Developing of Telecommunications

I would like to tell you about telecommunications and their developing.

We can not deny the role of telecommunications in our life. The Internet, phones, telegraph, cell phones, radio, television are all the means of communication or telecommunication. Nowadays we live in information era, when information is the key and engine of progress. Our society needs perfect means of information exchange that is why all types of telecommunication are under the permanent developing.

Currently hundreds of millions of people use wireless communication means. Cell phone is no longer a symbol of prestige but a tool, which lets to use working time more effectively. Considering that the main service of a mobile connection operator is providing high quality connection, much attention in the telecommunication market is paid to the spectrum of services that cell network subscriber may receive.

Today we can easily connect to the Internet using our cell phone or to take a picture or to take a short movie, using our video cell phone.

Late in the nineteenth century, communication facilities were augmented by a new invention — telephone. In the USA its use expanded slowly and by 1900 the American Telephone and Telegraph Company controlled 855,000 telephones.

After 1900, telephone installations extended much more rapidly in all the wealthier countries. The number of telephones in use in the world grew at almost 100 per cent per decade. But long-distance telephone services gradually developed and began to compete with telegraphic business. A greater contribution to long-range communication came with the development of wireless technology.

Before the outbreak of the First World War wireless telegraphy was established as a means of regular communication with ships at sea and provided a valuable supplement to existing telegraph lines. In the next few years the telephone systems of all the chief countries were connected with each other by radio. Far more immediate was the influence that radio had through broadcasting and by television, which followed it at an interval of about twenty-five years.

Telephones are as much a part of infrastructure of our society as roads or electricity, and competition will make them cheaper. Losses from lower prices will be countered by higher usage. Most important of all, by cutting out the need to install costly cables and microwave transmitters, the new telephones could be a boon to the remote and poor regions of the earth. Even today, half the world's population lives more than two hours away from a telephone.

Satellite phones are not going to deliver all their benefits at once.

Lots of other new communication services — on-line film libraries, personal computers that can send video-clips and sound-bites as easily as they can be used for writing letters, terrestrial mobile-telephone systems cheap enough to replace old sets — are already technically possible.

Vocabulary:

 

telecommunication — телекоммуникация, дальняя связь; телефон, телеграф, радио
to develop — развивать, совершенствовать
to deny — отрицать, отказываться от.
cell phone — мобильный телефон
exchange — обмен
permanent — постоянный
tool — инструмент
effectively — эффективно
to consider — считать, полагать
operator — оператор
to provide — обеспечивать, снабжать
network — сеть, система
subscriber — подписчик, клиент
to receive — получать, принимать, воспринимать
facility — оборудование, аппаратура, приспособления
to augment — увеличивать, прибавлять
invention — изобретение
to expand — расширять, увеличивать
installation — установка, размещение
to extend — распостранять, расширять
to grow (past grew, p.p. grown) — расти, увеличивать
gradually — постепенно, понемногу
to compete — конкурировать, соревноваться
contribution — содействие, вклад
wireless — беспроволочный, дистанционный
outbreak — (зд) внезапное начало
to establish — основывать, создавать
valuable — ценный, полезный
supplement — дополнение, добавление
immediate — внезапный, безотлагательный, немедленный
influence — воздействие, влияние
to broadcast (past broadcast, p.p. broadcast) — передавать в эфире, вещать
interval — промежуток, интервал
infrastructure — инфраструктура
electricity — электричество
microwave — микроволновый
transmitter — предатчик
boon — благо, дар; перимущество, удобство
remote — отдаленный, далекий
benefits — услуги, выгоды, привилегии
terrestrial — земной, наземный

 

Questions:

1. What means of telecommunication do you know?
2. Why do we try to develop all types of telecommunication?
3. Can we connect to the Internet using our cell phone today?
4. What was invented late in the nineteenth century?
5. What technology made a great contribution to a long-range communication?
6. Was there wireless telegraphy as a means of regular communication before the outbreak of the First World War?
7. What new telecommunication services do you know?

The Solar Empire

The Solar system is the place where we live. It contains the central star, which is called the Sun, nine planets with their own satellites, many comets, billions meteorites and thousands asteroids.

The closest planet to the Sun is Mercury. Mercury is hard to see from the Earth because it is so small and so close to the sun. At certain times of the year, it can be seen just after sunset or before sunrise. The rest of the time it is lost in the sun's glare. Mean distance from the Sun is 58,000,000 km. Mercury's diameter is 4880 km. The surface temperature of Mercury can rise up to 800 Р during the day and can fall up to -360 F during the night. Because of such difference in day and night temperatures there is no atmosphere. It is the Bible Hell. The year on Mercury lasts 88 days.

The second planet from the Sun is Venus. Venus, the brightest object in the sky except for the Sun and the Moon, is often visible for several hours just after sunset or before sunrise. The entire planet is covered by thick clouds. The planet is dead because of huge greenhouse effect. The temperature under clouds can rise up to 900 F. There is no day and night because of thick clouds, covering Venus's sky. Venus* diameter is 12 100 km. The year on Venus lasts 226 days. Both Venus and Mercury have no satellites.

Our planet is the third planet from the Sun. Its diameter is 12j 760 km. Mean distance from the Sun is 150 millions of kilometres. The only natural satellite, orbiting the Earth is the Moon.

The Moon is the closest astronomical body to the Earth and we know more about it than about any other object in the heavens. Many surface features are visible to the unaided eye on the Moon, and a pair of binoculars reveals a great amount of detail. A small telescope shows vast seas of lava, large mountain ranges and hundreds of craters of all sizes. Mean distance from the Earth to the Moon is 384,400 km. The surface temperature of Moon can rise up to 248 F during the day and can fall up to -274 F during the night. The Moon's diameter is 3476 km. Its mass is about 85 times smaller that the Earth mass.

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is about twice smaller than the Earth. Its diameter is 6,800 km. The year on Mars lasts 686 days. Mars appears reddish in our sky, even to the naked eye. This is caused by the rich content of rust (iron oxide) in the top soil. Mars has two small moons: Phobos and Deimos. Mean distance from the Sun is 228,000,000 km. Its surface temperature varies from 72 F to -271 F.

The fifth planet from the Sun is Jupiter. Jupiter is the Solar System's largest planet. Its composition is more like a star than a planet. Jupiter's diameter is 143,800 km. The Jupiter year is 11 years, 321 days long. Mean distance from the Sun is 778,000,000 km. Jupiter belongs to outer giant planets of the Solar System. Jupiter has 39 moons.

The sixth planet from the Sun is Saturn. Mean distance from the Sun is about one billion and a half kilometres. Its beauty in even small telescopes is breathtaking. This planet has rings. The rings consist of billions of particles, ranging from a few centimetres to a few meters in diameter. The sixth planet has about 30 moons.

Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. The planet has a system of at least nine rings. Both Uranus and Saturn belong to giant planets. Uranus year is 84.01 years long, because the mean distance from the Sun is 2,870,000,000 km. Uranus has 21 satellites.

Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun. It is the last giant planet of the Solar System. It is similar in size, and composition to Uranus. The year on Neptune lasts about 165 years, because the average distance from the Sun is 5 billions and a half kilometres. Neptune has 14 satellites.

Pluto is the farthest planet from the Sun. The mean distance from the Sun is nearly 6 billion kilometres. Pluto is smal-s ler than the Moon. It is the only planet that has not been visited by a spacecraft. It has the only one known moon Charon.

 

Vocabulary:

 

to contain — содержать в себе, включать, иметь в своем составе
satellite — астроН. сателлит, спутник
asteroid — астрон. астероид; малая планета
Mercury — астрон. планета Меркурий
hard — трудно
sunset — заход солнца
sunrise — восход солнца
glare — блеск, сияние
to rise (past rose, p.p. risen) — подниматься (о температуре)
to fall (past fell, p.p. fallen) — падать (о температуре)
to last — длиться
Venus — астрон. планета Венера
bright — яркий
the Moon — Луна
huge — большой, гигантский, громадный, огромный
greenhouse effect — парниковый эффект
to orbit — вращаться вокруг
heaven — небеса, небо
unaided eye — невооруженный глаз
binoculars — бинокль
to reveal — обнаруживать, показывать
vast — обширный, громадный; безбрежный
mean — средний
surface — поверхность
to appear — зд. являться
reddish — красноватый
naked eye — невооруженный глаз
rust — ржавый
Phobos — Фобос
Deimos — Деймос
Jupiter — астрон. Юпитер
outer giant planet — внешние планеты-гиганты
Saturn — астрон. планета Сатурн
particle — частица
Uranus — астрон. планета Уран
Neptune — астрон. планета Нептун
similar — подобный, похожий
Pluto — астрон. планета Плутон
Charon — Харон

 

Questions:

1. How many planets are there in the Solar System?
2. What is the closest planet to the Sun?
3. How long does Mercury's year last?
4. What is the second planet from the Sun?
5. How long does Venus' year last?
6. How many satellites have Venus and Mercury?
7. What is the closest astronomical body to the Earth?
8. What is the fourth planet from the Sun?
9. Why does Mars appear reddish in our sky?
10. How long does Mars' year last?
11. What are outer giant planets of the Solar System?
12. What is the farthest planet from the Sun?
13. What planets of the Solar System have rings?
14. What is the Solar System's largest planet?

Environmental Protection

Our planet Earth is only a tiny part of the universe, but nowadays it's the only place where we can live.

People always polluted their surroundings. But until now pollution was not such a serious problem. People lived in rural areas and did not produce such amount of polluting agents that would cause a dangerous situation in global scale.

With the development of overcrowded industrial highly developed cities, which put huge amounts of pollutants into surrounds, the problem has become more and more dangerous. Today our planet is in serious danger. Acid rains, global warming, air and water pollution, and overpopulation are the problems that threaten human lives on the Earth.

In order to understand how air pollution affects our body, we must understand exactly what this pollution is. The pollutants that harm our respiratory system are known as particulates. Particulates are the small solid particles that you can see through rays of sunlight. They are products of incomplete combustion in engines, for example: internal-combustion engines, road dust and wood smoke.

Billions of tons of coal and oil are consumed around the world every year. When these fuels are burnt, they produce smoke and other by-products, which is emitted into the atmosphere. Although wind and rain occasionally wash away the smoke, given off by power plants and automobiles, but it is not enough.. These chemical compounds undergo a series of chemical reactions in the presence of sunlight; as a result we have smog, mixture of fog and smoke. While such pollutants as particulates we can see, other harmful ones are not visible. Among the most dangerous to bur health are carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and ozone or active oxygen.

If you have ever been in an enclosed parking garage or a tunnel and felt dizzy or lightheaded, then you have felt the effect of carbon monoxide (CO). This odourless, colourless, but poisonous gas is produced by the incomplete burning of fossil fuels, like gasoline or diesel fuel.

Factories emit tons of harmful chemicals. These emissions have disastrous consequences for our planet. They are the main reason for the greenhouse effect and acid rains.

Our forests are disappearing because they are cut down or burnt. If this trend continues, one day we won't have enough oxygen to breathe, we won't see a beautiful green forest at all.

The seas are in danger. They are filled with poison: industrial and nuclear wastes, chemical fertilizers and pesticides. If nothing is done about it, one day nothing will be able to live in our seas.

Every ten minutes one kind of animal, plant or insect dies out forever. If nothing is done about it, one million species that are alive today may soon become extinct.

And even greater threats are nuclear power stations. We all know how tragic the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster are.

Fortunately, it's not too late to solve these problems. We have the time, the money and even the technology to make our planet a better, cleaner and safer place. We can plant trees and create parks for endangered animals.

We can recycle our wastes; persuade enterprises to stop polluting activities, because it is apparent that our careless use of fossil fuels and chemicals is destroying this planet. And it is now more than ever apparent that at the same time we are destroying our bodies and our future.

Vocabulary:

 

tiny part — крошечная часть
to pollute — загрязнять
rural area — сельский район
polluting agents — загрязняющие компоненты
global scale — глобальный масштаб
acid rains — кислотные дожди
overpopulation — перенаселение
to threaten — угрожать
to affect — воздействовать
respiratory system — дыхательная система
particulates — макрочастице
solid particles — твердые частицы
ray of sunlight — зд. солнечный свет
combustion — сжигание, сгорание
internal-combustion engine — двигатель внутреннего сгорания
wood smoke — зд. сгорание древесины
by-products — побочные продукты
power plants — силовые установки
chemical compounds — зд. химические элементы
to undergo — подвергаться воздействию
smog — смог
fog — туман
carbon monoxide — угарный газ
nitrogen oxides — окислы азота
sulfur dioxide — сернистый газ
dizzy — головокружение
odourless — без запаха
fossil fuels — органическое топливо
gasoline — бензин
to emit — испускать, выбрасывать
disastrous consequences — гибельные последствия
greenhouse effect — парниковый эффект
to breathe — дышать, вдыхать
chemical fertilizers — удобрения
pesticide — пестицид
plant — растение
insect — насекомое
extinct — исчезнуть, вымирать

 

Questions:

1. When did the problem of pollution become dangerous?
2. What problems threaten human lives on the Earth?
3. Why is air pollution harmful?
4. Is it dangerous to breathe polluted air?
5. What does the burning of fuel and fossil fuels produce?
6. What are the most dangerous pollutants?
7. What is the main reason for the greenhouse effect and acid rains on our planet?
8. Can we solve the problem of environmental protection?

Ecological Problems

Since ancient times Nature has served Man, being the source of his life. For thousands of years people lived in harmony with environment and it seemed to them that natural riches were unlimited. But with the development of civilization man's interference in nature began to increase.

Large cities with thousands of smoky industrial enterprises appear all over the world today. The by-products of their activity pollute the air we breathe, the water we drink, the land we grow grain and vegetables on.

Every year world industry pollutes the atmosphere with about 1000 million tons of dust and other harmful substances. Many cities suffer from smog. Vast forests are cut and burn in fire. Their disappearance upsets the oxygen balance. As a result some rare species of animals, birds, fish and plants disappear forever, a number of rivers and lakes dry up.

The pollution of air and the world's ocean, destruction of the ozone layer is the result of man's careless interaction with nature, a sign of the ecological crises.

The most horrible ecological disaster befell Ukraine and its people after the Chernobyl tragedy in April 1986. About 18 percent of the territory of Byelarus were also polluted with radioactive substances. A great damage has been done to the agriculture, forests and people's health. The consequences of this explosion at the atomic power-station are tragic for the Ukrainian, Byelorussian and other nations.

Environmental protection is of a universal concern. That is why serious measures to create a system of ecological security should be taken.

Some progress has been already made in this direction. As many as 159 countries — members of the UNO — have set up environmental protection agencies. Numerous conferences have been held by these agencies to discuss problems facing ecologically poor regions including the Aral Sea, the South Urals, Kuzbass, Donbass, Semipalatinsk and Chernobyl.

An international environmental research centre has been set up on Lake Baikal. The international organisation Greenpeace is also doing much to preserve the environment.

But these are only the initial steps and they must be carried onward to protect nature, to save life on the planet not only for the sake of the present but also for the future generations.

Vocabulary:

 

ancient — древний
harmony — гармония
environment — окружающая среда
riches — богатства
unlimited — неограниченный
to interfere — вмешиваться
to increase — увеличиваться, возрастать
smoky — дымный
enterprises — предприятия
by-product — побочный продукт
activity — деятельность
to pollute — загрязнять
substances — вещества
oxigen — кислород
rare — редкий
destruction — разрушение
ozone — озон
layer — слой
interaction — взаимодействие
horrible — ужасный
disaster — катастрофа
to befall — пасть (на что-то)

 

Questions:

1. How did people live for thousands of years?
2. What cities appear all over the world today?
3. What pollutes the air we breathe?
4. What is the result of the pollution the atmosphere?
5. Why is environmental protection of a universal concern?
6. What are the initial steps in this direction?