The project work of the 10-th

grade students of school № 6 of the town of

Alexandrov of Vladimir region.

Teacher: Ved Galina Alexandrovna.

2009 -2010.

Nowadays it is impossible to imagine our life without technological inventions. We can not do without them and our lives depend on them a lot.

Some people suppose inventions to be the most important things on the way to progress, but others

think that they make us unable to do a lot of useful and necessary actions that help humans to be healthy, sporty and smart. Where is the truth? Let’s try to look at the problem and to find out the answer.

In 1829 Georg and Robert Stephenson built the thirst steam train.

Nicephore Niepce from France pioneered photography in 1829.

In 1870 the first bicycles appeared.

In 1876 Alexander Graham Bell, an American engineer, invented telephone.

Karl Benz produced the world’s first petrol – driven motor car in Germany in 1885.

In 1895 the Lumiere brothers patented their cinematography.

Wilbur and Orville Wright built the first airplane in 1903, USA.

In 1908 James M. Spangler from the USA built the first vacuum cleaner.

In 1908 US automobile manufacturer Henry Ford created the world’s first car assembly line.

John Logie Baird from Scotland invented television in 1926.

In the 1930s the first washing machine came up.

Sergey Korolev from Russia designed the first artificial satellite in 1957.

In 1981 Bill Gates, USA, created Microsoft –DOS (Disk Operating System).

(По материалам Английский язык: Учеб. Для 10-11 кл. В.П. Кузовлев, Н. М. Лапа, Э. Ш. Перегудова и др. – М.: Просвещение, 2002 г. С.220.)

James Watt and Steam Engine.

The steam engine wasinvented by Heron, anancient Greek geometerand engineer fromAlexandria. HeronLived during the firstcentury AD and issometimes called Hero.

Heron made the steam engine as a toy, and called his device «aeolipile», which means «wind ball»

in Greek. The aeolipile is the first known devise to transform steam power into rotary motion. The Greeks never used this remarkable device for anything but a novelty. A steam engine designed for work wasn`t built until 1698.

James Watt was the man, who later improved the steam engine. James Watt was a Scottish inventor and

engineer. In 1765, Watt revolutionized the steam engine, redesigning it so that it was much efficient and four times as powerful as the old steam engines.

Watt`s engines did not waste steam, and had a

separate condenser. Watt partnered with the

businessman and factory owner Matthew Boulton in

1772, helping to promote Watt`s ideas commercially.

Watt also invented a method for converting the up-and

down piston movement number of applications for the

engine. Watt produced this rotary motion steam engine

in 1781. It was used for many applications, including

draining mines, powering looms in textile factories,

powering bellows, paper mills. It helped power the

Industrial Revolution.

Watt coined the term « horse rover», which he used to

his engines. He calculated how many horses it would

take to do the work of each engine. One horse rover

equals 33,000 foot-pounds of work per minute. It is the

power foot in one minute. Parliament granted Watt a

patent on his steam engine in 1755, making Watt a very

wealthy man. In 1882 (long after Watt`s death), the

British Association named the unit of electrical power

the «watt». I think, it was a great invention, which

opened a new era in the development of mankind.

Skotnikova K.

1.Who was the first to invent the steam engine?

2.Did the ancient Greeks use it? Why?

3.Who improved the steam engine?

4.Why were Watt’s engines more effective?

5.Where was Watt’s rotary motion steam engine used?

6.What made Watt a very wealthy man?

7.What do we call «watt» now?

Steam Trains.George and Robert

Stephenson built the first

steam train, the «Rocket»,

in 1829. It had a lot of

problems and was very

slow. By 1870, trains

became more popular and

easier to run. By 1895,

people started using electric

trains. They were cleaner and quieter than steam trains. By 1920 most countries in Europe had railways. Today there are railways all over the world. They have greatly changed our lives and helped to save a lot of time for travellers.

The first constructors of steam trains in Russia were Yefim and Myron Cherepanovs, talented inventors from the Urals. They were surfs of the popular Demidovs family, who were the owners of a lot of

factories at the place. Yefim, the father, was

interested in machine – building and his son Myron helped him to work at the invention of the first steam – engine machine ( in1820 ) and later – steam train

( in1833-1834). Yefim studied in England in 1821 and was greatly impressed by the «Rocket», which he saw there. When he came back, he started constructing Russian steam train and gained success, which helped him not only revolutionize travelling, but to get freedom for his family.

Now Russia has the longest railway system in the

world. Modern trains are fast and comfortable. People can find beds, restaurants, watch TV and listen to the radio there. No doubt, the invention of the train was a great step toward progress.

I think there are only advantages in the invention of trains, because to travel long distances in old days was tiring, uncomfortable and dangerous. Travelling by train nowadays is not the fastest, but convenient and not very expensive.

Gerasimenko M.

1.Who are supposed to be the inventors of the steam train?

2.Who were Yefim and Myron Cherepanovs?

3.Was Yefim Cherepanov an educated man?

4.What country has the longest railway system in the world?

5.Is it comfortable to travel by train now?

6.Do you agree that the invention of the steam train had a great influence on the development of progress?

The first automobilewas designed by NicholasJoseph Cugnot in France in1769. It was made accordingto the order of the WarMinister of France EtienneFrancois, who wanted to geta practical transport for theneeds of the Army. Cugnotand his colleague Brezinconstructed the first steamengine automobile in theArsenal in Paris.

It was primitive and veryslow ( its speed was only4 km per hour ), but itcould help carry up to 5tons of load. Later apassenger variant of theautomobile was made bythe inventors, but it was veryinsecure and in 1771 theproduction of it was stopped.However, it was thebeginning of the history ofthe automobile.

Now it is not possible to

live without automobiles.

Cars take you where you

want to go. You can travel

freely and comfortably and

it doesn’t take you much

time. Some people think

there too many cars in our

streets now and they

pollute the atmosphere. I

agree with it, but my

opinion is that in the near

future we will have new

type of fuel, which will be

nature friendly and

probably we will be able

to solve the problems of

traffic jams with the help

of flying automobiles. Bogachev Andrey.

1.Who was the first designer of the automobile?

2.Why was it invented?

3.What was the speed of the first automobile?

4.Why was the production of the first automobile

stopped?

5.Do modern cars pollute the atmosphere?

6.Can people solve the problem of traffic jams now?

People wanted to look

smart through all the time.

They dreamt to have clean

and accurate clothes. So,

the thirst irons appeared.

They were very heavy and

hot because people made

them from iron and heated

in the fire. Later they

decided to put hot charcoal

inside. There were irons

which worked with the

help of spirit that burnt

inside, but they were not

very good and the

flammable liquid often

burnt the clothes. Due to the

inventor Earl Richardson the

first electric iron was made

in1903. He convinced some

of housewives to test it. The

New invention became very

successful, though it was too

hot in the center and not hot enough at the edges. Richardson

produced an advanced model in1905.Now at the market there

is a number of various models of irons. They are light,

multifunctional and even wireless. Some of them have a

special device which helps not to spoil clothes. No doubt that

it is a very useful and helpful invention.

Klyauzova Marina.

1.Why did people begin to use irons?

2.What characteristics did the first irons have?

3.Who invented the first electric iron?

4.Was it successful?

5.What disadvantages did the first electric iron have?

6.When was the advanced model of the electric iron

produced?

7.Can you imagine your life without this device?

Photo camera is a very

necessary thing. Nicephore

Niepce from France

pioneered photography in

1829. And the first digital

camera was made by the

company of «Nicolette» in

1929. With it we can take

picture of important

moments of life and to save

them for memory. We

need it badly now. With modern photo cameras it is possible not only to take pictures, but also to take some videos. It’s a new function of the photo camera. Every year cameras are becoming much more comfortable to operate. They are so small now that it is very easy to take them on a trip, because they don’t occupy a lot of space.

Digital cameras have

memory cards inside, but not

films and you can take a lot

of pictures with their help. If

You need to enlarge your

photo – it is possible to do it

too, because modern cameras

remind of computers a lot.

Some people can’t even imagine

their lives without digital

cameras because it is a very

convenient device.

 

1.Who pioneered photography?

2.When was the first digital camera made?

3.Why is the invention of the photo camera important?

4.What functions do modern photo cameras have?

5.Do modern photo cameras have films inside?

6.Why are digital photo cameras convenient?

7.Do you have a digital photo camera? How often do you use it?

The radio is one of the

greatest achievements of

human genius. The priority

in the invention of the

radio belongs to the

Russian scientist Popov.

On the 7th of May we

celebrate Radio Day

because on that day in

1895 the Russian scientist

Alexander Popov demonstrated his first radio set to a meeting of the Russian Physical and Chemical Society. A. S. Popov was born in 1859 in the Urals. While he was at school he spent all his free time on physics and mathematics. He studied at St. Petersburg University and graduated from it with honour, but he was not satisfied with the conditions of the laboratories of the University and accepted the post of a teacher in the Mining School in Kronstadt. There he began his research in electrical engineering. The greater part of his life he devoted to the problem of the application of electromagnetic waves to wireless communication. Popov worked on a

sensitive receiving set which

could pick up even the

weakest radio waves. The

year of 1895 is considered to

be the date of the invention of

the Radio when Popov

demonstrated his radio

receiving set in use. The

first report consisted of two

words «Henry Hertz ».By

the end of the year he

improved his apparatus. It

was the first radio receiving set in the world. Since then, the art of radio communication has progressed a great deal. The radio has brought great changes to our life. It was the « father » of television and computer technology. At present we can get information and listen to music due to the radio. So I think the radio is a very important invention because it gave the start to different others. The radio is still popular now, though there are a lot of other inventions, which are more modern and more up-to date. It helps to convey information , to send urgent messages and to have a good time listening to music as well.

Kondrashova O.

1.Who does the priority of the invention of the radio

belong to?

2.When was the first radio demonstrated?

3.Wha did A. Popov devote the greatest part of his life

to ?

4.What did the first radio report consist of?

5.Has the art of radio communication progressed since

then?

6.Why is the radio believed to be a great invention?

7.Do your like to listen to music on the radio?

The Thermometer was

invented by Galileo Galilei in

1593. His thermometer

consisted of water in a glass

bulb. The water moved up

and down the bulb as the

temperature changed. The

sealed thermometer was later

invented by the Grand Duke

Ferdinand the Second in

1641, but Galileo was the first.(По материалам «Методическая мозаика» № 4, 2003г. С.32.)

Galileo Galilei(1564-1642) was an Italian astronomer, philosopher, and mathematician whose invention of the telescope revolutionized astronomy and paved the way for the acceptance of the Copernican Heliocentric System. Galilei was the first to use the newly invented telescope to study celestial objects. In 1609 Galileo heard that a new instrument had been invented in the Holland which made objects in the distance seem close to the observer. Galileo tried to create his own instrument using a variety of lenses and he soon succeeded in making a basic telescope using a concave and a convex lens at either end of a lead tube. At the third attempt he produced a telescope that made objects

appear 1 000 times larger and over thirty times closer

than it is seen with the naked eye. Although Galileo

could see the importance of the telescope's aid to

navigation at sea and over land, he was most interested

in its use to look at the skies. Through the telescope,

Galileo observed the surface of the moon and planned to

improve the device in the future. Nowadays

powerful telescopes help us to study distant stars,

planets and galaxies, understand the processes on

the Earth. Koplyakova S.

1.Who was the inventor of the first thermometer?

2.Who invented the sealed thermometer later?

3.Who was Galileo Galilei?

4.What did he constructed with the help of a variety of

lenses?

5.What importance of the telescope did Galilei see?

6.How do we use the telescope now?

After the invention of the

plane it has been improved

a lot of times. The

construction of the first

airplane opened a new era

in transportation and

travelling. Modern planes

look like flying buses that

is why they are called

aero buses sometimes.

They are comfortable,

quick and save.

The leader of plane building industry is Boeing

corporation. Boeing 757 is the most wide – spread passenger plane nowadays. Airways values these planes for economy and reliability. The most popular are twin – engine Boeings. The use of such modernized planes has improved the financial

condition of many airway corporations all over the world. The new type of planes make transatlantic flights between the eastern seaside of the north America and western Europe possible. Planes help us to cover long distances in short time and do it with much comfort. I’m sure that it is really a great invention.

Bedretdinova E.

1.What did the construction of the first air plane change

in our lives?

2.Are modern planes different from the first ones?

3.What are the characteristics of the modern planes?

4.What corporation is the leader of the plane building

industry?

5.Why do people value Boeing 757?

6.What role do modern planes play in the world now?

A lot of inventions appeared in people’s lives to maketheir existence more comfortable and easier. The namesof inventors are still known and remembered by gratefuldescendants. The inventions help us to save much timefor our hobbies and interests and to get much freedomfrom our housework. There is another point of view onthe problem. A lot of people suppose that all theinventions make us lazy, passive and unhealthy, but ifyou are sensible, you will always have somethinginteresting to do in your free time and if you care ofyour health, you will go to a sports club to have someexercises to keep fit.

We used some resources of the Internet in our presentation: pictures and information, which was shortened and translated into English.

Thank You for Your attention.

Top students of school № 6 of Alexandrov.