Machines Through the Age

1. Mechanization, or the use of machines to do the work of animals or people, has been with us for centuries. There are six basic kinds of mechanization. Classification depends on whether machines, or combinations of animals and people, are responsible for the three fundamental elements that occur in every type of activity – power, action and control.

2. The first kind of mechanization is introduced by typing. In typing words, a body produces “the power” to drive a machine, but the machine produces “action”;

control is with the body. In the second kind of mechanization, hardware is responsible for both power and action. In car, for example, the wheels, gears and so on provide action while the engine supplies power.

3. The next 2 types of mechanized devices are all partly automatic. They are mechanically controlled; a person does not have to be present to supervise them. Simple automatic devices are not new. Soon after the first machine-tools appeared late in the 18^th century, engineers modified them so that they could work by themselves fore some of the time. An operator would set his machine so that it cut a piece of metal automatically. He would not have to do anything while the operation took place. The control devices here were camshafts and stops.

4. The fifth example of mechanization is semi-automatic equipment. Here people are required for only some elements of control. In this category are lines with the conveyer systems of the 19^th and early 20^th centuries with which, for instance, Henry Ford’s first factories assembled cars. In this system parts move from one part of the factory to another on an automatic conveyer. But people have to be present. They stand next to the lines to fit things onto the parts as they move past.

5. Finally the sixth kind of mechanization is truly automatic devices, such as transfer lines, computer controlled machine-tools, robots. So to get a strict definition of automation, we can say: automation = mechanization + automatic control.

Пояснения к тексту:

typing -печатание

body – объект

axle – мост

hardware – аппаратные средства

to supervise – смотреть, наблюдать за чем-либо

to set the machine – наладить машину

camshaft – коленвал

stop – стопор, ограничитель

to fit – устанавливать

strict definition – точное определение

II Прочтите 4-й абзац текста и ответьте письменно на следующий вопрос:

Which systems can we call semi-automatic equipment?

Контрольная работа № 5

(для специальностей ММ, САТ)

Вариант 5

I Прочтите и устно переведите на русский язык c 1-го по 5-й абзацы текста. Перепишите и письменно переведите со 2-го по 5-й абзацы.

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