Пособия / Л.П. Даниленко, Ю.Ю. Сильман TECHNICAL ENGLISH FOR CIVIL ENGINEERS AND STRUCTURAL DESIGNERS

and five days with a small labour force and at low cost. Using advanced knowledge of the behaviour of metal arch and metal truss forms under loading and including wind forces, the structure made a revolution in civil engineering and architectural design. Parisian residents originally hated the Eiffel Tower calling it an eyesore. Despite long-continued protests it ultimately proved itself aesthetically.

The tower base of four semicircular arches dictated partially by engineering construction and also by Eiffel’s artistic sense, required elevators to lift on a curve. The glass-cage machines designed by Otis Elvator Company of the United States became one of the principal features of the building, establishing it as one of the world’s prime tourist attractions.

Interesting facts about the Eiffel Tower.

It weighs 7,000 tons.

There are 1,710 steps to reach the top.

The tower is not painted one uniform colour; every seven years 50 – 60 tons of paint are applied to protect the tower from corrosion.

The Eiffel Tower was only meant to stand for 20 years, but the French military and government began using it for radio communication and laterfor telecommunication.

It’s not just a tourist attraction. The Eiffel Tower has housed a newspaper office, a post office, scientific laboratories, a theatre, and the first level becomes an ice rink every year.

Now it is a symbol of Paris and offers a wonderful view of the city.

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TEXT 2. The Highest Skyscraper in the World

(Tower of Dubai)

The highest skyscraper in the world “Burj Dubai” (Tower of Dubai) was built in the United Arab Emirates. The official height of the famous tower is 828 meters. The total construction costs $ 1, 5 billion. Inside the complex there is available place for luxury apartments, offices, and shopping centers. The majority of the area is given for

office space. The basic premises of the skyscraper were handed over to offices,but therearehotels, restaurants, viewing platforms, and pools in the tower. The designer of the tower was the American architect Adrian Smith, whose main task was to mix Islamic traditions and contemporary Western solutions.

Construction proceeded at a speed of 1–2 floors per week. The skyscraper stands on foundation;

its thickness being 50 meters and weight – 110 tons. Special grade (марка) of the concrete that can withstand temperatures up to +50 C has been developed. It was poured only at night, and ice was added to the solution. 230,000 cubic meters of concrete, 39 tons of steel, 142 thousand square meters of glass were required for the construction of the building.

The tower itself can generate electricity: it uses a turbine, rotated both by the wind and by solar panels. In addition, the

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building is equipped with special protection from the sun and reflective glass panels, which reduce the heat inside the premises.

There are 49 high-speed elevators and eight escalators for the convenience of residents, staff of many offices and visitors. For example, one of the main elevators lifts passengers to a height of just 504 meters at speed of 9 meters per second.

TEXT 3. New York’s Empire State Building. The World’s

Famous “Cathedral of the Skies”

New York City is situated at the mouse of the Hudson River on the East coast of the USA. The heart of the city is the island of Manhattan, where, in the Midtown and Downtown districts, the buildings “scrape” the sky. One of these skyscrapers is the Empire State Building. Like the Statue of Liberty and Brooklyn Bridge, it is instantly recognized as a symbol of New York – a symbol which demonstrates the power, energy and excitement of one of the world’s most-loved and

most-hated cities.

When the 102-storey structure was built in 1932, it was the tallest building in the world (1,454 feet – 443 meters). From the top, on a clear day, you can see over a 50-mile radius. Its towering

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height and distinctive Art Deco style made the Empire State Building an instant success with the public. This building remains uniquely fascinating. It’s an internationally known landmark in New York City. It offers inspiring views around the horizon to visitors from around the world, night and day, in wet or dry weather.

There are two floor observatories: on the 86th and 102nd floors. The 86th floor observatory, 1,050 feet (320 meters) has a glassenclosed area, which is heated in winter and cooled in summer. High powered binoculars are available on the promenades for the convenience of visitors at a minimal cost. A snack bar, food and drink vending machines and souvenir counters are also located in the 86th floor observatory.

Standing on the 102nd floor, 1,250 feet i.e. 381 meters above the streets below, visitors can see the surrounding countryside for distances up to 80 miles on clear days.

Interesting facts about the Empire State Building.

It is the world’s greatest TV tower – 1, 454 feet.

Visibility 80 miles on a clear day.

Ships can be seen 40 miles at sea.

73 elevators operate at speed ranging from 600 ft. to 1,200 ft. a minute inside 7 miles of shafts (шахта лифта или вентиляции).

1,860 steps on stairs from street level to 102nd floor.

6,500 windows.

One of the world’s eight wonders (the only one built in the 20th Century).

Volume of the building is 37,000,000 cubic feet.

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2,000,248 square feet of rentable area.

Almost 2 million visitors from every state in the United States and nearly every foreign country visit the “top of the Empire State” each year.

TEXT 4. Housing in Britain and the USA

In Britain families like to live in houses rather than in flats or apartments (“apartment” is American English word). 78 % of people live in houses and only 21 % live in flats. Most houses are made of brick. Most people live in two storey semidetached houses (жилой дом на две семьи). Sometimes when people get older they move to a bungalow (бунгало,

одноэтажная дача с верандой) which is a house with only one storey. A country cottage made of stone or a mansion (большой дом, особняк) is only a dream for a lot of people.

Almost everybody in Britain dreams of living in a detached house (отдельный дом); that is, a house which is a separate building. The saying “An English-man’s home is his castle” is well-known. It illustrates the importance of ownership and the desire for privacy.

Houses, not flats

A large, detached house ensures not only privacy. It is a status symbol. Such a house is an unrealistic dream for a lot of people. But even a small detached house, surrounded by garden, gives the required suggestion of rural life (жить в сельской местности) which is dear to the hearts of many British people.

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Most people try to avoid living in blocks of flats (what the Americans call “apartment blocks”). Flats, they feel, provide the least amount of privacy. With a few exceptions, mostly in certain locations in central London, flats are the cheapest kind of home. The people living there are those who cannot afford to live anywhere else.

The dislike of living in flats is very strong. In the 1950s millions of poorer people lived in old, cold, uncomfortable houses of nineteenth century, often with only an outside toilet and no bathroom. During the next twenty years many of them were given smart new “high rise” blocks of flats with central heating and bathrooms, were much more comfortable and were surrounded by grassy open space. But people hated their new homes. They said they felt cut off from the world.

In other countries millions of people live reasonably happily in flats. But in Britain these high-rise blocks (also known as “tower blocks”) could not have been a success, because they do not suit British attitude. At the present only 4 % of the population lives in high-rise blocks. And only 20 % of the country’shouseholds(семья, домочадцы)live inflatsofanykind.

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American homes

American homes are among the biggest and the best ones in the world. Many of them have a garage for one or two cars, a big modern kitchen, a living room, and a playroom for children. Upstairs there are two bathrooms and three or four bedrooms.

Some families have two homes. They have one house or apartment in the city or suburbs. They live and work there. But they have another home near the sea or in the mountains. They go to their second home on weekend and for vacations.

American house

Americans who live in the towns and cities often move.

A family stays in one house for four or five years, and then they move again. Some people move because they want a bigger or a smaller home. In American suburbs, families come and leave all the time.

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Americans are always trying to make their homes better. They take a lot of time to buy furniture and make their home beautiful. They buy books and magazines about houses and furniture. They work hard on their homes in the evenings and on weekends.

TEXT 5. Housing in Russia

The construction sector is one of the most important sectors of the economy, which accounts for about 3% of Russia's Gross National Product. Housing is one of the leading branches of the construction industry in Russia, especially in densely populated and rapidly developing regions.

In the Soviet Union, nearly all the housing stock of urban areas was owned by the state. Private property was prohibited in urban areas, and in rural areas the size of private houses was strictly limited. Local authorities were responsible for renting apartments. Rental payment was extremely low and, in most

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cases, was not enough to pay maintenance costs. Housing destruction was very rapid.

Privatization started in the 1990s, and by the middle of 1990s more than half of Russia’s housing was privately owned. Living conditions of people considerably improved. The floor space of homes per person steadily increased. Private housing also contributed to construction boom. For example, the construction of private housing tripled in urban areas and nearly doubled in the rural areas.

Most Russians (74%) live in cities. What are the urban homes like? Are these apartments or private houses? Do people prefer to live in the center or in the suburbs? Let’s explore.

Downtown or Suburbs?

Cities’ historical centers are usually cozy and beautiful. Living in the historical center is considered to be prestigious and more convenient because you needn’t spend hours in traffic jams getting to work and home. But there are certainly some minuses such as the poor quality of air, the traffic situation and high prices for

apartments. Moreover downtowns can’t provide homes for a lot of people. Any city always needs more residential housing: buildings that could fit as many inhabitants as possible, standing close to each other with a basic infrastructure such as a

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kindergarten, a school, a medical center, a couple of stores, a playground for kids and maybe a park (if you are lucky). As a result “sleeping districts” are growing in cities and towns. 99 % of Russian citizens live in apartments, not private houses.

How about living in the suburbs?

Some people have a cottage. The Russian equivalent for the American “country house” is the word “dacha” People in Russia do not move to suburbs when they start families and want to raise kids as in American way of life. People just want to have an apartment in the

city as the permanent home and a dacha as a summer-house for weekends. They also have a good opportunity to grow trees and flowers, fruit and vegetables on their own ground. And those people, who live outside of the city, but work in the center are heavily penalized for the opportunity to have fresh air by sitting in traffic jams on their way to and from work for many hours every day.

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