Jupiter

Jupiter is the largest planet: it is nearly two and a half times more massive than other planets. Its distance from the sun is about 484 million miles; its distance from the earth is about 400 million miles. It takes Jupiter about 12 terrestrial years to move round the sun, but its rotation on its axis is very rapid: its day is less than 10 hours. Its mean density is only about 1.3 times the density of water. This is less than a fourth of the earth's mean density and about the same as the sun's.

terrestrial земной

rotation вращение

rapid быстрый

TEXT 4

Relief of the earth

The lithosphere is the solid outer part of the earth. The hydrosphere is the liquid part of the earth. It includes all the waters of the earth that are on in the lithosphere.

The lithosphere and the oceans together form an imperfect sphere or geoid slightly flattened near the poles and slightly bulged at the equator. The equatorial diameter of this geoid is 7 926.6 miles.

The total area of the surface of the land and water of the earth is about 197 000 000 square miles. The universal ocean which for convenience we divide into Atlantic, Pacific, Indian and Arctic oceans, covers some 141 000 000 square miles of the lithosphere. The continental platforms of North and South America, Eurasia, Africa, Australia and Antarctic are the great elevated portions of the surface of the lithosphere.

The area of the continental platforms is about 66 000 000 square miles. However, the ocean has overflowed its basins and has covered the lower margins of the continental platforms. The area so covered amounts to about 10 000 000 square miles. This represents the difference in the area of the continental platforms, 66 000 000 square miles and that of the continents 56 000 000 square miles.

Continents are the parts of the continental platforms that stand above the oceans.

The continental shelves are portions of the continental platforms that lie beneath the ocean. They extend out from the continents varying distances.

The slopes connecting the continental platform and ocean basins, either steep or gradual, we call the continental slopes.

Both continental platforms and ocean basins may be divided into second order relief, which are the mountains, plateaus and plains. The plains of the ocean basins, doubtless, are larger than those of the continents.

A mountain is a conspicuous highland with small summit area. We classify mountains according to their arrangement in systems, ranges, chains and groups.

Plateaus are highlands with broad, flatfish surfaces or summits. You may see such plateaus on the flanks of or between mountain ranges.

Plains are relatively low lands of the earth. Their surfaces have low relief. That is to say, their surface irregularities are comparatively small. Since plains are lowlands they usually occur on continental borders only slightly above sea level. Such plains we call coastal plains. If they occur in the interior of a continent we call them interior plains.

Nearly all large cities of the world are on plains. The great majority of the people of the earth live on plains.

Notes.

either ... or или ... или

neither ... nor ни ... ни

both оба

both ... and как ... так и

according to согласно

that is say = i. е. т. е.

WORDS

relief	рельеф (местность)
solid	твердый
outer	наружный, внешний
liquid	жидкий
to include	заключать, содержать
	(в себе), включать
ocean	океан
to form	образовывать
geoid	геоид
to flatten	делать(ся) плоским,
	ровным, выравнивать
to bulge	выпячивать, выдаваться
total	общий
area	площадь, пространство,
	область
universal	всеобщий, мировой
convenience	удобство
to divide	делить, подразделять
continent	континент
continental	континентальный
platform	платформа
to elevate	поднимать, возвышать
portion	часть
however	тем не менее, однако
to overflow	переполнять, затоплять.
basin	бассейн
margin	край, поля
to amount	составлять, равняться
to represent	представлять
shelf (pl. shelves)	шельф, отмель
to lie (lay, lain)	лгать
beneath	под, ниже
to extend	простираться
to vary	изменять(ся), отличаться
slope	склон, наклон
to connect	соединять
steep	крутой

gradual	постепенный
to call	называть
second order relief features	рельеф второго порядка
plateau	плато, плоскогорье, равнина
doubtless	несомненно, вероятно
conspicuous	заметный, выдающийся
summit	вершина
to classify	классифицировать
arrangement	расположение
range	цепь гор, хребет
chain	цепь
broad	широкий
flank	бок, сторона, склон
irregularity	неправильность,
	неровность
comparative	сравнительный
since	так как, поскольку
to occur	встречаться, иметь место
border	граница
coast	морской берег
interior	внутренний
majority	большинство

Answer the following questions:

1. What are the parts of the earth?

2. What is the lithosphere?

3. What does the hydrosphere include?

4. What do we call the part of the earth which surrounds the lithosphere and the hydrosphere?

5. What is the shape of the lithosphere and oceans together?

6. Name the oceans of the world?

7. What do we call a continent?

8. What is a continental platform?

9. Where do continental shelves lie?

10. What do we call a continental slope?

11. Are continental shelves steep or gradual?

12. What second order relief features do you know?

13. What is a mountain?

14. How do we classify mountains?

15. What is the relief of a plateau?

16. Where do plateaus occur?

17. What is a plain?

18. Where do plains occur?

19. What plains do we usually call interior plains?

20. Where do the majority of people live?

21. Why do people prefer to live in the plains?

22. Why don't people live high in the mountains?

23. Can you give an example of a mountain chain in our country?

Translate the following adjectives:

Doubtless, shapeless, hopeless, useless, motionless, weightless, helpless, cloudless.

Form questions to the italicized words:

1. The hydrosphere includes all the waters of the world.

2. Millions of stars are moving in the space.

3. A young mountain system consists of many ranges and groups.

4. The ocean has covered the lower margins of the continental platforms.

5. It take the moon 27 1/3 days to make a complete revolution about the earth.

Finish the following sentences:

1. Highlands with broad flattish surfaces we call...

2. A conspicuous highland with small summit area we call...

3. Portions of the continental platforms lying beneath the ocean we call...

4. The liquid part of the earth we call...

5. Nine planets with their moons, many asteroids and the sun we call...

Translate into English:

1. Площадь, занимаемая континентальными платформами, составляет 66 000 000 кв. миль.

2. Давление, оказываемое на каждый кв. дюйм вашего тела, составляет 15 фунтов.

3. Равнины, называемые прибрежными равнинами, лежат по краям континентов.

4. Горы выше холмов. Холм не такой высокий, как гора.

5. Северный полюс не самое холодное место на Земле.

6. Полярная ночь зимой такая же длинная, как полярный день летом.

7. Чем дальше на юг, тем раньше наступает весна.

8. В Англии не так много солнечных дней, как во Франции.

9. На севере имеются четыре горные системы.

10. Плато встречаются либо по краям, либо между горными хребтами.

11. Как горы, так и равнины являются рельефом второго порядка.

12. Как планеты, так и кометы обращаются вокруг Солнца.

TEXT 5