Text 11A Superconductivity

Text 7A Transport for tomorrow

The text gives some information on transport for the future and innovations used in the car. The main problems connected with it are which vehicle to use and how we are going to use it.

To produce new generation cars we need highly developed electronics and new materials. Just 20 years ago the only electronic device in the car was radio. At present modern vehicles are provided with sophisticated electronic systems, such as electronic instrument panel, radar, 4-wheel control system and others.

Recently a new electronic device, a radar, has been developed in the USA. The main function of it is to detect all possible dangers in front of the car and warn the driver that the speed should go down and the driver should apply the breaks.

Speaking about a new generation car I’d like to say that it has been designed by a Japanese company. Many important parts of the car such as pistons, pressure rings, valves are made of new silicon materials, which can withstand temperatures up to 1,000oC, so the car doesn’t need a cooling system.

In conclusion I want to say that the number of innovations used in the car is great but it continues to grow and in the future we will have a perfect model.

Text 8A A New Era for Aircraft

The text gives information on the new generation passenger liners of the 21^st century. The model of such a supersonic aircraft was demonstrated in Paris.

It’s interesting to note that the airliner looks like a rocket with its elongated fuselage and a sharp nose. The diameter of the fuselage is 4 metres and the overall length 100 metres. The cabin accommodates 300 passengers. The speed of a new liner is 5 or 6 times above the speed of sound.

It’s also interesting to say that the aircraft will be lightened by new composite materials used instead of the conventional metal alloys. Because of the extreme temperatures generated by atmospheric friction the aircraft will also require complicated cooling measures. One possibility is to use cryogenic fuel, such as liquid hydrogen both as coolant and propellant.

In conclusion I want to say that new generation aircrafts will have the longer distance of flight and higher level of safety and comfort.

Text 9A Descending to New Ocean Depths

The text gives information on some types of advanced manned submersibles. A submersible is a small , mobile undersea research vessel capable to function in the ocean depths. Submersibles are constructed in various sizes and shapes

Speaking about the shape of a new submersible I’d like to describe one of them. It has a spherical transparent plastic hull mounted on a metal platform that makes it look like underwater helicopter. Due to the cycloid rotor the helicopter can maneuver itself in the water like a sports car.

Nowadays the scientists are working over the project of the world’s deepest submersible. The ship will be driven by a battery-operated electric motor and stay under water up to 9 hours. This craft will be provided with colour video cameras and will collect samples by manipulating 2 robotic arms.

In conclusion I want to say that Russian, French, Japanese and American scientists and engineers are developing crafts which can submerge deeper, stay longer and perform difficult underwater tasks with extreme precision.

Text 10A Laser

Laser is one of the most sophisticated inventions of man. It is a device which produces an intensive beam of light of a very pure single colour. The name laser stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. The strength of a laser is so great that it can vaporize the hardest and most heat resistant materials. It can make lead run like water.

Laser can be used in industry for cutting and piercing very hard materials such as metals, bricks, granite and even diamonds. But the most important use of laser is in telecommunications. It is used for recording, processing and transmitting large amounts of information. For example, a laser beam can transmit the whole text of Encyclopedia Britannica just in a few seconds.

There are different projects to use laser in science and industry. Nowadays scientists in different countries are working on a very interesting problem: combining laser and thermonuclear reaction for producing practically limitless source of energy.

In conclusion I’d like to say that all these projects will be realized and laser beam will become one of the main technological tools.

Text 11A Superconductivity

Superconductivity is the loss of electrical resistivity by chemical elements, compounds or alloys on being cooled to temperatures close to absolute zero. On April 8, 1911, a Dutch physicist Kamerlingh Onnes found that the electrical resistivity of a mercury wire disappeared suddenly when cooled below a temperature of 4 Kelvin.

50 years later, in 1957, American physicists presented a satisfactory theory on superconductivity and in 1972 they got the Nobel Prize for it. Many scientists made a contribution to this theory, among them Russian physicists Landau and Ginzburg. In 1986, American scientists from IBM, found a metallic ceramic compound which could become a superconductor at a temperature well above 23 K. It was difficult to believe it, but in 1987 American physicist Paul Chu produced superconductivity at 98 K in a special ceramic material. That was a sensation. Nowadays scientists found a ceramic material that works at a room temperature.

In conclusion I’d like to say that the latest world achievements in the field of superconductivity mean a revolution in science and technology.

Topic - GREAT BRITAIN

The full name of the country is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The United Kingdom is situated on the British Isles. The British Isles consist of two large islands, Great Britain and Ireland, and a great number of small islands.

The island of Great Britain consists of three main parts: England, Wales and Scotland.

There are no high mountains in Great Britain. There are many beautiful lakes in the mountainous parts of the country.

Most rivers flow into the North Sea and they are not very long. The Thames is the deepest and the longest of the British rivers. Great Britain is not very rich in mineral resources; it has some deposits of coal and iron ore and vast deposits of oil and gas that were discovered in the North Sea.

In the Great Britain winters are not severely cold and summers are rarely hot.

The population of the United Kingdom is over 58 million people. The main nationalities are English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish. In Great Britain there are a lot of immigrants from former British Asian and African colonies.

Great Britain is a highly industrialized country. It is known as one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of iron and steel products, machinery and electronics, chemicals and textile, aircraft and navigation equipment. One of the main industries of the country is shipbuilding.

The main industrial centers are London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Glasgow and Bristol.

The capital of the country is London. The United Kingdom is a parliamentary monarchy. The Queen is the head of the state, but in practice the elected government rules it with a Prime Minister at the head. The British Parliament consists of two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

There are three main political parties in Great Britain: the Labor, the Conservative and the Liberal. The Labor party is the ruling party nowadays.