THE WORLD AROUND ME
.pdfmeasurement – измерение voyage – путешествие circle – круг
to shed – проливать (свет, тепло) mottled – покрытый пятнами patch – пятно
A vast distance lies between the earth and its nearest neighbor – a great distance by earth’s standards of measurement: 239,000 miles. Imagine travelling ten times around the earth at the equator: that is the length of a voyage to the Moon. In fact, however, the Moon's orbit is not a circle but an ellipse – and so the Moon's distance from the earth varies. At its farthest remove, the Moon is 252,710 miles away. At its closest, it is 221,463 miles away.
Near or far, the Moon sheds little light. It would take approximately 465,000 full Moons to light our nights as brightly as the Sun does our days.
Observation of the Moon shows that the surface temperature during the day rises to at least 224° Fahrenheit, and during the night falls to as low as – 243°.
There can be no weather on the moon – no wind, no snow, no rain, no fog, no clouds, none of the common changes that make one day different from the next on Earth.
Even without the aid of a telescope, we can see that the surface of the Moon is mottled, with patches of white and dark. What we see as dark patches are what Galileo saw and first called "seas". They are actually deserts, deserts, more arid and inhospitable to life than any we know on earth.
COMPREHENSION TEST
Choose the correct variant:
1.The length of a voyage to the Moon ... .
a)is equal to travelling ten times around the earth at the equator
b)has not been measured
c)is equal to travelling two times around the Earth
2.The temperature of the moon is ... .
a)constant
b)varies greatly
21
c)varies a little
3.There is ... weather on the Moon.
a)no
b)bad
c)fine
4.The surface of the moon ... .
a)has patches of white and dark
b)is smooth
c)is covered with snow
TEXT 14
SEA TREASURES
Memorize the words: investigation – исследование on board – на борту
to offer a wide opportunity – предоставить широкую возможность to dissolve – растворяться
manganese – марганец sea-bed – морское дно
The seas are rich in gold, silver, uranium and other minerals dissolved in water. In many Northern seas there are about 22 pounds of manganese per square meter of sea-bed. This is bad for fish but good for industry if man could use it. There may be more natural gas and oil under seas than there is under land. The study of seas offers a great opportunity for mankind.
Expeditions are organized by oceanographers to explore the oceans and seas, and this is of great importance for the world's economy and industry. Russia has a special oceanographic ship named "Kurchatov". There are twenty-two research laboratories and some computers on her board. This ship offers a wide opportunity to investigate resources of oceans and seas and find ways how to use these supplies.
COMPREHENSION TEST
Choose the correct variant:
1. Expeditions are organized by oceanographers… .
a)to find new lands
b)to explore the oceans and seas
22
c) for entertainment
2.The exploration of oceans and seas is of great importance… . a) for cultural contacts
b) for the development of nuclear energy c) for the world's economy and industry
3.The oceanographic ship "Kurchatov" offers a wide opportunity… . a) to investigate the resources of oceans and seas
b) to organize excursion c) to carry passengers
4.The seas are rich in ... .
a)minerals
b)atomic energy
c)solar energy
TEXT 15
LIFE ON AN OIL RIG
Memorize the words: a rig – буровая вышка
to drill – сверлить, бурить
a landing stage – посадочная площадка premises – помещение
an injury – ранение serious – серьёзный
an accident – неcчастный случай a bunk bed – койка
mainland – материк to depart – уезжать
An oil platform is a steel tower built amid the sea. On top of the tower there is the equipment for drilling and producing oil. Above that and directly below the helicopter landing stage, there are premises where workers live. There is also a medical centre for people with simple injuries. Anyone who hаs a serious accident or a sudden illness can be sent to hospital ashore by helicopter. Helicopters visit the rig three or four times a day. The men sleep in cabins (bedrooms for two or three people) in bunk beds. They work for two weeks and then they return to the mainland for one
23
week. They arrive and depart by helicopter. DIALOGUE.
Read and try to represent it.
Peter: Two weeks seem like a long time to be on an oil rig in the middle of the sea.
Trevor: Not really. Some of the men don't like it. They've got a wife and kids. They miss the family. But me, I like it out here. It's just like home.
Peter: It's not really like home though, is it?
Trevor: Well. Why not? We've got everything we need – almost everything.
Peter: Do you have any contact with the mainland during your two weeks here?
Trevor: Of course, we do. Every day the supply ship comes with mail, newspapers and things like that. We get two or three helicopters a day. They bring men to the rig and take others back to the mainland for their week off.
Peter: What do you do in your spare time?
Trevor: What spare time? We work twelve hours and sleep twelve hours. Sometimes I watch TV. We have films here too. But I'm usually too tired to watch them.
COMPREHENSION TEST
1.An oil platform is ... .
a) a steel tower b) a plastic tower
c) an aluminum tower
2.On top of the tower there is the equipment ... .
a) for drilling oil b) for producing oil
c) for drilling and producing oil
3.The workers live ... .
a)above the helicopter landing stage
b)below the helicopter landing stage
24
c) above and below the helicopter landing stage
4.There is a medical centre for people with ... .
a) sudden illness b) simple injuries c) serious accident
5.The men sleep in cabins in ... .
a)rocking chairs
b)sleeping-bags
c)bunk beds
TEXT 16
NATURAL RESOURCES OF BRITAIN
Memorize the words: exploration – исследование to proceed – продвигаться to maкe a find – находить ashore – на берег
submarine pipeline – подводный трубопровод to rely upon – основываться на
ore – руда
Exploration for natural gas and oil has been going on in Britain since the early 1960a. Now work on the development and production of natural gas and oil in the North Sea is proceeding rapidly. The first important find of oil in the British section of the North Sea was made in 1970 but the oil was first brought ashore by tanker in June 1975. Now oil comes ashore by a submarine pipeline 169 km long. Though the leading mineral resource of Britain is coal, the North Sea oil and gas now can also be considered as major mineral resources, having a fundamental effect on the economy of Great Britain. It should be remembered that Britain relies heavily upon imports of metals and ores, textile raw materials and many other products.
COMPREHENSION TEST
Mark whether the following statements are true or false:
1. Exploration for natural gas and oil has been going on in Britain since the
25
end of 1960s.
2.The first important find of oil in the North Sea was made in 1973.
3.Oil comes ashore by tankers.
4.The leading mineral resource of Britain is oil.
5.Oil also has a fundamental effect on the economy of Great Britain.
6.Economy of Great Britain does not depend on imports of raw materials.
TEXT 17
SOME PLACES OF INTEREST IN LONDON
Memorize the words:
place of interest – достопримечательность clear away – расчищать
to be buried – быть похороненным the fallen in war – павшие на войне conqueror – завоеватель
jewel – драгоценности
court – двор (здесь – королевский) to murder – убивать
bloody – кровавый
bascule – подъемная ферма моста light-grey –светло-серый
temple – храм
You know a lot of London places of interest. Let' s remember some of the most prominent ones.
ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL. In the West End of London one can see the famous St. Paul's Cathedral, the masterpiece of the well-known English architect Christopher Wren. The Great Fire of London destroyed the old cathedral. Nearly eight years passed after the fire before the ruins of the old cathedral were cleared away. The new work was begun. When Wren made a start, he picked a stone from the ruins and found on it a word in Latin, meaning "I shall rise again". So he made it the first stone of the cathedral. That was on June 31, 1675.
It took him thirty-five years to build the cathedral. When Wren died he was buried in the building which his genius had created.
WESTMINSTER ABBEY. Westminster Abbey is famous for its archi-
26
tecture and historical associations. Chaucer, Charles Dickens, Tennyson, Thomas Hardy and others are buried there. There in the Poet's corner are memorials to Shakespeare and Milton, Burns, Byron, Scott and Longfellow.
Nearly all the kings and queens have been crowned in the Abbey. Here is also the grave of the Unknown Soldier who represents the fallen in the First World War.
THE TOWER. Whoever comes to London is eager to see the Tower of London, the scene of nearly 900 years of England's history. In the past the Tower has been a fortress, a palace and a prison. It was William the Conqueror who began buildingtheTower,forthepurposeof protecting the city.
The Tower comprises several towers – and among them – the Jewel Tower and the White Tower, in which the Kings of England held their court. Though kings were born, lived and were married there, it happened also that kings were murdered in the Tower. One of the towers is called the Bloody Tower, being believed to be the scene of the murder of Edward V and his brother, the Duke of York. Now the Tower is a museum and houses the Crown jewels and other treasures.
Beyond the Tower is Tower Bridge, a unique structure and the last bridge down the Thames. Its twin bascules each weighing 1,200 tons rise to enable ships to pass into the "Pool of London". The operation of rising and lowering the bridge takes 5 minutes.
THE BRITISH MUSEUM. There are many museums in London. One of the most famous is the British Museum. Built in the middle of the 19-th century it is situated in Bloomsbury, a district in central London. It is an immense, light-grey building, like a Greek temple.
In the first place it is a great library, one of the largest in the world, with something like 5 or 6 million books. By law a copy of every book, pamphlet, periodical, including maps and music published in Britain, must be kept at the British Museum.
Secondly, the British Museum has a wonderful art gallery. It has unique collections of sculpture, ceramics, drawings and paintings. It is also the most important place of archeological study in the world.
Lastly, the British museum is a great scientific institution generally known as Natural History Museum.
THE TATE GALLERY. The idea of the Tate Gallery took shape in 1890 when Henry Tate presented it sixty-five paintings and two sculptures. But a gallery still had to be built to house them. When opened seven years
27
later the gallery consisted of eight rooms. Since that time the collection has been greatly enlarged. It has become the national collection of British painting of all periods. At present the collection contains over four thousand British paintings and drawings and over three hundred and fifty modern foreign paintings.
Now there are thirty-four galleries in the Tate Gallery. COMPREHENSION TEST
Answer the questions:
a) 1. Where can you see the famous St. Paul Cathedral?
2.When was it destroyed by the great fire?
3.Who is Christopher Wren?
4.How long did it take to build the Cathedral?
5.Where was Christopher Wren buried?
b)1. What is Westminster Abbey famous for?
2.Where have nearly all the kings and queens been crowned?
3.Whom does the grave of the Unknown Soldier represent?
c)1. How old is the Tower?
2.What towers does the Tower comprise?
3.Why one of the towers is called “the Bloody Tower”?
4.What does the Tower house now?
5.What is Tower Bridge?
6.How muchtimedoestheoperationofrisingandloweringthe bridge take?
d)1. What district is the British Museum situated in?
2.What does it look like?
3.How many books are there in the British Museum?
4.What collections does theBritishMuseumcomprise as an art gallery?
5.What is Natural History Museum?
f)1. When did Henry Tate make his present to the Tate Gallery?
2.When was the first gallery built to house the Tate’s collection?
3.How large is the Tate Gallery collection at present?
TEXT 18
OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE
Memorize the words:
constant trouble – постоянное беспокойство accidentally – случайно
28
innocent – невинный custom – обычай originally – первоначально strict – строгий
to forbid – запрещать
to afford – позволять себе
The story of Cambridge University begins in 1209 when several hundred students and scholars arrived in the little town of Cambridge from Oxford. These students were all churchmen and had been studying in Oxford at that city's well-known schools. It was a hard life at Oxford for there was constant trouble between the town's inhabitants and students. Then one day a student accidentally killed a man of the town. The Mayor arrested three other students, who were innocent, and by order of King John they were put to death. In protest all the students moved elsewhere, some coming to Cambridge and so the new university began. As was the custom then, they had united into a "Universitas" or Society: the word "University", like the word "College", meant originally a society of people with a common employment; only later it came to be associated with learning.
Life in Cambridge and Oxford was strict, students were forbidden to play games, to sing (except church music), to hunt or fish or even dance. Books were very rare and all the TEXTs were in the Latin language. The students studied Grammar, Logic and Rhetoric. These two universities are well-known not only because they are the oldest universities in the United Kingdom, but because the standard of teaching there is very high.
Oxford and Cambridge are most highly thought of. But the cost of education at these universities is very high. If young people cannot enter Oxford or Cambridge, they try London and after it the new universities.
COMPREHENSION TEST
Answer the questions:
1.When does the story of Cambridge University begin?
a)in 1208
b)in 1209
2.What happened one day in Oxford?
a)a boat race took place
b)a man of the town was killed by a student
29
c)a religious society was formed
3.What did all the students do in protest?
a)they were on strike
b)they did nothing
c)they moved to Cambridge
4.What was life in Cambridge and Oxford like?
a)very strict
b)the students could do everything they wanted to
c)very interesting
II. Point out what information is given in the text and which is not.
1. The entrance exams at the universities are very strict. 2. It was a hard life at Oxford well-known schools.
3. Students were not allowed to play games.
4.Many great men studied at Cambridge, among them Bacon – the philosopher, Milton – the poet, Cromwell – the soldier, and Newton – the scientist.
5.Oxford and Cambridge universities are well-known because the standard of teaching is very high there and they are the oldest universities in the United Kingdom.
TEXT 19
ТНE ROYAL SOCIETY IN LONDON
Memorize the words:
Royal Society – королевское общество scientific affairs – научная жизнь purely – чисто
statutes – устав council – совет
to order – приводить в порядок
The Royal Society was founded in 1660. It occupies a special place in the country's scientific affairs. It consists of 300 outstanding scientists and 50 foreign members. The Royal Society has its own library. There are 140,000 books of a purely scientific nature. The Royal Society also holds conferences which are attended by scientists from all countries. Besides, it publishes a large number of publications. The government gives a certain sum of money to the Society. This money is used for publications, con-
30