1. What problem is the passage concerned with?
2. What is the main idea of the text?
3. Docs the title of the passage adequately express the main idea?
4. Why do you think so?
5. In what paragraph is the main idea expressed?
6. What two worlds are all the objects of the Universe classified into?
7. What does the word "cosm" mean in Greek?
8. What is the main standard unit for measuring the size of an object?
9. Why does the author prefer centimeter as a measuring unit in this case?
10. What is the diameter of the sun/hydrogen atom?
11. How do scientists express very large or very small numbers?
12. What special units are used for expressing sizes and distances in macro-and microcosm?
13. What is the main standard unit for measuring time intervals?
14. Can we measure human history in seconds?
15. What time periods do scientists usually use when speaking of geology/ history of the Universe/oscillations of particles?
16. Why does the author say that "we are located pretty well in the middle between the macro- and microcosm"? What "middle" does he mean?
17. Why can we look up at the stars and down at the atoms with an equal degree of infer- and superiority?
18. What does the author mean by infer- and superiority?
• Be prepared to give your opinion on these problems.
1. Macrocosm objects and their special units of measurements.
2. Microcosm objects and theirspecial units of measurements.
3. Time intervals of micro- and macrocosm.
4. The human race in the Universe.
• Match the synonyms from both columns.
ordinarily, in terms of, similar,
to encounter, on the other hand, to
constitute, duration, to grasp, division
II
alike, from the opposite
point of view, usually, to
understand, regarding, to make up, separation, to meet, continuance
1. Objects that are much larger than mountains____ what is known as the
macrocosm.
2. Decimal logarithmic scale is the scale in which each factor of ten is represented by one of the yardstick.
3. Similar vast_____ will be found in the time intervals.
4. An_____ may be defined as a series of rapid changes in the state of
something during which it moves from its original state to a new state and back again.
5. A____ of various durations encountered in the macrocosm, microcosm
and in our everyday life is given in Fig. 1
HOMEWORK
(to be done in writing)
1. Translate into Russian.
1. The government should have thought about the problems that plague the world.
2. The damage to the environment must have been caused by dirty technologies.
3. Many of the countries could have cleaned their soil.
4. They could have found some profitable way of doing it.
5. They shouldn't have been threatened with wars.
6. The international cooperation might have taken the form of an effective world government.
7. In this case individual nations couldn't have had the right to take up arms.
8. They couldn't have realized the serious nature of the problem.
2. Translate into English. Use modal verbs.
1. Правительству следовало бы разработать более гуманную систему образования.