AGRICULTURE IN GREAT BRITAIN

Great Britain lives by manufacture and trade. Its agriculture provides wheat, barley, oats, corn, rye, vegetables, sugar beets and fruits.

Kent (a county in the South East of England) is called the "Garden of England". It looks very beautiful in spring with its blossoming orchards of apple pear and cherry trees. Hard fruits (apples and pears) grow well in many other parts of Britain too. The area around Perth, in Scotland, is the chief centre for raspberries. (The jam making and fruit-preserving industry that have grown up in these districts are very important.

Dairy farming is distributed all over the country. Britain is an exporter of sheep, pigs and horses. Sheep are found in hilly counties particularly. Britain has been famous for its wool for centuries. Besides, we must not forget "the silver harvest of the sea", its fisheries. The east coast fisheries are the most valuable, and three quarters of the fish landed in England come from there.

1.    What are the main recourses for living in Great Britain?

2.    Why does Kent called the Garden of England”?

3.    What products does Great Britain export?

3. Topic: “Operating irregularity of a Transmission Mechanism”

№ 8

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Center for Electromechanics provides key device for jet-launching system on future aircraft carriers

AUSTIN, Texas—The Center for Electromechanics at The University of Texas at Austin is part of a team selected to develop the next generation system of launching jets from aircraft carriers. The new system uses electromagnetic forces to quickly accelerate aircraft and the center has supplied a novel electrical generator to the system. General Atomics, based in San Diego, leads the team developing the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System under a $145 million System Development and Demonstration contract. The system is to be used in the U.S. Navy’s next generation of aircraft carriers, due at sea by 2014, replacing the steam-driven system that’s launched aircraft for decades. The electromagnetic launcher should provide better performance, require less human power and cost less over its life than steam catapults. It also has the power to launch heavier, faster aircraft.

The Center for Electromechanics designed, made and tested the electrical generator for the system. It was the only university-related entity on the winning contract team and it will continue to work on the project as the system is further developed. “This project would not have been successful without the skills and cooperation of Texas companies,” said Ray Zowarka, the project manager for The University of Texas at Austin. The project calls for General Atomics to design, build and install a full-scale system at the Naval Air Systems Command Lakehurst, N.J. by 2006 and to conduct testing in 2007 and 2008.

launching – запуск (системы, программы и т.д.)

steamcatapult – катапульта паровая

toconduct – вести, сопровождать

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THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND

The British Isles are a group of islands lying off the north - west coast of the continent of Europe. The British Isles consist of two large islands and many smaller ones. The two large islands are Great Britain and Ireland. The Northern part of Ireland and Great Britain form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Great Britain is the largest island and includes England, Scotland and Wales.

Great Britain is surrounded by seas on all sides and is separated from the continent by the North Sea and the English Channel. The Irish Sea separates Great Britain from Ireland. Great Britain owes much to the seas. The seas have acted as a guard and have often kept the island free from wars. The shallow waters around the British Isles are the home of many fish. Seaports play a great part in the life the country. Great Britain has a very good position as It lies on the crossways of the sea routes from Europe to the other parts of the world. There are many countries which are connected with Great Britain by sea. The British Isles have many rivers, but they are not very long. The river Thames flows through London and makes it a large seaport, though London is 64 km away from the sea.

The population of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is almost 56 million. The main nationalities are the English, the Scots, the Welsh and the Irish. Each of them has its own language and culture.

1.    How many parts does Great Britain consist of?

2.    What is Great Britain surrounded by?

3.    What are the main nationalities?

3. Topic: “Transmission Mechanism”

№ 9

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Power of Pee Runs a Battery

Scientists have developed a way to turn pee into electricity. And there's plenty where that came from, they point out.

Cheap, disposable, and renewable, urine-powered batteries may be the perfect power source for disposable healthcare test kits called biochips, the researchers say. "We are striving to develop cheap, disposable credit card-sized biochips for disease detection," said battery developer Ki Bang Lee. "Our battery can be easily integrated into such devices, supplying electricity upon contact with biofluids such as urine." Scientists around the world are clamoring to design inexpensive biochips to quickly test for a variety of diseases. But no one has been able to make a similarly small and inexpensive power source.

Lee and his team soaked a piece of paper in copper chloride and then sandwiched it between strips of magnesium and copper. Then they laminated the credit card-sized unit between transparent plastic films. When a drop of urine is added to the copper chloride paper, a chemical reaction takes place and produces electricity, which is harnessed by the battery. A few drops will generate about 1.5 volts, the same as a AA battery. The battery needs to be developed further to make it commercially viable. "Our urine-activated battery would be integrated into biochip systems for healthcare diagnostic applications," Lee said. The chemical composition of urine indicates a person's general health and is widely used in diagnostic tests. For instance, doctors measure the concentration of the sugar glucose to determine whether someone is diabetic. Lee predicts that one day people will be able to monitor their own health at home using biochips powered by this type of battery.

disposable – доступный                                 disease detection – выявлениеболезни

to soak in – замачивать, погружать      to harness - использовать ( вопределенныхцеля)

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INDUSTRY IN GREAT BRITAIN

Great Britain is highly industrialized. This was the country in which the earliest development of modern industry took place. Britain is one of the most highly industrialized countries in the world. The industrial centers of Great Britain are London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool Sheffield and others. London, the capital, is one of many important industrial centers. Lots of things such as planes and cars, food and clothes are made in London.  

Nearly all the chief towns of the industrial Midlands are close together. Here we find numerous factories and coal mines. Birmingham is the most important town in this district. All the pins and needles in English homes, the pens that people write with, the spoons and the folks they use for dinner, the glasses which they drink out of are mostly products of Birmingham industry. The neighboring city of Coventry is the birthplace of the motor manufacturing industry. Sheffield is famous for its knives and scissors. To the north of Birmingham you come to Manchester, the centre of the cotton industry. It is also one of Britain's most important producers of computers and electronic equipment.

Ship building is an important industry in the United Kingdom. The main ship building centers are London, Glasgow, Belfast and some others. Coal mining is important in South Wales.

1.    Is Great Britain highly industrialized?

2.    What are the main industrial centers there?

3.    Where are situated the main ship-building centers?

3. Topic: “Chassis”

№ 10

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