Практическое задание по дисциплине «Английский язык» для ЕКурсы

Перевод текстов. GLASS Glass is an amorphous (non-crystalline) solid material which is often transparent and has widespread practical, technological, and decorative usage in things like window panes, tableware, and optoelectronics. The most familiar, and historically the oldest, types of glass are based on the chemical compoundsilica (silicon dioxide), the primary constituent of sand. The term glass, in popular usage, is often used to refer only to this type of material, which is familiar from use as window glass and in glass bottles. Glass is now used extensively in bathrooms, laboratories, and kitchens, in swimming-baths and underground railway stations, and in hospital, wards, corridors and operating theatres. Glass is likewise used on account of its variety of colour and highly polished surface for decorative features such as wall and ceiling lining, in vestibules, theatres, etc. Among the countless variety of materials known to man it would be difficult to find one more versatile then glass. Thousand of articles are made of it, using not only properties long known but new ones recently discovered or developed, glass is subjected to what might seem the most extraordinary methods of treatment. It is poured into moulds, stretched into tubes, sheets and fine thread, stamped and rolled like metal, pressed like plastics, molded like clay, sawn and machined, drilled and chopped. The early 20th-century saw the large-scale factory production of glass art. From about 1960 onwards there have been an increasing number of small studios hand-producing glass artworks. In the 21st century, scientists observing the properties of ancient stained glass windows, in which suspended nanoparticles prevent UV light from causing chemical reactions that change image colors, are developing photographic techniques. METAL AS A BUILDING MATERIAL Metal is used as structural framework for larger buildings such as skyscrapers or as an external surface covering. There are many types of metals used for building. Steel is a metal alloy whose major component is iron, and is the usual choice for metal structural building materials. It is strong, flexible and if refined and treated well, lasts a long time. Corrosion is metal’s primary enemy. The lower density and better corrosion resistance of aluminium alloys and tin sometimes overcome their greater cost. Brass was more common in the past, but is usually restricted to specific uses or specialty items today. Metal is used in most cosmopolitan cities. It requires a great deal of human labour to produce metal, especially in large amounts needed for building industry. Other metals used incline titanium, chrome, gold and silver. Titanium can be used for structural purposes, but it is much more expensive than steel. Chrome, gold and silver are used as decoration because these materials are expensive and lack structural properties such as tensile strength or hardness. Structural steel is steel construction material, a profile, formed with a specific shape or cross section and certain standards of chemical composition and mechanical properties. Steel sizes and shapes are regulated in most countries. BRICK A brick is best described as a “building unit”. It may be made of clay by molding and baking in kilns, of concrete, of mortar or of a composition of sawdust and other materials. In shape it is rectangular solid and its weight is from 6,5 to 9 lb. Bricks are produced in numerous classes, types, materials, and sizes which vary with region and time period, and are produced in bulk quantities. Two basic categories of bricks are fired and non-fired bricks. Fired bricks are one of the longest-lasting and strongest building materials, sometimes referred to as artificial stone, and have been used since 5000 BC. Air-dried bricks have a history older than fired bricks, are known by the synonyms mud brick and adobe, and have an additional ingredient of a mechanical binder such as straw. There exists variety of bricks for different purposes: ordinary, hollow or porous, lightweight, multicolor bricks for decorative purposes, etc. Bricks are usually laid with help of mortar. The shape and convenient size of brick enables a man to grip it with easy confidence and because of this, brick building has been popular for many hundreds of years. The hand of the average man is large enough to take a brick and he is able to handle more than 500 bricks in an eight-hour working day. The brick may be securely handled by placing the hand over the surface of the upper part of a brick and by placing the thumb centrally down the face of the brick with the first joins of the fingers’1 on the opposite face. It is better to protect the thumb and the fingers with leather pads, which also prevent the skin from rough bricks. Sometimes natural stones such as marble, granite, basalt, limestone and sandstone are used for the construction of dams and foundations. Marble, granite and sandstone are widely used for decorative purposes as well, especially with public buildings. TIMBER Timber is a term which is applied to wood of a suitable size and fit for construction purposes. The growing tree is called standing timber, the felled tree which has been cut into proper lengths for the saw-mill is called rough timber of logs. When the logs have been cut the general term “timber” is applied to them. Timber was widely used for building and home use as early as several centuries before our era. Some qualities of wood were already known to people of ancient times who applied timber for construction work and for making all kinds of implements used in agriculture. The scientific study of the properties and qualities of wood, however, was started only in the beginning of the 18th century, especially in France, and later in other countries. Attention was paid to the conditions of the tree which helped to establish the connection between the mechanical properties and the structure of timber. As a result of this research work a considerable amount of data was accumulated, giving an idea of the properties of different kinds of timber and of the dependence of these properties upon different factors. The scientific study of timber originated in the 18th century is now fully developed. The manufacture of paper, cellulose, artificial silk, the production of wood alcohol and synthetic rubber are the achievements of modern research work. Under proper conditions, timber provides excellent, lasting performance. However, it also faces several potential threats to service life, including fungal activity and insect damage—which can be avoided in numerous ways. Moreover, we need to balance its internal moisture content with the surrounding environment. The moisture content of timber is measured by the weight of water as a percentage of the oven-dry weight of the wood fiber. The key to controlling decay is to control moisture. WHAT IS SURVEYING? Surveying is a vital part of the design and construction process. Surveyors perform boundary surveys to tell people where their property is, map the topography of land for engineering design, establish elevations of building sites for flood insurance, certify that structures are built according to design, lay out buildings, condominiums and other construction projects, so the construction companies can relate the engineering plans to the real world. Surveyors also map areas, map river bottoms for dredging , lay out photo control for aerial photography, write legal descriptions, map and layout corridors for tunnels, roads, airports, pipelines, railroads. Without this profession, railroads could not be built, skyscrapers could not be erected, and individuals could not put up fences around their yards for fear of trespassing on someone else’s land. Surveyors also pegged out boundaries of roads to be built, monitor skyscrapers to make sure they are being erected vertically, and measure airports so that the runways are level and smooth. Surveyors form part of a team that includes engineers, architects and urban planners, all of whom have responsibility for the way the city of the future works. Moreover, their work has implications – and not just for the next few years. The land use patterns laid down today will last for centuries. Surveyors play a key role in supporting an efficient land market and also effective land-use management. TIMBER Timber is a term which is applied to wood of a suitable size and fit for construction purposes. The growing tree is called standing timber, the felled tree which has been cut into proper lengths for the saw-mill is called rough timber of logs. When the logs have been cut the general term “timber” is applied to them. Timber was widely used for building and home use as early as several centuries before our era. Some qualities of wood were already known to people of ancient times who applied timber for construction work and for making all kinds of implements used in agriculture. The scientific study of the properties and qualities of wood, however, was started only in the beginning of the 18th century, especially in France, and later in other countries. Attention was paid to the conditions of the tree which helped to establish the connection between the mechanical properties and the structure of timber. As a result of this research work a considerable amount of data was accumulated, giving an idea of the properties of different kinds of timber and of the dependence of these properties upon different factors. The scientific study of timber originated in the 18th century is now fully developed. The manufacture of paper, cellulose, artificial silk, the production of wood alcohol and synthetic rubber are the achievements of modern research work. Under proper conditions, timber provides excellent, lasting performance. However, it also faces several potential threats to service life, including fungal activity and insect damage—which can be avoided in numerous ways. Moreover, we need to balance its internal moisture content with the surrounding environment. The moisture content of timber is measured by the weight of water as a percentage of the oven-dry weight of the wood fiber. The key to controlling decay is to control moisture.