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THE MEN WHO STUDY VOLCANOES

I

A man was standing at the door of a small house, looking at the high mountain some twenty miles away (1).

From the top of the mountain thick smoke was rising into the sky. The man went into the house. In the house instruments were registering earth tremors.

Soon some men in heavy thick coats went away - towards the volcano.

The volcano we are speaking about Kluchevsksjs over 16,000 feet high, the best-know and biggest of the many active volcanoes of Kamchatka. Who are the men that are not afraid of the volcano? They are the scientists who study it. They work at the Kamchatka station for the study of volcanoes. This volcano is an object of great interest to scientists. There, near the Pacific Ocean, great geological and mountain-making disturbances are taking place (2). These disturbances are being studied by scientists. Study of eruptions and of other volcanic activity is teaching the scientists a great deal about the laws of the formation of minerals deep in the earth.

The men whom we were watching went up the mountain through deep snow. They were carrying all kinds of special cameras and instruments. All around them thick trees were sleeping deep in snow. Cold mountain winds were blowing, carrying, the along the ground. But noises, like gun-fire, were disturbing the silence. They seemed to be coming from above (3).

The men went up another (4) eight or nine hundred feet and came out of the trees on to an open place. Before them a fountain of fire, coming up from the earth, rose to a great height. Above it was a dark cloud with red tongues of fire. Below it was a river of lava, reflecting the fountain of fire. It was a slow, dark, wide river. All around it trees were burning in the heat.

II

The houses of the station were built on the river Kamchatka over thirty years ago. There, thousands of miles from the nearest city, the scientists have all the equipment they need - from first-class laboratories to telescopes. When an eruption takes place cameras on these telescopes take many pictures (5). But the main work must be done by expeditions.

The main crater of the Kluchevskaya volcano is a great hole some 2,000 feet. across. The top of the mountain is covered with snow and ice, and the main crater cannot be seen. However, during an eruption the lava also comes out through the weak places at the sides of the mountain. Such eruptions, though smaller than the main one, are much easier to see. The scientists can see them from a distance of about 700 yards. First of all (6), they take many pictures of the eruption. They register the speed with which the lava comes out. They register its height and width.

Kuchlevskaya had a great eruption in 1945. The fountain of fire rose to a height of about ten miles. At its top was a large black cloud. The fire could be seen at a distance of about 250 miles ant the noise could be heard 200 miles away.

Примечания

(1) some twenty miles away - примерно в двадцати милях

(2) to take place - происходить, иметь место

(3) seemed to be coming from above - казалось, шли сверху

(4) another - другой, обычно употребляется со словами в ед. числе так как состоит из элементов an + other. Здесь расстояние в 800-900 футов рассматривается как один отрезок пути. Возможный перевод: эти люди прошли еще 800-900 футов.

(5) take pictures - снимать, делать снимки

(6) first of all - прежде всего

Анализ слов

В этом уроке довольно много служебных слов. Уделите особое внимание запоминанию слов above, across, along, another, away, during, soon, towards, below. Наречие away очень многозначно и не всегда переводится на русский язык отдельным словом. Оно обозначает отдаленность или удаление от какого-либо места. В тексте вы видите, что гора была some twenty miles away. Это значит, что гора была в каких-то двадцати милях (отсюда, оттуда, от того места). В данном случае away можно и вовсе не переводить. Не is away означает его нет (здесь, дома и т.п.), он уехал.

Глаголы движения в сочетании с наречием away часто соответствуют русским глаголам с приставкой у-: to run away убежать, to take sway удрать; go away! уходите! (убирайтесь!).

Глагол to need нуждаться употребляется по-английски в личной форме, но переводится обычно безличным оборотом: I need a sheet of paper мне нужен лист бумаги; they need a good map of Europe им нужна хорошая карта Европы.

Слова с международными корнями вы найдете сами. Обратите внимание на глагол to stand стоять, которому соответствует существительное a stand стенд, подставка, позиция. Заметьте также связь между along, width, equipment и известными вам словами long, wide, to equip Помните ли вы их?

В уроках 11-15 вы встретили около 250 новых слов. Вместе со словами предыдущих уроков это составит около 600 слов.