Words and Expressions to Be Learnt

study v – заниматься, учиться part-time student n – студент вечернего отделения be mistaken v – ошибаться wake up v – просыпаться alarm clock n – будильник get up v – вставать do one’s morning exercises – делать утреннюю зарядку get one’s morning shower – принимать утренний душ shave v – бриться

clean one’s teeth– чистить зубы brush v – причесываться have breakfast (lunch, dinner, supper) v – завтракать (обедать, ужинать) latest news n – последние новости it takes me –мне требуется sandwich n – сандвич, бутерброд arrive v – прибывать message n – сообщение go to bed – ложиться спать

Days of the Week

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday.

NOVOSIBIRSK STATE TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY (NSTU)

Founded in 1953, NSTU gained its status of a technical university in 1992. It is one of the top ten technical universities in Russia and a large scientific and educational centre of Siberia and the Far East. The first rector of NSTU was Professor Georgy Lyshinsky.

NSTU trains specialists and offers additional training in 35 areas at 10 faculties: Automation and Computer Engineering; Radio Engineering, Electronics, and Physics; Physical Engineering; Applied Mathematics and Informatics; Electromechanics; Mechanics and Technology; Aircraft; Business; Power Engineering; and Humanities.

The period of study is 4-6 years, depending on the qualification as follows: Bachelor of Science 4 years, Engineer 5 years, Master of Science 6 years. M.Sc. students are awarded M.Sc. degree in Engineering after defending their Master's theses in the corresponding fields of study. Postgraduate students are offered a 3-year programme of study and research leading to Candidate of Science degree in Engineering.

Graduates from the school of Russian are awarded diplomas in management with Russian. Tuition for Russian citizens is free.

The number of students at NSTU is more than 13000 (including foreign students), 140 post-graduates and doctoral candidates. The number of academic staff is 1080, of which 697 hold Cand.Sc. or D.Sc. qualifications. They work and study in 61 departments.

The direction of scientific research corresponds to the individual areas of specialization of the faculties. The university has its own schools of thought. The most famous of these deal with fundamental research in the following directions: automatic control; creating a new class of measuring facilities; software and data for expert systems; increase in stability; economy and quality of large-scale power systems; new types of electronic and radio engineering devices; hybrid methods and program complexes aimed at the strength of the design and reliability of the calculations and so on.

The students actively participate in all types of scientific research. The university publishes a journal "NSTU Bulletin", scientific works, textbooks, monographs, and teaching manuals. Candidates and Doctors of Science are conferred by 11 specialist councils.

The university participates in the following international programs: TACIS, TEMPUS, INTAS, etc. It has established relations with 12 universities in Europe, Asia, and America. Authorized training centres of leading firms from the USA and Germany, e.g. Sun, DEC, Autodesk, Motorola, and AEG have been opened.

The university has 8 teachings blocks. Its research laboratories are equipped with modern facilities. The campus includes 7 student hostels, two sport centres, a swimming pool and a ski centre. The university has sports camps in the picturesque Altai Mountains and in the suburbs of Novosibirsk.

Basic Vocabulary

 

automation and computer engineering radio engineering physical engineering applied mathematics and informatics / information science / computer science electromechanics aircraft power engineering humanities Bachelor of Science (B.Sc./B.S.) Master of Science (M.Sc./M.S.) Engineer's degree Candidate of Science (Cand.Sc.) Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) teaching block campus automatic control

– автоматика и вычислительная техника – радиотехника, радиотехнический – физико-технический – прикладная математика и информатика   – электромеханика – летательный аппарат – энергетика – гуманитарные науки – бакалавр (естественных) наук – магистр (естественных) наук – степень дипломированного специалиста-инженера, присваиваемая после пяти / пяти с половиной лет обучения в университете – кандидат наук – доктор наук – учебный корпус – студгородок – автоматическое управление

 

OUR COUNTRY

 

The total area of Russia is a little more than 17 million square kilometres. The population is about 160 million people. The capital of Rus­sia is Moscow.

The greater part of the territory of Russia is vast plains with low mountain ranges and long rivers. The Urals divide Russia into the Euro­pean and Asian parts.

The Volga and the Ural are the longest rivers in the European part of the country. The longest rivers in the Asian part are the Ob, the Yenisei and the Lena, which flow into the Arctic Ocean. The world's largest inland sea is the Caspian. Lake Baikal is the world's deepest lake.

As Russia is a very large country, its climate is very different. How­ever, we can say that it is mainly continental. The Arctic Ocean influ­ences the weather on a great territory of the country. In some parts of our country winter lasts as long as six months.

The European part of Russia is in the temperate zone with warm or hot summers and rather mild winters.

Our country is very rich in mineral resources, especially it is rich in gas, oil and forests, which are exported to different countries on a large scale¹.

From an agricultural country before the 1917 Revolution our country has become a highly developed industrial and agricultural state. After the Revolution heavy industry has been created; there have appeared such new branches of industry as aviation, machine-building, chemical, auto­mobile and many others. A number of² hydroelectric power stations have been constructed as well.

It is to be noted³ that the first atomic power station in the world began operating in Obninsk near Moscow in 1954, the first atomic ice-breaker in the world was also built in Russia. For a number of years our country played a leading role in the field of space exploration. In 1957, the first artificial satellite (sputnik) in the world was launched by Russia. On the 12th of April we celebrate Cosmonautics Day in the memory of the first space flight carried out by Yury Gagarin in 1961.

The new political system has brought great changes in all spheres of life in Russia. The Russian Federation is an independent state with a president at the head. The president is elected every four years at gen­eral elections.

The political system consists of three branches of power;

1. the legislative branch⁴ is the Parliament that is divided into two houses – the Upper House, that is the Federation Council, and the Lower House, the Duma.

2. the executive branch⁵ is the government with Prime Minister at the head.

3. the judicial branch⁶ headed by the Supreme Court.

There exist a great many political parties and organizations (political as well as social) in our country today.

Notes on the Text

 

1. on a large scale – зд. в больших количествах

2. a number of – ряд, несколько

3. It is to be noted – Следует отметить

4. the legislative branch – законодательная власть (ветвь власти)

5. the executive branch – исполнительная власть

6. the judicial branch – судебная власть

 

Words to Be Learnt

 

total a – общий, всеобщий plain n – равнина influence v – влиять; п влияние temperate zone n – умеренная зона create v – создавать, творить

carry out v – выполнять elect v – избирать elections n – выборы government n – правительство