1. REFRIGERATION. 2. STEAM ENGINE

1. REFRIGERATION

………. cool things down by taking advantage of the way substances absorb and unload heat as their pressure points and phases of matter change (usually from gas to liquid and back). It's difficult to pinpoint a single inventor of the ………., because the concept was widely known and gradually improved over the course of about 200 years. Some credit Oliver Evans' 1805 unproduced design of a vapor-compression unit, while others point to Carl von Linde's 1876 design as the actual predecessor of the modern …….. in your kitchen. Dozens of inventors, including Albert Einstein, would refine or improve ……. designs over the decades.

In the early 20th century, harvested natural ice was still common, but large industries such as breweries were beginning to use ice-making machines. Harvested ice for industrial use was rare by World War I. However, it wasn't until the development of safer chemicals in the 1920s that home …….. became the norm.

The ability to keep food cold for prolonged periods (and even during shipping) drastically changed the food production industry and the eating habits of people around the world. Now, we have easy access to fresh meats and dairy products even in the hottest summer months, and we're no longer tied to the expense of harvesting and shipping natural ice -- which never could have kept pace with the world's growing population in any case.

precursor, n предшественник; предвестник

2. STEAM ENGINE

Prior to the invention of the ……., most products were made by hand. Water wheels and draft animals provided the only 'industrial' power available, which clearly had its limits. The Industrial Revolution, which is perhaps the greatest change over the shortest period of time in the history of civilization, was carried forward by the ……...

The concept of using steam to power machines had been around for thousands of years, but Thomas Newcomen's creation in 1712 was the first to harness that power for useful work (pumping water out of mines, for the most part). In 1769, James Watt modified a Newcomen ………. by adding a separate condenser, which vastly increased the ………. ’s power and made it a far more practical way to do work. He also developed a way for the ……… to produce rotary motion, which may be just as important as the efficiency gains. Thus, Watt is often considered the inventor of the ……….

But it was the high-pressure …….. developed by Richard Trevithick and others that allowed for …….. small enough to power a train. Not only did ……… power factories that made the rapid production of goods possible, they powered the trains and ships that carried those goods across the globe.

draftanimals тягловый скот

harness, v использовать (в определенных целях); приспосабливать (под что-л. / для чего-л. )

condenser, n конденсатор; холодильник

rotary, a вращательный; вращающийся;

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