И. А. Курбасова Е. И. Силантьева

Locomotives to Run on Ice

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In the 2nd half of the last century in Russia there unusual steam locomotives which were to move on ice.

The first steam locomotive of this kind was designed by Nathaniel Grew, an English engineer, and was only 15 ft in length. The designer believed his locomotive was an efficient and cheap means of transportation in winter conditions. This locomotive was sent to Moscow, and soon the Russian newspapers wrote it would be used for cross-lake freight traffic. Unlike modern locomotives this one had only two wheels. The Tear of the locomotive was installed on a pair of skids, and/the front had a similar but small­er skid.

There existed another strange locomotive, also designed b'y N. Grew. Like the first one this steam locomotive ope­rated in Russia in the winter 1861-1862, and it was then reported the locomotive was being used on Russian rivers handling passengers and freight.

Nobody knew at that time whether such locomotives would find application in the future
19.Прослушайте вопросы и ответьте на них согласно тексту А.
1. What is the aim of the projects for unusual railways? 2. What features make the Gliding Railway an unusual means of transport? 3. What surprised the passengers trav­elling on the Gliding Railway? 4. Was the commercial Gliding Railway designed by Girard built? 5. Who contin­ued Girard's investigations? 6. Where and when was a successful Gliding Railway demonstrated? 7. What made the Austrian railway an unusual means of transport? 8. What factors could provide a high-speed running on the ice rail­way? 9. What power is to be used for freezing water?

10. What are the advantages of the tube transportation?

11. How can the movement of trains be provided in a tube?

12. Why may the projects of unusual railways be important for us?

20. Выпишите из текста А слова и словосочетания, характеризующие проекты необычных железных дорог, и подготовьте сообщения на темы:

1. The Gliding Railway.

2. The ice railway.

3. The tube transportation.

21. Прочтите текст В без словаря (8 мин.) и ответьте на вопросы.

1. How many models of railway vehicles are described in the text?

2. What common (общий) features and what differ­ences do these vehicles have?