Пособия / Techical English Basics. Основы технического английского

III. Translate into Russian.

Line efficiency, voltage loss, power station, interdependent values, interconnected sources, changing power efficiency, exceedingly high power losses, exceedingly inefficient energy sources.

One can ignore these exceedingly low power losses.

One should take into consideration the interdependence of these values.

One should not ignore the high cost of these installations.

IV. (Text 1) Find English equivalents.

Передавать электрический ток; для электропроводки; из меди и алюминия; благодаря невысокой стоимости; электротехника; без изоляции; потеря энергии; можно не принимать во внимание; степень эффективности линии; зависит от нагрузки; перегрузки и короткие замыкания.

V. Complete the sentences using the correct variant.

1. Aluminium is used due to its ........

a.high cost b. low cost and high efficiency

2.Cross-section of different conductors ........

a.varies b. is the same

3.Power loss can be ignored ........

a.in short wires b. in long wires

4.A definite value of loss ........

a.can be exceeded b. should not be exceeded

5.Electric lines nowadays are ........

a.efficient b. inefficient

6.Installations are protected ........

a.by switches b. by fuses

VI. (Text 1) Answer the following questions.

1. Why is aluminium widely used nowadays?

2.Is its cost very low or comparatively low?

3.What is the cross-section of copper conductors?

4.May one ignore power loss in short wire? Why?

5.What does the efficiency of a line depend on?

6.What are fuses used for?

7.When does a line become inefficient?

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VIII. (Text 2) Answer the following questions.

1. What are hackers?

2.How do hackers spend their time?

3.When do their activities break the law?

4.What are hackers especially interested in?

5.What is a ‘Trojan Horse’?

6.Where do hackers meet?

7.What do hackers do at such festivals?

8.What will happen in the twenty-first century?

Grammar Exercises

I. Проанализируйте приведенные формы инфинитива и примеры, иллюстрирующие различные функции инфинитива.

Infinitive

Indefinite Active: to write

Indefinite Passive: to be written

Continuous Active: to be writing

Continuous Passive: –——-

Perfect Active: to have written

Perfect Passive: to have been written

Инфинитив в функции обстоятельства цели:

1. He used his influence to get me a job.

2.You must work hard to pass this exam.

3.I turned on the light to see what time it was.

Инфинитив в функции определения:

The conference discussed some new methods to be used in teaching English as a foreign language.

II. Прочтите текст, найдите в нем и проанализируйте случаи употребления инфинитива.

My hobby is to read books. I like to read books everywhere – at home, at the university, in the bus. If I want to read a book I always remember that some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed (глотать), and some few to be chewed (обдумывать), and digested. I

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also know well that there is a great difference between the eager man who wants to read a book, and the tired man who wants a book to read.

III. Переведите следующие словосочетания и предложения, обращая внимание на инфинитив.

a)to send the letter to inform them; the house to be built; to build the road to connect two towns; the story to listen to; the question to be answered;

b)I am happy to help you. I am glad to have helped him. He was glad to have been helped. I an glad to be helping them. I am glad to be helped.

IV. Прочтите и переведите на русский язык следующие словосочетания. Укажите, чем выражено определение.

a)the problem to be solved; the instrument to be used; the bridge to be constructed; the experiment to be carried out;

b)the remark made; the distance travelled; the money paid; the translated article; the tested method.

V. Прочтите и переведите следующие предложения, обращая внимание на инфинитив.

1. They were happy to take part in our expedition.

2.She wanted to be answered at once.

3.He was happy to be working with the famous scientist.

4.It’s very difficult to drive a car in a big city.

5.Water may be used to drive dynamos which generate electricity.

6.Newton made use of the three laws of motion to explain the movement of the Moon around the Earth and of the planets around the Sun.

7.In this area there are no monuments to speak of.

8.The new channel to be constructed here will be the longest in the country.

9.The new branches of industry to be developed in this part of the country are metallurgy and radio engineering.

VI. Проанализируйте способы выражения определения с помощью существительных. Переведите приведенные словосочетания на русский язык.

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Способы выражения определения

the land transport

the land transport improvement

the land transport improvement problem

The traffic speed; the traffic speed increase; the railway bridge; the railway bridge reconstruction; the London underground; the London underground problem; the energy accumulation process; the car speed calculation; the steam engine invention; the deep sea current measuring device.

UNIT 20

Grammar Review: 1.		Complex Object
	2.	Complex Subject
Texts: 1.	‘Substations’
	2.	‘A Legend on Wheels’

Text 1. Substations

A substation is designed to receive energy from a power system, convert it and distribute it to the feeders. Thus a substation serves as a distribution centre. Substations feed (supply) various consumers if their basic load characteristics are similar. Therefore the energy is distributed without transformation of the voltage supplied.

Common substations comprise isolators, switchgear buses, oil circuit breakers, fuses, power and instrument transformers and reactors. Substations are classed into step up and step down ones. The step up substation includes transformers that increase the voltage. Connected to the busbars of the substation are the power transmission lines of power plants of the system.

As to step down substations, they reduce the voltage to 10 or 6 kV. At this voltage the power is supplied to the distribution centres and to the transformer substations of power consumers.

A transformer substation serves for transmitting and distributing electric power. It comprises a storage battery, control devices and auxiliary structures. Transformer substations are classed into indoor and outdoor; both types are used for feeding industrial enterprises. Compared

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to other types of substations, transformer substations have certain advantages. They have flexible construction and easy and reliable operation. In case of a fault in the left-hand section, the main circuit breaker opens while the normally open section circuit breaker closes and puts the voltage of the section to normal. Power from a substation is delivered to distribution centres.

Words and expressions to be remembered:

to convert	feeder	to distribute	to supply similar	voltage
breaker to increase		busbar power	transmission lines	to reduce
a consumer	to comprise a storage battery auxiliary flexible as ...to

Text 2. A Legend on Wheels

In the 1930s, the Wolfsburg car factory in Germany produced the first inexpensive car ‘for the people’ – the Beetle. Nobody really expected it to be such a great success. It was the idea of the well-known constructor, Ferdinand Porsche, and it immediately became even more popular than Ford’s ‘T’ model which was at that time the most modern and popular car.

The production of the ‘T’ model continued for 20 years without interruption between 1908-1927. The Beetle had a production life of 48 years between 1935-1978. This model had not changed throughout the years, except for some modifications in the engine. It remained the same size, and was relatively cheap and simple in construction. Even today, the Volkswagen Beetle is still manufactured in Brazil on the original licence.

The War interrupted development of the Beetle and the factory was used for military production. However, as soon as the war ended, Beetle production restarted and by 1972 the total number of cars produced increased to over 15,000,000. It was then that the Beetle in Wolfsburg was replaced by the new Golf model which actually had nothing in common with its older brother. In 1975, Volkswagen introduced this new Golf in the United States where it was called ‘Rabbit’.

Over the years, there were many models of Volkswagens, produced by using the Beetle and Golf as a starting point and including many other concepts and standards. The mass media advertised the entire family of Volkswagen cars: Passat, Jetta, Polo, Derby. There were vans and various sizes and types of trucks. They were manufactured in Emden, Osnabruck, Wolfsburg and other German cities.

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Many people today are of the opinion that Volkswagens are among the most comfortable and powerful cars in Europe. Although the Beetle is hardly ever seen in the streets any more, the owners of the few remaining Beetle models still make an effort to keep their small cars in the best possible condition. What is more, they are very proud of driving a car with a history behind it.

Words and expressions to be remembered:

to produce	to construct	production engine	to manufacture
military	mass media	to advertise a van	a truck

Vocabulary and Comprehension Exercises

I. (Text 1) Read the following word combinations and put down their Russian equivalents.

Circuit breaker, auxiliary units, distribution centre, flexible construction, reliable operation, switch gear bus, hydraulic as well as solar sources of energy, as to phase-word motors.

II. (Text 1) Find English equivalents.

Распределительные центры; обычные подстанции; изоляторы, шинные коммутаторы (переключатели); масленые прерыватели; предохранители; трансформаторы; повышающие и понижающие; накопительная батарея; устройства управления; вспомогательные устройства; передающие и принимающие; гибкая конструкция; в случае повреждения; подает напряжение в нормальном режиме.

III. (Text 1) Complete the sentences using the correct variant.

1. A substation serves ........

a.to consume energy b. to distribute energy c. to convert energy

2.A substation feeds consumers ........

a.with various load characteristics b. with similar load c haracteristics

3.The lines of power plants are connected ........

a.to the busbars b. to the switchgear

4.A substation comprises ........

a.the main elements b. the main and auxiliary elements

5.flexible construction is ........

a.an advantage b. a disadvantage

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IV. (Text 1) Answer the following questions.

1. What does a substation serve for?

2.What type of consumers does a substation feed?

3.What parts are the power transmission lines connected to?

4.What components does a substation comprise?

5.What types are substations classed into?

6.What are advantages of a transformer substation?

V. (Text 2) Answer the following questions.

1. What car did the Wolfsburg car factory in Germany produced in the 1980s?

2.Whose idea was it?

3.How long did the production of the ‘T’ model continue?

4.What production life did the Beetle have?

5.Is the Volkswagen Beetle still manufactured?

6.Was the factory used for the production of the Beetle during the

war?

7.When was the Beetle in Wolfsburg replaced by the new Golf

model?

8.How was this new Golf called in the United States?

9.What cars belong to the family of Volkswagen cars?

10. Why are the owners of the few remaining Beetle models proud of their cars?

Grammar Exercises

I. Проанализируйте структуру объектного инфинитивного оборота.

		Complex Object
A. Подлежащее +глагол-связка + дополнение + инфинитив с to
I	want	you	to help me.
He	expects	me	to type this letter.
Б. Подлежащее + глагол-связка + дополнение + инфинитив без to.
I	saw	him	cross the road.
I	heard	the car	stop.
She	made	me	learn thepoembyheart.

II. Переведите предложения, обращая внимание на объектный инфинитивный оборот.

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A.1. She wanted us to visit the art exhibition.

2.I expect you to tell me everything.

3.I suppose her to be about 50.

4.The teacher does not consider him to be a good student.

5.The engineer expected the work to be done in time.

6.We thought him to have taken part in their experiment. Б. 1. We heard him come in and close the door behind him.

2.Many people like to watch the sun rise.

3.She saw her son fall.

4.You can’t make me believe that all these stories are true.

5.She watched the boy buy a newspaper.

III. Проанализируйте структуру субъектного инфинитивного оборота.

Подлежащее	Complex Subject
	+ глагол-сказуемое + инфинитив
He	is said	to be living in France.
You	are supposed	to do the washing up.

IV. Прочитайте текст и проанализируйте случаи употребления Complex Object и Complex Subject.

Socrates is known to be the Great Greek philosopher and orator. A talkative young man wanted Socrates to teach him oratory. He begged Socrates to hear him speak on some subject. Socrates let him talk as much as he liked and then said: ‘You must pay me double price, for I’ll have to teach you two sciences: how to speak and how to hold your tongue.’

V. Переведите следующие предложения на русский язык, обращая внимание на субъектный инфинитивный оборот.

1. The lecture was said to be very interesting.

2.The English delegation us believed to come at the end of the

month.

3.She seems to know English and French.

4.This school is considered to be the best in the town.

5.She seems to be waiting for you.

6.The members of the committee are reported to come to an agree-

ment.

7.Lake Baikal is said to be the deepest in the world.

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VI. Переведите следующие предложения на русский язык, обращая внимание на инфинитивные конструкции.

1. A lot of people came to watch the ocean liner return home after a long voyage.

2.Everybody thought him to be quite a reliable person.

3.He seems to know a lot about the history of navigation.

4.The 20th century is considered to be the century of space travels.

5.The results of the experiment were found to be very interesting.

6.Rubber is known to have been brought from America.

7.Ink is supposed to have been invented in Egypt.

UNIT 21

Grammar Review: 1. Функции слов ‘one, ones, that,those’ Texts: 1. ‘Hydroelectric Power Plants’

2. ‘Mobile Phones’

Text 1. Hydroelectric Power Plants

Hydroelectric power plants are built on rivers. Large-capacity hydroelectric power plants are commonly located at considerable distances from the consumers of electric power. The production process at these plants is rather simple: the water flows into the hydroturbine runner, acts upon the runner blades and rotates the runner and the turbine shaft.

The generator shaft is connected to the turbine runner shaft. The difference in the water level influences the power capacity of a plant, i.e. the magnitude of the water head and the daily inflow of water fluctuates considerably according to the season.

The production process is different at power plants of different constructions and of different kinds. In atomic power plants, for example, it is not so simple as in hydroelectric plants.

Words and expressions to be remembered:

plant a runner	blade to rotate	shaft	level
a to influence	magnitude head	to fluctuate

Text 2. Mobile Phones

The necessity for telephones is unquestionable. They have become, especially since the 1950s, an essential tool in modern life. One may

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argue if a real ‘need’ exists for people to use their telephones as often as they do. But can you imagine your life without one at home, or even in your car, or when on holiday in the mountains, for instance? Hardly anybody would give a positive answer to this question.

In recent years mobile phones have become particularly fashionable. Technically called cellular phones, they are one of the great contributions of technology to our lives. Calls can now be made from far away areas of the world thanks to a vast web of microwave transmission towers, antennas, and satellites in space that took years to develop and build.

The invention of the cellphone or mobile phone dates back to the year 1947. The cellphone was a two-way radio. The technology wasn’t very developed and only twenty-three conversations were possible on one area. In 1968 there was already a system of towers, each was a ‘cell’, and could broadcast waves for a few miles. When people carried a phone from place to place, telephone conversations passed from one tower to another.

The first commercial cellular phone system started working in 1979 in Tokyo. In 1982 the USA had a cellular system that everybody could use. More and more people started using cellphones and suddenly they were everywhere. We know that mobile phones are no longer just phones. There are many models with radio, calculator, or with access to the Internet.

Nowadays, throughout the world, the cellular phone has become a status symbol, without which in some cultures it is assumed that you belong to a ‘lower class’ of ‘less successful’ people. Yet, it is often amusing to hear such ‘successful’ people using their phones to call friends from bars and restaurants when cheaper public payphones are nearby.

Still, mobile phones will continue to improve in quality, and prices should continue to decrease. It may not be long before the cellular phone is as basic as a calculator in the lives of many people around the world.

Words and expressions to be remembered:

necessity a tool to imagine fashionable			cellular phones
contribution	microwave transmission		space	invention
to broadcast	a wave successful	to improve		to decrease

Vocabulary and Comprehension Exercises

I. (Text 1) Read the following word combinations and put down their Russian equivalents.

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