Ex. 3. Choose the right word.

 

 1. The sun supplies people with the (exhaustible, exhaust, inexhaustible) heat energy.

2. The (generation, generator, generate) converts the mechanical energy into electricity.

3. This country has made (significance, significant, signify) progress in power engineering.

 4. The working personnel at the A-power stations must be protected from the direct contact with (radioactive, radioactivity) elements.

5. The nuclear reactor must also be (reliably, reliable) protected from any emergency.

 

  Ex. 4. Choose the right meaning.

a) competitive - конкуренция, конкурирующий, конку­рировать

discovery - открытие, открытый, открывать

consumer - потреблять, потребление, потребитель

commonly - обычный, необычный, обычно

locate - обнаруживать, обнаруженный, место­нахождение

lower - низкий, самый низкий, понижать

measurement - мера, измерение, измерять

6) engineering- инженер, двигатель, техника

 result in - в результате, приводить к, вытекать из

supplies - снабжать, запасы, снабжение

due to - благодаря, посредством, однако

 transform - передавать, преобразовывать, переме­щать

 

  Ex. 5. Read and translate the sentences.

 I. A proper power supply system is necessary for the economic development of any country. 2. The supplies of natural fuel are nearly exhausted in some countries. 3. The sun can be regarded as an inexhaustible source of energy. 4. The scientists have made many important discov­eries in nuclear energetic. 5. The introduction of elec­tric traction has resulted in increased efficiency of rail­ways. 6. Great popularity of railway transport results from its cheapness and reliability. 7. Transportation of some goods in open cars may cause their damage. 8. A high construction cost is one of the main drawbacks of diesel locomotives.9. The limited supplies of gas and oil cause the trouble in some countries. 10. The remote control is successfully used to operate railway substations. 11. The higher the efficiency of a locomotive, the heavier train it can haul. 12. Every measure must be taken to provide safety for the personnel at the A-power stations. 13. A great number of measuring instruments are fitted on modern-A-power plants.

 

Ex. 6. Переведите предложения с герундиальными оборо­тами, обращая внимание на место оборота в предложе­нии и форму герундия.

1, Burning gas and oil at thermal power stations is becoming more and more undesirable. 2. In spite of hav­ing some drawbacks the hydro-power stations may be considered promising because of a cheap cost of generated electricity. 3. On locating any trouble the operator should eliminate it as soon as possible. 4. It is impossible to increase speeds on railways without giving proper atten­tion to safety. 5. On some railways the high voltage alter­nating current can't be applied for traction purposes with­out its being transformed into the direct current. 6. Saving time in locating and eliminating any trouble is far from being the only advantage of the automatically operated power plants. 7. The traffic was stopped because of the power supply system having been damaged. 8. On being generated, the electric energy is transmitted over long dis­tances by high voltage transmission lines. 9. We know of natural fuel having been almost exhausted in some West European countries. 10. When electric traction was first introduced not many people thought of its being used on railways. 11. Less personnel is required in case of sub­stations being operated by remote control.

Ex.7. Найдите в тексте и переведите предложения (а)с герундиальным оборотом (абз. 4, 6); (б) с придаточными предложениями сказуемыми (абз. 5, 11).

Ex. 8. Переведите текст письменно со словарем (15 мин.).

 

ВВОДНЫЕ УПРАЖНЕНИЯ К ТЕКСТУ A

Ex. 9.  Укажите, по каким формальным показателям можно определить герундий в данных предложениях; переведите предложения на русский язык.

1. The idea of building the Underground in Moscow was first proposed before the Great October Socialist Revolution. 2. Making long and complicated calculations by computers saves much time and labour. 3. The high tractive effort of electric locomotives leads to their being widely employed on mountainous routes. 4. After having equipped the largest power plants with automatic control a greater reliability of their operation was ensured. 5. Stephenson's inventing the first practical steam locomotive is a well-known fact. 6. On being applied for the interior finishes of passenger
cars plastics greatly contribute to the reduction of maintenance costs.      

 

Ex. 1 0.  Определите значения выделенных слов и словосочета­ний, не пользуясь словарем.

1. Electric energy is generated at electric power stations. 2. The electric power stations operating on coal, gas or oil are known as the thermal power plants. 3. Coal, gas or oil are used as fuel at the thermal power stations. 4. D. I. Men-deleyev discovered the Periodic Law of Elements in 1869. 5. Steam locomotives were replaced by diesels and electrics because their possibilities had been exhausted. 6. The speed of the trains is not so high as that of the airplanes. In this respect, railways cannot compete with aviation. 7. The fault in the electrical equipment caused the accident. 8. A high initial cost of the electrified railways is their main drawback. 9. A flow of electrons is called the electric current. If the electric current flows in one direction, it is called the direct current. The electric current changing constantly the direction of its flow is known as the alternating current. 10. The transformer is an electrical instrument which is used to increase or lower the voltage of the electric current. 11. All railway substations are fitted with transformers. 12. The turbines are used to convert the energy of steam into mechanical energy.

 

Ex.11. Определите значение слов и словосочетаний из текста по словарю.

tied, in search of (абз. 2); valuable raw materials (абз. 5); the disposal of radioactive waste, by-products, buried, the ocean bottom (абз. 7); boilers, batteries of di­als and recorders, a second-by-second picture, touch, indis­pensable, slightest (абз. 9); consumers (абз. 10); essential, rectifier (абз. 13); silicon rectifiers (абз. 14).

 

Ex. 1 2.  Прочтите текст (5 мин. на каждую часть) и ска­жите, (а) какие типы электростанций упоминаются в части I; (б) разделите часть II на четыре логические части и озаглавьте их.

TEXT A. POWER SUPPLY SYSTEM

 I

(1) Nowadays technical progress, including the progress in railway engineering, is unthinkable without the proper power supply system.

(2) Till recent years, all electric energy has been gene­rated by thermal and hydro-power stations. But the hydro-power stations are always tied to rivers. As for the thermal power plants the supplies of fuel needed for their operation are not inexhaustible. So power engineers are now in search of new sources of energy.

(3) The great efforts of scientists and engineers have resulted in discovering atomic energy which caused a revo­lution in energetics.

(4) One of the most significant achievements in the devel­opment of atomic power engineering was made in the Soviet Union in 1954 with the construction of the world's first atomic power plant (A-power plant). On being put into operation it opened up an epoch of peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Now the atomic power stations have passed an experimental stage and successfully compete with the con­ventional power stations especially in the countries which experience the energy crisis.

(5) The main and most remarkable feature of nuclear fuel is that it contains great thermal energy. Indeed, one ton of nuclear fuel is equal to more than 2.5 million tons of coal. Nuclear fuel reduces the cost of electric energy and saves valuable raw materials for other uses.

(6) It goes without saying¹ that nuclear energetics is faced with a bright future and very soon we may expect its being turned into the main source of power supply.

 

II

(7) However, there are a number of problems the scientists must solve in order to make the A-power plants still more attractive, one of these problems being the disposal of radioactive waste. According to an idea put forward recently radioactive by-products should be placed in special containers and safely buried deep under the ground or on the ocean bottom.

(8) While discussing the drawbacks of the A-power plants one should also mention the danger of accumulating radioactivity by the working personnel.

(9) In order to provide a greater reliability of opera­tion and safety for people all modern A-power plants are automatically controlled. Boilers, reactors, turbines and other equipment are operated from the plant's control room where there are batteries of dials and recorders giv­ing the operators a second-by-second picture of every­thing what is happening. Electronic robots, manipulators and mechanical hands which are able to measure, count and touch are now indispensable for handling radioactive elements² at A-power plants. Automatic sound warning is given as soon as the slightest fault occurs, and a light shows exactly where the fault is located. A special system enables the operator to direct all the processes and inves­tigate any possible trouble.

(10)    After having been generated, the electric energy is sent to the electricity grid system³ of the country. It is the grid system that distributes the power to the consume, including the electrified railways.

(11) Both conventional and nuclear power stations gen­erate a high voltage alternating current (a. c). The fact is that the alternating current can be more economically transmitted over long distances than the direct current (d. c.) and the higher the voltage the less energy is lost.

(12) Although the alternating current can be used to drive trains, in many countries it is converted to the di­rect current because d. c. motors are simpler in construc­tion than a. c. machines.

(13) As is known, the conversion of a. c. to d. c. takes place in railway substations. The first essential of a sub­station is a transformer in which the electric current taken from the transmission line is lowered in voltage. Another important instrument the substation is fitted with is a rectifier which converts a. c. to d. c, this one-way (i.e. direct) current being then fed to the overhead wire.

(14) Electronics has found a wide application in rail­way substations, silicon rectifiers being one of the most commonly used electronic instruments. Due to electronics most substations are now operated by remote control.

ПРИМЕЧАНИЯ

1. it goes without saying—не приходится говорить

2. for handling radioactive elements —для манипулирования с радиоактивными элементами

3. the electricity grid system — единая энергосистема

Portable Hydro-Power Plants

(1) Russian engineers have made a remarkable advance in power engineering. One of the lat­est achievements    was their having designed a portable hydro-power plant. Its advan­tages are numerous.

(2) The weight of the power plant being equal to 5 kg, it can be delivered to remote regions without requiring any special transport. The power plant eliminates the need for erecting dams and is ready to convert hydro energy to electric current as soon as the cable of the assembled unit is put into the waterway. The design and the operational principles being simple, its installation does not require highly qualified personnel.

(3) One may say that the small weight and the great flexibility of the portable hydro-power plants will result in their being applied in areas remote from the power sup­ply systems. The electric current they will generate can be distributed among the consumers living nearby.

 

Ex. 1 3. Дайте английские эквиваленты из текста к следующим определениям.

1. the fuel consumed by the A-power plants; 2. an electric power station operating on organic fuel; 3. the cable feeding trains with electric energy; 4. a kind of electric current generated by central power plants; 5. an electrical instrument used to change the voltage of the electric current; 6. an electrical instrument converting a. c. to d. c; 7. a type of control used to operate modern sub­stations.

 

 

Ex. 14.  Прослушайте вопросы и ответьте на них согласно тексту А.

1. What is one of the important conditions for techni­cal progress? 2. Why do power engineers make efforts to discover new sources of energy? 3. Why was the construc­tion of the world's first A-power station significant? 4. Are now A-power plants commercially successful? 5. For what countries are A-power plants particularly important? 6. What is the most characteristic feature of nuclear fuel?

7. How is the problem of radioactive waste disposal solved? 8. What is the most serious drawback of the A-pow­er plant? 9. What measures are taken to ensure safety for people at the A-power plant? 10. How does the auto­matic control provide a reliable operation of the A-power plant? 11. What system distributes electricity among the consumers? 12. What transformations with a high voltage a. c. are made at railway substations? 13. How is electron­ics applied in railway substations?

 

Ex. 15. Подготовьте сообщение на тему "The Atomic Power Stations" согласно следующему плану.

1. The world's first A-power plant in the USSR.

 2. The importance of atomic power plants for countries with small supplies of natural fuel.

3. The main feature of nuclear fuel.

    4. The problem of radioactive waste disposal.

5. The measures to protect people from radioactivity.

Ex. 1 6. Составьте план и подготовьте сообщение на тему "Railway Substations".

 

TEXT B THIRD RAIL

Ex. 17. Pay attention to the translation of the adjectives:

a)contactable — тот, с которым можно вступить в контакт; workable — тот, который способен работать; controllable — тот, которым можно управлять;

b)unworkable — тот, который не может работать (вышел из строя); unsuitable — неподходящий, непригодный; unequal — неравный; unplanned — незапланированный; unexpected — неожиданный.

 

Ex. 18. Translate the attributive groups:

circuit (электрическая цепь) — AC circuit — 3-phase AC circuit;

substation — substation operation — substation operation management;

motor — motor rotation — DC motor rotation speed;

conductor (проводник) — conductor material — conductor material quality investigation;

noise — noise level — noise level reduction — motor noise level reduction.

 

Ex. 19.  Pay attention to the translation of the words «It was... who...»:

1.    It was F.J. Sprague who experimented with electricity.

2.    It was also F.J. Sprague who developed the method of controlling several cars simultaneously.

3.    It was M. Faraday who discovered electromagnetic induction.

4.    It is the electromagnetic induction that is the basis of electrical engineering.

4.    It is for more than a hundred years now that railways maintain their dominant position.

5.    It is Switzerland that played the leading part in early electrification of its railways.

 

Ex. 20.  Pay attention to the translation of the words «both» and «both...and»:

1.    Both new passenger locomotives have the same power.

2.    Both experiments have been extremely successful.

3.    There were locomotives at both ends of a heavy freight train.

4.    Both Russian and foreign engineers work on the design of the new powerful locomotives for

        electrified lines.

5.    Both steam traction and diesel traction are used in less developed countries of the world.

 

Ex. 21. Pay attention to the translation of the words «either» and «either... or»:

1.    Today electric trains can be controlled either by a driver or by means of Automatic Train Control

        Systems.

2.    This work is very responsible. It must be headed either by the manager or the chief engineer.

3.    It is possible to control the multiple-unit trains from either end.

4.    Either of the students can do this work.

 

Ex. 22. Pay attention to the translation of the words «former», «the former» and «the latter»:

1.    Some of our former students occupy important posts in the Ministry of Railways heading

        different departments.

2.    There are two ways of supplying current to trains: the catenary and the third rail. The former is

        used on overground railways, the latter? in the underground systems.

 

Ex. 23. Pay attention to the translation of the verb «to be»:

1.    Power is always transmitted along the track.

2.    The most extensive electrification in the US was done by the Pennsylvania Railroad at the end

        of the XIX century.

3.    Today, in more than 95 percent of electrified railways of the world, current is collected from

        overhead wires.

4.    While electric railroads are popular throughout the world, they are less so in the US.

5.    At least, one collector is to be attached to the train so that it can always be in contact with the

        power.

6.    Contactors are widely used on trains and are a good example to demonstrate how multiple unit

       control works in practice.

 

Ex. 24. Pay attention to the translation of the Nominative Absolute Participial Construction:

1.    There are three contact designs: top, side and bottom, the latter one being the best.

2.    Both DC and AC are used for electric traction, the former being simpler for railway traction, the latter being better over long distances and cheaper to install.

3.    In 1980 the French TGV (High Speed train) — which is the fastest commercial train — made its debut, its speed being 290 km/h.

4.    This diagram shows an AC electric loco, the red lines indicating the single phase AC circuit, the green lines the DC circuits, and the purple lines the 3-phase AC circuits.

 

Ex. 25. Read and translate the text without a dictionary:

As a matter of fact, electric traction on pre-revolutionary Russian Railways was never used. Electrification of railways depended upon the industrial development of the country in general. We know Russia to have been a backward country as far as the development of industry is concerned. Probably that was the main reason why Russian railways had not been electrified before the October Revolution. However, the first attempt to electrify Russian railways was made in 1876 and it was in 1891 that the first street railway was put into operation in Kiev.

When the GOELRO plan had been successfully carried out, the basis for the railway electrification in the country was created. It was in 1926 that the first electrified railway Baku — Surukhany was opened. It should be noted that Russian scientists and engineers came to the conclusion that 3,000 V DC as well as one-phase AC would be the best for the railways.

By the end of the first five-year plan Russian plants started producing electric locomotives. Some time later, the Mytishchi plant began building electric motor car sets. By 1975 over 40,000 km of Russian railways had been electrified. The Tbilisi and Novocherkassk locomotive plants designed and constructed VL-10, VL-11 and VL-15 DC electric locomotives; and VL-60, VL-80 and VL-82m AC locomotives for freight traffic. The latter locos used silicon rectifiers which were lighter, less expensive, and more durable. Comfortable modern multiple-units running at a speed of up to 200 km/h were produced by the Riga Plant. Those trains were designed for operation between St-Petersburg and Moscow.

 

Third rail

Third rail uses a «shoe», perhaps because it was first called a «slipper» by the pioneers of the industry (it slipped along the rail) but later someone thought shoe was a better description.

Third rail current collection comes in variety of designs. The simplest is what is called «top contact» because that is the part of the rail upon which the pick-up shoe slides.

Being the simplest, it has some drawbacks, one of them being the danger that anyone or anything might come into contact with it, which is really very dangerous. It also suffers during bad weather, the smallest amount of ice or snow making top contact third rail systems almost unworkable. Side contact is not much better but, at least, it is less exposed.

Bottom contact is the best — you can cover effectively most of the rail and it is protected from the worst of the cold weather.