Английский язык. Учебное пособие

18. Mark the main idea of the Text and give a brief overview of the content of the text 2D in English.

TEXT 2D

NECESSITY OF CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS

Green product standards began to appear in the marketplace in the 1980s and increased in the 1990s. Initially, many green product standards were developed in response to growing concerns for product toxicity and its impact on children's health and indoor environmental quality (IEQ). In the 21st century, when growing concerns over global warming and resource depletion became more prominent and supported by research, the number and type of green product standards and certifications grew. The focus also expanded to include a broader range of environmental issues and the impacts of products during their manufacture, use, and reuse. While there is still no universal definition of a green product, these products are intended to meet claims that they offer environmental benefits and adhere to certain standards.

There is now a proliferation of standards, rating, and certification programs in the marketplace to help guide, demonstrate, and document efforts to deliver sustainable, high-performance buildings. It is estimated that there are nearly 600 green product certifications in the world, and the numbers continue to grow. There are also green building rating programs in use around the world and they vary in their approach with some outlining prerequisites and optional credits, while others take a prescriptive approach, and still others suggest performance-based requirements that can be met in different ways for different products and project types. As a result, it can be challenging and time consuming determining which standards, certifications, and rating programs are most credible and applicable to a particular project.

IV. TEST

19. Choose the right word and fill in the gaps.

1.Much of ______ deals with measurements of physical quantities. a) astronauts

b) chemists c) physics

2.There are two main ______ of measurement in use today.

a)systems

b)points

c)arguments

3. The English system of units is still the ______ system in the USA. a) state

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b)united

c)official

4.Metric system is a decimal system of ______ units. a) chemical

b) physical c) electric

5.Length, capacity, and weight can be measured using standard ______. a) issues

b) measurement c) units

6.In the ______ world, the everyday units of linear measurement were traditionally the inch, foot, yard and mile.

a) Russian-speaking b) English-speaking c) American-speaking

7.In Britain units of weight (ounces, pounds, and tones) are now also ______

from the metric standardkilogram. a) copied

b) related c) derived

8.International system of Units is a ______ of measurement units based on the MKS (meter-kilogram-second) system.

a) system b) manual

c) instruction

9.Unchanging standards of measurement have been adopted only in ______

time.

a) now b) ancient

c) modern

10.The ______ system is commonly referred to as SI.

a)international

b)state

c)city

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UNIT 3

I.VOCABULARY STUDY

1.Study the Vocabulary List. Be ready to discuss the words and the word combinations of the Vocabulary List. Use the following words and word combinations of the Vocabulary List in sentences of your own. Memorize the words and the word combinations of the Vocabulary List.

2.Find in the texts sentences including the words and the word combinations of the Vocabulary List. Translate the sentences into Russian.

VOCABULARY LIST

supplementary unit – дополнительная единица to obtain – получать; достигать

to multiply – умножать to mean – значить

conversion – превращение shift – изменение, сдвиг

decimal point – десятичная точка pole – полюс

scratch – черта accurate – точный piece – кусок

platinum alloy – сплав платиновой группы century – век, столетие

solar day – солнечный день rotation – вращение

earth – земля

as a result – в результате frequency – частота cesium – цезий

to absorb – поглощать triple – тройной

solid – твердый

centigrade scale – стоградусная шкала

gauge – мера, масштаб, размер, калибр, эталон, шаблон, ширина колеи hectare – гектар (=10 000 м²)

inch – дюйм (2,54 см); небольшое расстояние

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nut – гайка, муфта

obsolete – вышедший из употребления, старомодный, исчезающий ounce – унция (=28,35 грамма)

pint – пинта (пива, эля: в Англии =0,57л; В США = 0,47л)

II.TEXTS STUDY

3.Read and translate the text 3A.

TEXT 3A

MEASUREMENTS

(UNITS OF MEASUREMENT)

At the Eleventh General Conference on Weights and Measures, held in Paris in 1960 standards were defined for six base units and two supplementary units:

Length

In the metric system the main unit of distance is the meter. Other units of distance are always obtained by multiplying by 10 or a multiply of 10. Thanks to our system of writing numbers this means that conversions of one unit to another within the metric system can be carried out by shifts of a decimal point.

There are several standard units of length in use to-day such as meter, inch, foot, mile and centimeter. The meter was originally defined in terms of a distance from the North Pole to the equator, this distance being close to 10,000 kilometers or 107 meters. By international agreement, the standard meter of the world is the distance between two scratches on a bar of platinumiridium alloy being kept at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in France. However there is a unit of length in Nature much more accurate than the distance between two scratches on a piece of metal. This is the wavelength of light from any sharp spectral line.

Mass

In the metric system the unit of mass was originally defined as the amount of mass contained in 1cc (cubic centimeter) of water (at a specified temperature and pressure), this amount of mass being called the gram. Thus the density of water is conveniently one gram per cubic centimeter. In the English system the unit of mass is the pound. We shall use the abbreviations gm for gram, kg for kilogram, and lb for pound.

Time

For centuries, time has been universally measured in terms of rotation of the earth. The basic unit of time used in both the English and the metric systems is the second, was defined as 1/86,400 of a mean solar day or one complete rotation of the earth on its axis in relation to the sun. Scientists discovered, however, that the rota-

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tion of the earth was not constant enough to serve as the basis of the time standard. As a result, the second was redefined in 1967 in terms of the resonant frequency of the cesium atom, that is, the frequency at which this atom absorbs energy: 9,192,631,770 Hz (hertz, or cycles per second).

Temperature

The temperature scale is based on a fixed temperature, that of the triple point of water at which it’s solid, liquid and gaseous. The freezing point of the water was designated as 273.15 K, equaling exactly 0 on the Celsius temperature scale. The Celsius scale, which is identical to the centigrade scale, is named after the 18th-century Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius, who first proposed the use of a scale in which the interval between the freezing and boiling points of water is divided into 100 degrees. By international agreement, the term Celsius has officially replaced centigrade.

EXERCISES

4. Answer the following questions.

1.What is the standard meter of the world?

2.Where is the standard meter of the world kept?

3.How was the unit of mass defined in the metric system?

4.How has time been universally measured?

5.What is the basic unit of time?

6.What is the temperature scale based on?

7.Whom is the Celsius scale named after?

8.How has the term Celsius officially replaced by international agreement?

5. Form the nouns from the following verbs.

To discover, to act, to solve, to express, to observe, to measure, to define, to suppose, to explain, to equip, to conserve, to equal.

6. Form the verbs from the following nouns.

Movement, difference, production, development, resistance, observation, measurement, reference, abbreviation, reducer, conductor.

7. Translate the following sentences paying attention to the word «time». time – раз, период, время

for the first time – впервые at times – по временам times – умножено на

1. Check the time of the experiment. 2. The production of the plant has increased by more than twenty times since 1945. 3. The Venus at times rather close to

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the Earth. 4. The value is equal to N times R. 5. They usually check the results many times.

8. Read and translate the text 3B.

TEXT 3B

CURRENT USE OF IMPERIAL UNITS IN THE UK

British law now defines each imperial unit in terms of the metric equivalent. The metric system is in official use within the United Kingdom for some applications; however, use of Imperial unit is widespread in many cases.

The Units of Measurement Regulations 1995 require that all measuring devices used in trade or retail be capable of measuring and displaying metric quantities. This has now been proven in court against the so-called "Metric Martyrs", a small group of market traders who insisted on trading in imperial units only. Contrary to the impression given by some press reports, these regulations do not currently place any obstacle in the way of using imperial units alongside metric units. Almost all traders in the UK will accept requests from customers specified in imperial units, and scales which display in both unit systems are common place in the retail trade. Metric price signs may be accompanied by imperial price signs (known as supplementary indicators) provided that the imperial signs are no larger and no more prominent than the official metric ones.

The United Kingdom completed its legal partial transition to the metric system (sometimes referred to as "SI") in 1995, with many imperial units still legally mandated for some application; draught beer must be sold in pints, road-sign distances must be in yards and miles, length and width (but not weight) restrictions must be in feet and inches on road signs (although an equivalent in meters may be shown as well), and road speed limits must be in miles per hour, therefore instruments in vehicles sold in the UK must be capable of displaying miles per hour. Foreign vehicles, such as all post-2005 Irish vehicles, may legally have instruments displayed only in kilometers per hour. Even though the troy pound was outlawed in the UK in the Weights and Measures Act of 1878, the troy ounce still may be used for the weight of precious stones and metals. The railways are also a big user of imperial units, with distances officially measured in miles and yards or miles and chains, and also feet and inches, and speeds are in miles per hour, although many modern metro and tram systems are entirely metric, and London Underground uses both metric (for distances) and imperial (for speeds).

The use of SI units is required by law for the retail sale of some foods and other commodities, whilst imperial units are required for others. Many British people still use imperial units in everyday life for distance (yards, feet and inches), weight

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(especially stones and pounds) and volume (gallons & pints). Milk is available in both litre and pint based containers. Most people still measure their weight in stone and pounds, and height in feet and inches (but these must be converted to metric if recorded officially, for example in medical records). Petrol is often quoted as being so much per gallon, despite having been sold exclusively in liters for two decades. Likewise, fuel consumption for cars is still almost always in miles per gallon, though official figures always include liters per 100 km equivalents. Fahrenheit equivalents are occasionally given after Celsius in weather forecasts, though this is becoming rare. Threads on non-metric nuts and bolts etc. are sometimes referred to as imperial, especially in the UK. Areas of land associated with farming or forestry are bought and sold measured in acres, but for official government areas the unit is always hectares.

EXERCISES

9. Answer the following questions.

1)Where are both systems’ units used in the UK?

2)Why do you think the country is not going to give up its imperial system?

3)Think of your own arguments for and against applying:

10. Give synonyms to the following words.

Several, probably, correct, deal with, individually, error, manage, common, sometimes, activity, aim, equip, little, huge.

11. Find an adjective in each line and translate into Russian.

Teacher, taller, thermometer, thinker, worker, weather, worse; writer, bomber, brother, brighter, barometer darker, driver; denser, dancer bigger, best, builder, better, father, farther;

foreigner, faster earlier, easier, eater, engineer compressor; computer, colder, closer, meter, mover, more, motor.

12. Answer the following questions. Follow the pattern.

Pattern: What is an instrument used for cutting cloth made? An instrument for cutting cloth is called scissors.

1. What is money made of metal called? (coins) 2. What is the material for making shoes and boots called? (leather or plastics) 3. What is the material for mak-

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ing paper called? (wood) 4. What are the units for measuring length and feet restrictions called? (feet and inches) 5. What is the unit for measuring railway speed called? (mile per hour) 6. What is the unit for measuring petrol called? (gallon)

13. Change modal verbs into their equivalents in the following sentences.

1. Road-sign distances must be in yards and miles. 2. The troy ounce still may be used for the weight of precious stones and metals. 3. Draught beer must be sold in pints. 4. Length and width (but not weight) restrictions must be in feet and inches on road signs. 5. Road speed limits must be in miles per hour. 6. Instruments in vehicles sold in the UK must be capable of displaying miles per hour.

III.CONTROL TASK

14.Translate the text 3C into Russian.

15.Make up questions on the basis of the text.

16.Give a brief overview of the contents of the Text 3C using the following expressions:

The subject of the text is ...

The text deals with ...

It is pointed out that ...

It is obvious that ...

To sum it up ...

TEXT 3C

«LENGIPROMEZ» ENGINEERING POLICY

The general direction of the «Lengipromez» development is the raising of the competitive capacity of the design products and services. For these purposes the management of the Company has defined the following aims in the engineering activity:

Provision of the Customers/Clients with high-quality design documents which guarantee, upon implementation of the project, manufacturing of the competitive products due to the following:

Updating of the productive potential, improvement of the production structure and technology;

Orientation for development of the new and updating of the available technological processes and machinery ensuring the minimal possible investments and energy intensity;

Increase in output of the progressive, economically efficient metal products along with decrease of steel-intensity;

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Taking measures on improvement of the rational use of the fuel and power resources, material resources, introduction of the resource-saving techniques and technologies;

Provision of the air pollution control and reduction of effluents coming into the water basins on the basis of the technical reequipment and reconstruction of enterprises at the expense of introduction of the latest progressive technologies and use of the improved machinery;

Increase of the labor productivity.

Enhancement of the responsibility for incorporation into the design documents at all designing stages measures for satisfaction of the requirements of the legislative authorities, government agencies and inspection bodies to guarantee the industrial safety, labor protection, prevention of accidents and localization of their consequences.

Enhancement of the level of the corporative solidarity, systematic participation in the work of the branch associations, meetings and sessions, international congresses, etc., transfer of the acquired valuable experience in launching and further development of the business activity.

17.Read and translate Text 3D.

18.Mark the main idea of the Text and give a brief overview of the content of the text 3D in English.

TEXT 3D

BUILDING STANDARDS

A standard is a set of guidelines and criteria against which a product can be judged. Common standards related to building practices are created through consensus processes by organizations such as ANSI, ASTM, or ASHRAE. Supporting the governance of standards and certifications is the International Standards Organization (ISO), which defines and develops worldwide standards that frequently become law or form the basis of industry norms. ISO defines a standard as: "a document, established by consensus, approved by a recognized body that provides for common and repeated use as rules, guidelines, or characteristics for activities or their results".

Requirements found in standards may either be prescriptive (identifying methods of achievement) or performance based (stating expectations of end results). Consensus based standards, those developed through a formal, voluntary consensus process that is exemplified by an open and due process have immediate buy-in, government support, and international influence. According to the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act (NTTAA) federal agencies are required by law to adopt existing private-sector voluntary consensus standards instead of creating pro-

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prietary, non-consensus standards. Standards frequently serve as incentives for improved performance. Many of the green product standards available today are proprietary or regulatory standards that have been developed outside of the formal ANSI and ISO consensus process. These types of standards may be more or less stringent than consensus standards and can include some level of transparency and public comment. However, many of these types of standards are trusted because they are associated with a group that has strong environmental credentials.

The ANSI/ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1, Standard for the Design of High Performance Green Buildings except Low-Rise Residential Buildings provides minimum requirements for site, design, construction and operations in mandatory, code-enforceable language. This standard is comprehensive and includes chapters for site, water, energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality, and materials. For a detailed description on many other building codes and standards that address sustainability goals and requirements, see the Relevant Codes and Standards section below and Energy Codes and Standards.

IV. TEST

19. Choose the right word and fill in the gaps.

1.At the Eleventh General Conference on Weights and Measures, held in Paris in 1960 ________ were defined for six base units and two supplementary units.

a) standards b) rules

c) features

2.In the metric system the main unit of distance is the ________.

a)kilometer

b)meter

c)foot

3.There are ________ standard units of length in use to-day such as meter, inch, foot, mile and centimeter.

a) several b) various c) different

4.The meter was ________ defined in terms of a distance from the North Pole to the equator.

a) widely b) exactly c) originally

5.There is a unit of length in Nature much more ________ than the distance between two scratches on a piece of metal.

a) digital

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