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Legal Status of Engineering SocietiesToday all states in the United States have professional registration laws for engineers, though there is some variability in requirements. The essential purpose of such registration is the protection of the public. It is not surprising then to find that engineers who offer their services directly to the public, as is often the case with civil engineers for example, are invariably required by law to be registered. On the other hand, most mechanical and electrical engineers are not affected in the same way because they are usually employed by a corporation (such as a manufacturing company), which is then liable in the eyes of the law. Exemption, however, should not be taken for granted. In legal matters an engineer may not he recognized as such unless he is registered. For -example, if there is a state statute requiring registration, a contract drawn by an unlicensed engineer may be declared void. He may also be excluded from giving expert testimony in a court of law. It is advisable for all engineers to become registered as soon after graduation as possible. Among the reasons for that are the following ones:
The most common requirement for registration is graduation from a EC'PO (Engineers' Council for Professional Development) accredited school plus four years' experience plus a sixteen-hour examination, or eight years experience plus a sixteen-hour examination. It should be noted also that wider acceptance of registration could eventually enhance the public image of engineering because of the uniformity aspect resulting from the assurance of a minimum level of technical competence. Vocabulary to the text: legal - юридический; law - закон; though - хотя; variability - изменчивость; requirement - требование; essential - существенный; purpose - цель; protection - защита; to offer - предлагать; directly - прямо; civil - гражданский; to affect - влиять (на), затрагивать, задевать (интересы); same - тот же самый; to be employed - быть принятым на работу; liable - связанный обязательством; обязан; exemption - освобождение; to take smth. for granted - принимать как должное, как само собой разумеющееся; matter - вопрос; to recognize - признавать; unless - если не; to declare - объявлять; void - недействительный; to exclude - исключать, не допускать; testimony - свидетельство; court of law - зал суда; to advise - советовать; reason - причина; likely - вероятно; to increase - увеличивать; nature - природа, суть; aid - помощь; promotion - продвижение; to view - рассматривать; proof - доказательство; common - общий, обычный; council - совет; acceptance - приемлемость, принятие; eventually - в конечном итоге; to enhance - увеличивать, усиливать, повышать; uniformity - единообразие; to result from - происходить в результате, иметь результатом; assurance - заверение, гарантия. Ex. Find equivelents to the following words and phrases. государственный статус; юридические вопросы; требуется по закону; законы профессиональной регистрации для инженеров; после окончания (вуза); образ инженера в глазах общественности; контракт, подписанный нелицензированным инженером; помощь в продвижении; принимать; суть карьеры; различия в требованиях; следует отметить; инженер-механик; инженер-электрик; рассматривать в качестве доказательства технической компетентности; аспект единообразия; обязан меняться; общепринятое требование. Ex. Translate the following sentences into English.
Ex. Answer the following questions.
Text IC BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE. Sometimes the biggest news comes in statistic reports put out by serious organizations with boring-sounding names. Last week the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (cbpp.org) released a depressing study called "The Widening Income Gap." It turns out that the gap between rich and poor in the United States is now greater than at any time since the Great Depression. If this were just because of all the new millionaires, it wouldn't be so terrible. The rich getting richer is, in theory, good for everyone. But it turns out that the poorest fifth of Americans have actually seen their after-tax income decline over the past 20 years. One in five children lives in poverty. The richest 2.7 million Americans now have as much income as the poorest 100 million. These trends are being driven by technology, and the now familiar notion that what you earn depends on what you learn. There's good news and bad news across this new continental divide. Access to computers is expanding rapidly. In 1998 more than 40 percent of American households owned computers, and 25 percent of all households had Internet access. Hardware prices are still falling, and used computers are making their way into even the poorest areas. Community technology centers (ctcnet.org) are springing up, and inner-city schools are being wired more quickly than anticipated, thanks in part to the billions provided through Washington's "E-rate" program, which under-writes Internet access. For Americans with incomes of $73,000 and higher, the gap in home-computer ownership between whites and blacks has narrowed some in the last year. That suggests the digital divide may eventually close, if prices fall and incomes rise. But in the meantime, the divide is getting worse. According to a new Commerce Department report, "Falling Through the Net" (nda.doc.gov), the gap in Internet access between those at the highest and lowest income levels grew by 29 percent in one year alone. What's being done about the digital divide? Companies say they can't hire enough qualified minorities, yet few provide more than a symbolic contribution to nonprofits working in the inner city to close the divide. There are exceptions. Techcorps.org has 6,000 volunteers in 43 states helping poor schools plug in; cyber-mentoring programs that help professionals become e-mail pen-pals with disadvantaged kids (for example, imentor.org) are emerging. More common are the press releases that cross my desk from high-tech companies with multibillion-dollar market caps that want publicity for their five-figure charitable table scrapings. Most would rather lobby Congress to import more low-paid skilled immigrants than seriously invest in closing the divide. It's a long road. The computer is not a dew ex machina* - a god that can fix every social injustice. Access to technology won't by itself level the playing field: if you wire them, they won't necessarily prosper. Computers might become as common as TVs, but they require initiative and creativity to use fully. Knowing how to play computer games is not the same as knowing how to design them. "The access gap will close, but the gap in being able to use the technology in meaningful ways may get even larger," says Mitchel Resnick of the MIT Media Lab. Resnick, who cofounded creative after-school centers for at-risk kids (computerclubhouse.org), compares it to the study of foreign languages. "It's like the difference between having a phrase book and real fluency." Getting out of the ghetto requires the latter, but even fluency isn't enough. Job-readiness skills - how to show up at work on time and interact well are at least as important as learning Web design. Here, too, the high-tech companies are not doing enough.. They've mostly earned a blind eye to welfare-to-work programs. In the political world, everyone keeps asking how the Internet will affect the 2000 campaign. Maybe it will do so less as a tool for organizing and fund-raising than as a metaphor for deeper questions of social justice. That theme is already in play, with President Clinton poised to veto a $792 billion Republican tax cut heavily weighted in favor of the rich. If prosperity holds, the next election may provide economic fairness, which today increasingly means digital fairness. Income gaps will always be with us. The wealth of the Information Age cannot, in a free society, be equally shared. But the knowledge and opportunity that the new economy creates should know no class distinction. Once the digital and opportunity gaps close, some greater economic justice will follow. By Jonathan Alter. NEWSWEEK, September, 1999, p.55 Note: · dew ex machina - лат.: бог из машины (обязательный сценический образ в древнем Риме, появляющийся в конце пьесы и ввиду лимита времени быстро решающий проблемы) = неожиданное вмешательство, развязка Vocabulary. bridge - соединять digital - цифровой divide - раскол, разделение put* out - здесь: предоставлять boring-sounding - скучный release - выпускать, публиковать depressing - удручающий widen - расширять, усугублять income - доход gap - раскол, разрыв turn out - оказываться after-tax - за вычетом налогов decline - упадок,снижение trend - направление, тенденция familiar - знакомый notion - понятие earn - зарабатывать depend (on) - зависеть (от) warfare - война expand - расширять(ся) rapidly - быстро household - здесь: семья spring* up - возникать, появляться be* wired - быть оснащенным (компьютерами) anticipate - предвидеть in part - частично provide - обеспечивать, предоставлять "E-rate" - рейтинг компьютеризованности under-write* - подписаться (на) ownership - собственность, владение narrow - сократить, уменьшить. eventually - в конечном итоге meantime - тем временем get* worse - ухудшаться alone - здесь: только hire - принимать на работу nonprofit - некоммерческий exception - исключение volunteer - доброволец plug in - подключаться (к Интернету) mentoring - обучающий pen-pals - друзья по переписке disadvantaged - в неблагоприятном положении emerge - появляться, возникать common - общий, общепринятый caps - заголовки publicity - известность, реклама, гласность charitable - благотворительный table scrapings - крохи со стола skilled - квалифицированный . fix - уладить injustice - несправедливость prosper - процветать require - требовать(ся) creativity - творчество meaningful - значимый, важный at-risk kids - неблагополучные дети phrase book - разговорник fluency - белость (речи) latter - последний (из двух) interact - взаимодействовать blind - слепой welfare - благосостояние social welfare - соц. Пособие keep*(+ doing) - продолжать делать affect - влиять fund-raising - сбор фин.средств poise а veto - наложить вето/запрет tax cut - снижение налогов heavily - значительно in favor (of) - в пользу кого-то election - выборы fairness - справедливость increasingly - все в большей степени wealth - богатство, благосостояние equally - поровну share - делить(ся) create - создавать distinction - различие оnce - когда follow - наступать, (по)следовать Word Study. Ex. I. Match the phrases with their Russian equivalents.
Answer the following questions.
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