Fin TimeNothing is more characteristic of American styling in the 1950s than the fin. Strictly for show, they first appeared in 1955 and got bigger and bigger until the end of the 1950s. They finally disappeared in the mid 1970s. Gadget Mad American cars of the era had many clever accessories. Ford's electric hood was spectacular. The cover slid back at the push of a button to reveal the soft-top which erected automatically. Power Assistance Cadillacs, like most American luxury cars of the time, had "power-assisted" steering and braking - essential in such heavy cars. Cadillac Coupe de Ville Typical of American cars of the 1950s, the Coupe de Ville is almost 6 m (18 ft) long and extravagantly finned and chromed. It also has many' advanced technical features, such as electrically winding windows and reclining seats, and a smooth eight-cylinder engine. The 1950s saw the creation of a series of remarkable high performance cars. With the petrol rationing of the war years ending in 1950, designers started working on cars faster than anything seen before. Racing cars had been capable of speeds of over 220 kmh (140 mph) before the war, but most road cars were much slower. In the early 1950s, however, a number of expensive 220 kmh sports cars emerged from the factories of big companies like Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz and specialists such as Porsche, Aston Martin, Maserati, and Ferrari. Designed with both road and track in mind, they were often called Grand Tourers, or GTs. But the GTs of the 1950s were very different from the big open Grand Tourers of the 1920s and 1930s. These cars were compact, usually closed-in, two-seater cars - cars not for leisurely motoring to the coast, but for scorching round winding roads at terrifying speeds. Many were winners on the racetrack, and could often match these performances on the road. Indeed, the road version of the Mercedes-Benz 300SL was a third more powerful than the racing prototype. 2. Переведите на русский язык следующие английские словосочетания: 1 the toys of the rich 6 production line 2 literally transformed the world 7 more quickly, cheaply, and accurately 3 mass production 8 thoroughly reliable 4 huge numbers of cars 9 car bodies 5 partly assembled cars 10 own particular style
3. Найдите в тексте английские эквиваленты следующих словосочетаний: 1 требования потребителя 6 высококлассные автомобили 2 постоянные требования 7 дорогие спортивные автомобили 3 новые модели появились 8 двухместные машины 4 роскошные автомобили 9 ужасающая скорость 5 передовые технические особенности 10 представление на дорогах
4. Найдите в тексте слова, имеющие общий корень с данными словами. Определите, к какой части речи они относятся, и переведите их на русский язык: Form, revolution, every, perform, big, wind, standard, coach, power, win. 5. Задайте к выделенному в тексте предложению все типы вопросов (общий, альтернативный, разделительный, специальный: а) к подлежащему, б) к второстепенному члену предложения).
6. Выполните анализ данных предложений, обратив внимание на следующие грамматические явления: причастие I и II (Participle I & II), независимый причастный оборот, герундий, конверсия: 1 The T's chassis appeared fragile, earning it the nickname "Tin Lizzie". 2 At the height of his fame in the 1920's, Ford was a name known universally. 3 By using huge teams of men working systematically to build huge numbers of cars, he could sell them all very cheaply. 4 In the Ford factory, each worker added just one small component, as partly assembled cars were pulled rapidly past on the production line. 5 The styling being excessive, innovations such as wrap-round windscreens and power-steering were genuine and lasting.
7. Ответьте на вопросы по тексту: 1 Why was it a Detroit farm boy Henry Ford who literally transformed the world? 2 What kind of car did Henry Ford built? 3 What did each worker add in the Ford factory? 4 Why do modern assembly lines use robots? 5 What made the Model T so cheap? 6 Where is the booming confidence of the American nation in those years reflected in? 7 What did the 1950s see?
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