The invention of electronic devicesis knownto have a new important phase in the development of electrical engineering.
Известно, чтоизобретение электронных устройствознаменовало новый этап в развитии эл. инженерии.
1. Scientists are reported to be already working on Artificial Intelligence and the next generation of computers is likely to understand human languages. 2. Now plenty of materials are known to become superconductors at low temperature. 3. Recently some ceramic materials have been found to be superconductors. 4. The International Space Station was expected to be a permanent off-planet extension of human civilization. 5. Machine code is known to contain the 1s and 0s – binary code – that are processed by the CPU.
TASK 5. Transform the sentences according to the model: It is known that transistors perform functions similar to valves. → Transistors are known to perform function to valves. 1. It is known that sound travels faster in solids than in liquids. 2. It has been proved that electronic equipment saves millions of man and machine hours. 3. It is believed that electronics is the most progressing technology of the present industrial age. 4. It is evident that electronics has made a great contribution to automation. 5. It is known that the invention of electronic device has become a new important phase in the development of electrical engineering.
TASK 6. Read the second part of the text. ELECTRONICS
The invention of electronic device is known to have become a new important phase in the development of electrical engineering. It considerably enlarges the application of electrical energy for various industrial purposes. The invention of the vacuum tube made radio broadcasting possible and later on — telecasting. The researches in the field of electronics gave us radar devices, computers, tape recorders, betatron and a lot of medical tools. Semiconductor devices which have replaced electron tubes reduce the size of instruments.
A great advance in electronics is considered to be connected with the appearance of the transistor. The use of the transistor is likely to be the first step in miniaturization of electronic devices and has increased the range of their application. The introduction of the transistor in 1948 is supposed to be the beginning of the evolution of microelectronics which led in the late 1970s to the development of large-scale integrated (LSI) circuits. Now hundreds of circuits can be packed on to one square inch and there seems to be no limit to it. The technology of so-called molecular epitaxy is the best proof of this suggestion.
Electronics is evident to have made a great contribution to automation. It has extended the range of automatic control in large-scale industrial operations and made the processing of information rapid. Electronic computers have provided the basis for the construction of automatic lines, automated units, shops and whole plants, tools with programmed control, robots and manipulators.
Electronics has penetrated into all the spheres of human activity from household appliances to artificial intelligence and search of outer space civilizations. Such advantages of electronic devices as microscopic size, high speed, low cost and reliability are likely to have no competitor. No wonder electronic technology is the most dynamic technology of the present industrial age. Electronics is sure to make still greater progress in the nearest future and help humanity gain new victories in science and engineering.
TASK 7. Answer the following questions and retell the text. 1. What made radio broadcasting and telecasting possible? 2. What can reduce the size of instrument? 3. What is the great advance in electronics connected with? 4. What are the basic elements in electronics? 5. What advantages of electronic devices are there? 6. When was the first transistor invented? 7. When did the development of LSI circuits begin? 8. What contribution has electronics made into automation?
