English for chemists

Scction II
Упр. 1. Назовите значення следующих интернациональных слов:
associate, surprise, doctor, demonstrate, composition, spcctroscopc, astronomy, detect, spcctrographcr, priority, journal, practically, publicity, publish, prestigious, reputation, orange, prevalent, characteristic, construct
Упр. 2. Проверьте, помните ли вы значення следующих слов; если нет, обратитесь к словарю:
scrutiny, be accustomcd to, point out, cclcstial, application, in behalf of, flame, inacccssiblc, seek to, confusc, obstruct, stumble, discourage
Text 35 В
Прочтите текст про себя (контрольное время чтения — 3 минуты).
Who Is the Discovcrcr of Spectrum Analysis?
The more detailed is the scrutiny of the history of chcmistry, the greater is the number of interesting facts that comc to light.
Those accustomcd to associate the name of Kirchhoff with the discovery of spcctrum analysis will undoubtedly be surprised to leam that in the year 1854, five years prior to the work of Kirchhoff, an unassuming country doctor in a Pennsylvania village definitely demonstrated the possibility of determining various elements by means of their lines in the spcctrum. In fact, this country doctor, David Alter, went further than this.

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He pointed out that the method could be used to determine the composition of celestial bodies, thus laying the foundation for the application of the spectroscope in astronomy, among the modem scicnccs. He even callcd attention to the possibility of detecting impurities in a metal by this method, thus speaking the language of the most up-to-date spcctrographcr.
The only possible claim to priority over Altcr’s discovery can be made in behalf of Sir John Hcrschcl, who in 1824 demonstrated the possibility of detecting small quantities of an alkali by its flame spcctrum. However, this work was described in an inaccessible journal, thus receiving practically no publicity. Unfortunately, it is not unfrcqucntly that this happens. That is why scientists usually seek to publish their papers in prestigious journals: the better the reputation of the journal, the sooner the information it contains comes to the reader. Furthermore, confuscd by the continual presence of the strong orange lines, later found to be sodium lines. Hcrschcl soon regarded his own discovery as incorrect. The same prevalent sodium lines kept other physicists of that time from realizing that each element has its characteristic line in the spcctrum.
Alter, however, was not obstructed by this stumbling block. Neither did the lack of scicntific instruments discourage him. He ground his own prism and constructed his own apparatus.
Упр. 3. Передайте основное содержание текста в нескольких пред* ложенпях.
Упр. 4. Какое слово в тексте означает «удерж ивать, мешать»? Упр. 5. Найдите в тексте ответы на следующие вопросы:

1. 
   What will surprise those who study the history of spcctrum analysis?
   

2. 
   What conclusion did David Alter comc to? 3. How did it happen that John HcrschcPs work remained unknown? 4. Why do scientists try to publish their papers in well-known journals? 5. What prevented Hcrschcl from drawing the right conclusion?
   

Упр. 6. Закончите следующие предложения:

1. Five years prior to the work of Kirchhoff... 2. Alter pointed out that... 3. He callcd attention of other scientists to... 4. The priority of Hcrschcl’s work is shown by... 5. Hcrschcl was confuscd...