Vocabulary notes

road дорога, шоссе

way путь; направление; способ

highway шоссе; автомагистраль

to revive возрождаться; расцветать

revival(n) возрождение; расцвет

subsurface нижний горизонт (почва)

surface поверхность, (земная поверхность)

macadam road surface щебёночное покрытие дороги

to shed лить, проливать

ditch ров, канава

flexible pavement нежёсткое дорожное покрытие

rigid pavement жёсткое дорожное покрытие

subgrade земляное полотно

chips (stone) обломки (камня)

tar гудрон, смола, дёготь

to shrink давать усадку

mesh зацепление

to erode размывать

slope уклон

terrain территория, местность

EXERCISES

I. Read the text and translate it.

II. Read and translate the sentences. Pay attention to the meaning of the words “way” and “road”.

1. This way, sir.

2. It’s only a short way to the square. It’s a long way from here.

3. Which is the best way there?

4. You’re going in the opposite way.

5. Which is the way out?

6. Can’t you find your way home alone?

7. Are you going my way?

8. They might have lost their way in the dark.

9. It is an out-of-the-way place.

10. Where does this road lead?

11. I know this road, it’s a good one.

12. May I help you over the road?

13. Follow the road until you reach the hotel.

III. Answer the questions:

1. What were the first roads like and where did they appear?

2. Who was the most influential road engineer in the 18^th century? What were the characteristic features of his design?

3. What were two classifications of pavement? Explain the difference between them.

4. What does the modern highway design entail?

5. What were the prototypes of the modern superhighways?

IV. Make up a summary of the text using the questions of exercise III as a plan.

From the history of roads

The history of roads has been related to the centralizing of populations in powerful cities, which the roads have served for military purposes and for the collection of supplies and tribute. In Persia, between 500 and 400 B. C., all the provinces were connected with the capital, Susa, by roads, one of them 1,500 mi (2,400 km) long. The ancient Greeks, cherishing the independence of their city-states and opposing centralization, did relatively little road making. The Roman roads, however, are famous. In Italy and in every region that the Romans conquered, they built roads so durable that parts of them yet remain serviceable. The Roman roads were generally straight, even over steep grades. The surface, made of large slabs of hard stone, rested on a bed of smaller stones and cement about 3 ft. (91cm) thick. From the fall of the Roman Empire until the 19^th cent., European roads generally were neglected and hard to travel. People usually walked, rode horses, or were carried in sedan chairs. Goods were transported by pack animals. In France, Louis XIV and Napoleon built good roads for military purposes.

Elsewhere on the Continent roads were not much improved before the middle of the 19^th century. In Great Britain two Scottish engineers, Thomas Telford and John L. McAdam, were responsible for the development of the macadam road. The expansion of the Industrial Revolution brought this and other road improvements to the Continent, although the emphasis was on railroad construction until after the invention of the automobile. In the Americas the Inca Empire was remarkable for its fine roads. In what is now the United States, however, the waterways were the normal mode of travel for Native Americans, and their trails, though numerous, were simply crude footpaths. These were used by white settlers and were eventually widened to make wagon trails. The increasing use of stagecoaches led to some improvement, and the turnpike, or toll road, was introduced at the beginning of the 19^th century. Although the planning and building of road arteries, notably the National Road, marked the early years of the century, canals and then railroads took precedence. It was not until the invention of the automobile that the road became paramount again. Hard-surfaced highways were stretched across the entire land in a relatively few years. The building of the roads became a major branch of engineering, and even the most difficult obstacles were surmounted. Roads have helped greatly to equalize and unify large heterogeneous nations. In the United States the Interstate Highway System consists of 42,796 mi (68,474 km) of roads (all but 30 mi/48 km of which are completed) connecting every city. Other well-known road networks which serve to unify large areas include Germany’s Autobahn, The Trans-Canada Highway, and the Pan-American Highway.