Choose one of the following quotations and explain what it means. Write a short paragraph (60-80 words) to express your point of view.

1. “Measurement is the first step that leads to control and eventually to improvement. If you can't measure something, you can't understand it. If you can't understand it, you can't control it. If you can't control it, you can't improve it.”

H. James Harrington (American author and engineer)

2. “An experiment is a question which science poses to Nature, and a measurement is the recording of Nature's answer.”

Max Planck (German physicist, 1858-1947)

3. “We find no sense in talking about something unless we specify how we measure it; a definition by the method of measuring a quantity is the one sure way of avoiding talking nonsense.”

Sir Hermann Bondi (Austrian-British mathematician and cosmologist, 1919 - 2005)

4. “There is nothing new to be discovered in physics now. All that remains is more and more precise measurement.”

Baron William Thomson Kelvin

5. “Action is the real measure of intelligence.”

Napoleon Hill (American author, 1883-1970)

GRAMMAR IN USE

These tasks can help you to practice grammar topic “Articles – Countable / Uncountable Nouns”. Read the rules on p. 181 - 184 and then do the exercises.

14. Fill in the blanks with a / an or the where necessary.

1. Measuring instrument is ….. device for determining the value of some quantity in terms of a standard unit.

2. Metrology is ….. very broad field and may be divided into three subfields.

3. Scientists, engineers and other humans use ….. vast range of instruments to perform their measurements.

4. In ….. United States, the National Institute of Standards and Technology is very important.

5. Modern metrology has its roots in ….. French Revolution.

6. This is ….. portable computer. ….. portable computer is black.

7. Invention of electronic computers is one of ….. greatest achievements of mankind.

 

15. Fill in the blanks with the where necessary.

1) ….. Europe is the second smallest continent in 2) ….. world and is home to one seventh of 3) ….. world’s population. 4) ….. longest river there is 5) ….. River Volga and 6) ….. largest freshwater lake is 7) ….. Lake Lodoga, in 8) ….. north-western 9) ….. Russia. 10) ….. highest mountain peak is 11) ….. Mount Elbrus in 12) ….. Caucasus Mountains. 13) ….. Europe is bordered towards the north by 14) …..Arctic Ocean, the south by 15) ….. Mediterranean Sea and 16) ….. Black Sea, the west by 17) ….. Atlantic Ocean and the east by 18) ….. Asia. 19) ….. Europeans are 20) ….. people who live in 21) ….. Europe. 22) ….. association which has been formed to unite 23) ….. countries of 24) ….. Europe is called 25) ….. European Union.