Exercise 1. Read the text about Komatsu Ltd. and match the questions with the answers.

Komatsu Ltd. is a Japanese multinational corporation that manufactures сonstruction, mining, and military equipment, as well as industrial equipment like press machines, lasers and thermoelectric generators. Its headquarters are in Tokyo, Japan. It was founded as Komatsu Ltd. in 1921. Worldwide, the Komatsu Group consists of Komatsu Ltd. and 182 other companies.

Komatsu is the world’s second largest manufacturer of сonstruction equipment and mining equipment after Caterpillar. However, in some areas (Japan, China), Komatsu has a larger share than Caterpillar. It has manufacturing operations in Japan, Asia, Americas and Europe.

Komatsu produced its first agricultural tractor prototype in 1931. Through the 1930s, Komatsu also produced military tractors for the Japanese military, as well as bulldozers and tanks. In 1964 Rioichi Kawai became president of Komatsu, and it began exporting its products. In July 1967, it entered the U.S. market, taking on Caterpillar, the largest bulldozer maker, in its home market.

1) Is Komatsu Ltd. a multinational corporation?	a) In 1921.
2) What does it manufacture?	b) In Japan, Asia, Americas and Europe.
3) How long has the company been manufacturing its products?	c) Rioichi Kawai
4) When was the company founded?	d) In 1931.
5) What does the Komatsu Group consist of?	e) Yes, it is.
6) Is Komatsu the largest manufacturer of сonstruction and mining equipment?	f) Komatsu Ltd. and 182 other companies worldwide.
7) Where does the company manufacture its products?	g) Construction, mining, military equipment, and industrial equipment.
8) When did Komatsu produce its first agricultural tractor prototype?	h) No, it is the second largest after Caterpillar.
9) Who became president of Komatsu in 1964?	i) For more than 90 years.

 

Exercise 2. Read the text about Caterpillar Inc. and write the correct questions for the answers.

Caterpillar Inc., formerly (1925–86) Caterpillar Tractor Company, is a major American manufacturer of earth-moving, construction, and agricultural equipment. Caterpillar Inc. has been manufacturing its products for 90 years. The company’s headquarters are in Peoria, Illinois.

The Caterpillar Tractor Company had its origins in two California-based agricultural-equipment companies headed respectively by Charles Holt and Daniel Best in the late 19th century. By the 1890s both firms were making steam-driven wheeled tractors and harvesters to replace horse-drawn harvesting machines on large farms. Benjamin Holt, one of several brothers in the Holt Manufacturing Company, invented the familiar “caterpillar” tractor in 1906. The tractor ran on continuous metal-belted tracks instead of wheels, and the tracks kept the heavy vehicle from sinking in mud or dirt.

In 1925 the Holt Manufacturing Company merged with another tractor manufacturer, the C.L. Best Tractor Company. The new company was incorporated as the Caterpillar Tractor Company. It adopted its current name in 1986.

Caterpillar Inc. now makes tractors, trucks, loaders, excavators, graders, scrapers, and other heavy machines used in agriculture, construction, mining, logging, and industrial warehousing. The company also makes diesel and gasoline engines for use in trucks, locomotives, and ships, and electricity-generating systems. The company sells more than one-half of its products to customers outside of the United States.

 

1) For 90 years.

2) In Peoria, Illinois.

3) Benjamin Holt.

4) In 1986.

5) Tractors, trucks, loaders, excavators, graders, scrapers, and other heavy machines used in agriculture, construction, mining, logging, and industrial warehousing.

6) More than one-half.

Speaking

Look at this information about Caterpillar Inc. Tell the class about this company.

Caterpillar Inc.
Industry	Heavy equipment Engines
Predecessors	C.L. Best Company Holt Manufacturing Company
Founded	April 15, 1925; (1925-04-15) California, U.S.
Headquarters	Peoria, Illinois, United States
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Douglas R. Oberhelman (Chairman and CEO)
Products	Bulldozers Excavators Wheel Loaders Trucks Diesel Engines
Revenue	US$ 47.01 billion (2015)
Number of employees	114,233 (2015)
Website	www.caterpillar.com

 

Word list

1.	stationary ['steɪʃ(ə)n(ə)rɪ]	стационарный, несъёмный
2.	wheel(ed) tractor	трактор на колесном ходу
3.	track [træk]	гусеница
4.	crawler ['krɔːlə]	гусеница
5.	track / crawler / caterpillar tractor	трактор на гусеничном ходу
6.	dig digger	копать землеройная машина; экскаватор
7.	blade	отвал (бульдозера)
8.	hoe [həu]	ковш экскаватора
9.	mounted ['mauntɪd]	навесной
10.	towed [təud]	прицепной
11.	drawn [drɔːn]	прицепной
12.	driving wheel ['draɪvıŋ wiːl]	ведущее колесо
13.	front wheel [frʌnt]	переднее колесо
14.	rear wheel [rɪə]	заднее колесо
15.	adhesion [əd'hiːʒən]	сцепление (с грунтом)
16.	tractive force	сила тяги
17.	ground pressure ['preʃə]	давлением на грунт
18.	ground contact area ['eərɪə]	площадь контакта с грунтом
19.	track plate	основание звена гусеницы; основание трака
20.	track chain	гусеничная цепь; траковая цепь; гусеничная лента
21.	implement ['ɪmplɪmənt]	орудие, оборудование

 

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