Английский язык для горных инженеров

education are the greatest social achievements of the Soviet people. Education at Soviet higher school is free.

There are different types of higher educational establishments in the country, namely, universities, pedagogical institutes, engineering institutes, etc. Engineering institutes, for example, specialize in mining, metallurgy, oil, machine building, chemical technology, electrical engineering, etc.

institutes keep in touch with these enterprises. Thus, education

Electronics has become part of modern higher school. Programming and electronic computer technique are compul-

ronmental protection has become a vital principle of state policy in the USSR.

Laboratory work is an important part of the curriculum. Its aim is to teach the students the latest methods of scientific research and experimentation, to familiarize them with modern equipment and apparatus.

Soviet higher educational establishments offer different specializations which the students may take. Thus, at the geological institutes the students specialize in geology, the science which deals with different problems connected with the earth, its history, the study of rocks, their physical and chemical properties. One of the main tasks of geology is to discover and study the deposits of useful minerals.

The Mining Institutes also offer different specializations. For example, students may leave the Mining Institute as mining engineers, mining mechanical engineers or as mining

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rock mechanics, surveying, mineral technology, geology and planning.

One of the main principles of the Soviet educational system is its close links with life and practical work. The students go through practical training at industrial enterprises, work at factories, etc. Thus, a student of an engineering institute becomes familiar with all the stages of production and every job from worker to engineer. He gets to know the given enterprise, its equipment, technology, economy, management system, organization of work and wage system. During this period students of engineering institutes study the whole production (a factory shop, department, section, design office and laboratory). Here he gets practical knowledge and experience necessary for his diploma paper.

A lot of students belong to students' scientific societies.

The student organizations (trade unions and the Young Communist League) of higher schools are in charge of students' welfare. The students take an active part in socially useful work. There are student amateur performers' groups, sports groups and clubs. There are concerts, lectures and films for

The students of Soviet higher school have a tradition to spend their summer vacation working at industrial enterprises, construction sites and in the fields. As is known, construction teams quickly gained popularity and have achieved mass scale now.

The Soviet government takes care of young specialists. There is no unemployment in our country. Every year young

engineers, geologists, economists, teachers, doctors and agronomists come to all branches of industry, agriculture, science and culture.

building and coal mining — with its 300 years of reserves —

with essential raw materials.' The only exception is coal which is of good coking quality. Over the last decade the number of mines reduced from 246 to 175. The British miners fought against the closure of mines and a lot of them lost their jobs. „Nevertheless coal reserves are still enough to supply the country with energy. The main consumers of coal are power stations, industry and homes.

In 1965 gas was discovered in the North Sea off Britain's shores and in 1969 oil was discovered in the North Sea. The

iron ore is low-grade. Britain has to import high-grade iron

Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, and Derbyshire which form the largest and most important coal-field in Britain. The coking coal deposits are also found in Durham and Northumberland

power loading machines, and then with self-advancing powered roof supports.

Open-pit operations represent a relatively small proportion.

It is quite obvious that now economy depends on joint

tions where students can get higher education. These are universities with extra-mural and evening departments,

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university colleges and different courses. The oldest and best known universities of Great Britain are those in Oxford and Cambridge. Oxford is the oldest university, its history goes back to the twelfth century. There are also universities in London, Liverpool, Manchester and Nottingham and in other cities. Each university consists of a number of departments such as medicine, philosophy, natural sciences, economics, engineering, agriculture, education and others. After three years of study, a student may proceed to a Bach-

time and part-time education. They confer diplomas but not degrees. For example, there are colleges which aim at providing mining engineers who have several years' practical experience in the industry with a chance to broaden their knowledge of administration and operation. The subjects include economic geology, computer techniques, statistics, rock mechanics, industrial psychology and operations research.

Laboratory and field work help the students determine the

through post-graduate courses. But a great number of young

Each section has its own specialities which largely depend on its geographic peculiarities. Scientists help solve all sorts of problems in all our geographic regions. Scientists on the Kola Peninsula, for example, concentrate on geology, the Urals are a centre for the production of powerful machines, primarily for ferrous metallurgy, etc. Specialists and engineers of the Ural machine-building plant have developed and introduced powerful draglines with buckets having capacity from 10 to 100 cu m and a boom up to 100 m long.

planet visit the science capital of Siberia, and it is easy to

The effect of magnetic fields can be used not only for scien-

the volumetric and genetic method of estimating the deposits

is a tracing gas-analyser designed on the basis of diode lasers. Work is under way today to develop the energy technology under which the coal without access of air, is heated to 1000° С and divided into resin, bensol, coke and semi-coke, and coal. It is easy and advantageous to transport liquid and gaseous fuels for electric power production and transport

vehicles.

A considerable part of the Far-Eastern Centre's research is oriented toward geology. Geologists have compiled a pa-

Rapid progress in science and technology calls for a contin-

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uous and growing renewal of scientific ideas and developments. The decisive role here is played by the researches of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR which has splendid

substances which occur naturally and have a definite chemical composition and physical properties which vary within known limits.

cement, sulphur, and asbestos. When minerals occur so that they can be worked at a profit they are called ore deposits. Mineral depositsx^re seldom equally rich throughout. After their formation miheral deposits may be deformed by folding, faulting, etc.

Economic minerals are those which are of economic importance and include both metallic (ore minerals) and non-

for distinguishing non-metallic deposits from metallic are practical ones and include such economic considerations as

igneous activity, weathering, sedimentation and the formation of the original rock masses.

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As is known, most minerals are compounds of several elements and it is rare to find pure elements occurring naturally. Elemental composition of the Earth's crust is mostly based on igneous and sedimentary rocks. Such elements as oxygen, silicon, titanium, aluminium, iron, magnesium,

Of these, aluminium, iron and magnesium are industrial

crust. It is quite obvious that in future people will use new chemical, physical and biological methods of prospecting. They will develop new refining methods that are effective

Magmatic deposits originated by cooling and the crystallization of magma and the concentrated minerals form part of the body of the igneous rocks. Magmatic deposits are relatively simple in mineral composition and few in number.

Chemical evaporites consist of soluble salts formed by evaporation, in closed or partly closed shallow basins. Deposits of gypsum and common salt (halite) are found in many countries, whereas the larger concentrations of potash salt, borates and nitrates are much more restricted in occurrence.,

The most important economic placer deposits are those

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formed by stream action. Stream and beach placers are widespread in occurrence and include the famous gold placers of the world as well as deposits of magnetite, ilmenite, rutile,

of nickel and other minerals have also been worked. Organic deposits are formed by the remains of animals and

plants. For example, coal and peat are formed from plant remains and represent concentrations of carbon from the carbon dioxide of the atmosphere.

Petroleum originates by the accumulation of plant and animal remains. Many limestone and silica deposits are also formed by plant and animal activity.

Some uranium, vanadium, copper and other metalliferous

because of their chemical properties. Limestone, for example,

ores by ground water containing COa. Weathering in some tropical regions has produced important deposits of iron, aluminium and manganese ores.

6. ENERGY RESOURCES IN THE NATIONAL AND WORLD ECONOMY

A tremendous upsurge in world industrialization has been particularly marked in the last quarter of the century. This world-wide economic development has been characterized

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by the growth rates in the demand for raw materials and

gas production, the extraction of oil from bituminous sands and oil shales, the liquefaction and gasification of coal, and the use of such sources as geothermal and solar energy, the production of fossil fuels will continue for many years to come. This applies particularly to the production of solid fuels.

The main sources of energy available to man today are coal, oil, natural gas, water power and atomic energy. For example, atomic energy will undoubtedly continue to increase its contribution but at present this is only a little per cent of the total world energy consumption. There are many problems to be solved in future. These problems are connected with the application of nuclear energy for electricity generation. Much progress is being made with research into nuclear

As for hydroelectric power, this form of energy is responsible only for more than 5 per cent of the total energy consumption, though there is still considerable hydropower potential in the world available for harnessing.

Conventional thermal power stations will remain for a long time the world's source of electric power. The exotic sources, geothermal and solar energy, wind and sea tides at present are not significant enough in the world energy supply.

In the USSR research is being conducted into the economic use of solar energy and its transformation into electric power in desert conditions. However, the most promising trend in solar energy harnessing, as the scientists consider, is the obtaining of hydrogen which is an excellent fuel with a calory

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are developing the fundamentals of designing and operation of circulation systems which make it possible to utilize the

point of view, it is not very difficult to do now. A power

prospecting. Mineral prospecting normally proceeds from the

Air photographs are of growing importance to mineral exploration. As is known, the use of air photographs is not new in geological studies but much of the development has been achieved lately.

The detailed application of air photographs to mineral exploration is generally indirect, their use allows the geolo-

photographs may also be of use in mineral exploration. For example, salt domes may be directly located on air photographs.

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