Two projects of the future mainline were proposed – “the southern version” and “the northern version”. “The northern version” suggested by the Minister of Railways K.N. Posyet won. According to his project the railway was shorter by 400 km and was passing by the Siberian high road** and populated areas.
The building of the Great Siberian Track began in 1893. Construction rates were very fast despite the fact that the railroad went through swamps, thick taiga, crossed major rivers and huge mountains. In less than 15 years more than 8,600 km of track were laid down. At first 10,000 workers were involved in the construction. Later their number went up to 100,000. Job and living conditions were extremely tough. The main tools were spades, picks, axes, wheelbarrows and horse-drawn carts.
The building of the gigantic mainline was a heroic deed accomplished by Russian construction workers due to their tenacious efforts and courage. Some of Trans-Siberian stations bear their names – Rukhlovo, Vyazemskaya, Baranovsky, Snarsky, Adrinovka, etc. The Minister of Railways Vitte wrote: “The Great Siberian Railway breathed life into boundless Siberian lands.”
Notes: *ground-breaking – начало строительства (дороги)
**high road – тракт
Х. Укажите, какие из следующих утверждений соответствуют содержанию текста. Используйте фразы: It is right. It is wrong. Исправьте неверные утверждения.
1. The Trans-Siberian Mainline connects the Asian part of Russia with the Pacific Coast. 2. Alexander III commanded to start constructing the Great Siberian Track. 3. The first rail of the future Trans-Siberian Railway was laid down in Vladivostok. 4. The project of the Trans Siberian Mainline was proposed by the Minister of Railways Vitte. 5. The length of this railway is more than 5,000 km. 6. Foreign workers and engineers took part in the construction. 7. The track went through swamps and taiga. 8. The latest machines and mechanisms were used for the railway construction. 9. The construction lasted 15 years. 10. The Great Siberian Railway breathed life into boundless Siberian lands.
I. Перепишите и переведите предложения, обращая внимание на употребление времён группы Indefinite (Present, Past, Future) в действительном залоге. Выпишите сказуемые и укажите их видовременные формы.
1. The first steam locomotives were not strong and they often broke down. 2. The automatic train control facilitates the work of a locomotive driver and provides more reliable movement of a train. 3. In England train passengers seldom converse with their fellow-travelers even on long journey – this is more a national custom than a matter of etiquette. 4. The train will cover the distance from Moscow to St. Petersburg in 3 hours if it moves at a speed of 250 km/h. 5. Heavy snowstorms disorganized the movement of trains in this region.
1. About 60% of the Moscow – St. Petersburg railway line is equipped with an auto-block system, over one third is electrified and more than one fourth has two or three track lines. 2. At first coal gas was used as fuel for diesel engines. 3. The diesel locomotive is not connected to the contact wire, like the electric locomotive, so it is particularly suitable for shunting work. 4. Thanks to new cars with greater capacity the freight turnover will be increased. 5. Morse invented a code in which the letters of the alphabet were replaced by dots and dashes.
III. Перепишите и переведите предложения, поставив глагол в нужную форму.
1. A diesel engine (to belong – Present Indefinite Active) to a class of internal combustion engines. 2. The equipment (to deliver – Future Indefinite Passive) in containers from door-to-door. 3. Taiwan Railways (to buy – Past Indefinite Active) 225 trailers and 56 motor cars last year. 4. Four million passengers a year (to travel – Present Indefinite Active) the Helsinki-Tallinn route. 5. Passengers (to ask – Past Indefinite Passive) to show their tickets.
IV. Перепишите и переведите предложения, обращая внимание на употребление оборота there + to be.
1. There are 4 pairs of sliding doors on each side of a Metro car. 2. There isn’t enough time for us to catch the next train. 3. In the very first days of railways there were no signals and there was no need for them. 4. There are a lot of goods that can be transported by air. 5. The construction of the first tunnels required much time, effort and money because there were no special equipment for it and only manual labor was used.
V. Перепишите и переведите предложения, обращая внимание на употребление окончания -s.
1. The “Repin” train departs from St. Petersburg’s Finlandsky terminal. 2. Few people know that the first programmer in the world was Lord Byron’s daughter. 3. Lloyd’s is one of the world’s largest insurance companies. In this company one can (можно) insure not only an airplane or a space satellite but also a football player’s legs or a pianist’s hands. 4. The railway station is an hour’s drive from my house.
VI. Перепишите и переведите предложения, обращая внимание на употребление прилагательных в сравнительной и превосходной степенях. Подчеркните прилагательные в английских предложениях и укажите степень сравнения.
1. The concrete sleepers are more reliable than the wooden crossties, and they last longer. 2. As the rail joint is the weakest part of the permanent way, it is necessary to use longer rails. 3. The most outstanding miniature railway in the world is the track which encircles the Disney Park. 4. The efficiency of electric locomotives is 4 times higher than that of steam locomotives. 5. Heathrow, Britain’s largest international airport is linked with the capital by the Underground.
VII. Перепишите и переведите предложения, употребив прилагательные, данные в скобках, в сравнительной или превосходной степени.
1. The cost of tickets in a sleeping car is (high) than the fare in an open-type coach because sleeping cars are (convenient) for traveling. 2. Although there are now (fast) and (modern) means of transport, railways still remain (safe) and (popular) form of transport. 3. One of (great) advantages of the electric car is that it doesn’t contaminate the environment. 4. One of (convenient) and (fast) means of freight transportation is a container. 5. Our (good) diesel locomotive develops a speed of 170 km per hour.
VIII. Перепишите предложения. Задайте общие вопросы и специальные вопросы к подчеркнутым словам.
1. The repair of railway track usually takes place in summer. 2. The train for London will depart from platform №2 in 5 minutes. 3. Liquid goods are carried in tank cars. 4. A large number of cars were parked near the private law firm. 5. This article is about a new high-speed railway. 6. Nowadays railways face competition from other means of transport primarily from motor carriers. 7. Last year fares more than doubled because of inflation.
IX. Перепишите и переведите текст.
ENGINES
Do you know what the first engine was like? It was called “the water wheel”. This was an ordinary wheel with blades fixed to it and the current of a river turned it. These first engines were used for irrigating fields. Then a wind-powered engine was invented. It was a small wheel with long wide wooden blades attached to it. The new engine was driven by the wind. Both of these engines, the water-and wind- operated, are very economical. They don’t need fuel to function, but they are dependent on the weather.
Many years passed and people invented a new engine operated by steam. In a steam engine there is a furnace and a boiler. The furnace is filled with wood or coal and then lit. The fire heats the water in the boiler and when it boils, it turns into steam. The (чем) more coal is put in the furnace, the (тем) stronger the fire is burning. The more steam there is, the faster a train or a boat is moving. The steam engine drove all sorts of machines, for example, steam ships and steam locomotives. The very first aeroplane built by A.F. Mozhaisky also had a steam engine. This engine played a very important part in the history of transport and industry development. However it had its disadvantages. It was too large, heavy and needed too much fuel.
The imperfections of the steam engine led to the design of a new type. It was called the internal combustion engine, because its fuel ignites and burns inside the engine itself and not in a furnace. It is smaller and lighter than a steam engine because it does not have a boiler. It is also more powerful, as it uses better-quality fuel: petrol or kerosene.
The internal combustion engine is now used in cars, diesel locomotives and motor ships. But in order to enable airplanes to fly faster than the speed of sound another more powerful engine was needed. Eventually, one was invented and it was given the name “jet engine”. The gases in it reach the temperature of over a thousand degrees. It is made of a very resistant metal so that it will not melt.
Х. Укажите, какие из следующих утверждений соответствуют содержанию текста. Используйте фразы: It is right. It is wrong. Исправьте неверные утверждения.
1. The steam engine is the most powerful one, and it is widely used nowadays. 2. Water wheels were used for irrigating fields. 3. Internal combustion engines are very economical and don’t need fuel to function. 4. The very first locomotive was powered by the steam engine. 5. Wind-powered engines played a very important part in the history of transport. 6. In an internal combustion engine there is a furnace and a boiler. 7. An internal combustion engine is smaller and lighter than a steam engine. 8. Internal combustion engines are used in airplanes. 9. Jet engines are made of a very resistant metal. 10. A jet engine doesn’t have a boiler.
I. Перепишите и переведите предложения, обращая внимание на употребление времён группы Indefinite (Present, Past, Future) в действительном залоге. Выпишите сказуемые и укажите их видовременные формы.
1. This train will proceed to its destination without any stops. 2. The price of the ticket in the London Underground depends on the distance you travel. 3. The invention of a steam engine started the first industrial revolution. 4. The top speed of the first steam locomotive was 13 miles per hour. 5. Students of technical institutes have practical training at various enterprises, and it gives them an opportunity not only to watch production processes but also to take part in them.
1. Since Paris is located in the center of the country, the passengers who spend a day in the capital can reach any town the same evening. 2. Our flight will be delayed because of a strike of air-traffic controllers. 3. The freight turnover was reduced because of a considerable increase of transportation cost. 4. New plastic and synthetic materials are widely used for the interior and exterior finishes of carriages. 5. The demand for tickets was so great that they were sold out as soon as the booking-office was opened.
III. Перепишите и переведите предложения, поставив глагол в нужную форму.
1. This railroad (to design – Present Indefinite Passive) to handle only freight trains. 2. We (to leave – Past Indefinite Active) our car in the parking lot near the terminal. 3. The shuttle-train (to cover – Present Indefinite Active) the distance from London to Paris in 3 hours 40 minutes. 4. Steel rails (to use – Past Indefinite Passive) in the USA for the first time in 1863. 5. You (to catch – Future Indefinite Active) the train, if you (to hurry – Present Indefinite Active) up.
IV. Перепишите и переведите предложения, обращая внимание на употребление оборота there + to be.
1. We missed the last train and tried to get tickets for the morning train but there were no tickets available in the booking-office. 2. In the USA there is a special discount for those passengers who buy round-trip tickets. 3. There are road works in the center streets of the city that is why long jams are expected. 4. There was no bridge in this place and we took a boat to cross the river. 5. There are nine four-berth compartments for passengers, a compartment for the attendants, two toilet rooms and 2 vestibules in the sleeping car.
V. Перепишите и переведите предложения, обращая внимание на употребление окончания -s.
1. The first Stephenson’s steam locomotive is demonstrated now in the London museum. 2. There is a train radio telephone in each driver’s cap and a dispatcher can communicate with the driver in the case of emergency. 3. Almost 500 million vehicles fill the world’s roads nowadays. 4. The driver of the bus is responsible for his passengers’ safety. 5. Heathrow, London’s major airport was opened in 1929 as a small base for airplane tests.
VI. Перепишите и переведите предложения, обращая внимание на употребление прилагательных в сравнительной и превосходной степенях. Подчеркните прилагательные в английских предложениях и укажите степень сравнения.
1. In Australia the traffic is heavier during the winter months, when many tourists travel in passenger trains. 2. It is much more convenient to travel by express train because it doesn’t stop at small stations, and it takes you less time to get to your destination. 3. The world’s longest road tunnel links France and Italy beneath Europe’s highest peak Mont Blanc. 4. Statistically it is safer to travel by air than to drive a car. 5. The maximum train speed on the West Coast railway line (Great Britain) is 77 miles per hour but there are many sections where the speed is much lower because of tight curves and steep gradients.