Electrical Power Industry
Using energy has been a key issue in the process of the development of our human society since the old times when people started to control fire. But one of the most prominent sources that changed the life of the whole world was the discovery of the most efficient energy source – the electricity. In our modern world electricity is used for industry and agriculture, communication and transportation, and for everyday use.
The development of electricity dates back to the late 17th century and the great discovery of the power source of energy was made by William Gilbert. A great number of further important discoveries were made over the next two centuries – among them are a light bulb and electromagnetic induction principle. The start of the electrical industry began in 1881 when the first power station in the world was constructed at Godalming in England. Then in 1882 the great inventor Thomas Edison and his Edison Electric Light Company started their first steam-powered station in New York. That was the beginning of the new era of electricity that changed the way people lived. By 1890 there were thousands of power systems in Europe and the USA.
But what is the electricity? From the scientific point of view, the electricity is a particular set of physical phenomena which is characterized by the presence and the distinctive flow of electric charge. It is created when the small particles – electrons move between the atoms. This process creates an electric current. And this current is used to energize different kinds of equipment. Electrical Power Industry can be fair enough called a backbone of the modern industry and everyday life.
We use electrical power for heating, cooling and lighting our houses, for cooking food, and for numerous devices and gadgets such TV-sets, computers and smart phones. Electrical power has become the essential necessity for the modern society. But unfortunately not all people in the world have an access to this source of energy. Millions of people in poor countries have to survive without the advantages of electrical power.
Besides the obvious advantages that electrical power brings to our life there is a definite set of threats that this modern technology causes. The process of electricity generation on different kinds of power stations often is not so harmless to the nature. One of the most efficient but dangerous means of electricity generation is a nuclear power station. Though this is one of the most effective ways to generate electricity for the needs of the society, the disastrous catastrophes in Chernobyl and Fukusima showed us how dangerous nuclear power is.
The process of nature friendly electricity generation has been developing greatly these days. Wind power, solar power and the power of the ocean are used to generate safe and cheap electricity that will be able to bring our life to the next level of evolution.
2. Найдите в тексте и выпишите словосочетания:
Ключевой вопрос, одним из наиболее значимых источников, наиболее эффективный источник энергии, лампочка накаливания и принцип электромагнитной индукции, паровая электростанция, определенный набор физических явлений, присутствие и течение электрического заряда, электрический ток, необходимое слагаемое, имеют доступ, целый ряд угроз, процесс производства электричества, один из наиболее выгодных, разрушительные катастрофы , ветряные генераторы, солнечные батареи и приливные станции .
3. Составьте 10 вопросов к тексту письменно. (Повторите пять типов вопросов)
4. Переведите письменно:
Everything is made up of atoms. Each one of them has three particles: protons, neutrons and electrons. Electrons spin around the centre of an atom. They have a negative charge. Protons, which are in the centre of atoms, have a positive charge.
Normally, an atom has as many protons as it has electrons. It is stable or balanced. Carbon, for example has six protons and six electrons.
Scientists can make electrons travel from one atom to another. An atom that loses electrons is positively charged, an atom that gets more electrons is negatively charged.
Electricity is created when electrons move between atoms. Positive atoms look for free negative electrons and attract them, so that they can be balanced.
Electricity can be created in three ways:
The most common is through electro-magnetic conversion, where electricity is generated by moving an electric conductor, such as a wire, inside a magnetic field. The most practical example of this method is a generator connected to a turbine.