Basic English for Engineering Students. Учебное пособие-1

made time to discuss numerous abstractions and mathematical concepts with her. When she was fourteen years old she taught herself trigonometry in order to understand the optics section of a physics book that she was reading. The author of the book and also her neighbor, Professor Tyrtov, was extremely impressed with her capabilities and convinced her father to allow her to go off to school in St. Petersburg to continue her studies.

After concluding her secondary schooling, Sofia was determined to continue her education at the university level. However, the closest universities open to women were in Switzerland, and young, unmarried women were not permitted to travel alone. To resolve the problem Sofia entered into a marriage of convenience to Vladimir Kovalevsky in September 1868. The couple remained in Petersburg for the first few months of their marriage and then traveled to Heidelburg where Sofia gained a small fame. People were enthralled by the quiet Russian girl with an outstanding academic reputation.

In 1870, Sofia decided that she wanted to pursue studies under Karl Weierstrass at the University of Berlin. Weierstrass was considered one of the most renowned mathematicians of his time, and at first he did not take Sofia seriously. Only after evaluating a problem set he had given her did he realize the genius at his hands. He immediately set to work privately tutoring her because the university still would not permit women to attend. Sofia studied under Weierstrass for four years. At the end of her four years she had produced three papers in the hopes of being awarded a degree. The first of these, “On the Theory of Partial Differential Equations,” was even published in Crelle’s journal, a tremendous honor for an unknown mathematician.

In July of 1874, Sofia Kovalevskaya was granted a Ph.D. from the University of Gottingen. Yet even with such a prestigious degree and the help of Weierstrass she was not able to find employment. She and Vladimir decided to return to her family in Palobino. Shortly after her return home, her father died unexpectedly. It was during this period of sorrow that Sofia and Vladimir fell in love. Their marriage produced one daughter. While at home, Sofia neglected her work in mathematics but instead developed her literary skills. She tried her hand at fiction, theater reviews, and science articles for a newspaper.

In 1880, Sofia returned to her work in mathematics with a new fervor. She presented a paper on Abelian integrals at a scientific conference and was very well received. She decided to return to Berlin. She was not there long before she learned of Vladimir’s death. He had committed suicide when all of his business ventures had collapsed. Sofia’s grief threw her into her work more passionately than ever.

Then, in 1883, Sofia’s luck took a turn for the better. She received an invitation from an acquaintance and former student of Weierstrass, Gosta Mittag-Leffler, to lecture at the University of Stockholm. In the beginning it was only a temporary position, but at the end of a five year period, Sofia had more than proven her value to the university. Then came a series of great accomplishments. She gained a tenured position at the university, was appointed

51

an editor for a mathematics journal, published her first paper on crystals, and in 1885, was also appointed Chair of Mechanics. At the same time, she co-wrote a play, “The Struggle for Happiness,” with friend, Anna Leffler .

In 1887, Sofia achieved “her greatest personal triumph”. In 1888, she entered her paper, “On the Rotation of a Solid Body about a Fixed Point,” in a competition for the Prix Bordin by the French Academy of Science and won. In her paper, Sofia developed the theory for an unsymmetrical body where the center of its mass is not on an axis in the body. The paper was so highly regarded that the prize money was increased from 3000 to 5000 francs.

Also at this time, a new man entered her life. Maxim Kovalevsky came to Stockholm for a series of lectures. There he met Sofia, and the two had a scandalous, rocky affair. The basic problem was that they were both too passionate about their work to give it up for the other. Maxim’s work took him away from Stockholm and he wanted Sofia to give up her hard-earned positions to simply be his wife. Sofia flatly rejected such an idea but still could not bear the loss of him. She remained in France with him for the summer and fell into another one of her frequent depressions. Again, she turned to her writing. While she was in France, she finished Recollections of Childhood.

In the fall of 1889, she returned to Stockholm. She was still miserable at the loss of Maxim even though she frequently traveled to France to visit him. She eventually became ill with depression and pneumonia. On February 10, 1891, Sofia Kovalevskaya died and the scientific world mourned her loss. During her career she published ten papers in mathematics and mathematical physics and also several literary works. Many of these scientific papers were ground-breaking theories or the impetus for future discoveries. There is no question that Sofia Krukovsky Kovalevskaya was an incredible person.

https://mathwomen.agnesscott.org/women/kova.htm

2. Complete the table using information from the text.

3. Translate into English.

1. Софья Васильевна Ковалевская – русский математик и механик, первая в мире женщина – профессор математики.

52

2.Дед Ковалевской был математиком, а прадед – астрономом.

3.В раннем детстве жила в разных местах России, поскольку ее отец по делам службы часто переезжал с места на место вместе с семьей.

4.Воспитанием Ковалевской в течение многих лет занималась анг- лийская гувернантка Маргарита Францевна Смит.

5.В 1866 году Ковалевская впервые поехала за границу, а потом жила в Санкт-Петербурге, где брала уроки математического анализа.

6.Поступление женщин в высшие учебные заведения России было запрещено.

7.Отец не хотел дальнейшего обучения дочери.

8.Ковалевская организовала фиктивный брак с молодым ученым В. О. Ковалевским.

9.В 1869 году Ковалевская училась в Гейдельбергском университете.

10.В 1874 году Гёттингенский университет присвоил Ковалевской степень доктора философии.

11.В 1881 году избрана в члены Московского математического об- щества (приват-доцент).

12.После самоубийства мужа Ковалевская с пятилетней дочерью приехала в Берлин.

13.Она стала профессором кафедры математики в Стокгольмской высшей школе, ставшей впоследствии Стокгольмским университетом.

14.Ковалевская овладела шведским языком и печатала на этом языке свои математические работы и литературные произведения.

15.В 1888 году Ковалевская стала лауреатом премии Бордена Парижской академии наук.

16.Софья Ковалевская скончалась в возрасте 41 года в Стокгольме.

4. Make up sentences with these words and word combinations.

An extraordinary woman, a great mathematician, women’s rights, ground-breaking work, archaic notions, scientific arenas, a young lady, lifetime, curiosity in mathematics, to take an interest, to discuss, mathematical concepts, trigonometry, capability, to continue studies, a marriage of convenience, a couple, to gain a small fame, an outstanding academic reputation, seriously, a degree, differential equations, to be published, a tremendous honor, to be granted a Ph.D., to find employment, to return, to die, to neglect, literary skills, science articles, integrals, a scientific conference, to receive an invitation, an acquaintance, to lecture at the university, a temporary position, a mathematics journal, at the same time, the greatest personal triumph, a solid body, the French Academy of Science, the prize money, to reject, to remain, frequently, to travel, to become, the scientific world, future discoveries, an incredible person.

53

5. Read text 2 and do the tasks below.

Text 2. NIKOLA TESLA

Nikola Tesla was born in 1856 in Austria-Hungary and emigrated to the U.S. in 1884 as a physicist. He pioneered the generation, transmission, and use of alternating current (AC) electricity, which can be transmitted over much greater distances than direct current.

Tesla patented a device to induce electrical current in a piece of iron (a rotor) spinning between two electrified coils of wire. This rotating magnetic field device generates AC current when it is made to rotate by using some form mechanical energy, like steam or hydropower. When the generated current reaches its user and is fed into another rotating magnetic field device, this second device becomes an AC induction motor that produces mechanical energy. Induction motors run household appliances like clothes washers and dryers. Development of these devices led to widespread industrial and

manufacturing uses for electricity.

The induction motor was only part of Tesla’s overall conception. In a series of history-making patents, he demonstrated a polyphase alternating-

current system, consisting of a generator, transformers, transmission layout, and motor and lights. From the power source to the power user, it provided the basic elements for electrical production and utilization. Our AC power system remains essentially unchanged today.

In 1888, George Westinghouse, head of the Westinghouse Electric Company, bought the patent rights to Tesla’s system of dynamos, transformers and motors. Westinghouse used Tesla’s alternating current system to light the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago. Then in 1896, Tesla’s system was used at Niagara Falls in the world’s first large hydroelectric plant. The Tesla coil, invented in 1891, is still used in radio and television sets, car starters, and a wide variety of electronic equipment.

Tesla’s work with radio-frequency waves laid the foundation for today’s radio. He experimented with wireless transmission of electrical power, and received 112 patents for devices ranging from speedometers to extremely efficient electrical generators to a bladeless turbine still in use today. He suggested that it was possible to use radio waves to detect ships (later developed as RADAR), and his work with special gas-filled lamps set the stage for the creation of fluorescent lighting.

Tesla was Thomas Edison’s rival at the end of the 19th century – in fact, he was more famous than Edison throughout the 1890’s. His invention of

54

polyphase AC electric power earned him worldwide fame but not fortune. At his zenith his circle of friends included poets and scientists, industrialists and financiers. Yet Tesla died alone and almost penniless in a New York hotel room in 1943. During his life, Tesla created a legacy of genuine invention that still fascinates today. After his death, the world honored him by naming the unit of magnetic flux density the “tesla.”

https://www.eia.gov/kids/history-of-energy/famous-people/tesla.php

6. List the main inventions of Nikola Tesla.

7. Ask 10 questions to ttext 2.

8. Find in text 2 words for these definitions.

A.

B.

55

9. Study the table, select several female inventions, find information on the Internet, and make a presentation about these inventions.

TOP 101 FEMALE INVENTIONS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD

56

https://www.cadcrowd.com/blog/top-101-female-inventions-that-changed-the-world- womens-innovation-history/

10. Select 10 female inventions and fill out the table.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11.Find information and fill out the same table for 10 men's inventions.

12.Using the Internet, find 2 videos: 1 about a famous scientist, another about a famous inventor; write down 15 new words and expressions from each video. Make up your own sentences with them.

13.Write an essay about a famous scientist or inventor (about 15–20 sentences).

Unit 7

CAREER AND PROFESSIONS

Vocabulary. Read and remember the following words.

57

1. Read text 1 and do the tasks below.

Text 1. BEST PAYING JOBS IN THE WORLD: HOW IT ALL BEGAN

The history of jobs and professional occupations is deeply intertwined with the evolution of mankind. The concept of work has undergone significant shifts over the millennia, shaped by cultural, technological and economic developments. But how did the concept of jobs begin, you wonder?

In the earliest civilisation, people engaged in hunting, gathering, and simple agricultural activities for survival. While these roles weren’t exactly jobs, but survival skills, there was a division of labour, which was often based on age and gender, with different roles for men and women. Then came the innovation of agriculture, which shifted the nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyles to agricultural communities. With the domestication of plants and animals, people began to specialise in farming, herding and fishing. This specialisation marked a pivotal moment in human history, slowly paving the way to actual jobs. Eventually, it expanded to specialised skills (think craftsmanship, artisans, trading) and not long later, specialised knowledge (law, medicine, accounting).

58

Finally, in the 20th century, we witnessed the professionalisation of various occupations. Licensing and accreditation became common in fields like medicine, law, engineering, and accounting. Professional associations were established to set ethical standards, ensure competence, and regulate entry into these fields. In other words, 9-to-5 jobs became the norm.

And just when you think the job market couldn’t change any further, we have the 21st century fixing every mistake the 20th-century job market couldn’t – we have remote working, flexible hours and overall, a workplace where creating and delivering value takes precedence over time spent on the job.

https://studyinternational.com/news/best-jobs-in-the-world/

2. Answer the questions to text 1.

1.What were the earliest occupations of humans?

2.What brought the greatest change in human history?

3.What were the reasons for a labour division?

4.What is the aim of professional associations?

5.What novation emerged in the contemporary job market?

3. Define whether statements below are true or false.

1.Cultural aspect played a certain role in the formation of the concept of

work. __

2.Having fun was not the main reason for hunting and fishing in olden

days. __

3.Work used to be distributed regardless of gender. __

4.Engineering is not subject to regulation. __

5.An eight-hour workday has always been the norm. __

4. In the text 1 find antonyms to the words in the table.

5. Read text 2 and do the tasks below.

Text 2. 3D JOBS: THE OPPOSITE OF THE BEST JOBS IN THE WORLD

3D jobs refer to dirty, dangerous, and demeaning jobs, commonly found in agriculture, manufacturing, construction, and cleaning sectors.

It’s essential to acknowledge the flip side of the best jobs — the occupations that epitomise hardship and challenges.

3D jobs are essentially jobs that no one, especially the younger generation, wants to take up, which is becoming an increasing concern for many countries.

59

In Malaysia, for example, the government has expressed its concern about Malaysian youths’ hesitance in picking up 3D jobs not because of the salary, but the nature of the jobs, which they find demeaning and “low class.”

Even when there were almost 700,000 Malaysians out of jobs in 2022, many still refused to take up 3D jobs, and companies end up hiring workers from abroad instead.

In more developed (or even less developed) countries, however, you would see locals doing these 3D jobs. In most cases, they are more than happy to do them.

Some are even paid three to six times more than what 3D workers get in Malaysia.

Besides that, the citizens in these countries possess no social stigma surrounding jobs in the 3D sector, despite the possibility of these jobs being physically and mentally demanding.

All in all, the hesitancy towards 3D jobs among the younger generations reflects a complex interplay of changing values, safety considerations, technological advancements and evolving career expectations.

But it’s important to remember that all jobs can be equally fulfilling, especially now that there’s more emphasis on taking and creating jobs that offer good pay, a healthy workplace culture, opportunities to grow, job security and good values.

6. Answer the questions.

1.What does 3D stand for?

2.What are the reasons that make 3D jobs unattractive?

3.How do they solve the problem with finding employees for neglected occupations in Malaysia?

4.What is social stigma?

5.What are the ways to make 3D jobs more appealing?

7. Match the words (1–10) with their definitions (a–j).

60