The global electric circuit

I. First Reading of the paragraphs 1-5 being parts of the text “ The Global Electric Circuit”(Skimming reading)

1. Read paragraphs 1-5 and try to understand what they are about and what information is of greatest interest to you.

2. Write down the physical terms, known to you, in Russin.

3. Write a list of international words used in the texts. Use your dictionary to check their exact meaning.

4. Find in the texts the sentences in which proper names are the names of different physical phenomena.

 

II. Scanning Reading

1. Read the texzt “The Conducting Atmosphere”, “Generators and Sources”, “Monitoring the Global Electric Circuit” and “Challenge to Established Views”.

2. Pick out an idea or a phrase, which you think is most informative or most interesting from each text.

3. Pick out the physical terms from the texts, which you do not know. Refer to a dictionary if necessary.

 

III. Vocabulary and word study

A Phonetic exercises

I. Read the following words:

through        [Өru:]

throughout   [Өru:´aut]

roughly        [´rafli]

     * * *

adjacent       [ə´dzeisənt]

conjugate     [´kondzugit]

     * * *

farad            [færəd]

hazard         [´hæzəd]

paradigm     [´pærədaim]

virtually       [´və:tjuəli]

to mature      [mə´tjuə]

    * * *

prior             [´praiə]

ionosphere   [aionəsfiə]

magnetosphere [mæg´ni:təəsfiə]

hemisphere  [´hemisfiə]

stratosphere [´strætəusfiə]

thermosphere [´Өə:məsfiə]

 

    * * *

equipotential [˛i:kwipə´tenƒəl]

consequence [´konsikwəns]

dynamo        [´dainəməu]

hypothesis    [hai´poӨisis]

diurnal          [dai´ə:nl]

height            [hait]

 

   * * *

altitude             [æltitju:d] 

longitude     [´londzitju:d]

 

 

  

   * * *

to increase  [in´kri:s]

to decrease [di:´kri:s]

 

B Read and memorize the active vocabulary to the whole text.

1. electrocution                   - убийство электрическим током

2. hazard ['hæzəd]     n   - опасность, риск

3. to short out            v   - 1. закорачивать 2. устранить поле шунтированием

4. to drive                  v   - 1. запускать, возбуждать 2. управлять

a drive                    n  - 1. привод        2. возбуждение, запуск

5. dynomo                  n  - электрический генератор

6. tide                         n  - возмущение

7. wave guide             n   - волновод

8. stroke                     n   - разряд молнии, грозовой разряд

9. global                     adj - глобальный, рассматриваемый в целом

10.to deploy               v   - развёртывать

11.to challenge           v  - 1. подвергать сомнению; 2. требовать внимания;

                                              3. сомневаться, отрицать;4. вызывать, бросать вызов

12.e-folding                adj - е-кратный

13.displacement current n  - 1.ток смещения; 2. ёмкостный ток;

                                               3.ток индукции

14.tall cumulus clouds n - кучевые облака

15.dead short               n - полное короткое замыкание

16.paradigm                 n  - пример, образец

17.high latitudes          n - высокие широты

18.field mills               n  - мельница; валки

19.transmission frequency n - частота передачи

20.lapse rate                n  - скорость вертикального изменения

21.mature                    adj - продуманный, тщательно обдуманный

22.aloft                        adv - на верху, на высоте

23.payload                   n - полезный труд

24.controvercial           adj - спорный

25.updraft                     n - тяга

26.variation                  n  - изменение колебания

27.diurnal [daiə:nl]               - ежедневный, суточный

 

С Word study

 

1. Form adjectives of the following nouns.

        N + al → Adj               N + ial → Adj

Mind the spelling of adjectives formed of nouns ending in - e, er

Controversy          norm               condition

Center                   globe               physics

Sphere                   atmosphere     mechanics

2. Form adverbs of the following adjectives

                      Adj + ly → Adv

Central      spherical         consistent                     rough

Exponential typical             approximate                 proportional

vertical             

 

3. Make all possible combinations using the words from the columns.

 

Irregularly                                called

Specially                                  charged

Negatively                                directly coupled

Positively                                  grounded

Occasionally                              driven

 

4. Improve your vocabulary. Make the following sentences complete by translating the words and phrases in brackets.

a) The major reason why we don’t notice the fair-weather field is that virtually everything is a good (проводник по сравнению с воздухом).

b) In addition to the DC (цепи), the neutral atmosphere between Earth’s (поверхность) and ionosphere behaves like a (волновод) when excited with ultralow frequency (электромагнитное излучение).

c) (Столкновения) between cosmic rays and neutral (молекулами) produce both positively and negatively (заряженные молекулы) mostly (кислород и азот).

d) (Проводимость) of the ground is approximately that of the lower (ионосферы).

e) The model of the spherical (конденсатора) is appropriate.

f) Hence, high-altitude (поверхности) such as the interior central plateau of Antarctica have smaller columnar (сопротивления) than do sea-level surfaces.

 

IV. Read the texts entitled “The Global Electric Circuit”