It is also undoubtedly one of the centres of social and spiritual lifV of America. There are a lot of Art Galleries, among them rich Henry Frick collections, and many impressive art muse­ums (Metropolitan Museum, Modern Art Museum, American Art Museum and others). For a long time New York specialized in giv­ing visitors a good time at its theatres, restaurants, night clubs, sporting arenas, and therefore has a large hotel industry. It is the main publishing, advertising and radio center with Columbia and New York universities and various city colleges.