Информация о курсе

22.     Units of measure. Match the lines in the table. Practise the words and learn them:

23.     Read the following text to answer these questions.

1        Why is engineering considered the main driver of human development?

2        When did the wide distribution of electrical power become possible?

3        How many cars are there in the modern world?

4        Who was the first flight made by?

5        What invention led to the early designs of radio and television?

6        Where is climate control extremely necessary?

7        When and why was Internet devised?

8        Where is fiber optics used?

9        Is nuclear power safer than fossil fuels?

TEXT 5C MODERN ENGINEERING

Engineering is a main driver of human development. In recent years en­gineering has greatly influenced quality of our life and become a tool which makes changes to environment, society and economies. Engineers have de­vised new equipments and goods, power systems, weapons, new materials, transport and transportation systems, design of buildings, etc. The 20th cen­tury was a revolutionary period in the history of modern civilization. Let’s consider some of its greatest engineering achievements.

Electrification. The wide distribution of electrical power in the 20th cen­tury brought light to the world and power to almost every home and plant in modem society. Electrification is responsible for innumerable developments that have made life safer, healthier and more convenient; now it is hard to imagine our lives without it. It runs the smallest electric devices in homes and offices, the huge computers that control power grids1 and telecommunica­tions systems, and the machinery that produces consumer goods.

Automobile. At the beginning of the 19th century an average person trav­elled about 1,920 km in an entire lifetime, mostly on foot. Today an average person travels about 16,000 km a year by automobile alone, and there are half a billion cars in the world. The automobile has become the major transporter of people and goods in the world.

Airplane. Air travel has revolutionized our world. After the Wright broth­ers2 achieved the first successful flight in 1903, the airplane developed rapidly, particularly in response to the needs of World War I, with advances in mate­rials, wing design, and engines. In 1939, the gas turbine was introduced and this marked the beginning of jet transport. Today air travel makes possible transporting goods and people around the globe.

Electronics. From vacuum tubes to transistors and microprocessors; elec- tronic devices became smaller, more powerful and more efficient throughout the 20th century and provided the technological basis for countless innova­tions and products. The vacuum tube led to the early designs of the radio, television and computer. The key to this amazing revolution is the integrated circuit — the heart of the modern electronic systems. Brilliant engineering ;\nd innovation lie behind these elements that operate wireless communica­tions, satellite broadcasts, air traffic control systems, microwave ovens, video cameras, touch-tone phones, computers, and many other innovations that have improved the quality, safety and convenience of modern life.

Radio and Television. The introduction of radio and television were major reasons of social change in the 20th century. By the middle of the 1930s al­most every home in the world had a radio, and in the 1940s the television first reached the market.

Computers. Perhaps no other engineering device has attracted the atten- I ion of an average person as much as a computer. A computer has become an essential part of every major industry — communications, manufacturing, re­search, medicine, education, government, entertainment, and others. It has t ransformed business and lives around the world, increased productivity and opened access to vast amounts of knowledge with little effort.

Telephone. In the 20th century after a remarkable series of innovations, engineers transformed a system of copper wire, wooden poles and primitive transmitters into a modern telephone. Nowadays telephone poles with their thousands of miles of copper wire are being replaced by new technologies, mobile telephones

Air Conditioning and Refrigeration. Our life changed greatly in the 20th century when air conditioning and refrigeration systems became more ef­ficient. Climate control has become so reliable and inexpensive that it has grown from an invisible luxury to a common necessity. Control of air tem­perature and quality provides the clean environments necessary for surgery, manufacture of computer chips and many types of research.

Internet. The Internet was devised in the 1960s as a tool to exchange in­formation and share resources. What eventually grew out of this project is an amazing cheap technology that is now available to ordinary people at home, universities, public libraries and “cyber” cafes. Today the Internet has over 150 million users from 65 countries. We are only beginning to realize the fu­ture possibilities of its use.

Laser and Fiber Optics. Pulses of light from lasers are used in industrial tools, surgical devices and satellites. Fiber optic cables are used for modern communications; they carry much more information than copper cables.

Nuclear Technologies. Today nuclear power plants generate about 20% of the world’s electrical power. Nuclear power is safer than fossil fuel systems in terms of industrial accidents, environmental damage, health effects and long-term risks.

Notes on the text

¹ power grid — единая энергосистема.

²  the Wright brothers — братья Райт.

Text and vocabulary exercises

24.    Match the English phrases on the left with their Russian equivalents on the right.

25.     Find in the text the words or phrases which mean the same as:

■  система транспортировки ■ в ответ на

■  бесчисленные разработки  ■ газовая турбина

■  всю жизнь                            ■ беспроводное общение

■  полмиллиарда                     ■ микроволновая печь

■  главный перевозчик          ■ видеокамера

26.                Choose the right answer.

1        The 20th century was a revolutionary period in the history of....

a)      modern Europe            b) modern America          c) modern civilization

2        It is hard to imagine our lives without....

a) airplanes                         b) electricity                                         c) automobiles

3        The introduction of the gas turbine marked the beginning of....

a) car transport                     b) airtransport                                  c) jet transport

4        The heart of the modern electronic systems is ....

a) an electric battery                          b) a laser                   c) an integrated circuit

5        Nowadays old telephone communication is being replaced by ....

 a) satellite broadcasts                b) mobile telephones                  c) the Internet

6        Today nuclear power plants generate about....

a) 50% of the world’s                                    b) 20% of the world’s                                                                          c) 80% of the world’s electrical power     

27.Read the text above once more. In pairs, discuss the statements below. Say what you think about them and ask your partner if he or she agrees or dis­agrees with you. Use the following phrases to help you.

1        Engineering is a main driver of the human development.

2        The wide distribution of electrical power in the 19th century brought li^ht and power to almost every home and plant in the world.

3        At the beginning of the 19th century people travelled mostly on foot.

4.                   There are half a million cars in the world.

5.                   The invention of a vacuum tube led to the early designs of the radio, television and computer.

6.                   Radio and television opened access to vast amounts of knowledge with little effort.

7.                   Control of air temperature and quality provides the clean environments necessary for surgery, manufacture of computer chips and many types of re­search.

8.                   Fiber optic cables carry less information than copper cables.