Text B. THE TELEGRAPH

Benjamin Franklin, an American who is famous for his interesting and useful inventions, published his ideas about electricity in 1752. Scientists in many countries became interested in this wonderful form of energy. They wanted to find the answer to a very important question: Could electricity be used to develop a fast, efficient system of long-distance communication?

Experiments proved that electricity could travel instantly over a very long piece of wire. But a note that was written on a piece of paper couldn't be put into a wire! How could electricity be used to send a message?

A Danish scientist discovered that electricity could move a needle from left to right, and that the needle could be pointed at letters on a piece of paper. Then a German government worker made up a code system that could be used with an electric needle. In 1837, two English scientists sent a message by electric telegraph from Camden Town to Euston, a distance of more than 1.6 kilometres.

In the United States, Samuel Morse, a portrait painter, was experimenting with an electric telegraph, too. At first, he connected a pencil to an electric wire. When the electricity came through the wire, the pencil made wavy lines. Then Morse invented a code that used dots and dashes for the letters of the alphabet. The pencil wrote the dots and dashes on a narrow piece of paper. Finally, he discovered that telegraph messages did not have to be written; they could be sent in sound.

At one end of the telegraph wire, the sender pressed a key. At the other end of the wire, another key went down and made a clicking sound. The telegraph operator used a short touch for a dot and a longer one for a dash. When the receiver heard the clicking sounds, he could figure out the message.

On May 24, 1844, the first long-distance message was sent by telegraph - from Washington, D.C., to Baltimore, Maryland - 64 kilometres!

Telegraph companies were formed in many cities. By 1861, telegraph wires stretched across the United States from the Atlantic to the Pacific. In Europe, too, Samuel Morse's system became popular.

But telegraph wires couldn't be hung over an ocean. Messages to and from Europe had to be sent by ship — a journey of two or three weeks. A new method was needed.

The Atlantic Telegraph Company, which was organised in 1856 by Cyrus Field and other businessmen, wanted to try to lay a cable on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. England and the United States contributed money for this experiment.

Many attempts were made by ships from both countries. The 4000-kilometer cable broke three times. Each time, more money had to be raised, and a new cable had to be made. Finally, on July 27, 1866, the first transatlantic message was sent from Newfoundland to Ireland.

Later, cables were laid to Central and South America. After 1900, transpacific cables were laid to Asia and Australia. At last, news and business information could be sent instantly to almost every country in the world.

From "English for a Changing World"

1. Guess the meaning of the words given below:
distance, electricity, communication, telegraph, line, code, operator, experiment, press, popular, idea, form, energy, system, alphabet, company, ocean, method, organize, businessman, cable.

2. Translate the nouns with the suffix –er (-or) derived from the following verbs:
invent – изобретать inventor -...
use – использовать user -...
send – посылать sender -...
write – писать writer -...
receive – получать receiver -...
develop – разрабатывать developer -...
operate – работать operator -...
work – работать worker -...
paint – рисовать painter -...
report – сообщать reporter -...

3. Group the pairs of the words with the opposite meaning:

· fast, useful, long, left, narrow, short, right, popular, slow, wavy, unknown, wide, straight, useless;

· to find, to send, to go down, to rise, to receive, to lose.

4. Learn the following terms:
wire – провод, проводник
message – сообщение
needle – стрелка, игла
dot – точка
dash – тире
sound – звук
key – ключ, клавиша
cable – кабель

5. Read the text ‘The Telegraph’. Find in the text the English equivalents for the following Russian phrases:
очень важный вопрос; эффективная система связи на дальние расстояния; электрический проводник; узкая полоска бумаги; код, в котором применялись точки и тире; нажать ключ; записать сообщение; телеграфные провода протянулись от Атлантики до Тихого океана; проложить кабель по дну Атлантического океана; вкладывать деньги.

6. Find in the text ‘The Telegraph’ sentences with the predicate in the Passive Voice. Translate them.

7. Translate the text ‘The Telegraph’. Pay attention to the sentences in the Passive Voice.

8. Put ten questions on the text ‘The Telegraph’.

9. Describe the principle of action of the telegraph made by S. Morse.

Text C. THOMAS ALVA EDISON (1847 - 1931)

Thomas Alva Edison was born on February 11,1847 in Milan, Ohio.

At the age of seven he entered school but left it very soon. The teacher thought that he was a dull boy. His mother then became his teacher. The boy loved books. He had a wonderful memory.

Edison began to work when he was twelve years old. His first job was a newspaper boy on a train. He soon began to produce his own newspaper. It was about the size of a handkerchief. He gathered news, printed and sold the newspapers all by himself. He had a small laboratory in the baggage car of this train. There he carried out experiments. Edison kept records of all his experiments. Then Edison got lessons in telegraphy and the next five years he worked as a telegraphist in various cities of the US and Canada.

In 1877 Edison invented a phonograph. This talking machine both recorded and played back. It resembled the present day tape recorder more than a record player.

Next Edison became interested in the invention of an electric-light bulb for lightning streets and buildings by electricity instead of by gas.

It had taken Edison and his assistants thirteen months to produce the incandescent lamp, but he already knew, that success awaited it. Edison was sure that the lamp should be burnt for a hundred hours.

Edison carried out experiments from morning till night. All his inventions were the results of his endless work. He sometimes made thousands of experiments. For months he slept no more than one or two hours a day. Yet he had time to read not only scientific books. He was fond of Shakespear and Tom Pain. He had over 10000 volumes in his library.

Edison continued to work all through his long life. He attributed his success not so much to genius as to hard work.

Edison's inventions include the phonograph, or gramophone, the megaphone, the cinematograph, the improved lamp of incandescent light, many greatly improved systems of telegraphic transmission and numerous other things.

Vocabulary

handkerchief носовой платок
incandescent lamp лампа накаливания
endless work бесконечная работа
invention изобретение

· Read the text without a dictionary.

· Answer the questions:
1. Who was Edison's real teacher?
2. When did he start to work?
3. What was his first invention?
4 What do Edison's inventions include?

· Render in English:

ТОМАС АЛВА ЭДИСОН (1847—1931)