Moscow university, its past and present

The most famous and prestigious Moscow State University was founded by Mikhail Lomonosov in 1755. At first the University had three faculties –philosophy, medicine and law. Later new faculties were organized including the first department of agronomical sciences in the world.

The University grew and the so-called “new” buildings were built in the XIX century. However, they, too, proved inadequate to house the rapidly growing faculties. Therefore, the main building, 36 stories high, and the complex of buildings for faculties of natural sciences, students’ dormitories and teachers’ flats were all built in Lenin (now Vorobyovy) Hills in 1950s.

The main University building is unique. The departments and faculties, libraries, assembly halls, museums are all in the central tall structure. The teachers' apartments and students’ rooms are in the wings.

The University campus is a large students’ town with its own shops, all kinds of services, several gymnasia and swimming facilities.

Today 21 faculties of the University have 50,000 students. The University has a lot of laboratories, research centres, museums, botanical gardens and observatories.

Many famous people studied at Moscow University. Among its graduates are Griboyedov, Lermontov, Pirogov, Sechenov and many others.

UNIT 7

L.D. Landau

Lev Davidovich Landau is a famous Soviet physicist. He worked in such fields as low-temperature, atomic, nuclear and plasma physics. Several physical terms bear his name. He was awarded the 1962 Noble Prize for the development of liquid helium theory.

He was born in 1908. At the age of 13 he finished the Gymnasium and, because he was too young to go to the university, attended Baku Economical Technical School. In 1922 he entered Baku University to study physics and chemistry and soon transferred to Leningrad. Having graduated from Leningrad State University in 1927 he continued his research at Leningrad Physical and Technical Institute.

In 1929 he went abroad. For about a year he worked in N. Bohr’s Institute in Copenhagen. He always considered himself a pupil of Bohr, his attitude to physics being greatly influenced by Bohr’s example.

In 1932 Landau went to Kharkov to become the head of the Theoretical Division of Ukrainian Physical and Technical Institute. There he began to build a Soviet school of theoretical physics. He started to write with his friend and former student E.M. Lifshitz the well-known Course of Theoretical Physics. At the age of 27 he became a professor of physics. In 1937 Landau moved to Moscow to head the Theory Division of the Vavilov Institute.

In Moscow he made contributions to almost all parts of physics and showed close interest in experimental physics. That led to his explanation of superfluidity in helium II, the work for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize.

On January 7, 1962 Landau was involved in a car accident. He was unconscious for six weeks and was several times declared clinically dead but he somehow revived. He died six years later in 1968.

Besides the Noble Prize, L.D. Landau received many other Russian and foreign honours.

I. Ответьте на следующие вопросы.

1) When was Landau born?

2) At what age did Landau finish the Gymnasium?

3) At what Institute did he study?

4) Did he study abroad?

5) When did he become a professor?

6) When and where did he begin to build a Soviet school of theoretical physics?

7) For what work was he awarded the Noble Prize?

8) Did Landau make significant contribution to almost all parts of physics?

9) What book did Landau write with his friend and former student E.M. Lifshitz?

II. Переведите на русский язык.

1) Liquid helium being super fluid, it had less resistance against moving through a tube than any other known liquid.

2) To save Landau's life many distinguished specialists from several countries helped him.

3) While willing to help anybody he hated pomposity.

4) Having visited Cambridge and Zurich Landau returned home.

5) The development of present-day theoretical physics is known to owe more to Bohr’s Institute than to any other place in the world.

6) We know almost all of the leading theoretical physicists of the 1920-30s to spend some time at this institute.

7) His great interest being the teaching of physics, he planned to write “Course of General Physics” and even a series “Physics for Everybody”.

8) Landau required all his students to master all necessary mathematical techniques before coming to him.

9) After that he expected them to master the so-called theoretical minimum.

III. Переведите на английский язык следующие предложения:

1) Ландау родился в 1908 году.

2) В 1922 году он поступил в Бакинский университет.

3) В 1927 он закончил Ленинградский Государственный университет.

4) Ландау всегда считал себя учеником Бора.

5) В 1932 году, в Харькове, Ландау начал создавать советскую школу теоретической физики.

6) В возрасте 27 лет он стал профессором.

7) За разработку теории жидкого гелия он получил Нобелевскую премию.

IV. Прочитайте и переведите текст без словаря:

Mstislave Keldysh

М. Keldysh, a prominent Soviet scientist, was born on February 10, 1911, in Riga, into a family of a professor of Polytechnic Institute. The talent of Keldysh found expression in his fundamental works of researching into the problems of mathematics, mechanics and physics. His name is linked with a number of scientific problems of the outer space exploration.

Academician Keldysh made a valuable contribution to the development of computation mathematics, computing machines and the solution of some problems of automated control.

He received Doctor of Science Degree in 1938. Five years later he was elected Corresponding Member of the Academy of Sciences. He became President of the Academy in 1961.

M. Keldysh was awarded several orders and other decorations.

V. Прочитайте текст. Назовите области исследования и имена ученых, которые внесли свой вклад в развитие науки в России. Переведите текст.

RUSSIAN SCIENTISTS

Russia gave the world many outstanding scientists. Russian scientists made a great contribution to the world science.

V.V. Petrov (176l-1834), the follower of Lomonosov in studying electricity, is called a pioneer of the world electrical engineering. He was experimenting with electricity and made many discoveries of great importance. He published a great number of articles on electricity. The electric arc discovered by Petrov became the first source of electric lighting. Petrov discovered the possibility of getting metals out of ores by means of electricity.

Academician E.Kh. Lenz (1804-1875) is one of the most prominent Russian physicists. He discovered the law of heat generation by an electric current and the law defining the direction of an induced electric current.

P.M. Yablochkov (1847-1894) is a prominent inventor and designer. He did much for using alternating current. He is famous for inventing the “Yablochkov candle” (arc lamp) known abroad under the name of the “Russian Light”.

A.S. Popov (1859-1906) is known for his invention of a radio. After demonstrating his device Popov was offered a lot of money for the commercial use of the radio abroad. But he was a true Russian patriot, he refused to leave Russia. He said that all his knowledge and his achievements belonged to his native land.

Dolivo-Dobrovolsky (1862-1919) is a Russian engineer. He is the inventor of a three-phase generator and a three-phase transformer. He proposed a number of original designs of measuring instruments.

We know many other names of great Russian scientists and we are proud of them.

Lobachevsky’s non-Euclidean geometry brought about a revolution in science. Mendeleev discovered the periodic law of elements. The world’s first photoelectric cell was built by Stoletov. Lebedev succeeded in measuring the pressure of light experimentally. Zhukovsky and Chaplygin worked out the theory of flight and the principles of aerodynamics. Vernadsky laid the foundations of geochemistry – the science of chemical elements.

The first atomic power station and Yuri Gagarin’s flight into space, lasers, semiconductors and many other achievements of modern science and technology have been created and discovered by such prominent Russian scientists as Tsiolkovsky and Kurchatov, Keldysh and Korolyov, Basov and Prokhorov and many others.

VI. Подберите пары синонимов к следующим словам и словосочетаниям, переведите их.

Law, to propose, prominent, many, instrument, to be known for, principle, to offer, outstanding, a lot of, device, to be famous for.

VII. Найдите в тексте английские эквиваленты для следующих словосочетаний:

под названием, вносить большой вклад, осуществлять революцию, гордиться учеными, первый в мире, использовать изобретение за границей.

VIII. Определите, с какими предлогами употребляются следующие глаголы и глагольные словосочетания. Найдите в тексте предложения с этими глаголами и переведите их на русский язык.

1. to be famous 2. to succeed 3. to belong 4. to be proud 5. to bring 6. to work

a. out b. to с for d. in e. of f. about

IX. Переведите словосочетания с герундием, используя данные предлоги:

in – при изучении электричества, при измерении давления, при определении направления,

of – возможность получения металлов, способы (методы) измерения, план проведения эксперимента.

for – для применения тока, для определения проблемы, для развития науки, after – после демонстрации прибора, после разработки теории, после создания генератора.

X. Найдите в тексте слова с окончанием -ing и распределите их в таблицу. Предложения, содержащие Ving, переведите.

Participle I	Gerund

XI. Восстановите вопросы по ответам.

1) Yes, they did. Russian scientists made a great contribution to world science.

2) «Yablochkov candle» is called abroad the «Russian Light».

3) . . . because Popov was a true Russian patriot.

4) The periodic law of elements was discovered by Mendeleyev.

5) Many achievements of modern science and technology have been made by
prominent Russian scientists.

XII. Ответьте на вопросы по содержанию текста.

1) What country gave the world many outstanding scientists?

2) Who is called a pioneer of the world electrical engineering?

3) What are the discoveries of academician Lenz connected with?

4) What is Yablochkov known for?

5) Popov was a true Russian patriot, wasn't he? Prove it.

6) What is Dolivo- Dobrovolsky famous for?

7) Whose name is non-Euclidean geometry connected with?

8) What field of science did Mendeleev and Vernadsky make great contribution to?

9) What scientists worked in the sphere of space flights?

10) A great number of achievements of modern science and technology have been created and discovered by prominent Russian scientists, haven't they? Name some of them.

XIII. a). Пользуясь информацией текста, заполните следующую таблицу.