Our College

I’m lucky to be a student of the Higher State College of Communication. It is situated in Minsk in P. Brovka Street. Our college is one of the oldest educational establishments of our republic, built in1930.

Our college is known for its high standard of teaching, creative and stimulation atmosphere. All the teachers are well-trained, they are real professionals. They work closely with the students organizing group and individual tutorials. The full term of study in our college is seven years.

The students have to attend classes regularly and be very active. They often take tests, conduct experiments, prepare reports and take part in conferences.

We study many different subjects in the college. Some of them are very difficult, but so very interesting at the same time. To succeed we must be good at mathematics, physics, foreign languages. We have lectures and practical classes every day.

Social life in our college is rich in different events. All year round we have a varied program of evening activities including parties, discos, theatre visits and outings to different places of interest. We take part in various sport competitions, theatricals and concerts.

Our college has various facilities for studies. There are many labs in our college, well-equipped with TV sets, video-cassette recorders, tape-recorders and other necessary apparatus. We also have some computer class-rooms, a large conference hall, a gym, a great number of class-rooms.

The museum of the history of our college is our pride. It attracts visitors from all over the city. Our students themselves take care of the museum, they work there as guides.

In1993 one more building was built for our college. Now after four years of the specialized secondary education the most capable students have an opportunity to get higher education.

We have three hostels for those students, who have come from all over the republic. They are clean, cosy and comfortable. Our college doctor Tamara Vasiljevna takes care of our health.

There are rich libraries and reading-rooms in both buildings where we can borrow all the necessary books for our studies. The students can prepare for seminars and practical classes there.

A good education helps the graduates of our college to find a place in society, to guarantee high wages.

Vocabulary

Creative - творческий

Theatrical – театрализованное предст…

To equip – оборудовать

Graduate - выпускник

Wages –заработная плата

EXERCISES

LEVEL II

Put the following sentences into Passive Voice.

1.Everybody knows our college for its high standard of teaching.

2.In 1993 they built one more building for our college.

LEVEL III

Find English equivalents to the following:

- творческая атмосфера

- богата различными событиями

- театрализованное представление

LEVEL IV

Share your opinion about

-your college museum; - хорошо оборудованный - необходимые приборы - заботиться о музе

-хорошо оборудованный -social life in the college -accommodation

The Inventor of the Radio

Contemporary life is impossible without information network which keeps people informed on the topical events of the day. Radio, one of the most accessible mass media, was invented by Alexander Stepanovich Popov on May 7 /April 25 / 1895. So, in 1995 the whole world celebrated the 100 - year anniversary of this great invention.

A. Popov /l859-1906/ was the greatest Russian scientist and inventor. He was born in the family of a priest. First he studied at Perm Clergy Seminary. In 1882 he graduated from Petersburg University.

Alexander Popov possessed extensive knowledge of electrical theory and wide experience in this field. He was a unique man. Being a scientist he always carried on some practical work. He did much for the Russian Navy having introduced electricity in it.

Popov was one of the first to turn attention to the work of Hertz, a famous German scientist-physicist who proved experimentally the existence of electromagnetic waves. Popov used this discovery to construct a device, which was able to receive electromagnetic waves at a long distance. He called his device a radio-receiver.

The work of the receiver was based on the arc discharge principle. The receiver recorded waves generated by lightning discharges. The successful functioning of the device in practice proved its ability to catch electromagnetic oscillations in the atmosphere.

On May 7 /April 251 1895 A. Popov demonstrated his device at the Russian Physico-Chemical Society. It was a fundamentally new set transmitting signals at a distance by means of rapid electrical oscillations.

Popov constantly perfected his radio –receiver. The scientist found out experimentally that a free wire connected to his device increased the range of the latter. Thus he invented the first antenna in the world.

In summer 1895 he attached to the receiver an apparatus previously used for recording telegrams over the wire telegraph. In 1896 this perfected device was used for warning about approaching thunderstorm at the electric power station in Nizhny Novgorod.

Popov's wireless communication was used in the Naval Ministry. It became the basis of radiolocation for detecting battleships.

The year 1898 witnessed a new important invention made by Popov and his assistants Ribkin and Troitsky - the reception of audible signals by the receiver.

The great Russian inventor did not make any secret of his discovery, describing it in press, making reports about it. His invention excited interest all over the world. Popov was offered immense profits from foreign commercial organizations. But being a Russian patriot he turned down the riches offered to him. He preferred to serve his motherland.

The leading Russian scientists realized the significance of his invention but the fate of the country was not in their hands. The tsarist government did nothing for home production of his device and training specialists for the newly born brunch.

Only during and after the Great October revolution the new means of communication invented by Alexander Popov was widely used by the young Soviet government.