И. А. Курбасова Е. И. Силантьева

12. Переведите текст письменно со словарем (23 мин.).

Improvements in Passenger Car Construction

(1) Steam heating of cars is believed to have come into use in the eighties of the 19th century practically elimi­nating the danger of fire, even in case of wooden coaches. Besides increasing passenger safety, steam heating made cars much more comfortable, providing even temperature throughout the car.

(2) The early cars are known to have had an open plat­form at each end, this being especially dangerous in case of train collisions. Later, an enclosed vestibule (закрытый тамбур) was introduced. Its introduction is thought to be another step in increasing safety. The fact is that the introduction of the enclosed vestibule proved to be a very important measure, preventing the cars from damage in case of an accident.

(3) At the beginning of the 20th century, steel began to replace wood in car construction. Engineers understood the use of steel would make the cars much more durable. The steel vestibuled car was found to be rarely crushed even in a wreck. In addition, if properly maintained, steel cars lasted much longer than wooden coaches.

13. Прослушайте вопросы и ответьте на них согласно тексту А.

1. What three classes may the freight cars be divided into? 2. What types of cars do the covered cars comprise and what goods do they carry? 3. What is the character­istic feature of a refrigerator wagon? 4. In what way are tank cars filled and emptied? 5. What are the two principal kinds of open-top cars and why are they built very strong and durable? 6. What are the advantages of the container traffic? 7. What is the purpose of developing special-type cars? 8. Did the early passenger cars look like today's cars? 9. Where was the baggage carried on the early carriages and who looked after the baggage? 10. Had the early trains lighting and heating? 11. Why could passengers travel long­er routes in the cars which appeared in the middle of the last century? 12. What was the inside arrangement of these cars? 13. What are the two types of inside arrangement in modern carriages? 14. What are the advantages provided by the application of new materials in car construction? 15. Why is the-introduction of fluorescent lighting and air-conditioning justified in spite of their high cost?

14. Подготовьте сообщения на следующие темы:

1. The very first freight and passenger cars.

2. The modern freight rolling stock.

3. The innovations introduced on modern carriages.

15. Прочтите текст В без словаря (5 мин.) и скажите, (а) как обеспечивалось раньше и обеспечивается сейчас охлаждение грузов в рефрижераторных вагонах, (б) всегда ли вагоны-рефрижераторы служат для перевозки охлаж­денных или замороженных грузов

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