English for chemists

Lesson 23
ГРАММАТИКА: Придаточное предложение в функции дополнения.
Scction I
Ex. 1. Practise your pronunciation.
a) measure [*тезэ], centigrade [’scntigrcid], advance (od'va:ns], usage [ ju:zids], bureau ['bjuaroo], adopt [o'dopt], committee [ka'miti], law [b:], govern

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['длуэп], decision [di'sison], analogous [o'naelogos], previously ['pri:viosli], ambiguous [xm'bigjuss], thoroughly ['ОлгэЬ], tongue [1лд], draft (drarft)

2. 
   forjhe^'scale^of \temperature, in^d'vancc^of^theNconfcrcncc, o'fficial Slanguage, thejpro'posedStext, inu'Englishu*speaking\countrics, it^might^be \argued
   

2. 
   It might be re/marked | that/Celsius | was a'nalogous to the 'names /Kelvin, | /Fahrenheit, | /Reaumur | and \Rankine | 'used for 'other 'temperature
   

\scales.
Ex. 2. Pay attention to the structure of the following words. Translate them into Russian.

1. 
   international, interact, interchange, interrelation, interview, intermediate
   
2. 
   transform, transformation, translation, translocation, transmission, transport, transuranium, transvalue
   

3. 
   supercool, superheat, superman, supernatural, supersaturate, supervision, superconductivity
   

Ex. 3. Define the meanings of the word appear in the following scntcnccs:

1. When the atomic hypothesis appeared, there was no direct evidence of the existence of atoms. 2. Oxygen was first obtained by heating various compounds of it, particularly mcrcuric oxide, and the first account of the work appeared in 1774. 3. It appears that about onc-fifth of the air by volume is oxygen. 4. She appeared frightened when the door suddenly opened and somebody came in. 5. In the interest of uniformity the use of

• 
  “Celsius” appeared desirable. 6. The electrons and the nucleus occupy only a small portion of the whole space of the atom, therefore, it appears to be composed largely of empty spacc. 7. It appears that many reactions with oxygen liberate heat and light. 8. He appears to be able to do it himself.
  

Ex. 4. Find the predicate, the subject and the object in the following sentences:

1. It was known that Celsius had previously been used in som countries. 2. It is quite correct to say that carbon tetrachloride boils at a temperature of 70°, if the pressure is 620 mm Hg. 3. It is ncccssary that you should know how to convert temperature from one scalc to another.
Text 23 A
Celsius versus Centigrade
The Ninth General Confcrencc on Weights and Measures, held in October, 1948, adopted the name “Celsius” for the scalc of temperature which had more commonly been callcd “ccntigradc”. This action, which had not been proposed in advance of the Conference, arose from a question regarding preferred usage in French, the sole official language of the Confcrencc. The decision might be considered as applying strictly only to that language. In the interest of eventual uniformity of practicc the use of

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“Celsius” appeared desirable, but it was not practicable to impose this term on those who preferred “centigrade”.

In preparation for the General Conference the National Bureau оГ Standard submitted a revised text defining the International Temperature Scalc to supersede that adopted in 1927. The proposed text was drafted in English and, in accordance with common English practice as well as the official French text adopted in 1927, it used the name “centigrade”. This name was earned over into the French translation prepared for considcraton by the Advisory Committee on Thermometry in May, 1948. However, in the printed report of that meeting, the term “centigrade” had, in most cases, been changed to “centesimal”, the term that was used in the French law governing weights and measurements. When it was asked to choose between the two, the International Committee on Weights and the General Conference voted to substitute “Celsius”.

With regard to the merits of the decision it might be remarked that Celsius (abbreviated C) was analogous to the names Kelvin, Fahrenheit. Reaumur, and Rankine, used for other temperature scales, that it had previously been used considerably in some countries, and occasionally in America. It might also be argued that “centigrade” was logically ambiguous, sincc the absolute Kelvin scale, as well as the centigrade scale has 100 degrees between the icc point and the boiling point of water. On the other hand, the name “ccntigradc” was thoroughly established in English-speaking countries, the need for choosing between that name and “centesimal” arose only in Frcnch, and the decision on a term in the official French language of the Conference might not be considered as controlling the terms to be used in translating into other tongues.
W ords and W ord-Com binations to Be M emorized
absolute, adopt, advance, analogue, it appears, carry, conference, control, decision, degree, desirable, occasionally, practice, prefer, report, substitute, term, thoroughly, translation
Ex. 5. Give the Russian equivalents for the following:
hold a confcrcncc, adopt the name, propose an action, uniformity of practicc, be practicable, prepare for consideration, advisory committee, with regard to, remark, occasionally, on the other hand, thoroughly, in the English-speaking countries, the need for, translate into, use the term, previously, in accordance with
Ex. 6. Give the English equivalents for the following:
конференция по вопросам мер и весов, провести конференцию, шкала температур, официальный язык конференции, в интересах чего-л., предпочитать, международная шкала температур, обычная практика, подготовить перевод, напечатанный отчет, в большинстве

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случаев, пользоваться термином, в некоторых странах, необходи­ мость выбора
Ex. 7. Fill in the blanks with prepositions where necessary.

1. The Ninth General Confcrcncc ...			Weights and Measures was held
... Octobcr, 1948. 2. The confcrcncc adopted				... the name “Celsius” ...
the scalc ...	temperature. 3 ....	the interest...			uniformity ...		practicc the
use... “Celsius” appeared desirable. 4. Celsius was analogous						... the names

... Kelvin, Fahrenheit and others. 5. The name “ccntigradc” was thoroughly

established ...	English-speaking countries. 6. The absolute Kelvin scalc
and the ccntigradc scalc have 100 degrees ...		the icc point and the boiling
point... water.

Ex. 8. Translate the scntcnccs into Russiant paying attention to different functions of the word use.

1. Oxygen is widely used in industry. 2. Today there is practically no industry which docs not use the oxy-acctylcnc proccss. 3. He is not used to work with this apparatus, help him, please. 4. Formerly hydrogen used to be classed with the alkali metals of Group I in the priodic tabic. 5. They used a fine balancc in their measurements. 6. Reduction ofSiO> with carbon in an clcctric furnace is a commercial method of preparing silicon now in use. 7. There arc two uses of the word “theory”. 8. Use must be made of the ability of the substancc to ignite spontaneously. 9. It is no use making calculations if the measurements were not accurate.
Ex. 9. Translate the sentences into Russian.

1. 
   There is no doubt that chcmistry is of great scrvicc to mcdicinc.
   

2. 
   They have just read how oxygen was produced. 3. The laboratory assistant showed us where the chcmicals were stored. 4. Wc don’t know
   

whether the library is open now. 5. He says he works in the laboratory of organic chcmistry. 6. She told us that she had been present at the seminar and could show us her notes. 7. Everybody knew that Dr. N had been working on the subject for a long time before making his report at the confcrcncc. 8. He said he would go to Moscow next week. 9. Wc thought wc should have done our experiment by that time. 10. She said she would be working in the library at 3 o’clock. 11. The tcachcr asked me what I was doing. 12.1 asked her whether she had finished the exercise. 13. It is not known how and when glass was first obtained. 14. It is often ncccssary to determine if any particular substancc is a mixture or a solution. 15. Every student knows he must be carcful when he works in the laboratory. 16. One can say pure oxygen is a colourless, odourless and tasteless gas. 17. Every chcmist knows that it was in 1869 that Mendeleyev’s articlc on the periodic system was published. 18. Men­ deleyev’s law stated that the properties of elements arc periodic functions of their atomic weights. 19. It is absolutely ncccssary that wc should

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know what substanccs wc arc going to obtain in a reaction. 20. Tem­ perature docs not depend on how much matter is present. 21. It is ncccssary that the temperature should be kept constant. 22. The supervisor insisted that wc should learn the instruction. 23. It is desirable .that Dr. N should speak at the confcrencc. 24. It is essential that oxidation state should be known. 25. Our supervisor proposed that wc should write a joint paper. 26. The tcachcr advised that the student should consult a rcfcrcncc-book. 27. It was ncccssary to prove whether the conclusion that was made in the paper was right. 28. It was my collcaguc who rccommcndcd that the pressure of the reading substanccs should be increased. 29. Much depends on what the conditions of a reaction are. 30. Sometimes it is difficult to decide what term should be used, bccausc there is no uniformity in the nomenclature.
Ex. 10. Translate the sentences into English.
1. На конференции 1948 года было принято название «шкала Цельсия» для стоградусной шкалы температур. 2. По шкале Цель­ сия вода замерзает при 0°С, кипит при 100°С. 3. Следует отмстить, что это название было выбрано по аналогии с такими названиями, как шкала Кельвина, шкала Фаренгейта и др. 4. Это решение было принято в интересах единообразия при практическом применении. 5. Термин «шкала Цельсия» более точен, так как шкала Кельвина — это тоже стоградусная шкала. 6. В англоязычных странах в повсед­ невной жизни продолжают пользоваться шкалой Фаренгейта. 7. Шкала Реомюра имеет 80 делений между точкой замерзания и точкой кипения воды.
Ex. 11. Answer the following questions:
1. What problems were discusscd at the confcrencc in 1948? 2. What name was adopted for the temperature scalc devised by Celsius? 3. What was the reason for choosing a single name for the scalc? 4. Why was the name “Celsius” considered preferable? 5. What other name for this scalc
do you know? 6. What other temperature scalcs do you know? 7. What temperature scalcs arc used in Russia?