Finding solutions: Thomas Alva Edison

Thomas Edison was a great inventor. He thought that every technological problem had a solution. Edison developed more than 1,093 inventions. They included the electric light bulb, the typewriter and an early movie camera. Sometimes he did thousands of experiments to get an invention right. He worked on some ideas for many years to improve the product. Edison thought that his failures were important because he and his scientists learned from each one. 'I failed my way to success,' he said.

Important dates

1847Edison was born in Ohio in the USA. At school, his teachers thought that he wasn't clever so his mother educated him at home.

1871Married Mary Stilwell.

1878 He created the Edison Electric Light

Company. Later it became the General Electric Company. 1887 He built an invention factory in Menlo Park, near New York City. It was the world's first research laboratory. A team of scientists helped Edison develop his inventions.

1931 Died in New Jersey, USA.

Задание 9. Ответьте на вопросы по тексту “Finding solutions: Thomas Alva Edison”:

1Where was Edison born?

2 Did all Edison's inventions succeed the first time?

3 Who helped him develop his inventions?

Задание 10. Составьте вопросительные предложения в Past Simple и ответьте на них:

1Edison's teachers / think he was clever?

2 Edison / develop / 1,303 inventions?

3 Why / Edison / think / failures / be / important?

4 Who / he / marry?

5 When / Edison / create / Edison Electric Light Company?

6 What / Edison Electric Light Company / become?

7 Where / he / build / his research laboratory?

8 When / he / die?

Задание 11. Заполните пропуски, используя глаголы в скобках или краткие ответы в Past Simple:

A Thank you for helping with our market research. Here is the first question. What electrical products __________(you / buy) last year?

В I __________(buy) a digital radio and a computer.

A What__________(you / do) with your old electrical products?

В Well, I__________(offer) the computer to my friend, but he __________(not want) it.

A So, __________(you / take) the computer somewhere to recycle it?

В No, I ___________. I ___________(not have) time.

A __________(you have) the address of a company that recycles computers?

В Yes, I __________, but it__________(be) 40 kilometres from my town.

A OK. Well, we __________(build) a new recycling factory in your town last month.

В Great!

Задание 12. Из выделенных курсивом слов выберите подходящее по смыслу:

1 Hugh Oxley is a manager / professor at the university / company in Dundee. He teaches communications to MBA students.

2 We built a new laboratory / office for our Research and Development department. Our students / scientists do experiments and test new products there.

3 The machine isn't working - take it to the electronics room / workshop. The researcher / technician can fix it.

Задание 13. Заполните пропуски, используя данные ниже слова:

In, off, fix, wrong, work

1There's something __________with the printer.

2 It doesn't__________ .

3 He plugged __________ the photocopier.

4 Did you turn __________ the computer?

5 Can you __________it?

Литература: [1, 5].

Практическое занятие № 9

ПРОДУКЦИЯ

PRODUCTS

Теоретическая часть

Данный лексический материал предназначен для знакомства и овладения специальными терминами, активному использованию предлагаемых слов и словосочетаний, подготовки к чтению, переводу и обсуждению текстов официально-делового стиля.

describe описывать

description описание

feature характеристика

packaging упаковка

package упаковка

product продукт

product description описание продукта

production производство

produce производить

shape форма

size размер

useful полезный

weight масса

weigh весить

Задания

Задание 1. Прочитайте и переведите текст:

Playtime

Toy manufacturers make adults feel young again

Two things are often true about toy production. First, toys are usually made cheaply in low-cost economies. And secondly, toy manufacturers generally need a large population of children to sell their products to. Japan is big, expensive and rich. It also has a low population of children. So, do toys sell badly in the Japanese market?

The surprising answer is no. In fact, 1 ________. One reason that the market is and the toys a success is that 2________are well designed. Another reason is that many manufacturers now market toys to adults as well as children.

Toy makers happily design more and more new toys for adults. Some of the toys are very expensive. There is a walking robot toy that is popular with middle-aged men. It has a 100-page instruction manual and costs ¥126,000 ($1,105). And there is a talking boy doll that is popular with women over 40. Not all the toys use modern technology. 3________ that are also popular. One example is a baseball game with small plastic players.

Why are toys so popular with adults? One reason is that modern employees work hard. 4________. These toys help people to relax and play. Some of the products now sell well in other countries, too. 5______. Toys for adults could soon be in a toyshop near you.

Задание 2. Заполните пропуски в тексте “Playtime” следующими фразами и предложениями:

a Some manufacturers now produce simple toys and games

b They want to come home and forget the office

с Japan uses modern technology

dThe top-selling toys in the USA and Europe are often Japanese

e Japan has a successful toy industry

Задание 3. Перечитайте текст и ответьте на вопросы:

1What is surprising about Japan's success in the toy market?

2 How old are the men that buy robots?

3 Is the walking robot a simple toy? Give reasons for your answer.

4 What toy is popular with women?

5 What do the toys help people to do?

Задание 4. Заполните пропуски данными ниже глаголами и назовите предметы, о которых идет речь:

clean travel play listen

1 People used it to _____video cassettes.

2 I use mine to _____ to music when I go jogging.

3 You use it to _____ the floor.

4 It was a new way to_____ in cities.

Задание 5. Найдите антонимичные пары:

1unreliable reliable___ 6 cheap__________

2 large__________ 7 unattractive_________

3 heavy__________ 8 fast_________

4 unpopular__________ 9 boring__________

5 short__________ 10bad__________

 

a good f popular

b slow g expensive

с interesting h reliable

d small i light

e attractive j long

Задание 6. Заполните пропуски прилагательными из задания 5:

1 The test group all like Revelation. Revelation is popular.

2 But they think it costs a lot of money. It's________.

3 65 per cent said that the bottle looks good. The bottle is ________.

4 But 35 per cent said it didn't look interesting. It looks________.

5 The packaging isn't light. The packaging is________.

6 This product does what yои expect it to do. It's a________product.

Задание 7. Заполните пропуски данными ниже прилагательными и существительными:

Boring, new, bag, large, job, heavy, expensive, meeting, apartment, perfume

1 A Do you still work for ICI?

В No, I have a ________ with General Motors now.

2 A Did Gina buy that small house in Turin?

В No, she bought a____ ____in Rome.

3 A Can I help you? That____ looks really____.

В No, it's fine, thanks. I can carry it.

4 A Is this an____ ____?

В Yes, it cost $140, but it smells great.

5 A Was the product presentation interesting?

В Yes, it was, but then we had a____ ____for two hours.

Задание 8. Заполните пропуски в тексте, заменяя данные в скобках прилагательные на соответствующие наречия:

Toy storage box

Product information

You can make the toy storage box _____________ (quick) and _____________ (easy). It is _____________ (attractive) designed in wood and plastic and is very _____________ (good) made. Read the instructions _____________ (careful). Do not place the box near heat as this may _____________ (bad) damage the product.

Задание 9. Из выделенных курсивом слов выберите подходящее по смыслу:

1We can manufacture the product in two months - it is very еаsy / easily to make.

2 This machine works efficient / efficiently.

3 Is the computer system simple / simply to operate?

4 Do you think that the product is too expensive / expensively?

5 It's beautiful / beautifully made, but what do you use it for?

6 This product description is unreliable / unreliably.

7 The new model sold good / well in Bulgaria.

8 I spoke slow / slowly in the product presentation. It helped my nerves.

Задание 10. Составьте предложения:

1 a / It / design / modern / is

2 a / it / reliable / Is / product ?

3 style / unpopular / This / is

4 laptop / His / heavy / is

5 boring / Was / conference / the ?

6 good / Their / catalogue / is

Задание 11. Из выделенных курсивом слов выберите подходящее по смыслу:

1 This catalogue has some interesting / interestingly products.

2 Aya is doing good / well in her job.

3 We want to manufacture cheap / cheaply and then sell the products for a profit.

4 He runs a successful / successfully company.

5 The workers aren't happy / happily with the directors.

6 My investments did had / badly this month.

Задание 12. Из выделенных курсивом слов выберите подходящее по смыслу:

Bill Bowerman was / were a teacher and sports trainer at the University of Oregon. He met / meeted and trained a student called Phil Knight, and in / on 1964 they started a sports company together. The company's name was / were Blue Ribbon Sports (BRS). The company introduces / introduced a new / newly style of trainer and they called / call it 'Nike'. The designers not wanted / didn't want the new trainer to be heavy; they wanted it to be lightly / light, to help athletes run fast / fastly. The product was successful and the company expanded quick / quickly. The company changed / change its name to Nike in 1978. Then, at / in the 1990s, Nike opened a hugely / huge retail outlet called NikeTown. Later, it sold / sell its products on the internet. Today, Nike's logo is famous / famously all over the world.

Задание 13. Заполните пропуски, используя одно из данных ниже слов a-c:

I bought a _________car at the weekend. It's a Cherokee Jeep. It was very _________ - it cost more than £30,000. My last car was small, but the Jeep is _________. I also bought a new table for my apartment. It's _________of glass. It was difficult to get it into the apartment because it's very _________ also a very unusual _________ - it's triangular.

1 a new b newly с light

2 a expensively b expensive с cheaply

3 a tiny b metal с huge

4 a make b made с makes

5 a heavy b light с small

6 a size b material с shape

Задание 14. Составьте вопросительные предложения:

1it / What / is ?

2 for / What's / it ?

3 made / What's / of / it ?

4 big / How / it / is ?

5 shape / is / it / What ?

6 heavy / is / How / it ?

7 it / features / any / have / special / Does ?

Соотнесите вопросы 1-7 с ответами a-g:

a It's digital and it has a clock on it.

b Plastic.

с It's 20cm long and 18cm wide.

d Rectangular.

eIt's a radio.

f Listening to music.

g Two kilos.

Литература: [1, 5].