Text_2

Text 2. THE EARLY DAYS

OF THE AUTOMOBILE

Like most other great human achievements, the motor car is not the product of any single inventor.

One of the earliest attempts to propel a vehicle by mechanical power was sug­gested by Isaac Newton. But the first self-propelled vehicle was constructed by the French military engineer Cugnot in 1763. He built a steam-driven engine which had three wheels, carried two passengers and ran at maximum speed of four miles per hour.

In 1784 the Russian inventor Kulibin built a three-wheeled carriage.

In his vehicle he used for the first time such new elements as brakes, rollers and a gearbox.

In 1825 a steam engine was built in Great Britain. The vehicle carried 18 passengers and covered 8 miles in 45 minutes. However, the progress of motor cars met with great opposition in Great Britain. Further develbpment of motor car lagged because of the restrictions resulting from legislative acts. The most famous of these acts was the Red Flag Act of 1865, according to which the speed of the steam-driven vehicles was limited to 4 miles per hour and a man with a red flag had to walk in front of it.

In Russia there were cities where motor cars were outlawed altogether. When the editor of the local newspaper in the city of Uralsk bought a car, the governor issued these instructions to the police: "When the vehicle appears in the streets, it is to be stopped and escorted to the police station, where its driver is to be prosecuted."

Fig. 1. The world's first car, made by Karl Benz in 1886. The engine produced 3/4 horsepower, and achieved the speed of 13 kph / 8 mph.

Рис.1. Первый в мире автомобиль, созданный Кар­лом Бенцем в 1886 г. Его двигатель мощностью 3/4 л.с. развивал скорость 13 км/час (8 миль в час).

Задание 15

Найдите в тексте синоним слова build.

Задание 16

Заполните пропуски в предложениях в соответствии с содержанием тек­ста и переведите предложения.

Like most other great human , the motor car is not the product

of .

In his vehicle Kulibin used for the first time such new elements as , , and .

The progress of motor cars in Great Britain.

The speed of the steam-driven vehicles was to 4 miles per hour and a man with a red flag front of it.

In Russia there were cities where altogether.

Задание 20

Переведите вопросы. На основе ответов на вопросы кратко перескажи­те основное содержание текста на английском языке.

Is the motor car a product of a single inventor?

When was the first self-propelled vehicle constructed?

What elements did the Russian inventor Kulibin

use for the first time in his vehicle?

Did the progress of motor cars meet with great opposition?

Задание 21

На основе вопросов и ответов на вопросы по Заданию 20 подготовьте диалог. Один из участии ков диалога — инженер-автомобилист. Он отвечает на воп­росы другого участника диалога — студента, который старается получить как можно больше интересующей его информации. При составлении диалога используйте текст и материал, представленный в предыдущих заданиях.

В ходе диалога используйте следующие вводные слова и разговорные фразы:

а) для студента (student) Good morning!

Good afternoon! Hello!

Let me introduce myself.

My name is

I am

I study at

I am interested in

1 would like to ask you about

And what about

Can you describe me

Can you tell me about

What are the main characteristics of

Thank you for your help. It was nice to meet you. See you. Good-bye.

б) для инженера-автомобилиста (automotive engineer)

33

Good morning! Good afternoon! Hello!