9. Imagine that you are an engineer working at the plant and you have to explain the functions of different engines to your new colleague. Read the text again and make an outline of your explanation.

GRAMMAR IN USE

These exercises can help you to practice Pronouns: few / a few / little /a little. Read the rules on p.143 - 146 and then do the exercises.

10. Fill in the gaps with little / a little or few / a few.

1. I have ….. questions about engines.

2. The assembly hall was almost empty: there were ….. people in it.

3. I bought a new engine ….. months ago.

4. If you have ….. spare time, look through this book. You will find ….. stories about history of engines which are rather interesting.

5. She gave him ….. water to wash his face and hands.

6. My bus goes in ….. minutes.

7. We have ….. knowledge of this phenomenon.

11. Choose and underline the proper item to complete the sentences.

1. Come about 11 o’clock. I’ll have little / a little time then.

2. There was little / a little water on the mountain and we all got very thirsty.

3. Foreign languages are difficult, and few / a few people learn them perfectly.

4. I’m going to the USA with few / a few friends next week.

5. I’ve brought you few / a few sweets.

6. I have little / a little time to read news on the Internet and no time at all to read books.

7. Did you buy any furniture? “A little / a few.”

12. Fill in the blanks with little / a little or few / a few.

1. I don’t think I can lift this box on my own. I need ….. help.

2. ….. tourists visited Northern Ireland in the 1980s because of the terrorism there.

3. The postman doesn’t often come here. We receive ….. letters.

4. He isn’t finding it’s easy to fix the shelves. He’s having ….. trouble.

5. I can speak ….. words of Swedish , but I’m not very fluent.

6. There were ….. new words in the text. Ann spent ….. time learning them.

7. I would like to stay here ….. longer, it’s such a nice place.

Unit 19

LEAD-IN

1. Work in pairs. Look at the products in the pictures. What do you think makes their design good or bad?

2. Why do you think design is necessary in industry?

READING

3. Read the text and find the expressions which mean:

1. the art and science involved in the creation of machine-made products;

2. farm machinery, industrial tools, transportation equipment;

3. air conditioners, irons, electrical kettles, microwave ovens and other domestic electrical devices.

Industrial Design

Industrial Design is the art and science involved in the creation of machine-made products. It is concerned with aesthetic appearance as well as with functional efficiency. The success of a design is measured by the profit it yields its manufacturer and the service and pleasure it affords its owner.

The term industrial design was originated in 1919 by the American industrial designer Joseph Sinel. Initially, industrial designers dealt exclusively with machine-made consumer products. Eventually, however, the scope of the profession enlarged to include the design of capital goods, such as farm machinery, industrial tools, and transportation equipment, and the planning of exhibitions, commercial buildings and packaging.

CRITERIA. Under prevailing standards of design, a product should have beauty of line, color, proportion, and texture; high efficiency and safety of operation; convenience or comfort in use; ease of maintenance and repair; durability; and expression of function in terms of form. A consideration basic to all good design is the factor of realistic cost.

PRODUCT DESIGN. Today industrial design has been applied to practically all consumer products, notably to home appliances, such as air conditioners, irons, office equipment, such as typewriters, dictaphones, electronic communications equipment, such as radios, television sets, and others.

METHODS. Every design problem requires special procedures, timing, and techniques, but there is a general routine applicable to all. After the industrial designer is informed of the needs of the client, specialists associated with the designer conduct a study of competitive products. A design program is planned, and preliminary designs of the proposed product are then sketched on the basis of the available plant facilities. Rough sketches are chosen for further refinement and study, and the client is then presented with design studies, often in the form of a small model. Following the selection of the approved design, working drawings indicating the choice of materials and the specifications for finishing and assembly are prepared. A handmade working model is then manufactured and submitted to the client for approval. In the case of an automobile, for example, one or several are handmade and tested at proving grounds before final machine dies are ordered and production begins.

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT