Ex. 19. Speak on the topic: “Water in Human Life”.

 

UNIT II

 

PORTS

 

Ex. 1. Translate the words, practise their pronunciation and put them into your active vocabulary:

Reason, location, trade, freighter, cargo, ferry, turnover, anchor, quay, contingency, defence, fairway, vessel, lock, security, canal, lighthouse, pilot, remains, legislation, shipwreck, shelter, tide, abandonment, traffic, petroleum, coal, fuel, flow, decline, volume, shift, marsh, ford, conquest, manufacture, consumption, advantage, sight, tug, barge, craft;

To mention, to transfer, to appoint, to increase, to decrease, to handle, to establish, to involve, to install, to amount, to reduce, to stretch, to fortify, to ensure, to emerge, to tempt, to undergo;

Favourable, domestic, total, afloat, substantial, conventional, convenient, relevant, prosperous, former, swift;

Comparatively, entirely, previously;

Owing to

Ex.2. Insert the right word:

 

Freighter, increase, undergone, coal, pilots, mentioned, advantage, cargo, petroleum, lighthouses, reducing, vessel, tempted, shipwrecks, conquest, fuel, manufacturing, traffic, installed.

1. … and … help ships to avoid … in unknown waters. 2. A … is a sailing … carrying various types of …. 3. The street … is rather heavy in this district. 4. It should be … that this branch of … has … considerable changes in recent years. 5. The riches of the New World … numerous adventurers from Europe. 6. Tankers are used for transporting of … products. 7. The new machinery must be … to … the production. 8. The Norman … played a great role in the development of Britain. 9. The main … of this technology is the … of labour costs. 10. … was the major … for steam engines in the XIXth century.

Ex. 3. Change the words of italic type with their synonyms from your active vocabulary:

1. This river has a complex system of floodgates for providing shipping. 2. The storm is coming. We must find a cover. 3. The ruins of the ancient castle had a picturesque view. 4. The bogs in this region range along for many miles. 5. One can notice a serious decay in the region’s inland trade. 6. The new equipment mounted in the shop must raise the production safety. 7. Due to the appropriate harbour position it perfectly suits for the port construction. 8. Some people cannot make any serious decisions and prefer to go with the stream. 9. These heavy goods must be transmitted to the other board in order not to disturb the balance. 10. The construction of the bridge here instead of the river passing downstream will shorten the way twice.

 

Ex. 4. Define in one word:

 

a) a tower which shows the sailors where the shore is;

b) quick-moving;

c) to control the process;

d) a person who shows the way to the ship in unknown waters;

e) a vessel carrying cargo, transport and passengers across channels, bays, etc.;

f) a chance event;

g) a place for ships and boats to be tied up at;

h) a ship for carrying goods;

i) a law or a rule;

j) to be equal to smth

 

Ex. 5. Translate into Russian:

important port cities

naturally favourable conditions

international and domestic traffic

loading sites

with turnover of

appointed sites for anchoring

shipping infrastructure

to fall under the legislation

ancient underwater remains

sea bottom

comparatively small number

thanks to the high tides

to provide regular sailings

the shortest crossing points

to be in deep decline

ocean-going ship

from the other hand

overlooking the marshlands

alongside the river

a fortified town

a trading centre

Britain’s leading port

political and administrative functions

a source of progress and prosperity

from time to time

rather tempting to invaders

the maximum mark of

one of the great advantages

 

Ex. 6. Read and translate the text:

 

TEXT 2A

 

PORTS AND HARBOURS

 

Practically all cities on water, inland or on the coasts, have harbours. The larger cities on the coasts and many of the smaller ones are important port cities. St. Petersburg and Odessa, London and Bristol, New York and Boston – all these cities have famous ports. Sometimes naturally favourable conditions to build a port were in fact the reason for their location.

Harbours for proper trade receive freighters, cargo and combined ferries. Harbours for ferries in passenger traffic should also be mentioned: a large number of passengers in international and domestic traffic are transferred over regular harbours. Moreover, there are industrial harbours or loading sites with turnover of approximately 100 000 tons per year.

Harbours regularly have appointed sites for anchoring. Some anchoring sites are of great importance in security anchoring, while waiting for a quay berth or for sea-borne loading and unloading.

Trade shipping may be a part of the contingency planning of the total defence. Contingency fairways and emergency loading sites are prepared and are to be considered in the planning.

Finally, one needs to mention harbours and vessels belonging to the navy. However, the activities in these navy ports, especially those of the former Soviet republics on the Baltic Sea, decreased considerably during the 1990s.

Canals are also part of the shipping infrastructure. The interests regarding canals for trade shipping is not limited to the canal itself. Surrounding banks, constructions and machinery associated with locks, security devices, possible meeting places etc. are also important.

It also must be remembered that in the coastal range, there are buildings, fishing villages, lighthouses, pilot sites, ancient remains, etc. that directly fall under the legislation of the cultural environment. Ancient underwater remains include shipwrecks and other marine remains. A wreck that has been on the sea bottom less than 100 years is normally still considered to have an owner and is not included in the legislation for ancient monuments and findings.

All this should be considered while reconstructing or modernizing a port, which can represent a historical and cultural value.

 

Ex.7. Answer the questions:

 

1. What is one of the main reasons for port location? 2. What types of harbours can you mention? 3. Why must the sites for anchoring be regularly appointed? 4. Can you explain why the activities in the navy ports on the Baltic Sea decreased considerably during the 1990s? 5. What can be included into the interests regarding canals for trade shipping? 6. What objects fall under the legislation of the cultural environment? 7. Why is there the necessity of such legislation? 8. How long is a wreck normally considered to have an owner?

 

Ex. 8. Agree or disagree with the following statements. Give grounds to your answer:

 

1. Only the coastal cities have the harbours. 2. Naturally favourable conditions to build a port are often the main reason for their location. 3. There are different types of harbours. 4. A ship can choose any site for her anchoring in the harbour. 5. Every aspect of shipping must be considered in the port planning. 6. Navy ports constitute the main part in the total number of world ports. 7. Canal infrastructure is not limited by the canal itself. 8. Different coastal structures fall under the legislation of the cultural environment. 9. All underwater remains and wrecks are included in the legislation for ancient monuments and findings.10. While modernizing a port, we must consider its historical and cultural value.

 

Ex. 9. Translate into English:

 

1. Многие прибрежные и внутренние города являются портовыми. 2. Благоприятные природные условия – это иногда основная причина для строительства порта. 3. Говоря о торговом флоте, стоит упомянуть не только грузовые суда, но и паромы. 4. Ежегодный грузовой оборот крупного порта может составлять приблизительно 100 000 тонн. 5. Ваше оборудование нуждается в модернизации. 6. Объемы производства в этой области значительно выросли в последние годы. 7. Старинные портовые сооружения представляют собой большую культурную и историческую ценность. 8. Инфраструктура каналов включает в себя не только сам канал, но также строения, шлюзы и другое оборудование.

 

Ex. 10. Define the main topic and idea of the text, split it into the logical parts, and make up the plan of the text.

 

Ex. 11. Retell the text in brief.

 

Ex. 12. Read and translate the text:

 

TEXT 2B

 

PORTS OF BRITAIN

 

Almost all of the Britain’s trade is handled at a comparatively small number of ports. Most of these are old established and have been involved in trade for several hundred years.

The majority of ports have grown up in the mouths of rivers, which give sheltered water, deep enough to take the comparatively small ships, which were common before supertankers came into use. Thanks to the high tides many of the towns, which are situated dozens kilometres from the coast (London – 64, Glasgow – 35, Hull – 32, and many others) have become sea ports.

Many of the dock systems built during the XIXth and early XXth centuries became too small to handle the larger vessels afloat today and this resulted in the abandonment of old port areas and the building of new docks nearer the open sea or even the construction of entirely new ports (called outports). It is at these new sites that most of the modern facilities have been installed.

Another type of port, which has grown rapidly in recent years, is the ferry port. Originally designed to handle passengers and mail, the leading ferry ports provide regular sailings, often at very short intervals. Most ferry ports are old establishments. They grew up to provide services to Europe and Ireland and the sites chosen were usually those controlling the shortest crossing points, e.g. Dover, Folkestone, Holyhead, etc.

Traffic through the ports of Britain amounted to about 457 million tons in 1989 comprising 153 mln t of imports, 150 mln t of exports and 154 mln t of coastal traffic (mostly petroleum and coal). About 61 per cent of the traffic was in fuels, mainly petroleum products.

Britain’s main ports in terms of total tonnage handled, are as follows: Sullom Voe, London, Tees and Hartlepool, Milford Haven, Grimsby, Forth, Southampton, Orkney, Liverpool and others. Offshore oil developments have a substantial effect on port traffic by greatly increasing the flow through certain North Sea ports (Tees, Hartlepool and the Forth); creating new oil ports (Flotta in Orkney and Sullom Voe in Shetland); and reducing oil traffic at traditional oil terminals (Milford Haven and the Clyde). It also should be noted that there has been a decline in the volume of conventional cargo handled by traditional ports, such as London and Manchester. Liverpool, once Britain’s leading port, is in deep decline. But from the other hand the shift from Liverpool reflects Britain’s increased contacts with Europe.

 

Ex. 13. Answer the questions:

 

1. Are there a lot of ports in Britain? 2. What are the preferable sites for port construction in Great Britain? 3. What are the reasons for the modernization of British ports? 4. Can you explain what an outport is? 5. What type of ports has grown rapidly in recent years? 6. Where are ferry ports usually situated? 7. What are ferry ports originally designed for? 8. What constitutes the major part of British port traffic? 9. What are the main British ports? 10. How can offshore oil developments affect the port traffic?

 

Ex. 14. Explain why:

1) British inland river towns could become sea ports;

2) there is a need for the building of new docks nearer the open sea or even the construction of entirely new ports;

3) oil traffic at traditional oil terminals has considerably reduced;

4) some of the traditional ports are in deep decline nowadays.

 

Ex. 15. Develop the idea:

a) Britain has a comparatively small number of ports, originally grown up in the mouths of rivers;

b) there is a strong need of modernization and construction of new ports;

c) there is a decline in the volume of cargo handled by traditional ports.

 

Ex. 16. Read and translate the text. Try to answer the following: Can London be considered a typical British port and why?

TEXT 2C

LONDON PORT

London is the largest city in Britain and its history stretches back to pre-Roman times. The first settlement grew upon a dry gravel terrace overlooking the marshlands alongside the river Thames. Protected by the marshes and by streams flowing into Pic. 2. The Port of London the river, the site was easily defended. London’s early importance owed much to the fact that it was situated at the lowest crossing point of the Thames. As a result, back in the first century AD, the Romans built a fortified town beside the Thames and called it Londinium. Previously the site was called Llyn-dyn by the Celts, which means “Lake Fort”.

London is a place rich in history, and much of it is closely related to the river Thames that runs through the heart of the city. In fact, the earliest settlement was a direct result of the need for a convenient ford across the river. Over the centuries, the Thames has ensured London’s importance as a trading centre. Yet in Roman times London became Britain’s leading port and links were established with the rest of the Roman Empire. Because of its importance, London assumed political and administrative functions and, after the Norman Conquest it emerged as the capital of England.

The river Thames flows right through the capital, connecting many important and contrasting areas relevant to London’s past, its present and its future. For centuries, the river has been central to London’s development as a capital city, a source of progress and prosperity for its people. Of course, the city has also from time to time proved rather tempting to invaders. The Vikings from the 9^th to the 11^th centuries were among those who had attacked London from the water.

Today, the port of London, which handles some 50 million tons of cargo, is situated in the middle of the biggest manufacturing and consumption centre in the UK, the prosperous South East. Its geographical position fitted London to be the chief link of the United Kingdom with the outside world.

Most of the British ports are situated in the mouths, wide estuaries of rivers and London is not an exception. Of great importance for the port activity are tides when the rising water reaches the maximum mark of 6 metres in the lower Thames. So one of the great advantages of the port, because of its high tides, has been the ability of the vessels to sail up the estuary into the heart of the city.

London takes upon itself the largest part of the country’s overseas trade. From 5 to 10 per cent of the exports and 15-20 per cent of imports (by tonnage) pass through the port of London. As ocean-going ships today are generally much larger than they used to be, though fewer in number, the ports and harbours have to be adapted accordingly. In London trade, having undergone the ‘container revolution’ was generally transferred farther down river, out of sight to the average Londoner. For example, Tilbury Docks, 40 km below London Bridge, opened in 1886, formerly the main passenger port for London, was due for dock expansion, and new berths were constructed which could handle container ships.

The change has been so swift and so complete that it is hard to imagine that only 50 years ago the river was busy with steam tugs, sailing barges and other craft, both great and small.