Text 4a. Is lightning good or bad?

The intensity of lightning is tremendous. When we hear noises on our radio, we conclude that a storm is occurring somewhere in the country. It is not really the case. Similar disturbances have been heard on radio in New York, San Francisco, and elsewhere. It has been proved, moreover, that a powerful flash of lightning in the jungle of India or over the South States suffices to produce disturbances on every radio throughout the world.

Lightning performs some very useful services for mankind. Every stroke of lightning produces some quantity of nitric acid from the nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen of the air. About 100,000 tons of nitric acid are produced in this way each year. It is more than man can produce nitrogen by the artificial process.

Assignment 15. Point out which of the sentences contains the information from Text 4A.

1) Coming down from a charged cloud to the earth, lightning usually strikes the nearest conductor.

2) Strokes of lightning can destroy buildings, that’s why lightning conductors are used to protect them.

3) Strokes of lightning can produce disturbances on radio and at the same time they can do some useful things.

UNIT FIVE

Grammar: The Gerundial Construction

1. Lomonosov’s having studied atmospheric electricity contributed to the development of science. – To, что Ломоносов изучал атмосферное электричество, способствовало развитию науки.

2. Everybody insisted on this experiment being made once more. – Все настаивали на том, чтобы этот эксперимент был проделан еще раз.

Assignment 1. Remember the following words and word-combinations:

modern instead of mainly valuable substance to harness to require to represent power mankind condenser stormy string key to connect lower the same to pass proof to electrify to wet to conduct to prove discharge instruction stroke discovery field

современный вместо главным образом ценный вещество использовать (в качестве источника энергии) требовать представлять; означать энергия человечество конденсатор штормовой веревка, бечевка ключ соединять, связывать нижний тот же самый проходить (о времени) доказательство электрифицировать; электризовать мочить, увлажнять проводить доказывать разряд указание удар открытие область

Assignment 2. Practice the pronunciation of the following words:

ton, instead of, valuable, to require, kilometre, to represent, mankind, question, to mention, atmospheric, phenomenon, jar, earth, son, such as, key, lower, high, could, to raise, to electrify, thus, to prove, discharge, to develop, conductor, instruction, principle.

Assignment 3. Translate the words, their derivatives into Russian and learn them.

to connect – connection – to disconnect; chemical – chemist – chemistry; to develop – development; to electrify – electrification – electricity – electric – electrical; engine –engineer – engineering; to instruct – instruction – instructive – instructor; to power – power – powerful; to protect – protection – protective – protector; to require – requirement – required; to use – use – useful – useless – user; to value – value – valuable.

Assignment 4. Translate the following sentences with the Gerund into Russian.

1) The thunder is caused by heating the air by a spark.

2) A lightning conductor is a means of protecting buildings from strokes of lightning.

3) We know of this house being destroyed by a stroke of lightning.

4) After having studied the phenomenon of atmospheric electricity, Franklin invented the lightning conductor.

5) Franklin’s having worked in the field of electricity is known all over the world.

6) Before making experiments Franklin made numerous observations.

7) Protecting buildings from strokes of lightning was impossible before Franklin’s time.

8) A lightning conductor is capable of protecting buildings from strokes of lightning.