Англійська мова для студентів технічних ВНЗ

Text 18. Robots

Active Vocabulary: 

to coinкарбуватиinvasionвторгнення

drudgeryтяжка роботаlongevityдовговічність

servitudeрабствоbutlerдворецький

slaveрабto roamблукати

householdдомашнє господарствоartificial intelligenceштучний інтелект

to requireвимагатиto tripleпотроювати

precisionточністьlawn moverгазонокосарка

hazardousнебезпечнийbot ([ro]bot) робот

defusingзнешкодженняchoreрутинна робота

enhancementудосконаленняdexterityспритність

Ever since the Czech writer Karel Chapek first coined the term “robot” in 1921, there has been an expectation that robots would some day deliver us from the drudgery of hard work. The word – from the Czech “robota”, for hard labour and servitude – described intelligent machines used as slaves in his play R. U. R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots).

Today, over one million household robots, and a further 1. 1 million industrial robots, are operating worldwide. Robots are used to perform tasks that require great levels of precision or are simply repetitive and boring. Many also do jobs that are hazardous to people, such as exploring shipwrecks, helping out after disasters, studying other planets and defusing bombs or mines.

Robots are increasingly marching into our lives. In the future, robots will act as carers, medics, bionic enhancements, companions, entertainers, security guards, traffic police and even soldiers.

Domestic invasion.

Despite the longevity of the robot concept, robotic butlers that roam our homes and relieve us from housework still seemed far from reality until very recently. Instead, the vast majority of robots worked in factories performing the industrial functions of brainless machines.

However, a combination of increased computing power and advances made in the field of artificial intelligence, or AI, have now made software smart enough to make robots considerably more useful.

A recent report published by the United Nations revealed that sales of domestic robots had tripled in a single year. What’s more, they were well on their way to outstripping their industrial cousins.

While a large portion of the household robots were made up of robotic vacuum cleaners, mops, lawn mowers, pool cleaners, security bots and even robotic baby-rockers – the real boom was in entertainment robots.

Suddenly people were happy to pay for robots that had no specific functional value. Instead these bots, such as Sony’s Aibo robotic dog and its robo-pups served as robo-pets and companions, rather than slaves.

This is partly because many domestic chores still pose a real challenge for robots, in terms of dexterity and intelligence, even with seemingly simple chores such as ironing.

Speech patterns

He is well on his way tomastering English. Він далеко просунувся у вивченні англійської. 

recovery. Він скоро одужає. 

І. Decide which of these statements are true and which are false.

1. Karel Chapek was a Czech engineer. 2. Robots are used to perform boring repetitive work. 3. Robots can be found only at the enterprises. 4. Robots can easily do ironing.

ІІ. Answer the following questions.

1. Where did the word “robot” first appear? 2. How many industrial robots are used today? 3. What household jobs can robots perform? 4. What robots are being used now to entertain their masters?

Text 19. Raphael Revealed by Raman Spectrography

Active Vocabulary: 

provenanceпоходженняmicroscopyмікроскопія

fleckчастинка, зразокdispersiveтакий, що розсіює

canvasполотноx-rayрентгенівське проміння

to revealвідкриватиto identifyототожнювати

lead свинець, оловоlead-tincвинцово-олов’яний

massicotокис свинцюconfirmпідтвердити

evidenceданіconclusiveпереконливий

to detectвиявлятиconclusionsвисновки

A portrait of Madonna and the Child is one of Raphael’s most famous Renaissance creations. Now it is in a gallery in Dresden, Germany. For many years people have wondered what the provenance of the work is.

Laser Raman spectral analysis of three flecks of paint taken from the Raphael’s canvas reveals that the unknown artist used a lead-based yellow pigment called massicot (lead II oxide). This is typical of the Renaissance period and it was not used in the early 17th century. There’s historical evidence that massicot was one of the pigments used by Raphael himself.

Raman analysis is a very good technique for detecting pigments. Using scanning electron microscopy (energy dispersive x-ray microanalysis), scientists identified another yellow – lead-tin yellow – in some of Raphael’s paintings at the gallery. But it is possible that the artist was also using other yellows.

Later, as the painting has aged, a miniature sketch of the composition has become visible beneath the Madonna’s scarf. “It’s undoubtedly an original in some form, ” Alan Ward said. Further research could confirm it. But it’s unlikely there will ever be conclusive proof that Raphael was the artist. “The more evidence one gets about it, the more firm the conclusions that can be drawn, ” he said.

Speech Patterns

The more..., the more... Чим..., тим... 

The faster you drive, the more petrol