VII. Ответьте на вопросы по тексту:

1. Where was James Clerk Maxwell, the great physicist and mathematician, born?

James Clerk Maxwell, the great physicist and mathematician, was born in Edinburgh, Scotland

2. What University did Clerk Maxwell enter after school?

After school he entered the University of that city. Then he attended the University of Cambridge

3. What did he do for two years after the University?

For two years after the University he lectured

4. When did he become a professor?

In 1856 he became professor of natural philosophy and in 1860 professor of physics and astronomy at King's College, London

5. What did Maxwell organize?

Maxwell organized such a laboratory which made Cambridge world-known

6. What problems did he study?

He studied the problems of electromagnetism, molecular physics, optics, mechanics and others.

7. What is gravitation?

Gravitation is a very important force in the universe

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

The text describes life of James Clerk Maxwell and gravitation.

The text is intended for the first – year students studying English language.

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

JAMES CLERK MAXWELL

James Clerk Maxwell, the great physicist and mathematician, was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on November 13, 1831.

He attended the University of Cambridge and graduated from it in 1854.

For two years after the University he lectured, made experiments in optics at Trinity College and studied much himself.

In 1856 he became professor of natural philosophy and in 1860 professor of physics and astronomy at King's College, London.

In 1871 Maxwell became professor of experimental physics at Cambridge. Maxwell organized such a laboratory which made Cambridge world-known.

He studied the problems of electromagnetism, molecular physics, optics, mechanics and others.

Maxwell wrote his first scientific work when he was fifteen.

Maxwell is the founder of the electromagnetic field (side by side with Faraday) and the electromagnetic theory.

GRAVITATION

Gravitation is a very important force in the universe.

Isaac Newton, the great scientist of the seventeenth century, first studied gravitation.

According to the law which he later produced everything in the universe attracts everything else towards itself.

The earth always tries to move away in a straight line, but the sun always pulls it back.

The sun is one of the stars in the galaxy, in which there are about 100,000 million stars.

There are millions of galaxies in the universe and so there are thousands of millions of millions of suns.

Gravitation is the force which holds all the atoms of a star together.

Einstein produced a new law of gravitation.

X. Составьте план текста и перескажите текст.

1. James Clerk Maxwell

2. The University.

3. Professor.

4. A laboratory.

5. Very fruitful period of Maxwell's life.

6. First scientific work.

7. Gravitation

8. Isaac Newton

9. Attraction

10. Millions of galaxies

11. Einstein