Inventions and inventors

The last two centuries were the epoch of scientific and technological revolution when new ideas were being born and new discoveries and inventions were being made. Man has entered space and reached out to the Moon, Venus and Mars, he has created complex cybernetic machines and made nuclear energy work for him, develop modern tools of war, predict earthquakes. Knowledge is essential for people to find their way in the changing world. Science develops more and more solutions to the energy problem. It helped people to learn to use the energy from the sun and from the atom and to share the resources

The world knows the names of many great scientists, mathematicians, physicists, chemists, biologists, linguists, historians, etc. A lot of discoveries have been made by them in different fields of science and engineering, improved life for people.

A lot of new inventions appear every day to make our lives easier, longer, warmer, and speedier. But only a few inventors design a new machine or product that becomes so well-known that it is named after its creator. I want to tell you about the inventors who gave their names to the thing they created.

Charles Rolls was born in 1881 in Great Britain. He died in 1910. He was an aristocrat and businessman. He was especially interested in cars. Once he met another enthusiast of cars Henry Royce. Henry Royce was a famous car engineer. They decided to design the most comfortable and reliable car. At the beginning of the 20th century it seemed to be a fantasy. But they worked hard and at last in1907 they created the world-famous Rolls-Royce car. It was so comfortable and reliable that one of the models of Rolls-Royce cars "Silver Ghost" hadn't changed greatly for 20 years since 1907.

Gottlieb Daimler and Charles Bens were two inventors. They lived in Germany. They were both interested in car production. At the end of the 19th century each of them designed a car. At the same time they organized two independent firms to produce them.

All the cars produced by the firm of Daimler were called "Mercedes". Mercedes was a daughter's name of one of the stockholders of the firm. This man saved the firm of Daimler from the financial crisis at the beginning of the 20th century. But after the World War 1 the firm of Daimler met with financial difficulties again. This time it had to join the firm of Benz. Since that time all the cars produced by the firm "Daimler-Benz" have been called "Mercedes-Benz".

Answer the questions:

1. Why is science so important in the modern world?

2. What proves that the study of science is important for understanding of the natural world?

3. Which great Russian scientist worked out the theory of space flights and designed the first rocket?

4. What achievements have been made in space exploration?

5. What outstanding scientists do you know?

6. What famous inventors do you know?

7. Can you predict the future? What will life be like in 2100?

Vocabulary:

еpoch эпоха

complex сложный

cybernetic кибернетика

to develop the modern tools of war создать современное оружие

a number of solutions to the energy problem ряд решений энергетической проблемы

a basic knowledge of science элементарное знание науки

to design разрабатывать

to create создавать

creator создатель

enthusiast энтузиаст

reliable надежный

comfortable удобный

to change greatly сильно изменяться

firm фирма

stockholder акционер

to save спасать

financial crisis финансовый кризис

to join присоединяться

to make inventions, discoveries делать изобретения, открытия

inventor изобретатель

scientist ученый

to reach out to the Moon достичь Луны

nuclear energy ядерная энергия

mathematician математик

physicist физик

chemist химик

biologist биолог

linguist лингвист

historian историк

flight into space полет в космос

special merit особая заслуга

research исследования

age of space exploration век исследования космоса

interplanetary межпланетный

worked out разрабатывать

transfer переносить, перемещать

digital electronics цифровая электроника

Read the dialogues and act them out:

1.

- Do you know who the first to fly to stars was?

- Yes, I do. Everybody knows this for certain. It was Yuri Gagarin who made the first historic flight into space.

- Konstantin Tsiolkovsky is known to have been working on the problem of interplanetary travel, through all his life, isn't he?

- Surely, he is. It's Tsiolkovsky who worked out the theory of cosmic flights.

2.

- I know there appeared some new departments at your research institute. Don't you know what they are interested in?

- As I know they are interested in cybernetics, information technology, nuclear engineering and astrophysics.

- What problems are you interested in?

- It's information technology.

- What is it?

- It's the study of technology related to the transfer of information such as computers, digital electronics, telecommunication.

Translate into English using the topical vocabulary:

1. Наука помогла разработать современное оружие.

2. Ученые предсказывают землетрясения.

3. Знания необходимы людям, чтобы ориентироваться в изменяющемся мире.

4. Наука помогла людям научиться использовать энергию солнца и атома, а также совместному использованию ресурсов.

5. Наука находит все новые решения энергетической проблемы.

6. Много открытий сделано человеком в различных областях науки и техники.

7. Некоторые изобретатели сконструировали новую машину, которая была названа их именем.

8. В начале 20го века это казалось сенсацией.

9. Мы интересуемся изучением информационной технологии, ядерной инженерией и физикой атома.

10. Наука помогла улучшить жизнь людей.