1. Ответьте на следующие вопросы по тексту:

1. What great contributions has geology made to our civilization?

2. What is absolute time?

3. What is geologic time?

4. What further important point is learned from geology?

5. What is an important part of geologic study?

6. What does geology show?

7. What do biologists have in common with geologists?

8. How does the economic input of geology to civilization manifest itself?

9. What deposits have geologists discovered?

10. What resources are non-renewable?

2. Найдите в тексте предложения, содержащие словосочетания из комментариев и переведите их письменно. Составьте свои предложения с этими словосочетаниями.

3. Составьте предложения из следующих слов, руководствуясь правилом о порядке слов в английском повествовательном предложении:

   1. of, is, contribution, geology, intellectual, vast

   2. with, geology, is, absolute, time, concerned

   3. chemistry, relative, time, and, in, is, physics, usually

   4. history, the, closely, to, geology, related, is

   5. five, geologic, years, extends, almost, time, billion, back

   6. eras, great, five, geological, divided, time, into, is

   7. of, discovered, metal, the, geologists, deposits, have

4. Выразите свое согласие или несогласие со следующими утверждениями, используя следующие разговорные формулы:

That’s right

Agreed

Certainly

Of course

You’re absolutely right

That’s what I thought too

Yes, but don’t you think

Yes, but on the other hand

No, I’m afraid not

I don’t particularly like

I’d really rather not

I’m afraid, I can’t agree with you

1. Geology as well as most other sciences is concerned with absolute time.

2. Physics and chemistry are generally concerned with rates of change.

3. Absolute time means that the event time is dependent of the observer.

4. Geologic time extends back almost two billion years.

5. Geological time is divided into five great Eras.

6. Geology is unconcerned with immense lengths of time when measured against human experience.

7. Constant change, both biological and physical, has been and is occurring on the earth.

8. Geologic knowledge is used to locate and to exploit mineral resources. Sand and gravel, petroleum, coal, metals are renewable.

5. Расскажите о значении геологии для цивилизации, используя следующие фразы:

to bring understanding

concerned with absolute time

to occur on the earth

life origin and development

to gain from geological studies

rates of change

further important point

physical history of the earth

non-renewable recourses

energy-producing minerals

UNIT 2

TEXT 2.1.

VOCABULARY WORK:

• Запомните следующие слова:

Научный вокабуляр:

compound ['kOmpaund] - составной; сложный

inorganic [‚InL'gxnIk] - неорганический

carbon ['kRbqn] - углерод

halite ['hxlaIt] - каменная соль

evaporite [I'vxpq‚raIt] - эвапорит

kimberlite ['kImbq‚laIt] - кимберлит (алмазоносная порода)

sodium ['squdIqm] - натрий

chlorine ['klLrJn] - хлор

Общеязыковой вокабуляр:

identify [aI'dentI‚faI] - устанавливать, определять

naturally ['nxCrqlI] - естественно

diamond ['daIqmqnd] - алмаз; бриллиант

colourless ['kAlqlqs] - бесцветный

exceptionally [Ik'sepSnqlI] - исключительно

tinted ['tIntId] - окрашенный

impurity [Im'pjuqrqtI] - примесь

abrasive [q'breIsIv] - абразив, шлифовальный материал

prevent [prI'vent] - мешать

gemstone ['Gem‚stqun] - драгоценный камень

vary ['veqrI] - отличаться

permit [pq'mIt] - позволять

retain [rI'teIn] - сохранять; удерживать

sufficiently [sq'fISntlI] - достаточно

surmount [sq'maunt] – преодолевать

restraint [rI'streInt] - ограничение

reduce [rI'djHs] - ослаблять, сокращать, уменьшать

possess [pq'zes] - обладать

distinguish [dI'stINgwIS] - находить отличия; различать

sample ['sRmpl] - пример, образец

specimen ['spesqmIn] - образец; экземпляр; проба

• Прочтите следующий текст и переведите его:

Mineral Composition and Structure

More than 2000 minerals are identified. Mineral is any of a class of naturally occurring solid inorganic substances with a characteristic crystalline form and a homogeneous chemical composition. Some of these minerals are relatively simple compounds of elements which exist in the solid state, others are much more complex.

The diamond, for example, is composed of only one element - carbon. Diamond is a colourless exceptionally hard mineral (but often tinted yellow, orange, blue, brown, or black by impurities), found in certain igneous rocks (especially the kimberlites of South Africa). It is used as a gemstone, as an abrasive, and on the working edges of cutting tools. Common table salt, really the mineral halite, is composed of two elements - sodium and chlorine in equal amounts. Halite is a colourless or white mineral sometimes tinted by impurities, found in beds as an evaporite. It is used to produce common salt and chlorine.

Each mineral has a constant composition of elements which are found in definite proportion. But mineral’s composition can vary slightly with occasional substitutions which occur in order to create a new mineral.

Comparatively simple changes took place while the earth cooled down from a molten mass. The process of cooling means that the ions comprising the melting mass become less active. This activity decrease permitted many of the ions to respond to their electrical attractions. This is how the hydrosphere and atmosphere were formed. Some ions grouped together to form molecules of gases that developed into the atmosphere; others joined in compounds but retained fluid mobility in the ocean waters. Still other ions joined together in the fixed positions of solids.

It is possible to illustrate the formation of a solid in vitro¹ by preparing a white-hot liquid composed of sodium and chlorine. As long as the temperature of this liquid is kept at a sufficiently high level, the activity of the ions will be great enough to surmount their electrical attraction for each other. Even though their occasional contacts cannot be prevented the high temperature keeps them moving around without restraint. Next, as the temperature is reduced, they begin to lose their movement freedom and join together to form the compound sodium-chlorine.

The resulting solid has the same composition as the white-hot liquid, but the ions of the sodium and chlorine have joined together and now in the solid state they have a definite pattern. The pattern which the atoms of elements assume in a mineral is termed its crystalline structure.

The crystalline structure of minerals varies. Each mineral possesses a unique crystalline structure that distinguishes it from another mineral even if these two minerals are composed of the same element or elements. Other minerals may have more complicated crystalline structure: they may comprise more elements and have them joined together in more complex patterns. The colour, size and shape of any certain mineral may vary from one sample to another but the internal atomic arrangement of its components is identical in all the particular mineral specimens.

Комментарии к тексту:

crystalline ['krIstq‚laIn] form - кристаллическая форма

homogeneous chemical composition [‚kOmpq'zISn] - однородный химический состав

working edge [eG] - рабочее острие

cutting ['kAtIN] tool [tHl] - режущий инструмент; резец

in equal ['Jkwql] amounts [q'maunts] - в равных количествах

constant ['kOnstqnt] composition of elements ['elImqnts] - неизменная композиция элементов

in definite ['defqnqt] proportion [prq'pLSn] - в определенной пропорции

occasional [q'keIZnl] substitution [‚sAbstI'tjHSn] - случайное замещение

fluid ['flHid] mobility [mqu'bIlqtI] - подвижность флюида (в пласте)

fixed [fikst] position [pq'zISn] - фиксированное положение

in vitro [‚In'vJtrqu] - в лабораторных условиях

compound ['kOmpaund] sodium-chlorine - составной натрий-хлор

resulting [rI'zAltIN] solid - конечное твердое вещество

a definite pattern ['pxtn] - определенная модель

crystalline structure ['strAkCq] - кристаллическая структура

complex ['kOmpleks] pattern - сложная модель

internal [In'tE:nl] atomic [q'tOmIk] arrangement [q'reInGmqnt] - внутреннее расположение атомов

READING COMPREHENSION