UNIT 24

 

I. Find out the words in the dictionary. Write them down and learn.

 

beyond, a frontier, to move, a size, to include, to measure, to give birth, to expand, to give out (light), to reveal, wavelength, red shift, the Big Bang Theory, origin, to come into existence, explosion, evidence

 

II. Read the text. Use a dictionary, if necessary.

 

Text: “The Nature of the Universe”.

 

When Pluto was discovered in 1930; scientists already knew a lot about the stars beyond our own solar system. But now the frontiers of our knowledge have moved into deepest space. As this has happened, we have had to develop new ways of seeing and thinking.

Here are two examples of what we think we understand.

The size of the universe. All space with everything in it, including all stars, is called the universe. If we measure space distances by light years instead of earth years, the universe still seems too large to understand. A light year is the distance light travels in a year. Light travels at 186,000 miles per second (300,000 kilometres per second).

By this measure we know that:

 

Earth to Sun is Our solar system is The nearest star (Proxima Centauri) is Our galaxy (the Milky Way) is   The galaxy Andromeda (visible to the naked eye) is We can now detect other galaxies

81/2 light minutes. 11 light hours across. light years away. 100,000 light years across and contains about 100,000 million stars. 2 million light years away.    15,000 million light years away.

 

What does the last enormous number in the table really mean to us?

a) The light we now see, through a twentieth century telescope, started its journey toward us 15,000 million years ago.

b) The light started toward us billions of earth years before the sun or the earth had even started to form.

c) If the light has taken so long to reach us, then the stars that gave out that light have had 15,000 million years to change. They may have moved elsewhere, died, or given birth to new kinds of stars. What we now see has not been there for billions of earth years.

d) We are looking back in time to the very beginning of the universe itself.

The expanding universe. All objects, including stars that give out light reveal facts about themselves in the kind of light they give out. The whole range of energy that can be given out is shown in the diagram below. Only a small part of it is visible light.

In the 1920s, the American astronomer Edwin Hubble began to measure the spectrum of distant galaxies. He discovered that the farther away the galaxy was, the longer were the wavelengths of red light. He realized he was experiencing something common to everyday life. When we hear a siren or horn, its noise changes as it moves toward or away from us. This is called the Doppler effect. It is caused by the wavelengths of sound being shortened as the horn moves nearer and stretched out as it moves away.

Hubble realized this was exactly what was happening with the light from the galaxies. But all the red light showed was lengthening; none showed shortening. Therefore, all the galaxies are moving away from us. From the amount of red shift, he could also tell how quickly they were moving away. His conclusion was that the farther away the galaxy was, the faster it was moving away.

This led to two important theories becoming widely accepted.

1. The universe is expanding, and space is being stretched apart between the galaxies.
2. The Big Bang Theory. As the theory of the expanding universe has been accepted, two important questions have been asked:

a) How long has the universe been expanding?

b) What was it like when it started to expand?

These questions led to the Big Bang Theory, which states that all the universe we can see had a single point of origin about 15,000 million years ago. It suddenly came into existence in a gigantic explosion. This was when everything began, and the “fragments” are still moving apart. It is only a theory, but there is much evidence to support it.

 

III. Define by suffix speech parts of the following words. Translate the words.

 

Solar, knowledge, galaxy, visible, detect, enormously, century, small, really, astronomer, spectrum, distant, wavelength, common, shorten, exactly, amount, quickly, conclusion, expand, widely, single, existence, suddenly, explosion, evidence.

 

IV. Find the sentences that can’t be found in the text.

 

1. When Pluto was discovered, scientists knew little about the stars beyond our own solar system.
2. If we measure space distances by light years instead of earth years, the universe still seems too large to understand.
3. Light travels at 300,000 kilometers per second.
4. The farthest star from the Earth is Proxima Centauri.
5. The light started its journey toward us 15,000 million years ago.
6. All objects that give out light reveal facts about themselves in the kind of light they give out.
7. The Doppler effect happens, for example, when we hear a siren or horn and its noise changes as it moves toward or away from us.

 

V. Find English equivalents in the text.

 

1. за пределами нашей солнечной системы ________________________
2. размер вселенной ___________________________________________
3. включая все звезды _________________________________________
4. измерять расстояние в космосе _______________________________
5. Млечный путь _____________________________________________
6. невооруженный глаз ________________________________________
7. достигнуть нас _____________________________________________
8. испускать свет _____________________________________________
9. отдаленные галактики _______________________________________
10. длина волны _______________________________________________
11. по мере того, как сирена приближается ________________________
12. чем дальше находилась галактика, тем быстрее она удалялась _____
13. теория Большого взрыва _____________________________________
14. расширяющаяся Вселенная ___________________________________
15. много свидетельств в поддержку этой теории ___________________

 

VI. Find Russian equivalents to the following expressions in the text.

 

1. beyond our own solar system ______________________________________
2. the frontiers of our knowledge _____________________________________
3. deepest space __________________________________________________
4. space distances _________________________________________________
5. too large to understand ___________________________________________
6. per second _____________________________________________________
7. visible to the naked eye ___________________________________________
8. to detect other galaxies ___________________________________________
9. enormous number _______________________________________________
10. toward us ______________________________________________________
11. to give out light _________________________________________________
12. to give birth to new stars __________________________________________
13. the very beginning of the universe itself ______________________________
14. the expanding universe ___________________________________________
15. to reveal facts __________________________________________________
16. red shift _______________________________________________________
17. a single point of origin ____________________________________________
18. a gigantic explosion ______________________________________________

 

VII. Fill in the missing words.

 

1. All space with everything in it, including all stars, is called the ______.
2. A light year is the distance ______ travels in a ______.
3. The light started toward us billions of ______ years before the sun or the earth had even started to ______.
4. In the 1920s, the American astronomer Edwin Hubble began to ______ the spectrum of distant ______.
5. He discovered that the father away the galaxy was, the ______ were the wavelengths of ______ light.
6. The Doppler effect is caused by the wavelengths of ______ being shortened as the horn moves nearer and stretched out as it moves ______.
7. From the amount of red ______, Hubble could tell how quickly the galaxies were moving away.
8. It is only a theory, but there is much ______ to support it.

 

VIII. Fill in the prepositions, if necessary.

 

1. When Pluto was discovered ___ 1930; scientists already knew a lot ___ the stars beyond our own solar system.
2. Light travels ___ 186,000 miles ___ second.
3. Our galaxy is 100,000 light years ___ and contains ___ 100,000 million stars.
4. The light we now see, ___ a twentieth century telescope, started ___ its journey ___ us 15,000 million years ago.
5. If the light has taken so long to reach us, then the stars that gave ___ that light have had 15,000 million years to change ___.
6. Hubble discovered that the farther ___ galaxy was, the longer were the wavelengths ___ red light.
7. When we hear a siren or horn, its noise changes ___ it moves toward or away ___ us.
8. All the galaxies are moving ___ from us.
9. The Big Bang Theory states that all the universe we can see ___ had a single point ___ origin about 15,000 million years ago.
10. It is only a theory, ___ there is much evidence to support it.

 

IX. Practice with someone asking and answering.

 

1. What is called the universe?
2. How do we measure space distances?
3. What is a light year?
4. At what speed does light travel?
5. When did the light we now see start its journey toward us?
6. Did the light start toward us billions of earth years before the sun or the earth had even started to form?
7. In what way do all objects, including starts, reveal facts about themselves?
8. Is all light, that stars give out, visible?
9. When did the American astronomer Edwin Hubble begin to measure the spectrum of distant galaxies?
10. What did he discover?
11. What is called the Doppler effect?
12. By what is the Doppler effect caused?
13. What does the Big Bang Theory state?

 

X. Put questions to the following statements.

 

1. Light travels at 186,000 miles per second.
2. He realized he was experiencing something common to every day life.
3. Space is being stretched apart between galaxies.

 

XI. Translate in Russian without using a dictionary.

 

The Big Bang Theory

 

Astronomers believe that the expanding universe is the result of an enormous and powerful explosion called the Big Bang. The Big Bang theory may explain how the universe formed. The Big Bang theory states that the universe began to expand with the explosion of concentrated matter and energy and has been expanding ever since. According to the theory, all the matter and energy in the universe was once concentrated into a single place. This place, of course, was extremely hot and dense. Then some 15 to 20 billion years ago, an explosion – the Big Bang – shot the concentrated matter and energy in all directions. The fastest moving matter traveled farthest away. Energy too, began moving away from the area of the Big Bang.

If the Big Bang theory is correct, the energy left from the Big Bang will be evenly spread out throughout the universe. This energy is known as background radiation. And indeed, scientists have discovered that the background radiation is almost the same throughout the entire universe. This constant background radiation is one observation that supports the Big Bang theory.

After the initial Big Bang, the force of gravity began to affect the matter racing outward in every direction. Gravity is a force of attraction between objects. All objects have a gravitational attraction. This force of gravity began to pull matter into clumps.

At some time, the clumps formed huge clusters of matter. These clumps became the galaxies of the universe. But even as the galaxies were forming, the matter inside the galaxies continued to race away from the area where the Big Bang had occurred. And this is just what astronomers have discovered. All of the galaxies are speeding away from the center of the universe.

 

XII. Dictate the following statements in English to your fellow-students.

 

1. All space with everything in it is called the universe.
2. A light year is the distance light travels in a year.
3. The light we now see started its journey toward us 15,000 million years ago.
4. All objects that give out light reveal facts about themselves in the kind of light they give out.
5. He discovered that the farther away the galaxy was, the longer were the wavelengths of red light.
6. All the galaxies are moving away from us.
7. It suddenly came into existence in a gigantic explosion.

 

XIII. Dictation-translation.

 

1. Весь космос, включая звезды, называется Вселенной.
2. Если мы измерим космические расстояния при помощи световых лет вместо земных, то Вселенная все равно будет слишком огромной для нашего понимания.
3. Свет двигается со скоростью 186,000 миль в секунду.
4. Свет начал двигаться в нашу сторону за биллионы земных лет до того, как солнце и земля вообще начали формироваться.
5. Все объекты можно охарактеризовать исходя из природы того света, который они испускают.
6. В 20х годах XX века американский астроном Хаббл начал измерять спектр отдаленных галактик.
7. Он обнаружил, что чем дальше находилась галактика, тем длиннее были длины волн красного света.
8. Следовательно, все галактики удаляются от нас.
9. По количеству перемещения красного света можно сказать, насколько быстро галактики удаляются.
10. Вселенная непрерывно расширяется.
11. Теория Большого взрыва гласит, что Вселенная имеет единую точку происхождения.
12. Это только теория, но существует множество фактов ее подтверждающих.