II. Résumé making (text compression).

Listen to the recorded text, make notes and write a résumé in Russian /Ukrainian/ English (reduce the text to the core, then develop it back without consulting the text).

Translate into English using text compression (omit redundant words, convert nominative structure into verbal, use noun clusters etc.)

First, do it in writing; then orally, observe transformations in translation.

III. Text development.

Develop a text from the given core (first do it in one language in writing, then with interpretation – orally).

IV. Sight translation practice.

Pay attention to precision information (proper names, geographical names, dates) and correct word order. Suggest background information required for a proper translation of the text.

V. Check yourself (your translation) against the pattern translation version.

VI. Listen to the recorded text and practise consecutive interpreting.

Euclid

(аr. 365–275 B. C.)

Ancient Greek Мathematician

His work on mathematics under the title «The Principia» can be considered as the most called for manual among all ever created. But his own modesty played a cruel trick on the scientist: it was thought for a long time that such a person as Euclid had never existed and many wise men were behind this name. It is really hard to believe that one person was able to systematize and polish up all mathematical knowledge accumulated by the classical scientists by the III century B.C.

Very little is known about the life of Euclid. The first interpreter of his works, the 5^th century thinker Proclus could not state exactly the dates of Euclid»s birth and death. Some biographical data were preserved on the pages of Arabic manuscript of the 12^th century: «Euclid – the son of Naucratus, Greek by origin, and Syrian according to the place of residence, comes from the town of Tir near Athens».

It is also known that the ancient Greek mathematician Euclid lived in Alexandria in the 3^rd century B.C. and headed the department of mathematics in the library. In the Hellenic age Alexandria was the centre of cultural life of Egypt. There was a majestic Palace of Science, Muse ion – The Temple of Muses in Alexandria. It was the largest scientific centre with an astronomic observatory, a botanical garden, a zoo and a library. The king Ptolemy I tried to make his state famous not by wars but by the achievements in science and culture. He invited to work in Alexandria a geographer Eratosphen, a poet Apollo of Rodos, a satirist Lucian and mathematician Euclid. In those days scientific work was becoming a recognized occupation and scientists received considerable money rewards. But modest and hardworking Euclid did not require any benefits for himself. Mathematics was the main point of his life.

About 325 B.C. Euclid completed a fundamental work consisting of 15 books under a common title «The Principia». The basics of stereometry, planometry and algebra are given there.

The legend says that Euclid the teacher was of gentle disposition, his nature was mild like wax; he devoted all his energy to making his pupils work hard. They say that one of the youngsters having learnt only some theorems was tired and asked Euclid: «What will I have for learning all this?» After this Euclid called a slave and said: «Bring him three coins. This poor creature wants to earn on his studies».

However, some historians attribute audacity towards a royal person to reserved Euclid. Ptolemy I who gathered around him famous scientists from all over the world, decided one day to read the «Principia» written by Euclid for his pupils. But apparently, the science was difficult for the king to learn. Once he asked Euclid: «Isn’t there a shorter way to study geometry?» And the scientist proudly replied: «There are no royal ways in geometry!»

Almost all the postulates set forth by the mathematician in his work had been well known before Euclid including the theorem about the triangle’s corners sum and Pythagoras’s theorem. But only such a scrupulous and thoughtful scientist as Euclid managed to systematize and explain them in such a way that each subsequent theorem logically stems from the previous one. He added the missing fragments and developed proofs. Such basic notions as «point», «a straight line» and «a triangle» were presented by Euclid as axioms, i. e. statements that do not require proofs.

Euclid’s unique «Principia» became a means to brain training in logical thinking. Scientists assume that for mankind they meant even more than Aristotle’s treatise on logic.

«Principia» gave an impetus to the development of modern science. They served as foundation of mathematical reasoning of Galileo, Newton, Copernicus, Kepler.

1687 – Isaac Newton wrote his basic work «Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy» in the same form as Euclid’s «Principia».

1826 – Using the works of Euclid Nikolai Lobachevsky creates the first non-Euclidian geometry which was a revolution in the idea of the nature of space.

1913 – Using the logical reasoning suggested by Euclid Berthran Russell and Alfred Whitehead published the work on mathematical logic «Foundations of mathematics».

Classical wisdom says that a mathematician should be a good poet. However, Euclid did not write verses. He loved music, but he considered even music through the prism of mathematics: he placed the tasks about musical intervals into his work «The section of canon».

Today the scientists admit that Euclid’s geometry does not give a full picture of the world in some cases. For instance, it is not always exact in reference to the boundless spaces of the Universe. But even the latest achievements of science only emphasize the role of the great ancient Greek geometrician Euclid in the development of mathematics.

Many copies of his main work were made by hardworking scribblers of different countries. And with the invention of book printing Euclid’s «Principia» were published two thousand and five hundred times and now they are considered to be the most popular written monument of antiquity after the Bible.