Famous People r obert Boyle (1627-1691)

Robert Boyle was one of the leading intellectual figures of the seventeenth century who is often referred to as the father of modern chemistry. He also made important contributions to physics and is best known for Boyle's law (sometimes called Mariotte's Law) describing an ideal gas. He was a dedicated experimenter. He made studies of combustion and proved that flame required air. He investigated the propagation of sound and showed that sound did not travel in a vacuum. Boyle made a wide variety of experiments with his vacuum pump. Although he was especially noted for his experimental work, Boyle also contributed to physical theory. He deeply believed in the atomic theory of matter, which he called the corpuscular philosophy, and used it to explain many of his experimental results. Boyle argued against Aristotle's view of the four elements of earth, air, fire and water. He argued that matter was composed of corpuscles which themselves were differently built up of different configurations of primary particles. Boyle's scientific range was wide. During the course of his life he worked constantly to improve the life of humanity. He was interested in the improvement of agricultural methods, in the improvement of medicines and medicinal practice, in the possibility of preserving food by vacuum packing, and other useful things.

Unit VII. The Infinitive

Read the following sentences. State the voice and the tense forms of the predicates. Find the infinitive in each sentence and explain the use of it. Translate the sentences into Russian.

1. The material to be attacked by X-rays is placed on the screen.

2. The method to be chosen in any particular case depends on many factors.

3. The object to be detected is placed on one side of the lens.

4. We multiply volts by amperes to obtain the number of watts.

5. To determine the composition of this substance is of great importance for us.

6. To determine the composition of this substance we always use this reaction.

7. In order to understand this phenomenon the laws of motion should be considered.

8. To explain the pressure of gases and their diffusion we must take into consideration that all substances are made of molecules.

9. He was the first to determine the thermal conductivity of this substance.

10. The problem to be considered next deals with the loss of heat in the pipeline.

11. To understand this problem you must read this article.

12. To understand this problem is impossible.

13. To answer this question we studied a lot of publications.

14. To make this experiment without special equipment is absolutely impossible.

15. Hero of Alexandria was the first to invent a steam engine.

• Read the following text. Find the predicate in each sentence and state the voice and the tense form. Which of the sentences contain infinitives? Translate the text into Russian.

Hydroelectric power

Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity obtained from hydropower. It comes from the potential energy of dammed water, waterfalls, tides, etc. The mechanical energy of the moving water is converted to electrical energy by a water turbine driving a generator. Most hydroelectric power is generated at dams or other places where water descends from a height, however, power is drawn on coasts with strong tides as well (such as the Bay of Fundy near the coast of North America). Hydroelectricity is a renewable energy source, since the water that flows in rivers has come from rain or snow, and tides are driven by the rotation of the earth.

The energy that may be extracted from water depends not only on the volume but on the difference in height between the water crest (or source) and the water outflow. This height difference is called the head. The amount of the potential energy in water is directly proportional to the head. For this reason, to build dams as high as possible is rather advantageous in order to produce the maximum electrical energy.

Hydroelectric power, using the potential energy of rivers, now supplies 20% of world electricity. The largest hydroelectric plants in Russia are located on the Volga, Kama, Ob', Yenisey, and Angara rivers, where large reservoirs were built in massive Soviet energy projects. Thermoelectric and hydroelectric plants - located in Siberia because of available fuels and water power - send power to the European part of Russia through a system of high-voltage transmission lines.

While many hydroelectric schemes supply public electricity networks, some projects to be used for private commercial purposes have been created. For example, aluminium processing requires substantial amounts of electricity, and there are hydropower stations in Britain’s Scottish Highlands, designed and constructed during the early years of the 20th century. In many parts of Canada hydroelectricity is used so extensively that the word "hydro" is used to refer to any electricity delivered by a power utility. The government-run power utilities in some provinces are called "BC Hydro," "Hydro Quebec" and "Hydro One".

• Transcribe the following words, practice reading them, give Russian equivalents:

Hydropower, specifically, currently, descend, height, renewable, volume, amount, advantageous, scheme, process, require, substantial, extensively, deliver, utility

• Are the following sentences true or false? Correct the false sentences

1. Water turbine converts electrical energy into mechanical energy.

2. Most of hydroelectric power is drawn from the tides.

3. Hydroelectricity is a renewable energy source.

4. The energy extracted from water does not depend on the water head.

5. The higher the dam is, the greater amount of electrical energy is produced.

6. Hydroelectricity is extensively used in aluminium industry.

• Answer the questions.

1. What is the source of hydroelectricity or hydroelectric power?

2. What device converts the mechanical energy of moving water to electrical energy?

3. What places are most suitable for generating hydroelectric power?

4. What is the main advantage of hydroelectricity as an energy source?

5. What causes tides?

6. Why is it necessary to build dams as high as possible in order to produce the maximum

electrical energy?

7. In what parts of the globe is hydroelectricity used very extensively?