Part I Reading
Read the article and choose the correct answer.
Nicola Tesla.
For some reason his name is not widely known though he could join the company of the most famous scholars like Edison and Newton. He achieved remarkable results in mechanics, engineering, electricity, magnetism, and energy transmitting. His researches and his astonishing discoveries could have accelerated the science and technological progress tremendously, but they didn’t.
The bulk of his theories and drafts were never implemented. Lots of his theoretical and engineering works were either never published, or lost, or just vanished and even the family weren’t able to trace the track of the papers.
The oblivion and rare references in scientific and popular science journals could have been caused by different reasons, his complicated and controversial personality included, but anyone who is keen on physics is very well familiar with his name — Tesla is the unit to measure magnetic induction or magnetic flux, and is used to define the intensity of magnetic fields.
Nicola Tesla was born in 1856 and died in 1943. Serbian by origin, he spent most of his life in the United States and his life there was very diverse. He did unskilled jobs to feed himself and to generate money for research. He was vice president of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers. He cherished his friendship with Mark Twain and argued severely with Edison.
He had a photographic memory, was fluent in about eight languages and was claimed to suffer from mental disorder at the end of his life. Data about him is rather controversial. According to some documents, it was he who invented the radio and designed radio controlled devices. There is evidence that at the very end of the nineteenth century Tesla demonstrated a radio-controlled boat at the electrical exhibition in the United States, though radio-controlled devices were not used till the middle of the twentieth century. Even more stunning and unbelievable were Tesla’s experiments with electricity.
Tesla supposed that it was possible to generate electricity from atmosphere and to transmit it wirelessly over huge distances. He had a specially equipped laboratory in Colorado Springs, State Colorado, the USA, where he experimented with electricity. According to his biographers the results were astonishing.
Tesla was able to create artificial lightning, much more powerful than the natural thing, and made it move in a certain direction, to a precisely calculated destination. If that had been true, it would make the most powerful and disastrous weapon mankind has ever known. There is a hypothesis, by the way, that the Tungus meteorite or Tunguska event, which happened in remote Siberia forests in 1908, was not a natural space body which exploded near the surface of the earth, but it was the effect of Tesla testing his directed energy weapon.
1. The author believes that the scientist
a) was as talented as his contemporary Newton.
b) his discoveries have accelerated the science and technological progress.
c) was known to the public.
d) was Edison’s and Newton’s friend.
2. His theoretical and engineering works were never implemented because
a) they were not important for science.
b) they were either lost, or vanished, or never published.
c) he works in a very narrow scientific field.
d) his family wanted to get much money for his papers.
3. According to the author, Nicola Tesla
a) cherished his friendship with Edison and argued severely with Mark Twain.
b) was the president of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers.
c) was born in eighteen century and died in nineteen century.
d) at the end of his life was claimed to suffer from mental disorder.
4. The author says that
a) Tesla supposed that it was possible to transmit it wirelessly over huge distances.
b) Tesla supposed that it was impossible to generate electricity from atmosphere.
c) in his laboratory in the USA he experimented with the universal Law of gravitation.
d) Tesla developed the idea of evolution of all living things from simpler creatures.
5. The author
a) is sure that Tesla succeeded in creating artificial lightning.
b) doubts that Tesla succeeded in creating artificial lightning.
c) is absolutely sure that it’s impossible to create artificial lightning.
d) believes they Tungus meteorite was actually Tesla’s artificial lightning.
Part II Use of English.
1.Use the words in the appropriate forms.
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We can’t imagine our life without a ___________(1) computer (PC). It is so fast, convenient and reliable to work on a PC. People study on their PC, entertain themselves during the free time. It is a great possibility to easily develop different skills yourself with the use of Internet, containing immeasurable amount of helpful ___________(2) like encyclopedias, teaching programs, smart guides and much more. Without my computer I would not have the pleasure of the getting to my favourite sites, I would have difficulty ___________(3) with friends, and I would not be able to do my work for school. I often wonder how we all managed before computers were a common place in the home. I just don’t have the time to be always running to the post box to send letters. E-mail is very ___________(4) when you have a tough schedule. Most of my ____________(5) time is spent at the computer as by the time I finish doing homework I am too tired and it is often too late to go out. It is a ____________(6) reference aid and ______________(7) tool. If all else fails, you can play cards on it, although my own ____________(8) is for action games! |
person inform communicate importance relax wonder education prefer |
2.Change the verbs to nouns and write them down.
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verb |
noun |
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1 |
inform |
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2 |
manage |
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3 |
examine |
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4 |
govern |
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5 |
collect |
3. Write the words into two columns world combinations and its translations.
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1 |
Pygmy elephant |
a |
Сокращение энергетических потребностей |
|
2 |
A hobbit-like species of humans |
b |
Доисторическое время |
|
3 |
An astonishing discovery |
c |
Печатный станок |
|
4 |
Minimizing energy requirements |
d |
Ограниченный запас пищи |
|
5 |
A limited food supply |
e |
Слоны – пигмеи |
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6 |
Prehistoric times |
f |
Люди, похожие на хоббитов |
|
7 |
A giant rodent |
g |
Потрясающее открытие |
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8 |
A movable type |
h |
Гигантский грызун |