The prediction of hurricanes and earthquakesOn September 9, 1999 a rather puzzling fax came in to the Turkish Embassy in Moscow, signed by Tula State University Professor Oleg Martynov: “Since August 3 of this year, precursors of a powerful earthquake have been observed in an area with the following geographic coordinates: 40 N 28 to 30 E. Should your government get Turkish meteorologists and seismologist to contact us, we will be able to provide an accurate forecast about the time and the coordinates”. Embassy officials decided that it was some kind of prank, but called the Russian Academy of Sciences. “Pay no attention – these are charlatans”, the ambassador was assured. A week later Turkey was shaken by a natural catastrophe. Turkish journalists rushed to Tula to interview the clairvoyant professor. Martynov asked them to draw their government’s attention to the fact that more earthquakes should be expected in a month’s time. On November 12, 1999, Turkey unfortunately saw that the scientist’s second forecast was also accurate. The pattern was repeated with Greece. A storm warning to the incredulous government arrived on September 2, while five days later the country was shaken. Prof. Martynov has more than a dozen officially confirmed forecasts: Azerbajan, Bulgaria, France, Great Britain, Italy, etc. Prof. Martynov receives signals about imminent meteorological and seismic upheavals from the invented instrument, a steel drum packed with sensitive antennas. The instrument is called a broad-band gradientometer, which records disturbances in the gravitational equilibrium between the earth’s core and its atmosphere every second. Sensors show fluctuations on the video display terminal, and with some decoding procedure, the professor says, it is quite easy to determine the time and place of an upcoming hurricane, typhoon, oк some other devastating natural phenomenon. In the course of his studies, Martynov came to conclusion, that the earth’s gravitational balance is periodically disturbed, but our planet recovers the equilibrium. However, cataclysms continue to occur.
Grammar study: learn grammar peculiarities of the text. 1. Страдательный залог (Passive Voice) – это такая категория глагола, которая показывает, что лицо или предмет, являющиеся подлежащим, не сам выполняет действие, а подвергается действию со стороны другого лица или предмета. Cтрадательный залог образуется при помощи вспомогательного глагола to be в соответствующем времени и причастия прошедшего времени смыслового глагола. Формы страдательного залога отсутствуют во Future Continuous и в группе Perfect Continuous. Sample: The ambassador was assured that the forecast about the time and the coordinates of an earthquake was not true. – Посла заверили, что прогноз о времени и месте землетрясения не соответствовал действительности. 2. Причастие прошедшего времени, так же как и причастие настоящего времени, часто используется в качестве определения. В функции определения причастие второе переводится на русский язык причастием страдательного залога совершенного и несовершенного вида с суффиксами – окончаниями – (н)ный, - тый, -емый. Sample: A fax signed by Tula State University professor concerned the prediction of earthquakes. – Факс, подписанный профессором Тульского государственного университета, касался прогноза землетрясений. Exercise 2a) . Translate the sentences and define the tense of the verbs in Passive Voice: 1. Several years ago a powerful earthquake have been observed in Turkey. 2. Some time later Turkey was shaken by a natural catastrophe. 3. The procedure of the forecast was repeated in another country. 4. The forecast appeared to be accurate and in several days the country was shaken. 5. The instrument for predicting earthquakes is called a gradientometer. 6. The reason of earthquakes is that the earth’s gravitational balance is periodically disturbed.
Exercise 2b) . Translate the sentences with Past Participle in the function of an attribute: 1. Professor from Tula has more than a dozen officially confirmed forecasts. 2. The scientist receives signals from the invented instrument, a steel drum packed with sensitive antennas. 3. The observed fluctuations were rather strong. 4. The developed procedure helps to predict seismic upheavals quite accurate. 5. The repeated phenomena proved the correctness of the method.
Exercise 3 . Insert the proper word into the sentence: 1. (Предвестник) of a powerful earthquake has been observed in an area of Turkey. 2. (Точный прогноз) was accepted as a kind of (шутка). 3. By the earthquake the earth (сотрясается) with great power. 4. (К сожалению), the scientist was not believed. 5. The device records (нарушение) in the gravitational equilibrium. 6. The reason of (опустошительный) phenomena is that the earth’s gravitational balance periodically (нарушается). 7. Gradually, the planet (восстанавливать) the equilibrium. 8. (Ясновидящий) professor (предупредил), that (следует ожидать) the earthquake in the nearest future.
Exercise 4 . Translate into English: 1. Точный прогноз надвигающегося метеорологического изменения очень важен. 2. Методика декодирования записей прибора дает возможность определить время и место нарушения природного равновесия. 3. Изобретенный прибор довольно точно определяет приближающийся ураган или землетрясение. 4. Хотя современная наука может прогнозировать ураганы и землетрясения, катаклизмы случаются. 5. Ясновидящий профессор предупредил, что следует ожидать еще бóльших землетрясений. Exercise 5 . Read the additional text and translate it without dictionary with the help of the following words:
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