Protesters force Tata Motors to abandon a car factory in West Bengal

Each year India’s Bengalis celebrate the goddess Durga. This year SantoshMitra square in Kolkata hosted an unusual example: a yellow replica of the Nano, the small car touted by Tata Motors as the world’s cheapest. It stood in front of a forlorn factory (pictured), made of plywood, fibreglass and plaster, and girdled by a huge padlock and chain. Alas, the Nano will not be built in West Bengal. On October 3rd Ratan Tata, chairman of the Tata Group, said his firm would abandon its factory in the state, which has been pinned down for months in “political crossfire”.

The Nano is an icon of Indian ingenuity and entrepreneurialism. Selling for just 100,000 rupees ($2,100), it seeks to reach a new class of customers through frugal engineering. But India’s politicians also have a keen eye for a gap in the market. Mamata Banerjee, leader of the main opposition party in West Bengal, drummed up a campaign on behalf of farmers who opposed the project. Many had refused the compensation the state government offered when it hurriedly expropriated their land to make room for the Tata Motors plant. The replica sitting in SantoshMitra square is, sadly, the only Nano the Bengalis will now get to build.

replica – модель, точная копия                                                     totout – навязвать товар

forlorn – заброшенный                                    abandon – оставлять, прекращать что-либо

topindown – связать обещанием                                        ingenuity – изобретательность

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THE USA GENERAL FEATURES

The United States of America is situated in the central and southern parts of the continent of North America and includes the state of Alaska and the Hawaii Islands in the Pacific Ocean. The country occupies a good geographical position. It is washed by the Atlantic Ocean in the east, the Gulf of Mexico in the south-east and by the Pacific Ocean in the west. In the north it borders on Canada and in the south-on Mexico. The USA consists of 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The area of the USA is over 9, 4 million square kilometers. The population of the country is nearly 216 million inhabitants. They are called Americans. The first inhabitants of North America were Indians and Eskimos. Now in the USA there are national and racial groups from all over the world: Englishmen, Germans, Scotchmen, Spaniards, Russians, and people form Asia and Africa.

The USA has several different climatic regions. The coldest climate is in the north. Here there is much snow and the temperature is very low, about -45 C, and in Alaska, in the district of Yukon, the climate is arctic. The winter temperature is lower than -55-60 C, and the summer is usually cold. Along the western coast and in the south-east the climate is hot and dry. The central part it is continental. The climate in the region of Great Lakes is very changeable.

1.    Where does the United States situated?

2.    How many nationalities live in the USA now?

3.    Why does the USA have different climatic regions?

3. Topic: “My Hobby”

№ 19

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Natural gas could be a better choice than petrol

Driven quickly on winding roads—or if simply trying to avoid an imminent accident—all that extra battery and engine weight plus skinny wheels and staid suspension settings don’t exactly endow the Prius with sure-footed stability.

The problem is the fuel supply. Thanks to the huge methane field beneath the North Sea, Britain was awash in natural gas. Unfortunately, the stuff that powered the duel-fuel car was liquefied natural gas (LNG) rather than the gaseous form piped around the country for heating and cooking purposes.

The Japanese, sensibly, never tried to put LNG in their cars. They opted instead for compressed natural gas (CNG), even though it meant installing a bulky pressure vessel in the boot. To this day, most Japanese taxis run on CNG—and, as a consequence, have little space for luggage. That, and the limited range between fill-ups, are the only real negatives.

Better still, the majority of their offerings are dual-fuel cars that can switch over to petrol if they run out of natural gas. Your correspondent thinks he has to find a way of importing one.

imminent –надвигающийся, неминуемый

toendow – обеспечивать, наделять

bulky – занимающий много места

tooptinstead – выбирать вместо

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THE MAN WHO DISCOVERED THE NEW WORLD

Every event in the life of Christopher Columbus is of supreme interest.

At the age of 14 he went to sea. He saw foreign countries. He learnt the art of navigation. He became a recognized seaman.

For many long years he had been revolving a plan for reaching India by sailing westward instead of the way by Africa. In 1480 he proposed his idea to the King of Portugal. The King was inclined to believe Columbus, but his councilors persuaded him to get from the navigator his plans.

For 11 long years he had to wait till he was summoned before the King and Queen.

On August 3rd 1492 the little fleet of three ships sailed forth from Spain. No one ever expected to see them again. Day after day and night after night they sailed on in an unknown sea in search of an unknown land, till the last land faded from their sight.

On the evening on the 11th of February a light was seen glimmering in the distance, when the sun rose the low shores of land could be seen. It was an island which later on he named San Salvador.

Columbus thought he had discovered a new way to India, he never knew he had discovered a new continent.

1.    At what age did Columbus go to sea?

2.    Why did Columbus wait for so long to implement his plan?

3.    What name was given to discovered continent?

3. “MyStudy”

Билет № 20

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