5. Ответьте на следующие вопросы, опираясь на содержание прочитанного вами текста:

1. What year student are you?

2. What is your future speciality?

3. Is the history of mechanical engineering long?

4. When was mechanical engineering recognized as a separate branch?

5. What does mechanical engineering deal with?

6. What are main headlines in technological progress now?

7. What industries was automation first applied in?

8. What does the term “automation” mean now?

9. What ensures long service life and reliability of machines?

10. What part do mass production techniques play in modern manufacturing?

11. Is a qualified engineer demanded now?

12. Where can knowledge of a specialist be applied to the fullest?

13. What is your main aim while studying?

14. What kind of job would you like to get after graduating from the University?

6. Прочитайте текст еще раз и перескажите его по-английски.

7. Прочитайте следующий текст и скажите, о каких четырех этапах в развитии мировой индустрии идет речь и чем каждый из них характеризуется. Four Industrial Revolutions

The first industrial revolution took place in England between 1760 and 1840. Metal became the main engineering material instead of wood, and steam gave man great reserves of power. This power could drive not only railway engines and ships but also the machines which built them.

In the second revolution, from 1880 to 1920, electricity was the technical driving force. It provided power for factories that was easier and cheaper to control than steam. It was marked also by the growing importance of science-based industries such as chemicals and electrical goods, and the use of scientifically-designed production methods such as semi-automatic assembly lines.

The third industrial revolution coincided with the advent of automation – in its inflexible form. In this revolution, the main features were advances in the control of manufacturing processes so that things could be made more cheaply, with greater precision and (often) with fewer people. And this change, which occurred around the middle of last century, also featured a new machine that was to greatly influence the electronic computer.

What is the fourth industrial revolution? It will be characterized by automated machines that are versatile and programmable sets of computer instructions. The coming times will be characterized by flexible, automated machinery, the most interesting example of which are robots.

to coincide – совпадать

advent – приход, появление

inflexible – негибкий

advance – успех, прогресс

to occur – происходить

to influence – оказывать (влияние)

versatile – гибкий

sets of computer instructions – программы компьютера.

8. Прочитайте текст и определите:

1. О каких двух основных направлениях современного машиностроения упоминается в первом абзаце.

2. В каком абзаце перечисляются новые виды автоматизированных машин и механизмов.

Trends in the Modern Machine-Building Industry

The scientific and technological progress will continue in engineering along two main headlines. Firstly, it is automation including the creation of “unmanned” industries. Secondly, raising the reliability and extending the service life of machines.

This certainly requires new technology. The machine modules which have only begun to be made on a large scale are well suited for “unmanned” industries.

Intense work is being carried out on new robots. What we need is not merely manipulators which can take up a workpiece and pass it on, but robots which can identify objects, their position in space, etc.

We also need machines that would trace the entire process of machining. Some have been designed and are manufactured. Over the past few years this country has created new automated coal-digging complexes and machine systems, installations for the continuous casting of steel, machines for spindleless spinning and shuttleless weaving, machine-tools for electrophysical and electrochemical treatment of metals, unique welding equipment, automatic rotor transfer lines and machine-tool modules for flexible industries.

New technologies and equipment have been designed for most branches of engineering.