841; 07.04.2020

CIVIL ENGINEERING

1. Read and translate the text

Key vocabulary / expressions

appliance [a'plaians] —n приспособление, прибор

apply[9'plai] —v обращаться (for —за помощью, справкой

и т.д. to — ккому-л)

branch [bra:ntj] —п ветвь; филиал; отрасль

concern [k9n's3:n] (with)—v" касаться, относиться; интересовать

conflict with nature ['neitja] — противоречить природе,

бороться с природой

deal (with) —v иметь дело с чём-л., кем-л.

divide (into) — v делить, разделять

distinguish (from)—v отличать

execute [ig'zekju:t] — v выполнять

harbour ['ha:ba] — n гавань

lead (to)—v вести (к)

protect oneself against — защищаться от чего-л.

sustain [sas'tein]—v поддерживать; выдерживать

Civil Engineering

The term "engineering" is a modern one. The New Marriam-

Webster Dictionary gives the explanation of the word "engineering"

as the practical application of scientific and mathematical principles.

Nowadays the term "engineering" means, as a rule, the art of

designing, constructing, or using engines. But this word is now applied

*in a more extended sense.1 It is applied also to the art of

executing such works as the objects of civil and military architecture,

in which engines or other mechanical appliances are used. Engineering

is divided into many branches. The most important of them

are: civil, mechanical, electrical, nuclear, mining, military, marine,

and sanitary engineering.

While the definition "civil engineering " dates back only two centuries,

the profession of civil engineer is as old as civilized life. It

started developing with the rise of ancient Rome. In order to understand

clearly what civil engineering constitutes nowadays, let us

consider briefly the development of different branches of engineering.

Some form of building and utilization of the materials and forces

of nature have always been necessary for the people from the

prehistoric times. The people had to protect themselves against the

elements and sustain themselves in the conflict with nature.

First the word "civil engineering" was used to distinguish the

work of the engineer with a non-military purpose from that of a military

engineer. And up to about the middle of the 18th century there

were two main branches of engineering — civil and military. T h e

former included all those branches of the constructive.art not directly

connected with military operations and the constructions of fortifications,

while the latter2, military engineering, concerned itself with the applications of science and the utilization of building materials

in the art of war.

But as time went on, the art of civil engineering was enriched with

new achievements of science. With the beginning of the Industrial

Revolution and later ther,e came a remarkable series of mechanical

inventions, great discoveries in electrical science and atomic energy.

It led to differentiation of mechanical, electrical, nuclear engineering,

etc.

It is a well-known fact that with the invention of the steam engine

and the growth of factories a number of civil engineers became interested

in the practical application of the science of mechanics and

thermodynamics to the design of machines. They separated themselves

from civil engineering, and were called "mechanical engineers".

With the development of the science of electricity, there appeared

another branch of the engineering — electrical engineering. It is

devided now into two main branches: communications engineering

and power engineering.

In the middle of the 20lh century there appeared some other new

branches of engineering — nuclear engineering and space engineering.

The former is based on atomic physics, the latter — on the

achievements of modern science and engineering.

At present there are hundreds of subdivisions of engineering, but

they all, at one time or another, branched off from civil engineering.

The term "civil engineering" has two distinct meanings. In the

widest and oldest sense it includes all non-military branches of engineering

as it did two centuries ago. But in its narrower, and at the

present day more correct sense, civil engineering includes mechanical

engineering, electrical engineering, metallurgical, and mining

engineering.