Text a а.М. Terpigorev (1873-1959)

Academician A.M. Terpigorev is a well-known mining engineer who successfully combined his practical experience with scientific research. He was born in 1873 in Tambov. In 1892 he finished school with honours¹ and decided to get a higher education. He chose the Mining Institute in St. Petersburg, passed all the entrance examinations successfully and became a student of the Mining Institute.

At the Institute he studied the full range of subjects² relating to metallurgy, mining and mining mechanics.

At that time students' specialization was based on³ descriptive courses and elementary practical training. One of the best lecturers was A. P. Karpinsky. His lectures on historical geology were very popular.

During his practical training Terpigorev visited mines and saw that the miners' work was very difficult. While he was working in the Donbas he collected material for his graduation paper which he soon defended. The Mining of flat seams in the Donbas was carefully studied and described in it.

In 1897 Terpigorev graduated from the Institute with a first-class diploma of a mining engineer.

His first job as a mining engineer was at the Sulin mines where he worked for more than three years first as Assistant Manager and later as Manager.

From 1900 till 1922 Terpigorev worked at the Yekaterinoslav Min­ing Institute (now the Mining Institute in Dnepropetrovsk).

In 1922 he accepted an offer to take charge of the mining chair at the Moscow Mining Academy and moved to Moscow. From 1930 he headed the chairs⁵ of Mining Transport and Mining of Bedded Deposits at the Moscow Mining Institute.

Academician Terpigorev took a particular interest in mine safety. As a result of his investigations a series of safety measures in gassy collieries was worked out. For some time he was working on the problem of fire damp, the most harmful and dangerous of all the gases in mines.

His two-volume work Coal Mining and Mine Transport Facilities is a full description of the state of mechanization and the economy of the Donbas. His other works are about mining transport facilities, mecha­nization of coal mining and mining machinery. He is one of the pio­neers in scientific methods of coal gasification.

Notes

1. finished school with honours – окончил школу с отличием

2. full range of subjects – широкий диапазон дисциплин

3. was based on – базировался на

4. to take charge of (smth.) – руководить, осуществлять контроль (над чем-либо)

5. headed the chairs – возглавил кафедры

Ex.5. Which sentences are true according to the text?

1. After school Terpigorev decided to work in a mine.

2. Terpigorev collected material for his graduation paper which dealt with mining thick seams in the Donbas.

3. For more than three years Terpigorev worked at the Sulin mines.

4. In 1922 Terpigorev accepted an offer to take charge of the mining chair at the Moscow Mining Institute.

5. He investigated the problems of mine safety.

6. He was one of the first to work on the problem of gasification of coal.

Ex.6. Answer the questions.

1. When and where was Terpigorev born?

2. What institute did he graduate from?

3. What material did he collect while he was working in the Donbas?

4. Where did Terpigorev work from 1900 till 1922?

5. At what institute did Terpigorev head the chair of Mining Bedded Deposits?

6. What did Terpigorev take a particular interest in?

7. What works by Terpigorev do you know?

8. What problems do Terpigorev's works deal with?

9. What was the result of his investigations on mine safety?

Ex.7. Find in the right column the Russian equivalents of these words and word combinations.

to fulfill the task to accept an offer fire damp flat seam mine safety to collect the material to confirm exploitation of deposits coal winning

а) охрана труда в шахтах б) подтверждать в) добыча угля г) эксплуатация месторождений д) метан e) принять предложение ж) выполнить задачу, задание з) горизонтальный пласт и) собирать материал

Ex.8. Find in the right column the English equivalents of these words and word combinations.

поступить в институт решать важные проблемы выдающиеся исследователи успешно провести эксперименты выбрать профессию описательный курс происхождение железной руды начальник шахты мероприятия по охране труда

descriptive course to choose a profession to enter an institute to solve important problems safety measures outstanding (prominent) researchers to carry out experiments successfully the origin of iron ore the manager of a colliery

Ex.9. Finish the sentences, translate into English all the variants.

1. Our institute keeps in close touch with ... (1. Промышленными предприятиями; 2. шахтами и рудниками; 3. научно-исследова­тельскими институтами; 4. угольными бассейнами).

2. The student is planning to ... (1. защищать диплом; 2. провести эксперимент; 3. принять участие в конференции).

3. A group of postgraduates took an interest in ... (1. Проблемой безопасности в шахтах; 2. маркшейдерией; 3. транспортным обору­дованием; 4. открытой разработкой (полезных ископаемых))

4. The scientists state that... (1. этот район богат нефтью; 2. в районе имеется железо, черные и цветные металлы; 3. месторож­дение меди находится недалеко от поверхности).

5. They did their best (in order) to ... (1. (раз)решить важную проблему; 2. создать новую теорию; 3. основать новый исследова­тельский центр; 4. облегчить работу по добыче угля).

6. Terpigorev took an active part in... (1. разработке научных методов газификации угля; 2. разработке плана реконструкции шахт Донбасса; 3. создании первых учебников по горному делу, 4. исследовании природных богатств страны).

Ex.10. Express your disagreement with the following statements. Prove your point of view with the facts from the text A. Use the given conversational formulas.

to my mind; in my opinion; as is known; on the contrary; I can't agree with yon; I'd like to say a few words about; I suppose so; I don't dunk so; that's where yon are wrong; fur from that; more than that; is that really so?

1. In 1895 Terpigorev finished school with honours and decided to enter the university.

2. During his practical training Terpigorev visited a number of plants and collected material for his graduation paper which dealt with metallurgy.

3. Terpigorev took a particular interest in open-cast mining and wrote many books on this problem.

4. In 1930 Terpigorev headed the chair at the Leningrad Mining Institute.

5. Terpigorev wanted to work on the problem of coal gasification.

6. Terpigorev made a great contribution to mining and metallurgy.

Ex.11. Retell Text A using the following key words.

to finish school; to get a higher education; to enter an institute; to

study the full range of subjects; to visit mines; to deal with; to graduate from the institute; to work as Manager; to accept an offer; to take an interest in; to work out problems; to be in charge of; to head the chair; to take an active part (in)

Ex.12. Read these words and try to remember.

abroad - за рубежом foreign - иностранный confirm – подтверждать, утверждать investigate – исследовать, изучать consider - считать, полагать, рассматривать contribute - вносить вклад contribution - вклад crust - земная кора detailed - подробный, детальный elect - избирать, выбирать (голосованием), назначать (на должность) embrace – охватывать, обнимать to advance the view - высказывать мнение (точку зрения) to be interested in - быть заинтересованным ( в чём-л.), интересоваться to take (an) interest in - заинтересоваться (в чём-л.)

former - прежний justly - обоснованно, по праву prominent - знаменитый, выдающийся, известный; syn. remarkable, outstanding entire - весь, целый, полный; syn. whole exist - существовать, быть, жить regularity - закономерность significant - значительный significance - значение, важность exhaust the significance - исчерпывать значение society - общество staff – персонал, личный состав, штат various - различный, разный, разнообразный

Ex.13. Read the words and translate them.

iron deposits

extracting of useful minerals

discovery of salt

existing conditions

to design effective machines for underground and open-cast mining

to forecast the deposit

to investigate different systems

the prominent scientist

an entire epoch

remarkable works

scientific activity

industrially experienced engineers

equal skill

the Earth's crust movement

the origin of platinum deposits

significant results

Ex.14. Read text B and name the fields of geology where A.P. Karpinsky was a discoverer.