Українська державна академія

УКРАЇНСЬКА ДЕРЖАВНА АКАДЕМІЯ

ЗАЛІЗНИЧНОГО ТРАНСПОРТУ

ГУМАНІТАРНИЙ ФАКУЛЬТЕТ

 

Кафедра “Іноземні мови”

 

МЕТОДИЧНІ ВКАЗІВКИ

 

з розвитку навичок різних видів

професійно орієнтованого читання за темою

“Автоматика, телемеханіка та зв’язок”

для студентів 2 курсу факультету АТЗ

 

(англійська мова)

 

Харків, 2010

Методичні вказівки розглянуто та рекомендовано до друку на засіданні кафедри “Іноземні мови” 29.01.2010, протокол №6

 

Видання підготовлено відповідно до програми навчальної дисципліни і є складовою частиною навчально-методичного комплексу дисципліни “Англійська мова”.

 

 

Дані методичні вказівки мають комунікативну спрямованість навчання іноземним мовам і стимулюють ефективне оволодіння іноземною мовою.

Тексти доступні по своєму лексичному наповненню, до текстів додаються словники, що полегшує роботу студентам.

Вправи забезпечують розширення лексичного словника, а також засвоєння граматики. Все це дає можливість проводити різноманітні види робіт, які сприяють формуванню та закріпленню у студентів мовні навичок та вмінь.

Дані методичні вказівки спрямовані для роботи з текстами для студентів 2 курсу факультету АТЗ.

 

 

Укладачі:

ст.викл. Плотнікова О.В.

ст.викл. Михайленко В.М.

 

 

Рецензент:

доц., к.ф.н. С.І. Нешко

TEXT 1

Exercise 1

Memorize the following expressions from the text

vacuum tube – електронна лампа,

semi conducting material – напівпроводникові матеріал,

tiny device – микро пристрій,

digital - цифровий,

analogue systems – аналогови системи,

semiconductor - напівпроводник,

cellular phone – стільниковий телефон,

jumbo jet - аеробус,

electronic scoreboards – електронне табло,

capacitor - конденсатор,

slab of germanium – пластина з германію

Exercise 2

Answer the questions

1. What would you say about the evolution of electronic technology?6

2. What would you say about the invention of transistor?

3. What were the advantages of the first transistors over the vacuum tubes?

4. What would you say about the early transistors?

5. Why is the size of transistors of prime importance?

6. What is the second performance benefit resulting from microelectronics?

7. What are the principal elements of electronic circuits?

8. What does the overall reliability of electronic systems depend upon?

Exercise 3

Give Ukrainian equivalents to the following English words and word-combinations from the text:

a quantitative change in technology, to be invented, to get attention, to play a pivotal role, power requirements, greater reliability and longer life, a size of a pea, technology boom, to become the building block for all modern electronics, overall reliability.

Exercise 4

Read and translate following confirmations. Think whether they are true or not, if not give the right version.

1) New principal devices found in electronic circuits have a particular role in controlling the flow of electrons so that the completed circuit performs some desired function.

2) The transistor became the foundation for microchip and computer technology.

3) Early transistors were very slow.

4) New principal devices were found in electronic technology in the early of 16^th century.

5) A quantitative change in human capabilities has given rise to qualitative change in technology.

Exercise 5

Work in pairs

Read the text and discuss the advantage of electronic technology progress. Think about examples you can use to support your point of view.

Use expressions:

- for example,

- I agree,

- I don't agree,

- I think it's true

- I don't think it's true

- I think it depends on

Exercise 6

Read and translate the following sentences paying attention to the function of the verb "to be".

1. The evolution of electronic technology is sometimes called a revolution.

2. Before the development of the general-purpose computer, most calculations were done by humans.

3. At first an electronic circuit could be performed only by a vacuum tube.

4. Tools to help humans calculate are generally called calculators.

5. The transistor was invented in 1947 by three American physicists at the Bell Telephone Laboratories.

6. A multiple of transistors and other components were formed on a single tiny device of semi conducting material.

7. Early transistors, which were often described as being a size of a pea, were very slow.

8. This is not surprising-when the first computers were built, few scientists saw in them the seeds of a new technology.

9. The goal of inventors is to make smaller and smaller electronic components for computers.

10. Without the transistor there would be no Internet.

Exercise 7

Crossword

1. розвиток, еволюція

2. крихкий

3. цифровий

4. перевага

5. напівпровідник

6. прилад

7. дистанція

8. ємність

9. регулятор

10. революція

 

 

TEXT 2

Personal Computers

Personal Computers, microcomputers were made possible by two technical innovations in the field of microelectronics: the integrated circuit, or IC, which was developed in 1959; and the microprocessor, which first appeared in 1971. The IC permitted the miniaturization of computer-memory circuits, and the microprocessor reduced the size of a computer's CPU to the size of a single silicon chip.

The invention of the microprocessor, a machine which combines the equivalent of thousands of transistors on a single, tiny silicon chip, was developed by Ted Hoff at Intel Corporation in the Santa Clara Valley, California, an area that was destined to become known to the world as Silicon Valley because of the microprocessor and computer industry that grew up there. Because a CPU calculates, performs logical operations, contains operating instructions, and manages data flows, the potential existed for developing a separate system that could function as a complete microcomputer.

The first such desktop-size system specifically designed for personal use appeared in 1974; it was offered by Micro Instrumentation Telemetry Systems (MITS). The owners of the system were then encouraged by the editor of a popular technology magazine to create and sell a mail-order computer kit through the magazine. The computer, which was called Altair, retailed for slightly less than $400.

The demand for the microcomputer kit was immediate, unexpected, and totally overwhelming. Scores of small entrepreneurial companies responded to this demand by producing computers for the new market. The first major electronics firm to manufacture and sell personal computers introduced its model in 1977. It quickly dominated the field, because of the combination of two attractive features: a keyboard and a cathode-ray display terminal (CRT). It was also popular because it could be programmed and the user was able to store information by means of cassette tape.

Soon two engineer-programmers-Stephen Wozniak and Steven Jobs-started a new computer manufacturing company named Apple Computers. In 1976, in what is now the Silicon Valley, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak created a homemade microprocessor computer board called Apple I. Working from Jobs' parents' garage, the two men began to manufacture and market the Apple I to local hobbyists and electronics enthusiasts. Early in 1977, Jobs and Wozniak founded Apple Computer, Inc., and in April of that year introduced the Apple II, the world's first personal computer. Based on a board of their design, the Apple II was completed with keyboard and color graphics capability, retailed for $1290.

Some of the new features they introduced into their own microcomputers were expanded memory, inexpensive disk-drive programs and data storage, and color graphics. Apple Computers went on to become the fastest-growing company in U.S. business history. Its rapid growth inspired a large number of similar microcomputer manufacturers to enter the field. Before the end of the decade, the market for personal computers had become clearly defined.

In 1981, IBM introduced its own microcomputer model, the IBM PC. Although it did not make use of the most recent computer technology, the PC was a milestone in this burgeoning field. It proved that the microcomputer industry was more than a current fad, and that the microcomputer was in fact a necessary tool for the business community. The PC's use of a 16-bit microprocessor initiated the development of faster and more powerful micros, and its use of an operating system that was available to all other computer makers led to a de facto standardization of the industry.

In the mid-1980s, a number of other developments were especially important for the growth of microcomputers. One of these was the introduction of a powerful 32-bit computer capable of running advanced multi-user operating systems at high speeds. This has dulled the distinction between microcomputers and minicomputers, placing enough computing power on an office desktop to serve all small businesses and most medium-size businesses.

Another innovation was the introduction of simpler, "user-friendly" methods for controlling the operations of microcomputers. By substituting a graphical user interface (GUI) for the conventional operating system, computers such as the Apple Mackintosh allow the user to select icons-graphic symbols of computer functions-from a display screen instead of requiring typed commands.

 

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

Answer the questions

1 What two technical innovations made microcomputers possible?

2 What do you know about Silicon Valley?

3 Who were creators of the first Apple Computer?

4 Is the microcomputer a necessary tool for the business community?

5 Are you computer literate?

6 Are you connected to the Internet?

7 Do you have a computer? How powerful is your computer?
8 What company is your computer made by?
9 What size is your computer screen? What do you think it would be the best size to have?
10 How often do you use a computer? What do you use a computer for?

 

Exercise 3

Give Ukrainian equivalents to the following English words and word-combinations from the text:

 

To combine the equivalent of thousands of transistors on a single, to perform logical operations, to store information by means of cassette tape, electronics enthusiasts, expanded memory, de facto, graphic symbols of computer function, to type commands.

Exercise 4

Exercise 5

Work in pairs

Think about computer of your dream would be like. Describe your ideal computer. What special features would it have? What size of computer screen would be desirable for you, and what about mouse and keyboard?

 

 

Exercise 6

Transform the following sentences according to the model:

The invention of the microprocessor was developed by Ted Hoff. - Ted Hoff developed the invention of the microprocessor.

1. Personal Computers first appeared in 1971.

2. Microcomputer appearance was made possible by two technical innovations in the field of microelectronics: the integrated circuit and the microprocessor.

3. This area is known for you as Silicon Valley.

4. The computer was called Altair by its inventors.

5. Personal Computers were introduced by electronic firm to manufacture and sell.

6. A new computer manufacturing company was named Apple Computer.

7. Personal Computers were standardized by computer makers using an operating system that was available to all computers.

 

 

Exercise

TEXT 3

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

Answer the questions

1 Can you explain the terms “software” and “hardware”?

2 Where are Microelectronic Engineers employed?

3 What kind of microelectronic components are used in microelectronic devices?

4 What do you think of today's microfabrication?

5 What do you think of tomorrow's microfabrication?

6 What kind of challenges presents miniaturization in many areas of science and engineering?

7 Has nanotechnology made our lives better than our grandparents' lives?

8 What things would you never let technology replace?

Exercise 3

Give Ukrainian equivalents to the following English words and word-combinations from the text:

Computer architecture, to make a significant contribution, a subfield of electronics, to be made from semiconductors, to occupy large area, the goal of the microelectronics design, smaller and cheaper devices, semiconductor device, computer science, freestanding devices, quantum, doping step, etching steps.

Exercise 4

Exercise 5

Work in pairs

1) Almost everybody has a computer. Do you think it is a great invention? What do you think about advantages and disadvantages of that invention? Explain to the rest of your group your opinion.

Use expression:

- first of all I'd like to say

- secondly,

- finally,

- my first point is that …

- another important point is that …

Exercise 6

Exercise 7

TEXT 4

Automation

Automation is the use of control systems (such as numerical control, programmable logic control, and other industrial control systems), in concert with other applications of information technology (such as computer-aided technologies), to control industrial machinery and processes, reducing the need for human intervention. In the scope of industrialization, automation is a step beyond mechanization.

Whereas mechanization provided human operators with machinery to assist them with the physical requirements of work, automation greatly reduces the need for human sensory and mental requirements as well. Processes and systems can also be automated. Automation plays an increasingly important role in the global economy and in daily experience. Engineers strive to combine automated devices with mathematical and organizational tools to create complex systems for a rapidly expanding range of applications and human activities. Many roles for humans in industrial processes presently lie beyond the scope of automation.

Human-level pattern recognition, language recognition, and language production ability are well beyond the capabilities of modern mechanical and computer systems. Tasks requiring subjective assessment or synthesis of complex sensory data, such as scents and sounds, as well as high-level tasks such as strategic planning, currently require human expertise. In many cases, the use of humans is more cost-effective than mechanical approaches even where automation of industrial tasks is possible.

The automation is widely used on the railways. The aim of automation of railways is to design an integral system to monitor and control traffic on railways with low and medium traffic density. This type of environment presents a clearly identified set of problems arising from a lack of infrastructure for systems that need to be reliable and robust. The solution lies in automating the entire control, traffic and safety system. To achieve this, various communication and distribution technologies and control systems based on fieldbuses and local area networks are used. The complete system is located at various strategic points within the railway environment, enable the entire system to be monitored and controlled.

Various levels of railways automation are considering the possibility of achieving a full cybernetic railway with system-wide coordination of control and communication on the railways in the nearest future. The automation provided the full range of systems and components from axle-counting systems and switches machines to LED (Light emitting diode) signals and level-crossing protection systems. In excellent quality, designed and built for fault-free installation, maximum availability and simple maintenance.

Specialized hardened computers, referred to as programmable logic controllers (PLCs), are frequently used to synchronize the flow of inputs from (physical) sensors and events with the flow of outputs to actuators and events. This leads to precisely controlled actions that permit a tight control of almost any industrial process.

Сomputer human interfaces (CHI), formerly known as man-machine interfaces, are usually employed to communicate with PLCs and other computers, such as entering and monitoring temperatures or pressures for further automated control or emergency response. Service personnel who monitor and control these interfaces are often referred to as stationary engineers.

Automation has had a notable impact in a wide range of highly visible industries beyond manufacturing. Once-ubiquitous telephone operators have been replaced largely by automated telephone switchboards and answering machines. Automation is widely used on the railway traffic control system.

 

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

Answer the questions

1 What role does automation play in the global economy?

2 In what fields of industry is automation more cost-effective than humans?

3 How is automation used on the railways?

4 What is the aim of automation of railways?

5 Is it possible to automate the entire control, traffic and safety system?

6 What range of systems is automation provided on the railways?

7 What changes will be achieved on the railways in the nearest future?

Exercise 3

Give Ukrainian equivalents to the following English words and word-combinations from the text:

a step beyond mechanization, to create complex systems, a rapidly expanding range of applications, cost-effective, traffic density, to achieve this, maximum availability and simple maintenance, a wide range, various levels of railways automation.

Exercise 4

Exercise 5

Work in pairs

Discuss with your partner the statement "Automation has a great importance on the railway transport". Do you agree or disagree with that statement. What examples do you have?

Use expressions:

- for example,

- I agree,

- I don't agree,

- I think it's true

- I don't think it's true

- I think it depends on…

 

Exercise 6

Exercise 7

Crossword

1. технічне обслуговування

2. потреба, необхідна умова

3. мережа

4. контролювати

5. дисплей

6. дані, показники

7. стрілка, перемикач

8. діод

9. рахувати

10.проект, розрахунок

 

 

 

TEXT 5

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

Answer these questions

1. Why do we call our age “the age of automation”?

2. Were the computers first used on railways or in production processes?

3. What railway operations do computers facilitate?

4. What is the structure of the railway automated control system?

5. Why must computers be regularly examined at the Computing Centre?

6. Into what fields of railway engineering are computers being introduced?

7. What is the purpose of developing the "Express" system?

8. On what problem are our computer engineers working?

Exercise 3

Give Ukrainian equivalents to the following English words and word-combinations from the text:

Production processes, application of computing technique, a predetermined plan, it goes without saying, the maximum line capacity, operating manpower, the gap between the two trains, the sphere of application, booking railway tickets, the all-machine age, to prepare traffic schedules.

Exercise 4

Exercise 5

Work in pairs

Interview each other with the questions from exercise 2.

Exercise 6

Read and translate the following sentences paying attention to the modal verbs:

1. To facilitate the sorting of trains the computers may be installed at a marshalling yard.

2. Operators at the Computer Centre needn't do the calculations by hands.

3. Any fully automatic system must be reliable.

4. The advantages of automatic train operation may be summarized in a following list.

5. It's true that in many respects the automatic control can do no better than a good human driver.

6. At the Computer Centre there must be high accuracy of calculations.

 

Exercise 7

TEXT 6

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

Answer the questions

1. Where was the first application of electronics made in industry?

2. What amount of energy is enough to convey information?

3. In what space of time is response to an input signal obtained?

4. Due to what advantages will the use of electronics become ever more widespread in signaling practice?

5. What purpose is the electronically-operated system of signal interlocking designed for?

6. By means of what are adequate distances maintained between following trains?

7. What should the signalman do to permit the movement of a train?

8. How has a new technology changed railway safety?

9. Has a new technology made the signalmen job more difficult or simpler?

 

Exercise 3

Give Ukrainian equivalents to the following English words and word-combinations from the text:

The industrial applications of electronics, to convey information, to be obtained in a microsecond, an adequate distances between following trains, the basic function of the railway signaling apparatus, to use the suitable arrangements, to delay trains, animations such as model semaphore signals, a fail-safe principle.

 

Exercise 4

Exercise 5

Work in pairs

Interview your partner about traveling by train. Image an anecdote or thriller about railway journey. Tell the old one or think a new own story.

Use the questions:

- When was the journey?

- Where were you going? Who with? Why?

- What did a signalman, a switchman, an engine driver do?

- What happened? And what happened in the end?

Exercise 6

Exercise 7

TEXT 8

ON THE RIGHT WAVELENGTH

As the world economic situation continues to seemingly decline on a daily basis, and issues surrounding climate change and future scarcity of natural resources continue to hover near the top of the media agenda, it would seem fairly obvious to transport professionals that consumers should decide to switch to public transport for economic and/or environmental reasons.

Frequently, there is some weakness due to a lack of confidence in timetables and schedules and to an overall lack of reliable information. To address these information issues, transport authorities and governments are placing, increasing reliance on real-time passenger information (RTPI) systems. The prime purpose is, naturally, to provide information which the travelling public can rely on, but there are also three other key drivers behind the adoption of such systems:

- Regulatory bodies often require detailed information on timetable adherence, and an RTPI system can provide a lot of useful data

- Health and safety regulations are omnipresent in most industries these days, and knowing the precise location of a public transport vehicle at any given moment in time can be very useful, both with regard to incidents involving the vehicle itself, and also in relation to other events which may necessitate knowledge of the vehicle's precise location

- Internet can be used so widespread that consumers in developed countries have become used to having information on all sorts of activities no more than three mouse clicks away. Passenger transport needs to meet customer expectations that up-to-the-minute data will be readily available.

Much attention is rightly focused on the media used - web, information displays, mobile telephony and so on - for actually delivering the information.

Processing and interpreting the data is the role of companies, most of whom are reasonably well-known specializing in RTPI solutions, but actually transmitting the data between vehicle, control center and information display is an element that is often forgotten.

Tait Radio Communications has been supplying professional mobile radio solutions for 40 years and is well-versed in the various requirements of the different modes of public transport. For most of that time, voice communication has been the focus, with improvements in voice quality, equipment functionality and operational range having been achieved gradually. The advent of RTPI systems over recent years has brought about the need for data to be transmitted. A number of potential data transmission solutions were developed, using a range of technologies, but it soon became clear that there were several challenges to overcome:

- The number of devices in cabs is proliferating, causing maintenance, space and operational issues.

- Achieving total reliability is difficult, particularly if a system is susceptible to external (and therefore uncontrollable) events

- The need for voice communications had not disappeared, but its importance is frequently disregarded,

- Cost is at the center of most facets of life - and the public transport industry can ill-afford expensive but incomplete or unreliable solutions.

Tait decided to take up the challenge of developing a solution which offered reliable data transmission, reliable voice communications within the same system, excellent data rates, and independence from third-party influences.

The result, after an extensive customer consultation exercise and some innovation research and development at Tait`s headquarters in New Zealand, is the TaitNet Data System (TNDS). This is based on Tait`s existing trunked (also known as MPT 1327) radio technology, with which many public transport operators around the world are familiar.

TNDS offers public transport and RTPI operators, systems integrators and RTPI suppliers' voice and data transmission within the same system, a capability of polling up to 900 vehicles per minute per data channel, and a system which is independent of third-party influences.

By using a trucked radio solution, TNDS allows operators to fit their data transmission into their existing frequency allocation.

As demands and requirements of public transport communications systems grow, operators and their systems integrators need to pay even greater attention to their technology choices. In some business sectors, such as the utilities, there has been a marked move back towards PMR (professional mobile radio)-based solutions, because of the independence and control that they offer, particularly in civil emergency situations, when public networks can become overloaded or be switched off. In some countries, public transport operators have been lured towards adopting the "latest" digital radio technology, without truly considering the cost and the data and frequency limitations. Selecting the tool that is best for the job may be a wiser move than adopting the most theoretically advanced or easier solution. TNDS is an innovative solution that uses tried and tested technology to meet new communications challenges in public transport.

 

 

Exercise 1. Study the following words and word-combinations.

1. decline - занепад

2. seemingly - очевидно

3. a scarcity - дефіцит, недостатня кількість

4. agenda - порядок денний

5. prime purpose - головна мета

6. timetable adherence - суворе додержання розкладу

7. to be omnipresent - бути повсюдним, всеоб`ємлючим

8. precise location - точне місцезнаходження

9. to be available - бути доступним

10.to be focused on - концентрувати увагу на …

11.up-to-the-minute data - новітні дані

12.to deliver - доставляти

13.to interpret data - пояснювати дані

14.to advent - прихід, поява

15.a challenge - виклик, вимога

16.to overcome - подолати, перемогти

17.to proliferate - швидко збільшуватися, поширюватися

18.total reliability - повна надійність

19.uncontrollable events - неконтрольовані випадки

20.to be disregarded - бути ігнорованим

21.a facet -аспект, грань

22.to take up - обговорювати, приймати (пропозицію тощо)

23.trunk - головний, магістральний

24.integrator - інтегратор, математичний компонент з 2-ма змінними

25.supplier - пoстачальник

26.a capability of polling -можливість автоматичного з`єднання

27.data transmission - передача даних

28.frequency allocation -розподіл частот

29.utilities - комунальні підприємства

30.overloaded -перевантажений

31.to switch off - вимикати струм, роз`єднувати

32.to be lured - бути привабливим

Exercise 2. Give Ukrainian equivalents to the English word-combinations from the text:

Daily basis, climate changes, economic and/or environmental reasons, transport authorities, real-time passenger information systems, travelling public, detailed information, health and safety regulations, all sorts of activity, professional mobile radio solution, potential data transmission solution, voice communication, a third-party influence, extensive customer consultation exercise, public transport communication systems.

Exercise 3. Make up 10 questions to the text and answer them.

Exercise 4. Read and translate the following confirmations. Think whether they are true or not. If not give the right version.

1. Climate changes and future scarcity of natural resources stop to hover near the top of the media agenda.

2. Frequently, there is some weakness due to a lack of confidence in timetables and schedules.

3. RTPI system can't provide a lot of useful data.

4. Tait Radio Communications has been supplying amateur mobile radio solutions.

5. TNDS is based on the Tait`s existing trucked radio technology.

6. TNDS prevents operators to fit their data transmission into their existing frequency allocation.

7. As demands of public transport communications systems grow, operators and their systems integrators need to pay more attention to their technology choices.

Exercise 5. Transform the following sentences according to the model:

Model: The experts understand well features of trunked analogue radio.

Features oftrunked analogue radio are well understood by the experts.

1. The passengers need to make the journey with confidence and security. 2. The communication infrastructure meets the demands of a modern, integrated public transport operation. 3. The public transport operation often outstrips the capacity and ability of the existing infrastructure. 4. A number of factors drive the adoption of GPS technology and passenger information systems. 5. Operators need to relay timetable information to onboard and platform information displays. 6. Upgraded information systems must provide passengers with a level of information which was unthinkable just a few years ago. 7. Modern demands have changed the way we pay for public transport. 8. Drivers still need to contact the control room. 9. Tait focused on retaining the existing trusted signaling standards. 10. Tait has developed a hybrid of analogue radio technology.

Exercise 6. Work in pairs

a) Discuss with your partner the necessity of such technologies as real-time passenger information systems (RTPI).

b) You are a journalist of the "Times". Your task is to analyze of prospective of Tait Radio Communications.

c) Prove the necessity of developing public transport communications systems.

Exercise 7. Write an annotation to the text.

 

TEXT 9

 

CHANGING CHANNELS

Ensuring passengers have the information they need to make their journey with confidence and security is an essential element of good customer service in rail industry. However, the communications infrastructure required to meet the demands of a modern, integrated public transport operation is highly complex and often outstrips the capacity and ability of the existing infrastructure.

There are a number of factors driving the adoption of GPS technology and passenger information systems across Europe, of which legislation, regulatory controls, consumer expectations, and government initiatives are among the most significant drivers. These factors mean that operators need to relay timetable information to onboard and platform information displays, monitor their own performance against timetables and provide passengers with a level of information which was unthinkable just a few years ago.

Demand for real-time passenger information (RTPI) is driven from three angles. From a government perspective, the need to develop and deliver integrated transport systems is high on the agenda. This can be implemented through careful coordination of infrastructure and the accurate delivery of information to passengers. Both of these facets require the efficient and timely delivery of data, although passenger information is clearly crucial in terms of gaining and maintaining consumer trust and confidence. From an operator`s viewpoint, up-to-date travel information is essential for increasing passenger confidence. Consumer demand for RTPI comes as from the desire for travel information as it does from the overall trend within society for information to be readily available, accessible and, primarily, accurate. Getting this data to all the relevant devices, such as platform indicators, is a major challenge and requires a rapid and robust solution.

As the way we pay for public transport has changed, access to the ticketing system to monitor activity and travel pass updates and revisions is another feature that needs to be handled by the onboard radio, provided the radio infrastructure has the right data handling capacity and the radio has the physical interfaces to allow easy connectivity.

Lastly, it must handle the aspect of communications systems which if often overlooked in this age of intelligent systems and data transmission - verbal communication. Drivers still need to contact the control room to alert them to issues or communicate on other matters, and a communication system needs to facilitate this requirement in a way which does not preclude the efficient functioning of all the other demands placed upon it.

To allow operators to approach this issue in a more coordinated way, Tait decided to re-think the way a bus-radio system is defined, and this can be applied to rail. Tait focused on retaining the existing and trusted MPT1327 and MPT1343 signalling standards so that networks running now remain at the heart of future services and, in association with a range of prominent system developers, looked at the way systems are developed.

Taitnet. The result is Taitnet Data System (TNDS), a hybrid of analogue radio technology and high performance DPS-based core technology. This system is based on Tait`s existing trucking infrastructure because it is considered to be the best way of keeping the cost low for existing and new users.

Trunked analogue radio is well understood and much of the hardware can be made very economically using components which have stood the test of time. TNDS also differs from other offerings on the market as its voice and data are fully integrated and to offers much faster polling rates. Regular polling of data channels is fully automatic and TNDS has been designed to ensure compatibility with existing RTPI systems. The radio interface is software-defined and can be configured by Tait or the integrator. Furthermore, existing analogue radio systems can be easily upgraded to handle dedicated TDMA data channels. These are fast enough to support the most advanced realtime AVL and passenger information services.

TNDS alleviates many of the operational burdens on radio systems which, despite the amount of data they need to carry, must also accommodate voice applications.

Exercise1. Study the following words and word-expressions:

1. to outstrip - перевершувати, обганяти

2. to relay timetable information - передавати інформацію по розкладу

3. to be implemented through - бути виконаним, здійсненим

4. accurate delivery - точна доставка

5. in terms of - стосовно

6. to be accessible - бути доступним

7. a relevant device - придатний прилад

8. a robust solution - правильне рішення

9. interface - взаємодія, місце з`єднання,

radio interface – взаємодія мобільної станції з обладнанням радіомережі

10. easy connectivity - просте підключення

11. intelligent system - розумна система

12. verbal communication - голосовий зв`язок

13. control room - центр керування

14. to preclude - перешкоджати, запобігати

15. a prominent system developer - розробник визначної системи

16. trunking infrastructure - головна інфраструктура

17. polling rates - норма опитування

18. to ensure compatibility - забезпечити конкурентно спроможність

19. software - програмне забезпечення

20. hardware - апаратне забезпечення

21. to be upgraded - бути вдосконаленим, покращеним

22. to alleviate - полегшувати

23. operational burden - експлуатаційні навантаження, витрати

24.amount of data - кількість даних

Exercise 2. Answer the questions according to the text:

1. What is the essential element of good customer service in rail industry?

2. Which factors driving the adoption of the GPS technology and passenger information systems across Europe are there?

3. What do these factors mean?

4. Which three angles are the demands for real-time passenger information (RTRI)?

5. Which objectives does Tait focus on?

6. What can you tell about Taitnet Data System (TNDS)?

Exercise 3. Give Ukrainian equivalent to the following English word-combinations:

Good customer service, essential element, integrated public transport operation, consumer expectation, governmental initiatives, real-time passenger information, integrated transport systems, timely delivery of data, maintaining consumer trust and confidence, from an operator's viewpoint, up-to-date travel information, age of intelligent systems, hybrid of analogue radio technology.

Exercise 4. Match up the couples of synonyms:

Accurate, to be concentrated, transmission, protection, accessible, schedule, intelligent, exact, to upgrade, smart, to be focused, in connection with, essential, transference, timetable, security, to improve, obtainable, important, protection.

Exercise 5. Read and translate the following confirmations. Think whether they are true or false (read the text attentively). If not give the right variant.

1. Ensuring passengers have the information they need to make their journey with confidence and security is not an essential element of good customer service in rail industry.

2. The communications infrastructure is required to meet the demands of a modern, integrated public transport operation.

3. There are a number of factors driving the adoption of GPS technology and passenger information systems across Europe.

4. The way we pay for public transport hasn't changed yet.

5. Drivers of locomotives still need to contact the control room.

6. The hybrid of analogue radio technology is based on Tait`s existing trucking infrastructure.

7. Trunked analogue radio isn't well understood yet.

8. TNDS must also accommodate voice applications.

Exercise 6. Transform the sentences according to the model:

Model: They sent me to University, they wantedme to study law.

They sent me to University to study law.

1. It was obvious to transport professionals; they switched to public transport for economic and environmental reasons. 2. Transport authorities are placing real-time passenger information (RTDS) systems; they want to increase reliance on them. 3. Regulatory bodies require detailed information on timetable architecture; they provide a lot of useful data. 4. Internet can be used widespread in developed countries; they have information on all sorts of activities. 5. Much attention are focused on the web, information displays, and mobile telephony and so on, they actually receive the information. 6. Transmitting the data between vehicle, control center and information display is a major element it is often forgotten.

Exercise 7. Write the annotation of the text.

 

 

TEXT10

MODEL SOLUTION

Until now, the majority of software engineers have written their embedded applications manually, but in a world of increasingly complex systems, this approach is not considered to be ideal by many experts.

Recently, model-based development methodologies have emerged and started to change the processes in the aerospace, automotive and transport industries. In general, model-based tools allow designers to describe the behavior of their system, but do not typically lower the burden of testing once the code has been written. Correcting the bugs when the code is already written is the cause for very long change cycles in process-driven projects, and in the worst case, the reason for unmanageable reliability issues.

Like the aerospace and automotive industries, the railway industry is facing a challenge imposed by reliability, availability, maintainability and safety objectives (RAMS), with respect to the development of electronic and software systems.

Better safety. In railway applications, there is a mandatory requirement to fulfill the objectives of transport-specific safety standards. In Europe, the relevant standard is Cenelec EN 50128, which can be seen as a domain-specific tailoring of the more generic international standard IES 61508. The two standards share fundamental principles, including classification of systems according to four distinct safety integrity levels (SIL1-SIL4).

EN 50128 mandates the demonstration of specific activities in order to prove compliance with RAMS objectives, which imposes strict and extremely costly requirements on the software development process.

Practice and standards for software safety describe in detail how to achieve safety objectives for a given safety integrity level (SIL). The SIL or a given system is derived from a safety analysis and is intended to prove the absence of systematic errors in the software development process, giving sufficient confidence that the software application will provide the intended functionality and protection from hardware problems of safety hazards.

To achieve this level of confidence, the developer needs to demonstrate full traceability from the system requirements through software architecture and software design down to the embedded code. All requirements need to be tested on architecture, design, module and integration level: this test, verification and validation effort constitutes about half of total software development cost.

In the past, software has been seen as a piece of art. Each software system was created by a team of coders, and only understood by them. Costs were high, and the real functionality of software from those times is still a secret of the developers, and this can cause problems.

Nowadays we are in the era of software manufacture. Artisans are building beautiful, yet unique systems that can be scaled to impressive complexity, but become in a safety-driven process such as EN 50128. With Esterel`s Scade software suite, the vision of a safety-driven "certified software factory" (CSF) has become reality.

As with every real factory, it consists of different modules, assembly lines and robots that automate complex but repetitive tasks. There are modules to help the transfer of written requirements specifications of semi-formal specification models into the formal Scade executable specification, to provide tracking, tracing and coverage analysis of those requirements, and assembly lines to help the composition of complex systems from prefabricated and pre-certified functional software modules.

 

Finally, there is a smart robot called KCG, which is a certified automatic C code generator that transforms the executable specification into a piece of software readily integrated with the safe hardware/software platform as specified by the developer.

Combined testing process. The Scade design and verification methodology has been integrated into the combined testing process. This allows for complete verification and validation of the entire development and its documentation.

The Scade model test coverage (MTC) module enables a systematic approach to access the coverage achieved with a given set of test vectors at model level. The result of such an assessment is a statement of the extent to which the structure of the model has been covered by the tests, and if the specification model has been completely tested with respect to the requirements. When using MTC, it can be assumed that all requirements have been covered by the model and that the model contains neither deactivated nor dead specifications.

The user gets a detailed report concerning the coverage achieved and can analyze the test session. The MTC reporter is qualified as a verification tool according to DO178-B (qualification in progress). Using this MTC approach, he user achieves a full verification of the Scade model versus the higher-level requirements.

In recent years, point tools for formal verification have emerged. Most of them extract information from a model and translate it into their own notation, or even do an interpretation of the generated code. The Scade Design Verifier relies on the mathematically unambiguous Scade model to formally check user-defined properties. This can be used to automatically verify functional consistency of the software requirements with the higher level safety relevant functional requirements.

Static checks on the formal model enable the "correct by construction" approach, because typing consistency, software specification completeness, modeling rules and guidelines, and numerical robustness (divide-by-zero, overflow errors etc) can all be checked automatically and completely by the tool. If the tool detects for example a potential divide-by-zero hazard, it will notify the user of this fact and automatically provide him with a set of input vectors to reproduce the problem with the Scade simulator.

The Scade code generator automatically generates the complete C code implementing the software architecture and design defined in Scade for both data flows and state machines. It is much more than just a generation of code skeletons: the complete dynamic behavior is implemented.

It is important to understand that the Scade code generator has been developed with IEC 61508 and EN 50128 objectives. Certification includes an assessment of the development process, an analysis of the design philosophy and an assessment of the verification done:

- code is portable (compiler, target and operating system (OS) independent)

- code is structured by function or by blocks

- code is readable and traceable to the model through the use of names and annotations

- memory allocation is always static

- there is no pointer arithmetic

- there is no recursion, no loop

- execution time is bounded.

Only a formal software specification model as input for a qualified/certified code generator enables model-based software design in full and brings the benefits of a seamless design flow from requirements to code.

The generated code is fully compliant to software architectures based on abstraction layers such as Arinc 653 for aerospace and the safe SIL4 platforms used by the big rail transport OEMs such as Siemens, Thales and Alstom. The code generator provides a cyclic function; the OS-specific glue code is also being automatically built. This approach facilitates optimum portability because only the glue code changes from platform to platform. OS-specific made files and configuration files can also be automatically generated.

The code generation is completely formalized so that the code architecture, structure and patterns are well-defined and directly related to the input model. Based on the formal language definition of the Scade language, the possible combination of language constructs in the generated C code is therefore completely defined and described.

That way, it is possible to define a Scade sample model covering all possible combinations of Scade constructs and to be completely sure that the generated C code will also reflect all possible constructs.

Based on this approach, a compiler verification kit has been designed, which provides the user with the Scade sample, C sample, test cases and reference test results. Run on the target, the test cases will ensure 100% modified condition/decision coverage of the executable and can therefore give high confidence in the compiler/linker/execution process in case of a positive pass.

The combined testing process enables an integrated design and verification approach, from high level requirements to execution of the code on the target and is the perfect complement to the upcoming safe partitioned platforms.

Exercise 1. Study the following words and words-expressions:

1. approach -підхід, наближення

2. to emerge -виявлятися, з`ясовуватися

3. bug -технічний дефект

4. unmanageable -некерований, важкий для контролю

5. mandatory requirement -обов’язкова вимога

6. relevant -доречний, той, що стосується справи

7. domain - галузь

8. distinct -різний

9. to impose -накладати, оподатковувати

10.compliance -згода

11.to derive from -походити, здобувати

12.hazard - небезпека, ризик

13.verification - підтвердження, перевірка

14.validation -затвердження, легалізація

15.complexity - складність

16.smart robot -розумний робот

17.unambiguous -ясний, чіткий

18.consistency - послідовність, сумісність

19.completeness - завершеність, повнота

20.guideline - керівний принцип, офіційний норматив

21.robustness - ясність, твердість

22.compiler - компілятор, програма, яка упорядковує та компонує програмний код

23.pointer - покажчик

24.recursion -рекурсія, метод визначення класу об`єкту

25.loop - петля

26.input - вхідні дані, введення

27.seamless - без шва, суцільний

28.compliant - поступливий, податливий

 

 

Exercise 2. Translate the following word-expressions into Ukrainian:

World of increasingly complex systems, model-based development methodologies, transport-specific safety standards, distinct safety integrity levels, certified software factory, semi-formal specification models, prefabricated and pre-certified functional software modules, certified automatic C code generator, combined testing process, higher level safety relevant functional requirements, software specification completeness.

Exercise 3. Find couples of synonyms:

Bug, domain, right, mandatory, demand, distinct, hazard, scheme, aim, to divide, unambiguous, obligatory, different, fault, clear, branch, danger, correct, requirement, pattern, target, to partition.

Exercise 4. Answer the questions according to the text:

1. Which benefits of model-based tools for software engineers are there?

2. Which challenges is the railway industry facing?

3. Which relevant standard of transport-specific safety is there in Europe?

4. Which objectives are practice and standards achieved for software?

5. What is SIL (safety integrity level) intended to?

6. What main disadvantages of software system in the past were there?

7. Which principal features of modern software systems can you tell about?

8. What does MTC (model test coverage) mean?

9. Which challenges did Tait decide to take up?

 

 

Exercise 5. Read and translate the following sentences paying your attention to the functions of the verb "to have and to be".

1. The majority of software engineers have written their embedded applications manually. 2. Model-based development methodologies have started to change the processes in transport industries. 3. The railway industry is facing a challenge imposed by reliability, availability and safety objectives. 4. Two standards of safety have to share fundamental principles. 5. RAMS objectives are to impose strict and extremely costly requirements. 6. Practice and standards for software safety have to describe in detail how to achieve safety objectives. 7. The software application will be to provide the intended functionality and protection from hardware problems of safety hazards. 8. A software system was created by a team of coders. 9. Artisans are building beautiful, unique systems.

Exercise 6. Read and translate the following confirmations. Think whether they are true or false (read the text attentively). If not give the right variant.

1. Until now, the majority of software engineers have written their embedded applications manually.

2. Recently, model-based development methodologies haven't started to change the processes in transport industries.

3. In general, model-based tools don't allow designers to describe the behavior of their system.

4. Correcting the bugs when the code is already written is the cause for change cycles in process-driven projects.

5. In railway applications there is no mandatory requirement to fulfill the objectives of transport-specific safety standards.

6. In the USA, the relevant standards are CENELEC EN 50128.

7. Practice and standards for software safety describe in detail how to achieve safety objectives.

8. There are modules to help the transfer of written requirements specifications of semi-formal specification model into the formal Scade executable specification.

9. The Scade design and verification methodology hasn't been integrated into combined testing process.

Exercise 7. Work in pairs.

a). Discuss with your partner the new challenges facing the railway industry.

b). You are a journalist from "International Railway Journal". Make up a short review about CENELEC safety standards in Europe.

Exercise 8. Write the annotation of the text.

TEXT 11

TEXT 12

 

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