Submersible technologies

Over the last few decades, engineers have developed submersible technologies capable of meeting the many challenges that the deep sea imposes upon explorers. Using advanced submersible technologies, remarkable new deep-water ecosystems have been discovered. Many of these communities were believed not to exist in harsh environments devoid of light and under crushing pressure. One such community was found in an area surrounding a hydrothermal vent, where water temperatures reach hundreds of degrees Centigrade and the water is bathed in caustic sulfur. After preliminary studies, which discovered many new species and raised even more questions about these organisms, researchers declared these communities to be as complex as many found on land.

As much as we may learn about our planet's underwater habitats through the use of satellites, shipboard sensors and divers, these technologies scratch only the surface of the oceans. Submersibles alone enable us to explore the abyssal depths. This section of the Ocean Explorer Web site highlights some of the major advancements in submersible technology. These submersibles allow us to travel deeper and with a greater degree of freedom than ever before, so that we can observe, describe and ultimately explain the phenomena of life in the deep ocean realm.

2. Переведите на русский язык следующие английские сочетания:

1. submerged outer edges

2. ocean depths

3. submersible vehicle

4. marine life

5. extreme precision

6. spherical transparent plastic hull

7. sensory manipulator system

8. pressure-resistant

9. battery-operated electric motor

10. under crushing pressure

3. Найдите в тексте английские эквиваленты следующих словосочетаний:

1. по направлению к морю

2. материковый склон

3. поверхность земли

4. подводные задания

5. несущий винт циклоидного типа

6. судовой гребневой винт

7. сенсорная система манипулятора

8. океанические минералы

9. глубоководные экосистемы

10. гидротермальный клапан

4. Найдите в тексте слова, имеющие общий корень с данными словами. Определите, к какой части речи они относятся, и переведите их на русский язык:

1. partly

2. deep

3. manipulate

4. legendary

5. emerge

6. progressive

7. forever

8. sphere

9. difficulty

10. movement

5. Задайте к выделенному в тексте предложению все типы вопросов (общий, альтернативный, разделительный, специальный: а) к подлежащему, б) к второстепенному члену предложения).

1. Выполните анализ данных предложений, обратив внимание на следующие грамматические явления:формы глаголов tobe, tohave; конструкции thereis/thereare; времена группы IndefiniteActive, IndefinitePassive; степени сравнения прилагательных; модальные глаголы и их эквиваленты.

1. From there they drop steeply down into the deepest trenches.

2. Ocean basins occupy more than 76 percent of the total ocean area.

3. Not long ago, the crafts that penetrated the ocean depths were almost as primitive as the marine life they watched around them.

4. Russian, French, Japanese and American scientists are developing crafts that can submerge deeper, stay lon­ger and find out more than earlier apparatuses.

5. It may be able to take explorers and technicians deeper than ever before (up to 3,300 feet) and perform difficult underwater tasks with extreme precision.

1. Ответьте на вопросы по тексту:

1. What is the definition of ocean basins?

2. How much territory of the Earth’s surface do they cover?

3. When did the first submersible vehicle take people underwater?

4. How can you describe the first crafts?

5. How does a new submarine look like?

6. Will the world’s deepest manned submersible be able to reach the depth of 21,000 feet?

7. What are the possibilities of the modern submarines?

2. Составьте аннотацию к тексту (2-3 предложения).

3. Составьте реферат текста (10-15 предложений).

4. Составьте план текста и перескажите текст.