Construction equipment

Section I. Reading material.

Read the following international words and guess their meaning. Mind the stress.

construction

structure

material

machine

tractor

trailer

wagon

front

bulldozer

horizontal

vertical

position

platform

excavator

manoeuvre

operation

Match English and Russian equivalents.

1. construction equipment a) изогнутый отвал

2. hand tool b) фронтальный погрузчик

3. earth-moving machinery c) пневмоколесный трактор

4. hoisting machinery d) насосные машины

5. pumping machines e) подъемные машины

6. crawler tractor f) землеройные машины

7. steep slope g) строительная бригада

8. rubber-tyred tractor h) гусеничный трактор

9. curved blade i) строительное оборудование

10. construction crew j) крутой склон

11. power shovel k) зубчатый нижний край

12. a tooth-shaped bottom edge l) землечерпалка, экскаватор

13. face shovel o) ручной инструмент

14. front-end loader n))канатный скребковый экскаватор

15. dragline m)одноковшовый экскаватор с прямой лопатой

Read the text carefully and translate it into Russian .

Text A. Earth-Moving Machinery ( Part I )

Construction equipmentis machinery used to build and demolish bridges, buildings, and other structures. These machines usually save labour, money, and time. One of them can do more work in an hour than a hundred workers using hand tools could do in a day. The chief kinds of building machines include (1) earth-moving machinery, (2) hoisting and material-handling machinery, and (3) pumping machines.

Earth-moving machinery is used to excavate, haul, and level earth and rock. These machines clear the way for the construction of bridges, buildings, and roads.

Construction workers use machines called tractors to push or pull trailers, wagons, and other equipment. Crawler tractors, or caterpillars, move on revolving crawler tracks, which resemble the treads of a tank. These tractors are used on soft ground and steep slopes and can move heavy loads. Rubber-tyred tractors carry lighter loads and can travel farther and at higher speeds.

Tractors that have heavy steel blades mounted in front are called bulldozers. The slightly curved blades clear away boulders, ground, trees, and underbrush. Bulldozers also excavate and level earth.

Machines called graders have a long, horizontal blade underneath. The operator can move the blade to either side of the machine and adjust it to a tilted or vertical position. Graders are used to grade and shape the surface of the ground.

Construction crews use scrapers to excavate and haul earth in dry, fairly flat areas. A blade under the machine digs up soil, which is loaded directly into the wagonlike part of the scraper for hauling. Some types of scrapers are pulled by a tractor, but others are self-powered.

The chief kinds of shovels used in excavation work include backhoes (or backacters), draglines, and power shovels. Each of these machines stands on a movable platform and has a large scoop bucket with a tooth-shaped bottom edge.

Construction crews often use backhoes to dig trenches for pipelines and sewers. Draglines are used to dig canals, ditches, and other excavations. Face or forward shovels dig away from the excavator. They are often used in quarry and hillside cuts.

Tractors called front-end loaders have a scoop bucket in front to dig and load material into trucks or wagons. They are easy to manoeuvre and have replaced power shovels for many kinds of construction operations.

Notes:

material handling machinery - погрузочно-разгрузочные машины

haul - передвигать; транспортировать

blade - отвал, нож (земляной машины)

self-powered - с автономным источником питания

backhoe - обратная лопата (экскаватор); канавокопатель с обратной лопатой