Nikola Tesla

Exercise 11. Find the equivalents.

a) the birth of commercial electricity, to form the basis, throughout the world, household appliances, by means of, successfully, to be unable, promoting the device, a daily demonstration, spectators;

b) успешно, ежедневная демонстрация, посредством, быть не в состоянии (не мочь), рождение коммерческого электричества, по всему миру, зрители, продвижение прибора, сформулировать основы, бытовая техника.

 

Exercise 12. Read the text about Nikola Tesla and say what he is famous for.

Nikola Tesla (1856 – 1943) was an inventor, mechanical engineer, and electrical engineer. He was an important contributor to the birth of commercial electricity, and is best known for his many revolutionary developments in the field of electromagnetism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Tesla's patents and theoretical work formed the basis of modern alternating current (AC) electric power systems, including the polyphase system of electrical distribution and the AC motor. Tesla’s AC induction motor is widely used throughout the world in industry and household appliances. Electricity today is generated, transmitted and converted to mechanical power by means of his inventions.

Before going to America, Tesla joined Continental Edison Company in Paris where he designed dynamos. While in Strasbourg in 1883, he privately built a prototype of the induction motor1 and ran it successfully. Unable to interest anyone in Europe in promoting this device, Tesla accepted an offer to work for Thomas Edison in New York and spent the next 59 years of his productive life living there. The street sign2 “Nikola Tesla Corner” was placed on the corner of the 40th Street and 6th Avenue in Manhattan. There is a large photo of Tesla in the Statue of Liberty Museum. The Liberty Science Center in Jersey City has a daily science demonstration of the Tesla Coil creating a million volts of electricity before the spectators’ eyes.

 

Notes to the text:

1. induction motor – асинхронный двигатель

2. sign – знак

 

Exercise 13. Ask questions to each other about N. Tesla. Work in pairs.

 

Exercise 14. Retell in short the text about N. Tesla.

 

Exercise 15. Find more information about Nikola Tesla and write down the plan of your story about his life.

Exercise 16. Study the table.

Forms of Participles

  Active Passive
Participle I сhanging изменяющийся, изменяясь being changed изменяемый, будучи измененным
Participle II - changed измененный
Perfect Participle having changed изменившись having been changed после того как (его) изменили

 

Exercise 17. Translate the sentences. Find different forms of Participles.

1. Many countries have cable TV, a system using wires for transmitting TV programs.

2. The fifth-generation computers performing 100 billion operations a second will become available in the nearest future.

3. A videophone is a device which allows us to see a room and the face of the person speaking.

4. Being more efficient than human beings computers are used more and more extensively.

5. Having been translated into many languages Pushkin’s books became known all over the world.

6. Having finished the experiment the students left the laboratory.

 

Exercise 18. Form Participle I from the following verbs and translate them.

to produce, to use, to develop, to move, to obtain, to think, to build, to speak, to have, to improve, to equip, to install, to inform, to make, to tell, to charge.

 

Exercise 19. Translate the sentences. Find the Participle II.

1. We need highly developed electronics and new materials to make supercomputers.

2. We are carried by airplanes, trains and cars with built-in electronics.

3. New technologies reduce the number of workers needed.

4. The engine tested showed that it needed no improvement.

5. The radar used was of a completely (полностью) new design.

6. If compared to today’s TV program, the first black-and-white pictures were not very good.

7. If heated to 100o C water turns into steam.

 

Exercise 20. Form the Participle II from the following verbs and translate them.

To reduce, to solve, to achieve, to replace, to define, to produce, to use, to develop, to obtain, to build, to improve, to equip, to install, to inform, to make, to tell, to charge.

 

Exercise 21. Translate the sentences with the Perfect Participle.

1. Having passed his examinations he left for his native town.

2. Having translated the text she showed it to the teacher.

3. Having obtained the results they stopped their experimental work.

4. Having installed the equipment the workers started to produce machines.

5. Having written the report the science sent it to his chief.

6. Having waited for him for half an hour they went home.

7. Having taken a letter he went to the post office.

 

Exercise 22. Translate the phrases into English. Use Participles.

1. читая лекцию, прочитанная лекция, прочитав лекцию;

2. человек, пишущий письмо, написанное письмо, написав письмо;

3. достигая хорошие результаты, достигнутые результаты, достигнув результаты;

4. заряжая батарею, заряженная батарея, зарядив батарею;

5. решая задачу, решенная задача, решив задачу;

6. уменьшая скорость, уменьшенная скорость, уменьшив скорость;

7. ремонтируя прибор, отремонтированный прибор, отремонтировав прибор.