Практичные на ваш взгляд исследования на Международной космической станции

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Exercise 6. Read and smile.

The Farmer and the Apple Tree

A farmer once had a friend who was famous for wonderful apple

trees which he grew. One day this friend gave the farmer a fine

young tree and told him to take it home and plant it. The farmer

was pleased with the gift, but when he got home he did not know

how to plant it. If he planted it near the road, people might steal

the fruit. If he planted it in his field, his neighbours might come at

night and rob (грабить) him. If he planted it near the house, his

own children might steal the apples. Finally he planted the tree

deep in the woods where no one could see it. But naturally the tree

couldn't grow without sunlight and suitable soil. In time, it withered

(засыхать) and died.

Later his friend was criticising him for planting the tree in such

a poor place.

«What is the difference», the farmer said. «If I had planted the

tree near the road, people would have stolen the fruit. If I had

planted it in my field, my neighbours would have come at night and

robbed me. If I had planted it near my house, my own children

would have stolen the apples».

«Indeed! But at least someone could have enjoyed the fruit»,

said his friend. «Now you have robbed everyone of the apples, and

you have destroyed a fine tree».

A farmer's wife spent most of her time wishing for things which

she did not possess. She wished she were beautiful; she wished she

were rich; she wished she had a handsome (красивый) husband.

Therefore one day fairies (волшебницы) decided to give her three

wishes as an experiment.

The farmer and his wife talked for a long time over what she

would wish for. But the farmer's wife suddenly became a little hungry

(голодный) and wished she had some sausages to eat. At once

her plate was full of sausages. Then a heated argument began, because

her husband said his wife had wasted one of the valuable

wishes on such a cheap thing as sausages. The argument grew hotter,

and finally the wife cried that she wished the sausages were

hanging from her husband's nose. At once a row of sausages flew to

her husband's nose and stayed there. Nor could they be removed.

Now there was the only one thing the poor woman could do.

She really loved her husband and so she had to spend her third wish

in removing the sausages from his nose. Thus, except for the few

sausages, she got nothing from her three wishes.

Text 12B

Benefits of Building the International Space Station

When studying sound, you go into a quiet room. When studying

light, you go into a dark room. When studying the effects of gravity,

you would like to go into an «anti-gravity» room. Since there is no

such thing on Earth, we have the International Space Station.

By flying around Earth at about 17,500 mph the station and everything

in it remain in orbit, a continuous free fall around the

planet. In orbit, forces are balanced and the effects of gravity are essentially

removed. The result is microgravity, one of the unique phenomena

of the ISS environment that promises new discovery. Thus,

the ISS allows long-term exposure to a world nearly unexplored.

Gravity affects everything. From our bodies to the materials we

use to build cars and buildings, to the flames we use to heat our

homes, our world is controlled by gravity. Even flames burn differently

without gravity. Reduced gravity reduces convection currents,

the currents that cause warm air or fluid to rise and cool air

or fluid to descend on Earth. This absence of convection changes

the flame shape in orbit and allows studies of the combustion process

that are impossible on Earth. The absence of convection allows

molten metals or other materials to be mixed more thoroughly in

orbit than on Earth, opening the way to a whole new world of composite

materials. Scientists plan to study this field, to create better

metal alloys and more perfect materials for applications such as

computer chips. Investigations that use lasers to cool atoms to near

absolute zero may help us understand gravity itself.

While investigating our surroundings, we have been limited,

until recently, to accepting gravity as a given factor in all our studies.

History shows that changing what once was constant can lead to

revolutionary discoveries.

The 19th century saw temperature and pressure become controlled

in new ways to use steam power and revolutionize the way

we live. The 21st century offers the hope of controlling gravity's effects

to understand why things behave the way they do. Observing

and understanding this behaviour is key to new discoveries in many

scientific disciplines and using that knowledge is key to the im-

provement of life on Earth. The station will allow mankind to perform

research that may result in new medicines, materials and

industries on Earth and will benefit people all over the world.

The Space Station Mir gave us a platform for long-term microgravity

research, and important knowledge about how to live and

work in space. Like all research, we must proceed one step at a

time. As we open one door, answering one question, we are faced

with the opportunity of more doors, more questions.

The ISS is the next step in that journey of discovery, and represents

a quantum leap (скачок) in our capability to conduct research

on orbit. In space, electrical power is key to the quantity and

quality of research. When completed, the ISS's enormous solar

panels will supply 60 times more power for science than did Mir.

This and the large space available for experiments will provide scientists

with unprecedented access to this unique environment.

Aboard the ISS scientists will explore basic questions in the

fields of biotechnology, biomedical research, fluid physics, fundamental

biology, physics. Earth science and space science. Observations

of the Earth from orbit are expected to help the study of

large-scale, long-term changes in the environment. The effects of

air pollution, such as smog over cities; the cutting and burning of

forests, and of water pollution are visible from space and can provide

a global perspective unavailable from the ground.

Thanks to its research and technology the station is certain to

serve as an absolutely essential step in preparation for future human

space exploration.

Text 12C

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