m0938

Language spot

Participle Review

Exercise 1. Translate the following word combinations into Russian. Make English sentences withthem.

a moving train, an approaching train, an incoming train, an outgoing train, goods requiring protection from the weather, reclining seats, passing train, goods transported by rail, wagons designed to carry coal, wagons used to transport liquids

Exercise 2. Identify participles in the sentences below. Translate these sentences into Russian paying attention to participles.

1)Freight-car movement and utilization, like everything in railroading, is an ordered and defined system consisting of rules, standard terms, and definitions.

2)Resembling boxcars in outward appearance, refrigerator cars are used to transport commodities required refrigeration or heating.

3)The mechanical refrigerator car is self-sufficient and independent, providing its own electrically operated refrigeration and air circulation system, and generating its own electric power.

4)A variation of a hopper car is the covered hopper for transporting bulk flour, sugar, cement, and other commodities requiring protection from weather.

5)The ordinary flatcar is without sides or ends, having only a floor. It is used to transport vehicles, machinery, and various other commodities suited to open movement.

6)Many cabooses are of all-steel construction, electrically lighted, oil heated, and equipped with two-way radio communication.

7)Over the years, all railroad freight cars became larger and stronger moving from wood to all-steel construction and able to haul heavier and heavier loads.

8)Tables may be present between seats facing one another.

9)Commuter trains have coaches designed to carry as many people as possible.

Writing

Exercise 1. Read the first passage and write answers tothe following questions.

1)Why is renewal of Amtrak’s fleet urgent?

2)What vehicles does Amtrak plan to buy?

Exercise 2. Read the last paragraphs inpassage 1 and passage 2. Write answers to the following questions.

1)Why has Amtrak abandoned its plans in terms of Acela Express services?

2)What does a phrase ‘a stop-gap measure’ mean?

3)What are the advantages of the new plan?

1. AMTRAK PLANS FLEET RENEWAL PROGRAMME

18 February 2010

USA: National passenger operator Amtrak published its long-term fleet renewal strategy on February 15, envisaging total expenditure of around US$23bn over the next 30 years.

With the average vehicle age now exceeding 25 years, Amtrak President Joseph Boardman says ‘the need to commence recapitalization of the fleet is urgent.' As well as posing ‘a steadily increasing burden’ on its maintenance teams, which must cope obsolescence and a

52

UNIT 9. STATIONS

Reading and translation

Exercise 1. Read the passage and ask 6 questions (general, special, alternative, disjunctive, subject, indirect) to it.

TERMINAL OPERATION

§1. Involved in the operation of terminals are such activities as maintenance, classification of cars, make-up of trains, loading or unloading freight, and handling passengers.

In classification yards, freight cars are sorted out and outgoing trains are made up. Most large classification yards have a hump over which cars are pushed. They then roll down from the hump by gravity, and each is routed into a classification track corresponding to its destination. By the 1970s, operations in the newer classification yards had reached a high degree of automation. The heart of such a yard is a central computer, into which is fed information concerning all cars in the yard or en route to it. As the cars are pushed up the hump (in some recently completed yards, by locomotives that are crewless and under remote radio control from the yard’s operations centre), electronic scanners confirm their identity by means of a light-reflective label, place the data (car owner, number, and type) in a computer, and then set switches to direct each car into the proper classification track. Electronic speed-control equipment measures such factors as the weight, speed, and rolling friction of each car and operates electric or electro pneumatic retarders to control the speed of each car as it rolls down from the hump. Because such electronically equipped yards can sort cars with great efficiency, they eliminate the need to do such work at other, smaller yards.

§2. The terminal operation is a complicated one. A car of the specified type and size is switched in place for loading. When the car is loaded it is pulled to a yard where trains are made up. The various cars are sorted into groups going to the same regions. Then the cars are coupled into a train and inspected, an engine is attached ahead, the air brake system is pumped up and tested, and finally orders are given to proceed. On arrival at the final terminal, the cars are inspected, the air is released from the brake system, the cars are switched out in proper groups and taken by switch engines to the proper sidings.

§3. Besides selling tickets, giving information on arrivals and departures, and receiving and discharging passengers, the functions of the passenger station include provision of waiting rooms and restaurants for the convenience of passengers. The stations to be used by several lines have been built in many cities, and often they are among the cities’ most beautiful structures. They are often centers of which cities are proud. In 24 hours thousands of passengers pass through the world’s largest stations such as those in London, Paris, New

York, Melbourne, and Moscow. Much construction work is involved in the maintenance of railway stations, especially in rebuilding and modernizing stations to meet changing conditions in passenger requirements and service.

Exercise 2. Find the words in the passage that mean:

a)a station at the end of a railroad.

b)a group of coupled cars hauled by a locomotive.

c)an elevated end of the yard cars are pushed to and are then released individually, or in small groups.

d)parallel rails upon which a train runs.

54

12)If the guests don't come, we ……………… (cook) all this food for nothing.

13)A: Why are you leaving home so early?

B: Because if I ……………… (leave) home early, I ……………… (be) late for work.

W r i t i n g

Exercise 1. Read the passage below and write its English summary (12-14 sentences).

TERMINUS

A "terminal" or "terminus" is a station at the end of a railway line. Trains arriving there have to end their journeys (terminate) or reverse out of the station. Depending on the layout of the station, this usually permits travellers to reach all the platforms without the need to cross any tracks – the public entrance to the station and the main reception facilities being at the far end of the platforms.

Sometimes, however, the railway line continues for a short distance beyond the station, and terminating trains continue forwards after depositing their passengers, before either proceeding to sidings or reversing to the station to pick up departing passengers. Bondi Junction is like this.

Many terminus stations have underground rapid-transit urban rail stations beneath, to transit passengers to the local city or district.

A terminus is frequently, but not always, the final destination of trains arriving at the station. However a number of cities, especially in continental Europe, have a terminus as their main railway stations, and all main lines converge on this station. There may also be a bypass line, used by freight trains that do not need to stop at the main station. In such cases all trains passing through that main station must leave in the reverse direction from that of their arrival. There are several ways in which this can be accomplished:

arranging for the service to be provided by a multiple unit or push-pull train, by detaching the locomotive which brought the train into the station and then either using another track to "run it around" to the other end of the train, to which it then re-attaches; attaching a second locomotive to the outbound end of the train; or by the use of a "wye", a roughly triangular arrangement of track and switches (points) where a train can reverse direction and back into the terminal.

Some former termini have a newer set of through platforms underneath (or above, or alongside) the terminal platforms on the main level. They are used by a cross-city extension of the main line, often for commuter trains, while the terminal platforms may serve longdistance services. Examples of underground through lines include the Thameslinkplatforms at in London , the Argyleand North Clyde lines of Glasgow's suburban rail network , the recently built Malmö City Tunnel , in Antwerp in Belgium , the RER at the Gare du Nordin Paris , and many of the numerous S-Bahnlines at terminal stations in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, such as at Zurich Hauptbahnhof.

An American example of a terminal with this feature is Washington, DC's Union Station, where there are higher-level platforms, Gates A through G serving the terminating trains, such as some Northeast Regionals, the Vermonter and all Acela Express. Auto Train uses Lorton, Virginia Station for three primary reasons:

–the tri-level auto racks used to carry the cars are too tall to fit in the tunnels;

–the platforms would be too short to accommodate the 30-60 coach trainset;

–there is not enough room and there are too many tracks, trains, buildings and people around, so loading cars would be quite tricky.

58

Colour light signals use powerful electric lights to display red for stop, yellow for warning (reduce speed), and green for proceed. Movable signals include boards, flags and lanterns. Train signals such as flags, discs, and lanterns are used to indicate the head and the rear of a train. Hand signals (flags, discs, and lanterns) are designed to give instructions. Signals can be placed at the start of a section of track, a terminal, etc.

Searchlight signals are not widely used because of their less reliability.

Automated systems.The railroad is divided into sections called blocks, and at the block divisions there are signals which indicate to an oncoming train whether it may enter that section of track. The important principle is that only one train is allowed into each block section at a time. The basis of much of today’s railroad signalling is the automatic block system, introduced in 1872 and one of the first examples of automation. It uses track circuits that are short-circuited by the wheels and axles of a train, putting the signals to the rear of the train at the danger aspect. A track circuit is made by the two rails of a section of track, insulated at their ends. Electric current, fed into the section at one end, flows through a relay at the opposite end. The wheels of the train will then short circuit the current supply and deenergize the relay. Thus, in automatic signalling, the train itself activates the danger signals behind its path. It then automatically changes them to warning or clear signals as it leaves each block.

Did you know?

A lantern in the UKis called a lamp in the USA.

In British English verbs ending in -l have -ll- before -ing: signalling. In American English the word is spelt with one -l: signaling.

Verbs ending in -ise in British English are spelt with -ize in American English: energize, de-energize, centralized, authorize.

Verbs ending in -our in British English are spelt with -or in American English: color. colour – color.

The word centre is spelt center in American English.

Exercise 3. Make a summary of the passage in Russian. Work with a dictionary

Listening

Exercise 1. Look at the picture below. What do you think this video is about?

60