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Text A. The birth of electrical engineering
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Historians label the period in Europe between the 14th and 16th centuries as the ‘Renaissance’ – a period of rebirth.
In the Renaissance Period the magnitude of scholarly and artistic activities was greatly enhanced in Europe. New knowledge was acquired which gave rise to new technologies, and the Industrial Age soon followed. The Industrial Age developed as mankind learned to harness the energy created from the burning of hydrocarbons, such as coal and petroleum. Mechanics emerged as a new science in universities.
Except for the magnetic compass, electric and magnetic energy remained a curiosity, having little practical application, until the invention of the battery by Alessandro Volta in 1800. This invention gave scientists a new tool with which to experiment, and soon the laws of electricity and magnetism were discovered.
In 1831 Faraday discovered that rotating a conductor in a magnetic field gave rise to an electric potential, and the electric generator and motor became a reality. However, the development of the electric power industry was really spurred by the invention of a practical incandescent electric light bulb in 1879 by Thomas Edison. The electrification of cities soon followed. Alternating current and the transformer allowed electric energy to be transported over large distances, and electrical engineering as a profession was born. The first professional society for electrical engineers was founded in 1884.
The discovery of the laws of electricity and magnetism in the 1800s also gave birth to two new information industries, the telegraph and telephone industries. However, the electric power industry remained a dominant force in the first half of the 20th century.
Two new non-electrical information industries were also created in the 1800s through advances in the chemical sciences. The photographic film process was perfected and the photographic industry was born soon to be followed by the motion picture industry.
======================VOCABULARY===================
label, v прикреплять ярлык; называть
rebirth, n возрождение
magnitude, n величина, размеры;
важность, значительность
scholarly and artistic activities деятельность ученых и
художников
enhance, v увеличивать, усиливать,
повышать
acquire, v приобретать
give rise to вызывать, иметь результатом
harness, v использовать (как источник
энергии)
emerge, v появляться, возникать
curiosity, n любопытство; диковина, редкость
law, n закон
spur, v побуждать, стимулировать
incandescent electric bulb лампа накаливания
alternating current переменный ток
direct current постоянный ток
advance, n успех, прогресс, улучшение
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I. Transcribe the following words. Consult the dictionary:
Europe, renaissance, compass, motor, technology, mechanics, society.
II. Mark the stress in the following words:
present – to present,
increase – to increase,
decrease – to decrease,
progress – to progress,
process – to process.
III. Read the following international words and guess their meaning. Consult the dictionary:
historian, period, activity, technology, industry, energy, mechanics, compass, battery, experiment, electricity, magnetism, potential, generator, motor, reality, electrification, transformer, distance, profession, information, telegraph, telephone, film.
IV. Translate the nouns with the suffix –er (-or) derived from the verbs:
invent – изобретать inventor – …
use – использовать user – …
transform – преобразовывать transformer – …
generate – генерировать generator – …
operate – работать operator – …
develop – разрабатывать developer – …
found – основывать founder – …
process – обрабатывать processor – …
receive – получать receiver – …
conduct – проводить conductor – …
V. Form nouns from the following verbs and translate them:
to label, to know, to develop, to create, to emerge, to invent, to discover, to generate, to electrify, to transport, to found, to inform, to power, to advance.
VI. Form adjectives from the following words and translate them:
electricity, industry, magnet, practice, chemistry, science, distance, reality, power, profession, photography.
VII. Match the adjectives and the nouns. Make up as many combinations as possible:
| adjectives | nouns |
| new industrial electric magnetic practical professional chemical | society generator motor potential field tool compass application energy science age technologies |
VIII. Make sure you know the terms below:
technology 1) техника
2) технология
3) техническое решение
4) технические средства; устройство
5) метод, способ; методика
technique(s) 1) техника, методика; метод, способ
2) технический прием; технология
3) оборудование; технические средства
engineering 1) инженерное дело
2) техника
3) технология
4) разработка, проектирование,
конструирование
5) машиностроение
6) строительство
* * *
chemical engineering – химическое машиностроение
civil engineering – гражданское строительство
communications engineering – техника средств связи
electrical engineering – электротехника
mechanical engineering – машиностроение
military engineering – военно-инженерное дело
nuclear engineering – ядерная техника
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power engineering – энергeтика,
энергомашиностроение
railroad engineering – железнодорожное
строительство
space engineering – космическая техника
general engineering subjects – общетехнические
дисциплины
IX. Read and translate the following word combinations:
a period of rebirth; to give rise to; to harness the energy; except for the magnetic compass; electric power industry; to be transported over large distances; electrical engineering; professional society; information industries.
X. Read the text ‘The Birth of Electrical Engineering’. Point out the most important discoveries mentioned in the text.
XI. Answer the questions below. Use the text.
1. What period do historians call the period of rebirth?
2. What age followed the Renaissance Period?
3. What is the development of the Industrial Age connected with?
4. Who invented the first source of continuous current? When?
5. What did Faraday discover in 1831?
6. When did the electric generator and motor become a reality?
7. Who invented an incandescent electric lamp?
8. What gave birth to the telegraph and telephone industries?
9. What new non-electrical information industries were created in the 19th century?
XII. Translate the words given in brackets.
1. The discovery of the Voltaic cell gave scientists the basis (для открытия свойств электрического тока).
2. Mankind learned to harness the energy created from the burning of (угля и нефти).
3. Electric and magnetic energy remained (диковиной).
4. In 1831 Faraday discovered that rotating a conductor in a magnetic field (создает электрический потенциал).
5. (Развитие энергетической промышленности) was spurred by the invention of a practical incandescent electric light bulb.
6. The first professional society for (инженеров-электриков было основано в 1884 году).
7. The discovery of (законов электричества и магнетизма) gave birth to two new information industries, the telegraph and telephone industries.
XIII. Translate the sentences with emphatic construction.
1. It was the battery that Alessandro Volta made in 1800.
2. It was the Renaissance Period which spurred the development of new technologies.
3. It was in 1831 when Faraday discovered the phenomenon of electro-magnetic induction.
4. It was Ampere who showed the difference between the current and the static charges.
5. It was in 1879 when Thomas Edison invented an incandescent electric lamp.
6. It was the 19th century which gave birth to electrical engineering.
XIV. Match the words and their definitions:
| a battery mechanics magnetism a transformer a conductor an electric light bulb | an electric lamp the science of magnetic phenomena and properties a portable cell for supplying electricity the science of motion and force an apparatus that increases or decreases the voltage of an electric power supply a substance that conducts heat or electric current |
XV. Make up the plan of the text ‘The Birth of Electrical Engineering’. Retell the text according to your plan.
XVI. Write in English.
1. Электротехника является важной отраслью техники.
2. Развитие электротехники было связано с достижениями в области электричества и магнетизма.
3. Работая в области электричества, ученые внесли большой вклад в науку.
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4. Изобретение лампы накаливания позволило электрифицировать города.
5. Переменный ток и трансформатор дали возможность передавать электроэнергию на большие расстояния.
6. После открытия Фарадея электрогенератор и электромотор стали реальностью.
7. Возникла новая отрасль – электротехника.
XVII. Render in English.
| Величайшим изобретением в области освещения было создание в 1872 г. русским ученым А.Н. Лодыгиным электрической лампы накаливания. Лампа Лодыгина представляла собой стеклянный сосуд с помещенным внутрь его угольным стержнем; воздух из сосуда откачивался. При пропускании по стержню электрического тока стержень разогревался и начинал светиться. В 1873–1874 гг. А.Н. Лодыгин проводил опыты по электрическому освещению кораблей, предприятий, улиц, домов. В 1879 г. американский изобретатель Т. Эдисон создал удобную для промышленного изготовления лампу накаливания с угольной нитью. С 1909 г. стали применять лампы накаливания с зигзагообразно расположенной вольфрамовой проволочкой (нить накаливания), а спустя 3-4 года вольфрамовую нить стали изготовлять в виде спирали. Тогда же появились первые лампы накаливания, наполненные инертным газом (аргоном, криптоном), что заметно повысило срок их службы. С начала XX в. электрические лампы накаливания благодаря экономичности и удобству в эксплуатации начинают быстро и повсеместно вытеснять другие источники света. В 1876 году русский инженер П.Н. Яблочков изобрел дуговую угольную лампу переменного тока. Система электрического освещения на переменном токе с применением дуговых ламп, созданная П.Н. Яблочковым – ‘русский свет’ – демонстрировалась на Всемирной выставке в Париже в 1878 г. и пользовалась исключительным успехом. Вскоре во Франции, Великобритании, США были основаны компании по ее использованию. | lighting incandescent filament lamp glass bulb carbon rod to heat to become fluorescent carbon filament tungsten wire to fill in an inert gas carbon arc lamp |
XVIII. Speak about P.N. Yablochkov and A.N. Lodygin, the two Russian inventors. The text given below will help you.
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