What is called Morse code today actually differs somewhat from what was originally developed by Alfred Vail in collaboration with Morse. In 1848 a refinement of the code sequences, including changes to eleven of the letters, was developed in Germany and eventually adopted as the worldwide standard as “International Morse”.

arbitrary signal условный сигнал

CW (continuous wave) незатухающая волна

digital communication цифровая связь

dit дит (десятичная единица информации)

dot точка (условный знак в азбуке Морзе)

emergency use использование в случае аварии

letter буква

modulation mode режим модуляции

Morse code азбука Морзе

number цифра

obsolete code устарелый, вышедший из употребления код

punctuation mark знак пунктуации

radio beacon радиомаяк

sequences of “dots” and “dashes” последовательность точек и тире

Present the main points of the text in Russian. Don’t forget to show – when, how and where Morse code was invented and whether it is used now.

Write a paragraph in English describing the life of Samuel Morse and his first telegraph message.

If you think the invention of Morse code affects our lives today, say how. If it doesn’t, say why.

A pen is a writing instrument which applies ink to some surface. Pens may be categorized by the kind of tip on them. The main modern types are:

• ballpoint pens

• fountain pens

• marker pens

Ballpoints, fountain pens and gel pens are sometimes erasable: their ink may be erased.

There are two basic types of the ballpoint pen: disposable and refillable.

Ballpoint pens date from the late 19th century. Commercial models appeared in 1895, but the first satisfactory model was patented by Laslo Biro, a Hungarian living in Argentina. His ball-point pen, commonly called the “biro,” became popular in Great Britain during the late 1930s, and by the mid-1940s pens of this type were widely used throughout much of the world. The writing tip of a ballpoint pen consists of a metal ball, housed in a socket, that rotates freely and rolls quick-drying ink onto the writing surface. The ball is constantly bathed in ink from a reservoir, one end of which is open and attached to the writing tip.

The word used for ballpoint pens in Argentina is birome because Laslo Biro lived there for many years; also, biro can be used to refer to a ballpoint pen in British English. It was originally invented for the British RAF (Royal Air Force), as problems occurred with fountain pens due to the low air pressure aboard planes in flight. Ballpoint pens are still widely referred to as a biro in many countries, notably several European countries, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. Argentina’s Inventor’s Day is celebrated on Biro’s birthday.

Soft-tip pens that use points made of porous materials became commercially available during the 1960s. In such pens a synthetic polymer of controlled porosity transfers ink from the reservoir to the writing surface. These fibre-tipped pens can be used for lettering and drawing as well as for writing and may be employed on surfaces such as plastic and glass.

ballpoint pen шариковая ручка

fountain pen перьевая авторучка

marker pen маркер

tip кончик

socket гнездо, углубление

biro 1) «Байро» (фирменное название шариковых ручек компании «Байро Бик» [Biro Bic]) по имени изобретателя; 2) шариковая ручка (разг.)

erasable стираемый

Complete the table using information from the text