U n I t 9

Text: Gas Ecology

Grammar: The Infinitive. The Complex object. The Complex Subject.

Vocabulary:

acceleration	– ускорение
approach	– подход
cause	– вызвать, быть причиной
efficient	– эффективный
emergency	– крайняя необходимость
emission	– выделение, выброс
evaporate	– испаряться
expand	– расширяться, увеличиваться
foul	– засорять, загрязнять
generate	– производить, вырабатывать
get rid of	– избавляться
heater	– отопитель
idle	– работать на холостом ходу
investigate	– исследовать
leak	– протекать, давать течь
octane rating	– октановое число
pollutant	– загрязняющее вещество
rim	– обод, бандаж
save	– экономить, сохранять
tailpipe	– выхлопная труба
tank	– бак

Read and translate the text and then do the following exercises.

Text

Gas Ecology

There are many ways that we can reduce pollution by observing good gas ecology - that is using our cars in fuel efficient ways.

Don't move the car unless you are going somewhere. Plan ahead. Starting the car up just to move it a short distance produces more pollutants than hours of driving on the freeway.

Don't use your heater until the car is warmed up. The engine will start more quickly, because it won't be losing heat to warm you.

Try to drive within 35-45 miles per hour when possible. Driving at slower speeds reduces engine efficiency and causes more pollutants.

Don't make fast starts or stops. Fast starts can burn more than 50% gas than regular acceleration (as well as cause 50% more emissions). When a big burst of gas enters the engine, much of catalytic converter's job is bypassed and the unburned gas comes out the tailpipe or is sent into the converter. Rapid acceleration is only called for in emergency or passing situations. Stopping rapidly also leaves the engine with a lot of unburned gas to deal with. This results in damage to the converter and pollution.

Try not to idle. At bank lines and fast food places with over thirty second waits, turn the engine off, and restart it. It is more fuel efficient, and causes less pollution. The only time that idling is a good thing is after a long, fast run. Idling the engine for a minute or so after one of these helps get rid of any hot spots and fuel vapors.

Keep to steady speeds on the highway. Changing speeds produces more pollution and uses more gas. Don't use the air conditioner unless you have to. It makes you engine work harder, uses more gas, and causes more pollution. Most evaporative emissions get into the atmosphere when we put gas in our cars. Make sure your gas cap is the right one, and in good working order. Gas caps don't cost that much, but are very important in anti-pollution.

Since gasoline expands, never overfill your tank. It will wind up leaking out.

Use known brands of gas. Poor quality gas will not save you money. Instead, it will foul your engine and cause it to function badly. Try several different brands and octane ratings to find out which makes you car the happiest, and stay with it.

Today there is a new interest in the electric car. The Toyota Co. recently decided to spend $800 million a year on the development of new car technology. Many engineers believe that the electric car will lead to other forms of technology being used for transportation.

Car companies are working at developing a supercar. A superefficient car will have an electric motor. Four possible power sources are being investigated. The simple one is batteries. Another possibility is fuel cells, which combine oxygen from air with hydrogen to make electricity. Yet another approach would be a flywheel, an electric generator consisting of free-spinning wheels with magnets in the rims that can produce a current. A fourth possible power source for the supercar would be a small turbine engine, running on a clean fuel like natural gas. It would run at a constant speed, generating electricity for driving vehicles or for feeding a bank of batteries, storing energy for later use.

Exercises 1. Match the beginning of the sentence on the left with its ending on the right.

1 We can reduce pollution by ...	1 the car is warmed up.
2 Driving at slower speeds ...	2 leaves the engine with a lot of unburned gas to deal with.
3 Rapid acceleration is only called for...	3 observing good gas ecology.
4 Changing speeds produces ...	4 that the electric car will lead to other forms of technology.
5 Don't use your heater until ...	5 batteries.
6 Stopping rapidly also ...	6 will have an electric motor.
7 Since gasoline expands, ...	7 reduces engine efficiency.
8 Many engineers believe ...	8 more pollution and uses more gas.
9 A superefficient car ...	9 never overfill your tank.
10 the simplest power source is …	10 in emergency or passing situations.

Exercises 2. Match the words and phrases with their Russian equivalents:

heater	– исследовать
save	– ток
tank	– работать на холостом ходу
source	– засорять
approach	– ускорение
current	– расширять
observe	– отопитель
rim	– экономить
idle	– вырабатывать
foul	– бак
tailpipe	– обод
leak	– подход
emergency	– выброс
octane rating	– соблюдать
emission	– выхлопная труба
expand	– загрязняющее вещество
pollutant	– протекать
generate	– источник
acceleration	– октановое число
investigate	– крайняя необходимость

Exercises 3. Answer the following questions:

1 What can drivers do to reduce pollution?

2 What is the recommended speed of driving?

3 What do fast starts and stops result in?

4 When is idling more fuel efficient?

5 Why should drivers keep to steady speeds on the highway?

6 What is the result of using poor quality gas?

7 Why are engineers interested in developing the electric car?

8 What are the possible power sources of a supercar?