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Unit 3

Text study: Robots Move in.

Additional Text: What can Robots Do?

Grammar: revision of tense forms

I. Pre-reading Exercises

1. Repeat the words in chorus:

glass-tube, environmental, furnaces, exhausting, to be surrounded by, constructively, modifiable, to be reoriented.

2. While reading the text you will come across a number of international words. Try to guess what Ukrainian words they remind of you:

Operator, metal, temperature, radiation, monotonous, toxic, material, scene, practically, giant, problem, social, economic.

3. Pay attention to some grammatical points:

1) You can find robots practically anywhere you look. 2) The experts themselves are yet to clear up many questions. 3) Robot must be constructively designed together with the machine tools it is to operate and must be logically incorporated within the system of machines, machine tools and other units.

 

II. Reading

Read the text and be ready to find in the text the answers to the following questions:

·         What kinds of robots are people surrounded now?

·         How are specialized enterprises reoriented as to the production of robots?

Robots Move in

Imagine the real working conditions for a human operator by, for example, transfer of a hot formed glass-tube, removal of hot metal die castings or plastics injection. The environmental temperature is above 50°C and the melting furnaces produce direct and reflexive heat radiation. This kind of job is very difficult, exhausting, monotonous and unpleasant. In the case of machining radioactive or toxic material the work becomes highly dangerous for a man's life.

The necessity of some form of automated handling processes became obvious. So robots appeared on the scene with their high safety and reliability level.

We are now surrounded by robots, big ones, little ones, and medium-sized ones. They serve us in thousands of ways every day.

You can find robots practically anywhere you look. In factories there are giant robots. They pick up great amounts of raw materials and pass them to other, robots which press, stamp and shape the raw material into a wide variety of things. Robot usage has been expanding for industrial spraying, hot handling, assembly, welding, etc.

According to available data, our industry receives annually thousands of robots of different types and purposes. Today, robotic systems, lines and modules are already operating at the leading plants of the motor, electrical engineering, machine-tool industries.

Robotics is just beginning to make inroads in industrial production worldwide. It is not a simple process; the experts themselves are yet to clear up many questions. But everyone agrees even now that the robot by itself does nothing – it must be constructively designed together with the machine tools it is to operate and must be logically incorporated within the system of machines, machine tools and other units.

The problem is not to design individual robots but robotical complexes, flexible and automated production systems that are easily modifiable for the manufacture of ever new kinds of products. Single-handed, even the "cleverest" and most skilful robot is not yet a soldier in the field. Even many robots are not effective piecemeal, unless they are united into a technological chain. Specialized enterprises are reoriented from the production of industrial robots by piece, toward the manufacture of complete systems and robotized complex instruments with the assessment of their performance by the end result the quality and volume of the produce made with their assistance.

This task is presently being tackled by our industry and economy. As to robotization, the utmost economic and social effect will be brought about by systems capable of taking over all the routine stages of designing, design support and the production of output.

Robots release workers from monotonous and very hard work, requiring no skilled labour, in hot shops and in production with hazardous working conditions.

Vocabulary Notes

working conditions умови праці

human-operatorлюдина-оператор

environmental temperature [In'aIqrqnmqntl] — температура оточуючого середовища

plastics injection [In'dZekS(q)n] — вдування пластмаси

reliability level [I"laIqbIqtI] — рівень надійності

to pick up — підбирати

a wide variety (of things)широка різноманітність (речей)

industrial spraying промислове розпилення

hot handlingтермообробка

to make inroads (in) ['InrqVdz] — втручатися (в)

to clear upз'ясувати

robot by itself ['rqVbPt] — робот сам по собі

robotical complex  роботизований комплекс

flexible and automated production systemsгнучкі та автоматизовані виробничі системи

single-handed robot одноцільовий робот

piecemeal = by piece ['pJsmJl] — частинами, частково

assessment of their performance [q'sesmqnt] — оцінка їх роботи

design supportконструкторське забезпечення

hazardous working conditions ['hxzqdqs] — ризиковані (небезпечні)умови праці

to bring about здійснювати

to take over передавати (обов’язки, позиції тощо)

 

Comprehension

1. Tell what sentences are true and what are false.

1) The necessity of robot construction appeared due to different hasardous enterprises. 2) Nowadays robot is a curiosity in our life. 3) It is very simple for robots to make inroads in industrial production worldwide. 4) The most important question is  to design robotical complexes available for the manufacture of ever new kinds of products. 5) Single-handed robots are the "cleverest" and most skilful ones. 6) Robots cannot substitute men in unskilled and dangerous work.

2. Complete the sentences:

1) Robot usage has been expanding for … . 2) Today, robotic systems, lines and modules are already operating at … . 3) Robotics is just beginning to make … . 4) The robot by itself does nothing – … . 5) The problem is not to design individual robots but … . 6) Even many robots are not effective piecemeal, unless … . 7) As to robotization, the utmost economic and social effect will be brought about by … .

3. Choose the right answer:

1) Why did the necessity of some form of automated handling processes become obvious?

a) because it is very cheap and convenient;

b) because at great amount of enterprises the work becomes highly dangerous for a man's life;

c) because it helps to prrotect environment.

2) Where are robotic systems, lines and modules operating today?

a) at light industry enterprises;

b) at different educational establishments;

c) at the leading plants of the motor, electrical engineering, machine-tool industries.

3) Why can the robot by itself do nothing?– it must be constructively designed together with the machine tools

a) because our industry receives annually thousands of robots of different types and purposes;

b) because individual robots are easily modifiable for the manufacture of ever new kinds of products;

c) because it must be logically incorporated within the system of machines, machine tools and other units.

4) What are specialized enterprises oriented to?

a) they are reoriented from the production of industrial robots by piece, toward the manufacture of complete systems and robotized complex instruments;

b) they are oriented to the production of new kinds of products;

c) they are oriented to the robots which press, stamp and shape the raw material into a wide variety of things.

5) How will the utmost economic and social effect be brought about?

a) by systems capable of taking over a technological chain;

b) by systems capable of taking over the hasardous working conditions for a human operator;

c) by systems capable of taking over all the routine stages of designing, design support and the production of output.

1) Why do robots release workers from monotonous and very hard work?

a) because this work requires unskilled labour in production with hazardous working conditions.

b) because because this work is very difficult and unpleasant;

c) because because this work requires new technologies.

4. Answer the questions:

1) What are the real working conditions for a human operator by removal of hot metal die castings or plastics injection? 2) How can you characterize this kind of job? 3) What is the necessity of industrial automated handling caused by? 4) What can robots do at big enterprises? 5) What is the main problem of the development of robotics in industry? 6) What are specialized enterprises reoriented toward? 7) What do robots release workers from?

5. Find as quickly as possible and read out the sentences containing the following important information:

  • working conditions for robots
  •  robots of different types and purposes
  •  designing robotical complexes

*6. Try to tell the gist of the text.

Word Study

1. Give Ukrainian equivalents of the following.

glass-tube, heat radiation, automated handling processes, medium-sized robots, raw material, industrial spraying, machine-tool industries, robot by itself, easily modifiable, to be tackled by, routine stage, hazardous working conditions.

2. Give English equivalents of the following.

Умови роботи, температура оточуючого середовища, теплова радіація, виснажлива робота, обробка токсичного матеріалу, процес обробки, рівень надійності, провідні заводи, гнучкі виробничі системи, випуск готової продукції.

3. Match the words in A with their synonyms in B:

A                                 B

real                              a lot of

human                         big

for example                help

dangerous                   true

level                            project

giant                            output

design                         man

many                           for instance

production                  stage

assistance                    hazardous

4. Fill in the gaps with the words from Vocabulary Notes in the appropriate form.

hot handling / single-handed / environmental temperature / to make inroads / assessment of their performance / wide variety of things / by piece / robot by itself

1) The … is above 50°C and the melting furnaces produce direct and reflexive heat radiation. 2) robots can press, stamp and shape the raw material into a … . 3) Robot usage has been expanding for industrial spraying, …, assembly, welding, etc. 4) Robotics is just beginning … in industrial production worldwide. 5) The … does nothing – it must be constructively designed together with the machine tools. 6) ... robot is not yet a soldier in the field. 7) Specialized enterprises are reoriented from the production of industrial robots …, toward the manufacture of complete systems and robotized complex instruments with the … by the end result the quality and volume of the produce made with their assistance.

5. Translate sentences into English using words and word combinations from the Vocabulary Notes.

1) Людина-оператор не може замінити робота у небезпечних умовах роботи. 2) Температура оточуючого середовища для роботів може перевищувати 100°C. 3) Роботи є незамінними у таких виробничих процесах, як термообробка, промислове розпилення, зварювання, лиття тощо. 4) Робот сам по собі не відіграє великої ролі у виробництві, набагато важливішим є створення роботизованого виробничого комплексу. 5) Гнучкі та автоматизовані виробничі системи широко використовуються в автомобільній, електротехнічній та інших галузях виробництва. 6) Майже всі промислові підприємства використовують одноцільових роботів для полегшення людської праці.

 

Grammar in Use

1. Fill in the gaps in the following sentences using the appropriate form of the verb in brackets.

1). Some decades ago the words "automation", "automatic control" seldom (to appear) on the pages of the press or scientific publications. 2). The man (to remain) the principal agent of the technological process. 3) Last year a lot of automated control systems (to go) into operation at different enterprises and organizations. 4). In 1990s the main trend in automation (to develop) various technological processes and systems. 5). Flexible manufacturing systems (to be) the best way to meet the demands of industry

 

2. Make up questions to which the underlined words are the answers:

1) Automation replaces human muscle by mechanical power. 2) These machines confined human operator to two kinds of work. 3) Since then technical development has been gradual and continuous. 4) The transfer-machine combines automatic machining with automatic transfer between operations. 5) All loading and unloading is done mechanically. 6) During the Middle Ages, windmills had been made. 7) Automation was first applied to industry in continuous process manufacturing.

3. Open the brackets using the appropriate form of the verb.

1). Robots already (to demonstrate) an ability to perform work that (to require) simple repetitive motions and, therefore, can relieve human operators from hazardous or monotonous tasks. 2). The number of types of electromechanical robots continually (to increase). 3). In forging operations, robots (to be) used to transfer hot billets from furnaces to forging presses to transfer parts from die to die in successive forming operations. 4). For last decades many ways (to be) tried to increase productivity on assembly lines. 5). To test different kinds of acceleration couches, scientists (to build) robots that look and "feel" like men.

 

Additional Text

(for individual work)

Read and translate the text.

What can robots do?

In addition to their many practical uses, robots are helping our research scientists answer many difficult questions. Robots help astronomers find and track new stars and lead the way to new and better rockets. They even help scholars figure out the meaning of documents written near the beginning of man's history.

Very few of the robots we have talked about up to now have looked like men. That's because robots are specialists.

There are some robots, however, that are made to look and react like men. That is their specialized task. They are the robots that researchers use to find out what will happen to a human body under a variety of situations.

One of the things that space researchers want to know is what kind of seat is the best for rocket passengers. The blast-off of a rocket will exert tremendous pressures on anyone riding in the rocket. Because of that, a rocket will have to have specially designed seats to protect its passengers. These seats are called "acceleration couches".

To test different kinds of acceleration couches, scientists have built dummies that look and "feel" like men. They have "bones" and "blood" and "flesh". Inside these robots are instruments that tell how much pressure and strain is exerted on each part of the body. These robots are placed on acceleration couches and subjected to pressures like those that would be present in an actual rocket take-off. The measuring devices inside the dummy tell the scientists whether or not the acceleration couch would prevent the blast-off pressure from injuring or killing a man.

 

1. Divide the text into the logical parts and give a title to each one.

2. Put questions to the text.

3. Discuss it with your groupmates.