Choosing a career

UNIT III CHOOSING A CAREER

Conversational topic: My future profession

Finishing school is the beginning of an independent life for millions of school-leavers. It is the beginning of a far more serious examination of your knowledge, abilities and character. We usually say that all roads are open before our school-leavers: vocational and technical schools, institutes and universities. But actually it is difficult to make up one’s mind and choose one of the hundreds of jobs. While at school everybody changed his mind a lot of times and couldn’t decide which science or field of industry to specialize in.

At schools there are industrial centers that are supposed to help in choosing a job. Teachers and parents also advise pupils, but still very few of them take a clear-cut view of what they want to do. Generally pupils are not realistic in thinking about jobs. They have dreams of playing football for some big clubs, or becoming pop stars, or heart transplant surgeons or international experts of some kind. Teachers and parents try to channel that enthusiasm into something more realistic, to get the pupils away from their fantasy level without knocking the dream completely. But often it doesn’t work and school-leavers get disappointed in life.

While choosing a job many factors should be taken into consideration: wages and salaries, job-satisfaction, opportunities to travel and to see much, etc. It’s common knowledge that among all professions engineering is one of the most ancient occupations in history. The principal work of the engineer is design. He has to design machines, structures, equipment, products, etc. The engineer must combine many of the characteristics of the scientist, research engineer and technologist; he must preserve and enrich the best traditions of national and foreign engineering. Such work requires creative ability and knowledge of scientific principles. The engineer must also have an understanding of the various properties and available materials. They must keep up with changes in their profession.

After finishing the university everyone becomes an applicant for a particular job. It is necessary to keep in mind that every applicant is very closely inspected, so a good business suit will be the right thing to wear. All the clothes won’t be scruffy or casual, but well pressed and in a good taste. The applicant must not fiddle with his hair or chew his nails as it can be very off-putting and only highlight his nervousness. The applicant should smile pleasantly and shake a hand firmly looking straight into the eyes of his interviewer. Psychologists also say that an applicant’s posture is relevant, so the applicant should lean forward and not slouch back to show interest and willingness.

The applicant must present his Curriculum Vitae (CV) or Resume, which is expected to be handwritten. A CV is a documentary record of your education, qualifications and employment history. It is like an outline with information about yourself written under particular headings: name; address; e-mail; homepage; phone; nationality; date of birth; marital status; education; work experience; military service; languages; hobbies; areas of knowledge and experience. The information is written in phrases that tell something about what you are interested in, what a kind of job you are looking for, and what a kind of work experience the applicant has. It is also a lot more. When applying for any kind of job any applicant is trying to sell his skills to the employer. Spending a little time getting your CV right is therefore well worth the effort involved.

Words to remember

available [ә'veilәbl] – доступный, имеющийся в распоряжении;

to channel [tә tʃænәl] – направлять;

clear-cut view [kliә kʌt vju:] – четкий, ясный взгляд;

curriculum vitae [kә'rikjulәm vi:tai] – краткая биография;

effort ['efәt] – усилие, попытка, достижение;

to enrich [tә in'ritʃ] – обогащать, улучшать;

to fiddle with [tә fidl wið] – вертеть, накручивать;

to get disappointed [tәget disә'pɔintid] – разочаровываться, расстраиваться;

heading [hediη] – заголовок;

to highlight [tә 'hailait] – подчеркивать;

to involve [tә invɔlv] – вовлекать, включать;

to lean forward [tә li:n fɔ:wәd] – наклоняться вперед;

to make up one’s mind [tә meik wʌnz maind] – решить;

nervousness ['nә:vәsnis] – нервозность;

occupation [ɔkju'peiʃn] – занятие;

off-putting [ɔfputiη] – отталкивающий, вызывающий отвращение;

posture [pɔstʃә] – осанка;

relevant ['relәvәnt] – уместный, относящийся к делу;

resume [ri'zju:m] – резюме;

salary [sælәri] – жалованье, оклад;

scruffy [skә:fi] – покрытый перхотью;

surgeon [sә:dƺәn] – хирург;

vocational school [vәu'keiʃnәl sku:l] – профтехучилище;

be well pressed [bi wel presәt] – быть хорошо отглаженным;

willingness [wiliηnәs] – готовность;

worth [wә:ө] – стоящий, заслуживающий

Exercises

1. Answer the following questions.

1. Is there a great variety of jobs in our country?

2. Can our young people choose any profession they like?

3. Is it easy to choose a profession?

4. What profession can you get at the University?

5. When did you decide to become an engineer?

6. Who helped you to make your choice?

7. Do you know much about your future profession?

8. What quality must a good engineer possess?

9. Why do the employers closely inspect an applicant?

10. How must an applicant look like?

11. Is it necessary to have good Curriculum Vitae?

12. What points should a resume include?

2. Discuss with your friend the following points.

1. What professions he knows; what professions he likes most of all; what his father’s (mother’s, sister’s, etc.) profession is; what he will do if he doesn’t enter the institute or university.

2. Why he has chosen this profession; why he doesn’t want to be a doctor or teacher; why he didn’t enter the university last year.

3. Who influenced the choice of his profession; who his favourite engineer is; who his favourite teachers of speciality are.

4. Whether he knows much of his profession; whether he knows about the difficulties of his future profession; whether his parents are satisfied with his choice.

3. What do you think? Give the reason for your opinion.

1. You should learn much to become a skilled engineer.

2. Every applicant for a good job is closely inspected.

3. Many young people fail to achieve the first impression of an employer.

4. Most people are motivated by wages and work satisfaction.

5. It’s no use to write good Curriculum Vitae.

4. Comment on the following quotations.

«Sweet is the fruit of labour». John Clarke.

«When work is pleasure, life is joy. When work is a duty, life is slavery». Maxim Gorky.

«It’s no work, if you love what you’re doing». Steve Sears.

5. Write your Curriculum Vitae. The following notes will help you to do it.

Start writing Curriculum Vitae with an outline of what makes you a good employee and what the employer in the field of your interests want.

Then write a rough draft of your CV. Keep it brief – but be sensible. 2 to 4 sides are usually best. Write in the first person. Stick to the point. An employer wants to identify your key skills and experiences by glancing at your CV. If it is hard work to get this information you will be passed over. Give maximum coverage to your most recent experience or the relevant skills for the job you’re after. Don’t leave gaps! Employers are suspicious of unexplained gaps in the timeline of a CV. If you took a year off to go traveling or were forced not to work because of the commitments, then say so. Review your CV. Be critical!

Finally, double-check your CV. Ensure that it is spelled and punctuated correctly. This is a serious business document and could make the difference!

Conversational topic: The role of foreign language in my future profession

Language is the means of communication. The most common way of expressing an idea for people is to say out loud. Language enables people to understand each other. At the same moment language can be a major barrier to understanding because there are thousands of different languages on our planet. From the earliest time, with the development of trade and exchange of ideas and techniques people saw the necessity of learning foreign languages.

A language that is used as means of communication by people of different nations is called international. International language helps people of different nations to understand each other. Different epochs had different international languages. As a rule the existence of the language as an international one is determined by political, cultural and economic development of the country which language is spoken as international.

The leadership of English in the modern world can be explained by numerous factors. Over 300 million people who live in Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand and the United States of America speak English is as native tongue. English is one of the official languages in the Irish Republic, Canada, the South African Republic. It is also the second official language used in the former British and U.S. colonies. English is one of the official languages of the United Nations Organization and other political organizations. It is the language of literature, education, modern music, international tourism.

Previously the reason for learning any foreign language was not well defined. Knowledge of foreign languages was regarded as a sign of a well-rounded education, but few had really questioned why it was necessary. The problem of learning languages is very important today. Foreign languages are socially demanded especially at the present time when the progress in science and technology has led to an explosion of knowledge. The total knowledge of mankind doubles every seven years. English is needed as the main and the most efficient means of information exchange. With the acceptance of English as the international language of technology and commerce appears a new generation of people who know why they are learning the language. Many students need English because their course of studies includes textbooks available only in English in order to be able to use Internet, communicate with their partners in other countries, understand films and songs. So, the dominance of English in the contemporary world is explained by the appearance of lots of people who want to learn English not for pleasure or prestige but because English has become the key to the international scientific, technological and commercial innovations of today.

As far as Russia is integrating into the world community, the problem of learning professional and technical English is especially urgent today. Specialists have to know English will help them to solve their professional problems. With the help of foreign language they can also communicate with their colleagues at the conferences, through books and journals or the Internet. Specialists need English for specific purposes. First of all it promotes exchanging experiences with foreign specialists. Knowledge is the power and this power can help us to be familiar with the positive and negative tendencies of engineering technologies, their best using in different conditions in the world of new engineering materials. Secondly, scientists and engineers need knowing a foreign language to keep up with developments in their fields. That is why many young people who begin to think about their future early start learning several languages. For Russian specialists it is good to know not only English, but German and French as well. Undoubtedly, English is number one language that specialists should know.

Words to remember

acceptance [әk'septәns] – принятие, одобрение;

colleague [kɔli:g] – сослуживец, коллега4

contemporary [kәn'tәmpәrәri] – современный;

to enable [i'neibl] – давать возможность;

epoch [i:pɔk] – эпоха, век, эра;

to exchange [iks'tʃeindƺ] – обмениваться, меняться;

explosion [ik'splouƺn] – быстрый рост, вспышка;

to keep up with [tә ki:p ʌp wið] – быть в курсе;

leadership [li:dәʃip] – превосходство;

mean [mi:n] – средство;

prestige [pre'sti:ƺ] – престиж;

previously [pri:viәsli] – ранее;

undoubtedly [ʌn'dautidli] – несомненно, бесспорно;

urgent [ә:dƺәnt] – крайне необходимый

Exercises

1. Find in the text the English equivalents to the following phrases.

1. Средство общения;

2. международный язык;

3. определяться экономическим, политическим и культурным развитием страны;

4. необходимость изучения иностранного языка;

5. преобладание;

6. появление множества людей;

7. ключ к научным и технологическим нововведениям;

8. всеобщее образование;

9. удваивать знания;

10. доступные учебники;

11. интеграция в мировое сообщество;

12. решать профессиональные проблемы.

2. Answer the following questions.

1. When do children start learning foreign languages in Russia?

2. Why do people learn foreign languages in Russia?

3. What language is considered to be the official language of the world?

4. In how many countries is English the official language?

5. Why are foreign languages important for specialists?

6. What kind of foreign language do specialists have to know?

7. Is English an easy language to learn?

8. What do you think is the most difficult about English?

3. What do you think? Give a reason for your opinion.

1. The knowledge of any foreign language opens a set of new horizons and prospects.

2. The English language is one of the most widespread languages in the world.

3. Today people show great interest in learning foreign languages.

4. The English language is the language of international communication in many spheres of our life.

5. The English language plays an important role in my future profession.

4. Imagine that you and your friend are discussing the necessity of learning foreign languages. Ask each other as many questions as possible to underline the importance of this problem and prove your own point of vie. You may use the following phrases to express your emotions.

• Do you really mean it;

• I’m not sure of it;

• it all depends;

• you never can tell;

• no wonder;

• it’s hard to believe;

• good for you;

• right you are;

• far from it;

• I’m afraid you are wrong;

• excuse me, but you are mistaken, etc.

UNIT IV OUTSTANDING PEOPLE

Conversational topic: From the history of science

The story of man’s civilization is the story of his study of nature and the application of his knowledge in his life. Primitive man was born, lived and died with little change in his manner of living from generation to generation. The laws of nature were not studied. The use of tools, first of stone and later of metals, development of writing and counting all progressed slowly. Rapid advance was not possible until man began to gather data and check theories. Till that time most of man’s knowledge was based on the speculations of the Greeks.

A little over three centuries ago man began to use the scientific method of studying his environment. After this the development of civilization has become more rapid. The next 500 years was the age of the great philosophers of antiquity – Thales, Pythagoras, Aristotle, Archimedes and others.

In the period from the Greeks to the Renaissance few contributions were made to the development of science. First in importance among the scientific achievements of the Renaissance was the idea that the sun, rather than the earth, is the center of our system of sun, moon and the planets.

Our time is the age of scientific progress. The importance of scientific research and discoveries is growing with every year. Our scientists and engineers transform nature for the benefit of humanity. Due to the achievements of world science a lot of things are brought to life. Science has solved a lot of important problems and will solve still more in future to make our life still better.

Probably more than any other science physics has changed the conditions under which man lives. Physics deal not with man himself, but with the things he sees, feels and hears. This science deals with the laws of mechanics, heat, sound, electricity, light, etc. Modern physics also deals with electronics, atomic phenomena, photo-electricity, X-rays, energy and others.

The practical application of the developments of physics continues at an ever increasing rate. Practical physics plays, therefore, no small role. Practical applications of physics are not all made by physicists. The majority of those who apply the principles of physics are called engineers. In fact, most branches of engineering are closely related with one or more sections of physics: electrical engineering is based on fundamentals of electricity; mechanical engineering utilizes the laws of mechanics and heat; civil engineering applies the principles of mechanics, etc. The relation between physics and engineering is so close that a thorough knowledge and understanding of physical principles is important for progress of engineering.

One of the tools common to physics and engineering is mathematics. If we are to make effective use of the principles and measurements of physical science, we must have a good knowledge of mathematics. Physics and mathematics are thus the basic foundations of engineering.

Words to remember

advance [әd'va:ns] – успех, прогресс, улучшение;

antiquity [æn'tikwәti] – классическая древность, античность;

to deal with [tә di:l wið] – иметь дело с чем-либо (кем-либо);

environment [in'vairәnmәnt] – окружение, окружающая среда;

generation [dƺenә'reiʃn] – поколение;

majority [mә'dƺɔrәti] – большинство;

measurement [meƺәmәnt] – измерение;

rate [reit] – степень, процент, скорость;

to relate with [tә ri'leit wið] – устанавливать связь, определять соотношение между чем-либо);

renaissance [rә'neisns] – эпоха Возрождения, Ренессанс;

speculation [spekju'lei ʃn] – размышление, предположение;

to utilize [tә ju:tilaiz] – использовать;

X-ray [eks'rei] – рентгеновы лучи

Exercises

1. Find in the text the English equivalents to the following phrases.

1. Возрастающая степень;

2. играть не малую роль;

3. изменять условия;

4. тесно связаны;

5. эффективно использовать;

6. основной фундамент;

7. достижения физики;

8. большинство отраслей инженерии;

9. век научного прогресса;

10. великие мыслители античности;

11. законы природы;

12. очевидный (быстрый) прогресс;

13. разделы физики;

14. преобразовывать природу;

15. решать проблемы;

16. на благо человечества.

2. Answer the following questions.

1. What is the story of civilization connected with?

2. When has the development of science become more rapid?

3. Can you name any great philosophers of antiquity?

4. How can you characterize the development of science in the epoch of the Renaissance?

5. What role do science and technology play in our life?

6. What does the physics deal with?

7. Who are engineers?

8. What branches of engineering are related with physics?

9. Why is mathematics usually called one of the tools common to physics and engineering?

10. What problems do people face as technologies advance?

3. What do you think? Give a reason for your opinion.

1. There were no scientific achievements in the Stone Age.

2. The actual birth of science took place when the Greek civilization began to flourish.

3. Physics has changed the conditions under which man lives more than any other science.

4. Modern engineering is closely connected with physics.

5. One can easily imagine the life today without scientific achievements.

6. The effective use of the principles and measurements of physical science needs a good knowledge of mathematics.

7. The development of science brings only progress.

8. Science and technology should be used only in peaceful purposes.

4. Ask an outstanding scientist, a Nobel Prize winner questions about his/her research work.

5. List all the problems touched upon in the text «From the history of science».

6. Comment on the following quotations.

1. «Science is wonderfully equipped to answer the question «how? » but it gets terribly confused when you ask the question «why? ». Erwin Chardaff.

2. «Science is no illusion. But it would be an illusion to suppose that we could get anywhere else what it cannot give us». Sigmund Freud.

3. «Science has radically changed the conditions of human life on earth. It has expanded our Knowledge and our power but not our capacity to use them with wisdom». J. William Fulbright.

4. «The work of science is to substitute facts for appearances and demonstrations for impressions». John Ruskin.

5. «Science is organized knowledge». Herbert Spencer.

Conversational topic: Outstanding scientists of the world

The world knows the names of many great scientists: mathematicians, physicists, chemists, biologists, linguists, historians and others. A lot of discoveries have been made by them in different fields of science and engineering. The role of science when it serves the interests of man and society is very important. It’s a great productive force which helps to develop the economy and solve social problems increasing in this way the well-being of people.

Among the names of great scientists who contributed much to different fields of science and engineering one should mention Isaac Newton, the founder of modern mathematics, physics, spectroscopy, the discoverer of the law of motion and the universal law of gravitation; Dmitri Mendeleyev, the discoverer of the Periodic System of Elements; Mikhail Lomonosov, the great Russian scientist; Alfred Nobel, the great Swedish inventor and industrialist; Igor Kurchatov, Pierre and Maria Curie, the physicists; Yuri Gagarin, the cosmonaut; I. Prigozhin, the chemist; A. Kuprevich, Nobel laureate, biologist and many others.

The list of outstanding people of the world is long. We’d like to speak about the people whose names are closely connected with the development of natural sciences. Special tribute should be paid to the famous physicists. Ernest Rutherford is one of them.

Ernest Rutherford was born in New Zealand in the family of English settlers. At the age of 19 after finishing school he entered the only New Zealand University founded in 1870. At the University Ernest Rutherford was one of the most talented students. He worked and took active part in the work of the Scientific Society of the University. He took great interest in physics and developed a magnetic detector of radio waves. However, he was absolutely uninterested in the practical applications of his discoveries.

After graduation Rutherford went to Cambridge where he continued his investigations under Thomson, the outstanding English physicist. Some years later Rutherford moved to Canada to continue his research work at the University in Montreal. Besides his successful researches he also lectured a lot at the leading Universities of the United States and England. Rutherford’s famous work «Scattering of Alpha and Beta Particles of Matter and the Structure of the Atom» dealt with the so-called «atom models». In the process of splitting the nucleus matter was converted into energy, which for the scientists of the 19^th century seemed unbelievable. So, for working out the theory of radioactive disintegration of elements, for determining the nature of alpha particles, for developing the nuclear atom, Rutherford was awarded the 1908 Nobel Prize in chemistry.

The names of Russian scientists are also well known all over the world. Almost in all branches of science and technology the Russian scientists played the leading role.

For example Vladimir Vernadsky is considered to be one of the founders of geochemistry and biogeochemistry. The son of a professor, Vernadsky graduated from St. Petersburg University in 1885 and became curator of the university’s mineralogical collection in 1886. Then he served as a professor at Moscow University from 1898 to 1911. After the revolution he was active in scientific and organizational activities. He founded and directed the biogeochemical laboratory of the Academy of Sciences at Leningrad (St. Petersburg).

Vernadsky’s initial work was in mineralogy. He was also a pioneer in geochemistry. He made a detailed study of the Earth and chemical processes going on its crust, including the migration of chemical elements.

Vernadsky was one of the first scientists to recognize the tremendous potential of radioactivity as a source of energy, and he was also one of the first to put forward the idea that radioactivity is vital to many processes of the Earth’s life. His later years were taken up with the study of the life processes in the atmosphere and in the Earth’s crust. Vernadsky is regarded the founder of the theory of the biosphere, that is the total mass of living organisms, which process and recycle the energy and the nutrients available from the environment. His name is well known today. For example, an avenue and a metro station in Moscow bear the name of Vernadsky.

Words to remember

available [ә'veilәbl] – доступный, имеющийся в распоряжении;

avenue [ævәnju:] – проспект;

chemist [kemist] – химик;

to convert [kɔnvә:t] – превращать;

cosmonaut [kɔzmәnɔ:t] – космонавт;

crust [krʌst] – земная кора;

curator [kju'reitә] – куратор, член правления;

to determine [di'tә:min] – определять, устанавливать, решать;

initial [i'niʃl] – начальный, первоначальный;

investigation [in'vesti'geiʃn] – исследование;

laureate [lɔ:riәt] – лауреат;

migration [mai'greiʃn] – миграция, переселение;

nucleus [nju:kliәs] – ядро;

nutrient [nju:triәnt] – питательное вещество;

pioneer [paiә'niә] – инициатор, новатор;

to put forward [put fɔ:wәd] – выдвигать, предлагать;

to recycle [ri:'saikl] – перерабатывать для вторичного использования;

scattering [skætriη] – рассеивание;

settler [setlә] – поселенец;

spectroscopy [spektrәskәupi] – спектроскопия;

splitting [splitiη] – распад;

tremendous [tri'mendәs] – огромный, потрясающий;

tribute [trbju:t] – дань, должное;

universal law [ju:ni'vә:sl lɔ:] – всемирный закон;

vital [vaitl] – жизненный, существенный;

well-being [wel'bi:iη] – благополучие, благосостояние

Exercises

1. Find in the text the English equivalents to the following phrases.

1. Различные области науки;

2. служить интересам человека и общества;

3. производительная сила;

4. особая дань;

5. основатель;

6. лауреат Нобелевской премии;

7. практическое применение;

8. выдающийся исследователь;

9. принимать активное участие;

10. быть абсолютно незаинтересованным;

11. ядро вещества;

12. процесс распада;

13. радиоактивное разрушение элементов;

14. играть ведущую роль;

15. научное общество;

16. громадный потенциал;

17. выдвигать идею;

18. считаться основателем;

19. подробное (детальное) изучение;

20. окружающая среда.

2. Answer the following questions.

1. Who is a scientist?

2. Do you know any outstanding scientists of the world?

3. Which of them made great discoveries?

4. Who discovered the Periodic Law of elements?

5. What famous physicists do you know?

6. What is Ernest Rutherford known for?

7. In what activities did Rutherford take part at the University?

8. What are Rutherford’s famous works devoted to?

9. Are Russian scientists well known in the world and why?

10. Why is Vladimir Vernadsky considered to be one of the founders of geochemistry and biogeochemistry?

11. What was Vernadsky’s initial work?

12. Were any scientists awarded the Noble Prize?

13. What Noble laureates in science do you know?

14. In what fields of economy are their achievements used?

3. Ask your friend:

1. What contemporary scientists does he/she consider to be the most famous ones?

2. Can he/she give any examples when the talented scientist brought more harm than good?

3. Can the inventors of nuclear weapon be considered humanists?

4. Is it possible to stop progress?

5. How he/she understands the role of a scientist in the world history?

4. Imagine the following situation.

In a new district of your town a new street has just been built. The people of the town are now discussing what name should be given to it. You believe that the street should be named after a scientist. Try to convince the jury in it. In your speech present information on:

1. the name of the scientist you would like the street to be named after;

2. where and when he/she was born and worked;

3. the field of science the scientist worked in;

4. the discovery or invention he/she made;

5. where the results of his/her work are used now;

6. why you have chosen this scientist.

Conversational topic: Inventors and their inventions

People all over the world are proud of scientists and inventors who made all-round progress in our life. The inventors have achieved great successes in the development of physics, especially atomic physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, etc. Among famous inventors we can name such scientists as Alfred Nobel, Alexander Graham Bell, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Michael Faradey and many others.

Alfred Nobel, the Swedish chemical experimenter and businessman who invented dynamite and other explosive compounds, was a person of many paradoxes and contradictions. He wrote a considerable number of plays, novels and poems, only one of which was published. He turned to a career in chemistry.

Nobel had an excellent scientific mind and loved to tackle problems in his chemical laboratories. By 1859 he had begun the experiment with one of his explosives (nitroglycerin). His new explosive was named «dynamite» and patented in 1867. Although he was often called Lord of Dynamite Nobel was strongly opposed to the military uses of his inventions. His new explosive found such spectacular uses as in the construction of tunnels, canals, railroads and roads. Dynamite was also a factor in oil drilling in the Baku fields.

When Alfred Nobel died he left the major portion of his fortune which brought him lasting fame for the establishment of annual awards. There are six classifications to reward people who have made outstanding contributions for the benefit of mankind in physiology or medicine, physics, literature, chemistry, peace and economics. The awards are usually presented in Stockholm at a sumptuous ceremony with the King of Sweden as the host on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death. Each prize includes a gold medal, a diploma and a gift of money.

Isaac Newton is a well-known English scientist and inventor. He was a student of Cambridge University where he made his first researches. Telescopes had been known by people before Newton, but they were not satisfactory. They based on glass lenses which produced false colour. Newton made a telescope based on curved mirror, so that it became known as a reflector. Some years later he became a member of the Royal Society of Britain. He got acquainted with the famous people of that time Christopher Wren and Edmund Halley. These scientists were not good mathematicians and they asked Newton to help them to make a new star catalogue for sailors. So, in some days the catalogue was published because Newton had already made it.

More than that Isaac Newton was a great physicist. He discovered the law of gravitation. It happened when he sat in the garden and the apple fall down on him. At that moment he realized that the force pulling on the apple was the same as the force which keeps the Moon in its path round the Earth. Soon Newton wrote a book where he told people about the law he had discovered: «Every particle of matter in the Universe attracts every other particle with a force which becomes weaker with increasing distance».

Another famous scientist and inventor is Michael Faradey. He found that his main interest in science was electricity. He studied a lot and made many experiments. Faradey was wondering whether a magnet could in some way give electric current. He got a bright idea. He thought of moving the magnet near the wire and then got what he wanted – an electric current was produced in the wire. This was a great invention in the history of man’s experiments. But Faradey didn’t stop at this. He tried different ways of producing electric current even when he moved the wire near the magnet. This was the beginning of all machines that produce electricity today.

Albert Einstein is one of the greatest scientists of our age. The Theory of Relativity brought him fame on five continents. Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, which seemed a flight of imagination to many at first, is now the cornerstone of modern physics. Many physical phenomena could never be explained without the Theory of Relativity. Einstein said that there were only twelve people living who understood his Theory of Relativity, although more than nine hundred books had been written trying to explain it. He himself explained relativity by this very simple illustration: «When you sit with a nice girl for an hour, you think it is only a minute; but when you sit on a hot stove for a minute, you think it is an hour. Well, well – so that’s relativity. It sounds all right to me; but if you don’t believe me and would like to try it out, I’ll be glad to sit with the girl if you’ll sit on the stove».

Words to remember

to achieve [ә'tʃi:v] – достигать, добиваться;

considerable [kәn'sidәrәbl] – значительный, важный, большой;

contradiction [kɔntrә'dikʃn] – противоречие, опровержение;

cornerstone [kɔ:nәstәun] – краеугольный камень;

curved [kә:vd] – изогнутый, кривой;

explosive [ik'splәusiv] – взрывчатое вещество;

fame [feim] – слава, известность;

imagination [i'mædƺi'neiʃn] – воображение, фантазия;

nitroglycerin [naitrәu'glisәrin] – нитроглицерин;

phenomenon [fә'nɔminәn] – явление, феномен;

to pull [pul] – тянуть, притягивать;

reflector [ri'flektә] – рефлектор, отражатель;

relativity [relә'tivәti] – относительность;

sailor [seilә] – моряк;

spectacular [spek'tækjulә] – эффектный, захватывающий;

stove [stәuv] – печь, плита;

success [sәk'ses] – успех, удача;

sumptuous [sʌmpʃtuәs] – роскошный, дорогостоящий, великолепный;

to tackle [tækl] – взяться за решение

Exercises

1. Find in the text the English equivalents to the following phrases.

1. Гордиться чем-либо (кем-либо);

2. теория относительности;

3. всеобщий прогресс;

4. противоречивый человек;

5. возвращаться к чему-либо;

6. иметь обычное значение;

7. электрический ток;

8. королевское общество;

9. познакомиться с кем-либо;

10. огромное количество;

11. великолепная идея;

12. испробовать различные способы;

13. закон гравитации;

14. каталог расположения звезд;

15. ежегодная награда

2. Answer the following questions.

1. Whom do we usually call an inventor?

2. Why are people all over the world proud of scientists and inventors?

3. Can you name any inventors who have achieved great successes in science?

4. What is Alfred Nobel famous for?

5. What did Nobel experiment with in his chemistry laboratories&

6. What was his new explosive called? When was it patented?

7. What was Nobel’s attitude to the military uses of his inventions?

8. Where did Nobel’s new explosive find spectacular uses?

9. What brought Alfred Nobel lasting fame?

10. What contribution should people make to get a Nobel Prize?

11. Can Isaac Newton be called a famous scientist and inventor?

12. What was Newton’s greatest invention?

13. Can you quote his law of gravitation?

14. What was Faradey’s main interest in science?

15. Can you describe Faradey’s experiment?

16. Why is Albert Einstein considered to be one of the greatest scientists of our age?

17. How did Albert Einstein explained his Theory of Relativity?

3. Read and translate the following dialogue. Make up your own dialogue on the analogy.

• Who do you consider the outstanding person f our country?

• I consider Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov was an outstanding scientist, inventor and public feature.

• What did he deal with?

• Sakharov played a decisive role in the developing the Soviet hydrogen bomb.

• What idea came to his mind while working on the bomb?

• While working on the bomb he came to the conclusion that any atomic and nuclear weapons should be banned.

• What was he awarded?

• He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

• What is he remembered as?

• He is remembered by everybody as an outstanding humanist, one of the best representatives of humankind who could teach and who foresaw the changes that are taking place now.

• Can you say that Sakharov was one of the inventors of Soviet hydrogen physics?

• Yes, I can.

4. Think of the inventors who gave their names to the things they created. Put as many their names as you can down in the chart.

5. Imagine the following situation.

The film studio is going to make a documentary film about the greatest inventions of the mankind. You are invited to the studio as an expert to decide what inventions should be included in the film. You are supposed to speak about one invention only. Present information on:

1. the invention you consider to be one of the greatest in the world;

2. the name of the inventor;

3. the country this invention was made in;

4. what the thing was made for;

5. how it is used now;

6. how it influenced our life;

7. why you are sure that it should be included in the film.

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