6. Подберите нужное по смыслу слово с учетом известных вам суффиксов.

а) automation, automatic, automatically

1. … means … control of processes and machinery.

2. Instruments … start and stop the turbines.

b) machine, machinery

1. Our industries have many kinds of automatic … today.

2. The first … were semi-automatic.

c) mechanical, mechanization, mechanism

1. The … properties of semiconductors vary greatly.

2. … is the first step of automation.

3. … of the human brain is very complicated.

7. Прочитайте и переведите текст. Automation

“Automation” is a new word for a new purpose. Many people are surprised to learn that in industries like chemical and oil-refining entire processes have become very nearly (почти) automatic. Electronic computers are becoming very good at routine clerical work in offices and factories.

Automation has many sides. It includes, for example, developments that are no more, that advanced mechanization-transfer-machines in engineering, many kinds of machinery for making finished goods, and mechanical equipment for handling and assembly. Machines of this kind are automatic in that they do the actual work on their own; the operators only watch them and correct them whenever they go wrong – when, for instance, tools wear out.

But automation can also mean automatic control of processes and machinery, and this is a very different thing from mechanization, though the two go together. Control is necessary in a vast number of processes in order to maintain the quality of a product when the operating conditions, such as temperature and pressure, change from time to time.

8. Ответьте на вопросы:

1. What is automation?

2. What industries have become very nearly automatic?

3. What is the difference between “automation” and “automatic control”?

4. What is the purpose of automatic control?

5. Where are electronic computers employed?

9. Измените следующие предложения во всех возможных временах активного и пассивного залогов, добавляя, где это необходимо, обстоятельства времени.

1. Automatic control appears in many fields.

2. Thermal power stations are being constructed in many countries.

10. Задайте все возможные типы вопросов к следующим предложениям:

1. History provides very early examples of automatic control.

2. A system of control usually consists of three basic units – one that measures, one that controls, and one that corrects.

11. Подготовьтесь к беседе о вашей будущей профессии.

My speciality

I am a student of the Bratsk State Technical University. I am specializing in automation of technological and production processes.

Automation plays an important part in the great advances in technology. Automation, properly coordinated with other phases of technology, can substantially contribute to production efficiency.

Man has always been interested in devices and machines that would do things for him. Automation replaces human by mechanical power, it continues a process of mechanization which began before the industrial revolution two centuries ago. The first machines were semi-automatic, they performed automatically, but the unskilled work of loading and unloading and the skilled work of maintaining the machines had to be performed by a human operator. Since then technical development has been gradual and continuous; what is being done in this sphere at present greatly exceeds what has been done in the past.

At present we have many almost fully automatic enterprises: power stations with remote control, chemical plants where men have only to keep watch over automatic units. Take, for example, the Bratsk Hydroelectric Power Station, one of the biggest in the world, which is controlled by only two men. Some hydroelectric power plants have such level of mechanization that don’t require the instant presence of man at all. Instruments automatically start and stop the turbines, send the power to the consumer, regulate the water input.

There are several automatic systems at present which use different techniques. But in each case mechanisms perform the process of production and the human operator has only to control the operation of process. In some kinds of work automatic machinery is more accurate and reliable than human workers. The worker in the plant with modern automatic equipment regulates the production process and controls the “thinking” machines. But the operation of these machines, the latest modern equipment and automatic regulators requires highly skilled, cultured people with good knowledge of technology.

Automation of all industrial processes is of great importance at today’s stage of the engineering development.