Упражнения для самостоятельной работы

Text 4A

Прочитайте текст и найдите абзацы, содержащие информацию о разви­тии различных видов телевизионных систем в хронологической последова­тельности. Переведите.

Television

The television set is evidently the most important and popular electronic product of all time. All homes in developed countries have one or more TV sets and in many countries there are consider­ably more TV sets than telephones.

But in 1939 at the World’s Fair in New York a tiny nine-by- twelve inch box was the centre of attention for hundreds of people. They were the first to see a television set in action. Compared to to­day’s TV shows of underwater and outer-space research, those first black-white pictures were not very good. The pictures were only transmitted from one side of the Fair territory to the other. But in 1939 they were of historical importance.

Within a few days the news of television spread throughout the world. A lot of people wanted to have a look¹ at the new invention. Everyone was interested in it. But only few people owned television sets in the next few years. When World War II broke out² electronic factories that began the TV production stopped making them and started making war materials instead. When the war was over, TV sets began coming off factory assembly lines. By 1958 there were millions of them.

In a surprisingly short time people watched fewer films and turned from newspapers and magazines to TV. In its short history television has had great influence on people’s life and way of think­ing. Rocket-launching, concerts and football and tennis matches can be seen direct as they occur. The boundaries of time and space have disappeared.

At present TV communication is provided with the help of a system of artificial earth satellites so that people living in different parts of the country and all over the world and in different time zones are able to watch the central TV programs at the most conve­nient hours.

Nowadays many countries also have cable TV, a system using wires for the transmission of television programs (like telephone calls). Cable television first appeared in 1949 as a means of trans­mitting TV signals to rural and mountain areas far from big cities. Cable television’s next big step forward was made by the mid — 1980s. Scientists announced that many technical problems had

been solved and in the future it would be possible via satellite and cable TV to use more channels on a TV set at every home in the world.

Then we saw how a new technical invention, colour television, was rapidly replacing black-and-white television. Recently it was reported that the first pocket-size³ colour television set had been developed. It was stated that a liquid-crystal display⁴ was used sim­ilar to those on calculators and watches and that it weighed less than a pound.

A few years ago it became evident that the next major advance for TV would be digital television. In a digital system the usual con­tinuous signal is replaced by a digital code containing detailed in­formation on brightness, colour, etc. A digital TV set hangs on the wall like a picture. Essentially, it is a minicomputer with a visual display. Once a week⁵ you put the programs you like into the memory, and the TV set will automatically switch on the desired channel at the right time. You can watch several programs simulta­neously on miniscreens and then produce one of them in full for­mat. Also, the TV set can automatically video-record the programs when you are absent or occupied.

By the end of 1980s television has moved to a new and the most important stage in its development since the appearance of colour television. Technically it is called high-defmition television (HDTV)⁶ or Hi-Vision. This is the much higher resolution tele­vision⁷ of the 21st century. This revolution was started by Japanese manufacturers when they developed a new video system with a pic­ture resembling a wide-screen film more than traditional television. The new system increases the screen’s width-to-height ratio⁸ (16:9). The result is a picture several times sharper than in the exist­ing TV sets. Besides, recent developments in plasma display panel technology⁹ make HDTV commercially practicable. The plasma display makes it possible to produce a large, bright, colour, flat TV screen so thin and light that it can also be hung on a wall like a framed picture. The engineering problem that has existed almost since the first days of television may be solved now.

Телевидение

Телевизор-это, видимо, самый важный и популярный электронный продукт всех времен. Все дома в развитых странах имеется один или несколько телевизоров и во многих странах есть значительно больше телевизоров, чем телефоны.

Но в 1939 году на Все-мирной выставке в Нью-Йорке крошечный девять на двенадцать дюймов поле было центром внимания, сотни людей. Они были первыми, чтобы посмотреть Телевизор в действии. В отличие от сегодняшних телевизионных шоу, подводных и космических исследований, те первые черно-белые фотографии были не очень хорошими. Фотографии были переданы только из одной части территории Ярмарки на другую. Но в 1939 году они имели историческое значение.

За несколько дней весть о телевидении и распространилось по всему миру. Многие люди хотели иметь смотреть 1 на новые изобретения. Каждый был заинтересован в этом. Но только немногие люди владели телевизором в ближайшие несколько лет. Когда вторая Мировая Война сломала out2 электронные заводы, которые начали Телевизор производство было остановлено, делая их, и стал делать материалов вместо войны. Когда война закончилась, телевизоры стали приходить включая сборочной линии завода. К 1958 их были миллионы.

В удивительно короткое время люди смотрели меньше фильмов и отвернулся от газеты и журналы, телевидение. В своей короткой истории телевидение оказало большое влияние на жизнь людей и способ мышления. Запуск ракет, концерты и футбольные и теннисные матчи можно увидеть прямой, как они происходят. Границы времени и пространства исчезли.

В настоящее время телевидение связь обеспечивается с помощью системы искусственных спутников земли, чтобы люди, живущие в разных частях страны и во всем мире, так и в разных часовых поясах имеют возможность смотреть центральных ТВ-программ в наиболее удобное время.

В настоящее время во многих странах также есть Кабельное телевидение, системы с помощью проводов для передачи телевизионных программ (таких, как телефонные звонки). Кабельное телевидение впервые появились в 1949 году в качестве средства передачи ТВ-сигналов в сельских и горных районах, далеко от больших городов. Кабельное телевидение-это следующий большой шаг вперед был сделан в середине 1980 - х годов. Ученые объявили, что многие технические проблемы
не была решена и в будущем это будет возможно через Спутниковое и Кабельное телевидение использовать несколько каналов на ТВ в каждый дом в мире.

Затем мы увидели, как новое техническое изобретение, цветной Телевизор, стремительно замена черно-белого телевидения. Недавно сообщалось, что первый pocket-3 цветной Телевизор был разработан. Он заявил, что жидкость-кристалл display4 использовали похожие на калькуляторы и часы, и весил он меньше фунта.

Несколько лет назад стало очевидно, что следующим важным шагом вперед для ТВ будет цифровое телевидение. В цифровой системе обычного непрерывный сигнал заменяется цифровой код, содержащий подробную информацию о яркости, цвета и т.д. Цифровой Телевизор висит на стене как картина. По сути, это миникомпьютер с визуальным отображением. После week5 вы ставите программы вы любите в памяти, и Телевизор будет автоматически переключаться на нужный канал в нужное время. Вы можете посмотреть несколько программ одновременно на miniscreens и затем произвести одну из них в полный формат. Также Телевизор может автоматически видео-запись программ, когда вы отсутствуете или оккупации.

К концу 1980-х годов телевидение переехал в новый и самый важный этап в своем развитии с появлением цветного телевидения. Технически это называется high-defmition (HDTV)6 или Hi-Vision. Это гораздо более высоким разрешением, television7 21-го века. Эта революция была начата японских производителей когда они разработали новые системы видео изображение, напоминающее широкоэкранный фильм больше, чем традиционного телевидения. Новая система увеличивает экрана ширина / высота ratio8 (16:9). В результате получилась картинка несколько раз острее, чем в существующих телевизоров. Кроме того, последние события в плазменная панель technology9 сделать HDTV коммерчески оправданной. Плазменный дисплей позволяет производить большой, яркий, цветной, телевизором с плоским экраном; он настолько тонкий и легкий, что его также можно повесить на стену, как картину в раме. Инженерная проблема, которая существовала практически с первых дней ТВ может быть решена и сейчас.

Notes to the Text

B. to have a look — взглянуть, посмотреть

C. to break out — начаться, разразиться

D. pocket-size — карманный

E. liquid-crystal display — устройство изображения на жид­ких кристаллах

F. once a week — раз в неделю

G. high-deflnition television (HDTV) — телевидение высокой четкости

H. high resolution television — телевидение с большим разре­шением

I. width-to-height ratio — отношение ширины к высоте

J. plasma display panel technology — производство плазмен­ных панелей

УПРАЖНЕНИЯ

Упражнение11. Просмотрите текст 4А и ответьте на вопросы.

1. When did the first TV set appear? 1. Когда был первый Телевизор появляются? 2.Were people interested in the new invention? 2.Were людей, заинтересованных в новое изобретение? 3. Why was the TV production stopped in 1940? 3. Почему Телевизор производство было прекращено в 1940 году? 4. What is cable television? 4. Что такое Спутниковое телевидение? 5. What is digital television? 5. Что такое цифровое телевидение? 6. What is high-definition television? 6. Что такое телевидение высокой четкости?

Упражнение 12.Укажите, какие из следующих утверждений соответству­ют содержанию текста 4А.

1. A lot of people owned television sets in the first years after its invention. 1. Много людей, принадлежащих телевизоров в первые годы после ее изобретения. 2. First television black-and-white pictures were excel­lent. 2. Первый Телевизор, черно-белые снимки были отличные.3. Only few people owned television sets in the next few years after their appearance. 3. Лишь немногие люди владели телевизоров в ближайшие несколько лет после их появления.

4. Black-and-white television was rapidly replacing colour television. 4. Черно-белое телевидение было быстро заменить цветной Телевизор.5. First television black-and-white pic­tures were not very good. 5. Первый Телевизор, черно-белые фотографии были не очень хорошими. 6. Only a few years ago colour television was rapidly replacing black-and-white television. 6. Всего несколько лет назад, цветной Телевизор был быстро замена черно-белого телевидения. 7. When the war was over, TV sets stopped coming off factory assembly lines. 7. Когда война закончилась, телевизоры перестали приходить off сборочной линии завода. 8. Af­ter World War II TV sets began coming off factory assembly lines. 8. После второй Мировой Войны телевизоров начал сходит сборочной линии завода.

Упражнение 13.Найдите в тексте 4Апредложения, в которых использо­вано правило согласования времен, и переведите их.

Упражнение 14.Прочитайте и укажите способы присоединения прида­точных дополнительных предложений к главному.

1. It was reported in 1939 that the first TV set was shown at the World Fair in New York. 1. Сообщалось, что в 1939 году первый Телевизор был показан на Всемирной выставке в Нью-Йорке. 2. The students wanted to know whether colour television sets were produced at that plant. 2. Студентов интересовало, будут ли цветные телевизоры были произведены на этом заводе. 3. After the war when the mass production of TV sets began, people realized they wanted to have a TV set at home. 3. После войны, когда началось массовое производство телевизоров начал, люди поняли, что они хотели иметь Телевизор у себя дома. 4. Experiments proved that elec­tricity could travel instantly over a long piece of wire. 4. Эксперименты доказали, что электричество может путешествовать моментально более длинный кусок проволоки. 5. Can you tell me whether satellites are used for telephone communication? 5. Можете ли вы сказать мне, спутники используются для телефонной связи? 6. It became clear television had a great influence on people’s life. 6. Стало ясно, телевидение оказало большое влияние на жизнь людей.

7. Russian newspapers informed that about 2,000 satellites had been launched into the orbit. 7. Российские газеты сообщили, что около 2000 спутники были запущены на орбиту.8. We did not know whether the de­velopment of television had continued during the war. 8. Мы не знаем, будет ли развитие телевидения была продолжена и в ходе войны. 9. We know he works at the problem of space communication. 9. Мы знаем, что он работает над проблемой космической связи.

Упражнение 15. Прочитайте и найдите предложения, где использовано правило согласования времен.

1. Some years ago India began its Satellite Instructional Televi­sion Experiment. This experiment showed (that) satellite television programs had been a success with schoolchildren, their knowledge level had increased considerably. It was found that children could remember and speak about programs which they had seen several week^back. 1. Несколько лет назад Индия начала свою Satellite Instructional Television Experiment. Этот эксперимент показал, что спутниковые телевизионные программы, была успешной со школьниками, их уровень знаний существенно возросла. Было обнаружено, что дети будут помнить и говорить о программах, которые они видели, как несколько неделе^назад. 2. Many experts could not decide whether so much TV was harmful to the individual’s health and mental activity or not. 2. Многие специалисты не могли решить, нужно ли так много Телевизор был вредных для здоровья человека и умственной деятельности или нет.3. Specialists did not know if it was possible to continue mod­ernizing the electronic equipment of this kind — the costs were too high. 3. Специалисты не знаю, если это было возможно продолжение модернизации электронного оборудования, такого рода расходы были слишком велики. 4. There appeared some reports that we had technical means to use much more channels on a TV set and we should be able to see many sports and news programs from all parts of the world soon. 4. Появились сообщения, что у нас было технических средств для использования гораздо больше каналов на телевизоре и мы должны видеть много спортивных и новостных программ из всех частей мира в ближайшее время. 5. At first it was not clear whether new telephone and teletype communication with ships via six satellites was economical and re­liable or not. 5. Поначалу было не совсем ясно, будет ли новый телефон и телетайп связи с корабли через шесть спутников является экономичным и надежным или нет.6. It was announced that the cryogenic cable had been invented in Russia. 6. Было объявлено, что криогенных кабель был изобретен в России. 7. We read that for the first time electricity had been applied for industrial use in silver workshops in Paris. 7. Мы читаем, что впервые электроэнергии была применена для промышленного использования в серебряный мастер-классы в Париже.8. We know different transmitters are used in a television system — one for the sound channel and the other for the picture channel. 8. Мы знаем разные передатчики могут быть использованы в телевизионной системы - одна для звукового канала и других картинка канала. 9. We learnt from the lecture that electricity was still considered the main source for new technological developments. 9. Мы узнали из лекции, что электричество до сих пор считается основным источником для новых технологических разработок.

УПРАЖНЕНИЯ ДЛЯ САМОСТОЯТЕЛЬНОЙ РАБОТЫ

Упражнение 16. Выберите правильный перевод следующих слов:

attention — внимательно, внимательный, внимание;

surprisingly — удивительный, удивление, удивительно;

recorder — записывающее устройство, запись, записывать;

convenient — удобство, удобный, созывать;

numerous — бесчисленный, количество, многочисленный.

Упражнение 17. Назовите основу, от которой образованы следующие слова:

development, conveniently, communication, production, con­tinuous, beginning, transmitter, action, recorder, electronic, si-multaneously, different, usable, central, calculator, possibility, disconnect.

Упражнение 18.Выпишите сначала синонимы, а затем антонимы.

tiny — small; to disappear — to appear; a lot of — many; dif­ferent — various; next — following; short — long; to watch — to see; program — show; commonly — usually; less — more; possible — im­possible; true — untrue; small — large; nowadays — at present, now; large — tremendous; advance — progress; to start — to begin; major — main; to report — to announce; to occur — to take place; convenient — suitable.

Упражнение 19.Расположите слова в алфавитном порядке.

true, picture, telephone, communication; world, research, as­sembly, invention; own, beginning, telegraph, central; satellite, first, artificial, convenient; turn, videotape, transmit, size.

Упражнение 20.Назовите в следующих парах первое по алфавиту слово.

concept/concert; complete/compare; invention/invasion; avail­able/availability; commonly/commonless; commune/commit; com­pulsory/compunction .

Упражнение 21.Напишите исходную форму, по которой нужно искать слово в словаре.

boxes, matches, beginning, tinier, owned, boundaries, possibly, replacing, less.

Упражнение 22.Найдите в словаре подходящее значение для выделен- ных слов или словосочетаний.

1. The Japanese companies developed the first pocket-size col­our television set.2. Man first setfoot on the Moon in July, 1969.

K. Special telephone setsare used at plants in tropical sea climate.

L. A great Russian scientist A.N. Krylov took an active part in the work of the first Atomic Commission set upat the Optical Insti­tute. 5. It was Popov who constructed the first radio set.6. One of the global tasks nowadays is to set upsolar power plants on high orbits. 7. Ships are equipped with radar setshelping them to ori­ent at sea.

Упражнение 23. Найдите в словаре и запомните значения выделенных слов.

1. New directionsof research in robotics were discussed at the last conference. 2. There is no directconnection between those processes. 3. This program is directedtoward the scientific study of various physico-chemical processes. 4. Our scientists must directtheir attention to the development of new technologies. 5. Further human progress is directlyconnected with the scientific and tech­nological progress. 6. Our task is to develop technological pro­cesses without a directparticipation of man. 7. The future of mankind depends on the directionin which scientific and techno­logical progress will be developing. 8. There is a directcommuni­cation between spacecrafts and the Earth, and between spacecrafts as well.

Упражнение 24.Поставьте глагол, приведенный в скобках, в соответст­вующих времени и форме.

The Life of a Student.

While I (walk) across the campus (университетский городок) the other day, I (meet) my old friend Bill, whom I (see, not) since May. Naturally, we (stop) (talk) to each other for a few minutes. I asked him how he (do) in his classes that semester. He told me that he (take) a course in English that semester. He said that he (com­plete) the elementary course two semesters before, and by the next semester he (be) ready (take) the most difficult English course of­fered at this school. He also said that he (be) interested in getting his degree as soon as possible and he (ask, already) his adviser for permission to take the final examination. «I am glad (hear) that you (make) such good progress», I (say) to Bill. Then I asked him if he (can) tell me the secret of his success. He answered that the secret of his success (be) simple and he (study) at least two hours a day to improve his English.

After that I told Bill I (have) a little difficulty with my course in French at the moment. I said that I (study, not) very hard the last semester, but I (work) harder in the future.

Упражнение 25.Прочитайте текст. Перескажите его содержание, ис­пользуя косвенную речь.

Albert Einstein liked the film with Charlie Chaplin. Once he wrote a letter to Chaplin:

«Everybody in the world understands your film “Golden Fever” (’’Золотая лихорадка”). You will become a great man by all means.»

Chaplin’s answer was:

«I like you even more. Nobody in the world understands your “Theory of Relativity” and you have already become a great man.»

Упражнение 26.Дайте недостающие формы глаголов, запомните их.

find, broke, putting, hung, began, seen.

Упражнение 27.Прочитайте и переведите текст без словаря.

Recently it was reported in the press that the USA was trying to build bigger, better and much more expensive TV sets. Experts de­clared that it was the most important change in television since the invention of colour television. They informed that a new kind of television had images so clear that watching it was like looking through a window.

But it became known that Japanese specialists had started their work on HDTV when nobody else in the world was thinking how to improve TV. The inventors expected that their standard for high-definition television would be used throughout the world. However, the Europeans have announced that they would set their own standard. And now it is not clear whether the Japanese stan­dard will be used or not. Some people consider that a single high-definition TV standard will allow to exchange news and may bring nations together.

CONVERSATION

Exercise 1.Answer the questions.

1. What invention was the center of attention at the World Fair in New York in 1939? (the first black-and-white television set) 2. What stopped the TV production? (World War II) 3. What influence has had television on people’s life and way of thinking? (great influence; boundaries of time and space have disappeared) 4. What kinds of TV exist now? (satellite, cable, colour, digital and high-definition television) 5. What is the latest and the most im­portant stage in the development of television since the appearance of colour television? (high-definition television) 6. What is the ad­vantage of high-definition television? (the television of much higher resolution) 7. What technology makes HDTV commercially practicable now? (plasma display panel technology)

Exercise 2.Make a sentence out of the two parts.

1.The first black-and-white 1. has been replaced by colour

nine-by-twelve inch TV sets television.

2. In a surprisingly short time

3. At present

4. Satellite and cable TV makes it possible

5. Recently black-and-white TV

6. The next major advance in

7. The invention of high-defini- tion television with a picture re­sembling a wide screen film

1. has been replaced by colour

Television.

2. the development of TV became

digital television in which the usual signal is replaced by a digital code.

3. were of historical importance in 1939.

4. television has had great influ­ence on people’s life and way of thinking.

5. is the most important stage in the development of TV since the appearance of colour television.

6. to watch TV programs in dif­ferent parts of the country and throughout the world.

7. there are different kinds of tele­vision systems: satellite, cable, col­our, pocket-size, digital, high-de- finition television.

Exercise 3.Read and learn.

At the Telephone

Mr. Smith: Can I use your telephone for a long distance call? I couldn’t find a pay phone in the building.

Mr. Wilson: Sure.

Mr. S.: My wife is going to meet me in New York tomorrow. I

want to tell her what time the train gets in.

Mr. W.: Here you are. New York you can dial the number direct.

Dial 2 and then the number.

Mr. S.: There’s no answer. I’ll call later.

Mr. W.: You can use the telephone any time you want.

Mr. S.: Direct distance dialing is wonderful, isn’t it?

Operator: Trunk-service (междугородная), number, please?

Mr. Jones: London Victoria 2884.1 say, operator, will you hurry it up for me as I have a train to catch in a few minutes?

O.: Unless your number is engaged, I can put you through

almost at once. I am sorry, sir, your number is engaged. (After a few seconds.) I have got your number. Hold the line, please.

Mr. J.: Oh, it’s you, Mary?

Mrs. Jones: Is it you, George, dear? How are you? So pleased to hear your voice again! When are you going to come back?

Mr. J.: I can’t hear you, dear. Operator, will you try again.

О.: I think that’s better now.

Mr. J.: Are you there? Is that you, Mary, dear? I say, can you

hear me?

Mrs. J.: Yes, dear, I can.

Mr. J.: I shall be arriving at Waterloo Station at 5.40 this after­

noon. Will you come and meet me?

Mrs. J.: Certainly, darling.

Mr. J.: There is something else I want to tell you. Get hold of

Smith at the office, will you? Ask him to ring me up to­morrow in the morning.

O.: Your time is up. If you want to speak on, drop another

sixpence, please.

Mr. J.: All right, dear, so long.

Exercise 4. Speak about:

M. The history of television development.

N. Future development of television.

Use exercise 1 and 2 and the following words and word combinations for your topic: to be interested in; research; it is announced (reported) that; to solve prob­lems; it became clear; compared to (with); to call; have an advantage; to find appli­cation in.

Exercise 5. Comment on the following statements:

1. Opponents usually say that the young people are too passive and too lazy (ленивы) because they watch TV so much now.

2. We don’t need the telephone, telegraph and television.

Exercise 6. Read and smile.

A Letter to a Sweetheart.

A young man was writing a letter to his sweetheart (любимая) who lived just a few miles away in a nearby town. He began to tell her how much he loved her and how wonderful he thought she was. But the more he wrote, the more poetical he became. Finally, he said that in order to be with her he would suffer the greatest hard­ships (лишения), he would face the greatest dangers (опасность) that anyone could imagine. In fact, to spend only one minute with her, he would climb (подниматься) the highest mountain, he would swim the widest river, he would fight the fiercest (свире­пый) animals. He signed his name, and then suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to mention something rather important. So, in a postscript below his name, he added: «By the way, I’ll be over to see you on Wednesday night — if it doesn’t rain».

A Frenchman in England

A Frenchman was once travelling in England. He could speak English quite well but not perfectly. His vocabulary was not large.

Once, for example, he was eating in a small country inn (гостиница) and he wanted to order some eggs. But he couldn’t re­member the word for eggs.

Suddenly, through the window, he saw a rooster (петух) walk­ing in the yard. He immediately asked the waiter what the bird was called in English. The waiter told him that it was called a rooster. The Frenchman then asked what the rooster’s wife was called. The waiter told him that she was called a hen. The Frenchman then asked what the hen’s children were called. The waiter told him that they were called chickens. The Frenchman then asked what the chickens were called before they were bom. The waiter told him that they were called eggs. «Fine!», said the Frenchman, «Please bring me two plus a cup of coffee and some toast.»

Text 4B

Прочитайте текст и найдите информацию о том, в каких странах ученые работали над созданием телеграфной связи, какие трудности встретились при этом. Перескажите.

Telegraph

Benjamin Franklin, an American who is famous for his inter­esting and useful inventions, published his ideas about electricity in 1752. Scientists in many countries became interested in this won­derful form of energy. They wanted to find the answer to a very im­portant question: could the electricity be used to develop a fast, efficient system of long-distance communication? Experiments proved that electricity could travel instantly over a very long piece of wire. But a note that was written on a piece of paper couldn’t be put into a wire. How could electricity be used to send a message? A Danish scientist discovered that electricity could move a needle from left to right and that the needle could be pointed at letters on a piece of paper. Then a German government worker made up a code system that could be used with an electric needle. In 1837 two English scientists sent a message by electric telegraph for a distance of more than 1.6 kilometers.

Samuel Morse, an American portrait painter, was experiment­ing with an electric telegraph too. At first he connected a pencil to an electric wire. When the electricity came through the wire the pencil made wavy lines. Then Morse invented a code that used dots and dashes for the letters of the alphabet. Finally, he discovered that telegraph messages did not have to be written, they could be sent in sound.

On May 24, 1844, the first long-distance message was sent by telegraph for 64 kilometers.

Telegraph companies were formed in many cities. By 1861 tele­graph wires stretched from the Atlantic to the Pacific. In Europe too, Samuel Morse’s system became popular.

But telegraph wires couldn’t be hung over an ocean. Messages to and from Europe had to be sent by ship — a journey of two or three weeks. A new method was needed.

The Atlantic Telegraph Company which was organized in 1856 wanted to try to lay a cable on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. The 4,ООО-kilometer cable broke three times. Each time a new cable had to be made. Finally, on July 27, 1866, the first transatlantic message was sent from Newfoundland to Ireland.

Later cables were laid to Central and South America. After 1900 transpacific cables were laid to Asia and Australia. At last news and business information could be sent instantly to almost every country in the world.

Text 4C

Прочитайте текст и ответьте на следующие вопросы:

1. Какие биографические факты из жизни изобретателя телефона приве­дены в тексте?

2. Какие другие факты, кроме приведенных, вы знаете об изобретателе телефона?

3. Что нового вы узнали из текста? Соотнесите факты, относящиеся к истории развития телефонной связи, со следующими датами: 1877 г. и 1915 г.

Telephone

Alexander Graham Bell never planned to be an inventor, he wanted to be a musician or a teacher of deaf people (глухих). The subjects that he studied at school included music, art, literature, Latin and Greek. They did not include German which all scientists used in their books. Alexander’s mother was a painter and a musi­cian. His father was a well-known teacher of deaf people.

When Alexander was only sixteen, he became a teacher in boy’s school in Scotland. He liked teaching there, but he still wanted to become a teacher of deaf people as his father.

He read all the books about sound that he could find and started to work on some of his own experiments.

At twenty five Alexander became interested in finding a way to send human voice through an electric wire. The parents of his pu­pils contributed money for the equipment. He found an assistant, Tom Watson, who worked in an electrical shop. For two years Tom and Alexander were working together to build a machine that peo­ple could use to talk to one another over long distances. After two years, the two young men were becoming discouraged (опустились руки). Then, one day, when they were working on a new transmit­ter Alexander spilled some acid (пролить кислоту) on himself. Tom Watson, who was alone in another room, heard a voice. The voice was coming through a wire to a receiver on the table! The voice was Alexander Bell’s! It was saying: «Come here, Mr. Wat­son. I need you!»

The first telephone line was built in Germany in 1877. By 1915 a telephone line was opened in the United States — 5,440 kilome­ters from New York to San Francisco.

Now design bureaus all over the world are conducting experi­ments to develop video-phone or picture phone. A young man in Moscow wants to speak to his friend in Vladivostok. He lifts his telephone receiver, dials a number. After a very short time his friend answers. As he picks up his receiver, his picture appears on the screen. They can speak to each other face to face because they are using a new kind of telephone which may be called «a video-phone». In addition to the usual telephone, the equipment includes a small television screen (14 cm by 13 cm) and, combined with the screen, a television camera. The camera tube will allow the user to switch from a wide view of the room to the face of the per­son speaking. The focus can be changed to give clear pictures of objects 0.3,0.9 and 6.0 meters away from the camera. There is also a mirror attachment, which allows the camera to scan documents which may be lying on the table. The camera adjusts itself auto­matically to different lighting conditions.

Text 4D

Прочитайте и перескажите текст.

Talking via Space

Communication has come a long way from the time when an In­dian beat a drum (барабан) in the forest to the time when a scientist receives messages from a satellite. In this space age communication has become a highly developed field. The system of communica-tion in large countries is unthinkable today without space satellites. Besides large distances, there is a great time difference: the territo­ries of some countries comprise up to 11 zones. Satellites help to minimize all the difficulties that may appear. They rapidly transmit TV and radio programs to different towns, cities, and distant areas.

Space systems and electronic technology have made it possible to set up an automatic system of communication designed for rapid transmission of all kinds of information.

People write letters and send telegrams. But at the same time people living in various cities like to exchange (обмениваться) news on the telephone. Statistics reports that the number of long­distance telephone calls is about 2, 000 million per year. A person in Moscow talking on the phone with Vladivostok must know that this conversation is carried on through a satellite.

Trains and cars can use mobile radio telephones to make calls. Businessmen can use fax machines which provide electronic trans­mission of documents and messages over telephone lines. Even photographs can be sent and received over telephone wires.

Practically all the population in large countries can watch TV via satellites. The orbital communication systems make it possible for people from different continents to see and hear one another.

The importance of space means of communication is increasing every year. The communication satellites of the international orga­nization «INTERSAT» enable people to keep reliable telephone, telegraph, telex and fax communication in any weather with ships practically in every part of the World Ocean.

ДОПОЛНИТЕЛЬНЫЕ ЗАДАНИЯ

Упражнение 1. А.Прочитайте следующие выражения из текста 4Аи по­старайтесь догадаться о значении выделенных слов и словосочетаний.

1. TV sets began coming off factory assembly lines

2. on people’s life and way of thinking

3. it weighed less than a pound

4. the desired channel

5. when you are occupied

В. Подберите к каждому выделенному слову или словосочетанию соот­ветствующее ему по значению.

a. unit of weight

b. programme

c. busy with smth.

d.where parts of large machines are put together in mass pro­duction

e. the way you think

Упражнение 2. Найдите в тексте слова cell, network, area, set и выберите правильное значение.

A cellular phone (cellphone) is a lightweight, portable radio transceiver, which can transmit and receive telephone calls any­where in cellular network area. It is a mobile telephone, which communicates through base stations situated in areas called cells. Cell is a subdivision of communication area in a cellphone net­work. In the network, the same frequencies can be used for many different telephone calls at the same time. Each cell has its own small electronic base station and set of transmission frequencies. The sizes of the cell vary between 1 km to about 30 km across, de­pending on the output power of the cellphone transmitter.

1.cell

a) a small room for one person

b) apparatus for producing electricity by chemical action

c) a compartment in a larger structure (e.g., in a honeycomb)

2. network

a) a system of lines that cross

b) a complex system of interconnected radio and TV devices

c) a connected system

3. area

a) a zone, region, district

b) surface measure

c) range of activity

4. set

a) a number of smth. of the same kind

b) radio, TV, phone apparatus

c) Direction

Упражнение3. Подберите к глаголам и словосочетаниям в колонке А глаголы с тем же значением из колонки В.

А

1.link up to

2. exchange news

3. send a signal, message, fax

4. show

5.take the place of

6. have, possess

7. make it illegible

8. have

В

a. contain

b. connect

c. replace

d. make it difficult and impos-

sible to read

e. own

f. communicate

g. transmit

h. indicate

Упражнение 4.Замените выделенное слово или словосочетание другим словом с тем же значением.

1. A Fax system can now sendtexts, graphics and documents to several places at the same timein less than a minute. The informa­tion may have photographic images as well as words. The latest Fax machines must be linked upto a special digital phone line. Afew seconds' interference (помехи) on the phone line can make several lines of a document or text illegible.

2. Digital systems of information transmission have taken the placeof analog systems in the last 25years.

3. Most phones now havememories to store frequently used numbers. Some telephone manufacturers make phones with LCDs (liquid-crystal displays) which showthe duration of calls.

4. Before World War II few people hadtelevision sets.

5 Alot of people havecellphones, answerphones and mobile phones now.

6. It is possible to exchange newswith people in most parts of the world by telephone.

Упражнение 5.Заполните пропуски глаголами connect, transmit, communi­cate и их производными.

1. A small radio receiver called a radiopager makes it possible for people to ... with each other wherever they are.

2. Data ... services, known as teletext... text and graphics over a long distance as part of the television video signal.

3. In telecommunication the information can be directed be­tween ... and receivers by cables of various kinds.

4. The lines which ... telephones within a building are the simplest type of... line.

5. Mobile phone systems normally do not... directly with other mobile phones. They send messages to the control base station.

6. How long will the ... of the new telephone take?

7. You can now ... your computer to computers all over the world by means of the Internet.

Упражнение 6. А.Назовите 10—15слов и словосочетаний на тему «Means of communication».

В. Speak about:

Your favourite TV programmes at the moment.

Do you often watch football match live (as it happens) on TV or do you watch recorded highlights(parts of the game after it has been played)? Do you enjoy watching the commercials(the advertise­ments in programmes)? Do you watch satellite TV and/or cable TV?

LESSEN 5

ПРЕДТЕКСТОВЫЕ УПРАЖНЕНИЯ