Technical English and Terminology 1
Lesson 1: What is civil engineering?
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design,
construction, and maintenance of built environment, including public works such as roads,
bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewerage systems, pipelines, structural components of
buildings, and railways.
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering.
Branches of Civil Engineering
- Construction Engineering: Deals with planning, construction, maintenance of
structures and structural Analysis.
- Public Works: Deals with planning, construction and management of transportation
facilities (Roads and bridges, etc.).
- Geotechnical Engineering: Study of soil, foundations, bearing capacity, etc.
- Material Engineering: Study of Material Strength, properties of materials used in
construction (cement, gravel, sand, etc.)
- Topography: Deals with surveying and leveling of lands using various instruments
(theodolite, dumpy levels, etc.), mapping & contouring of terrains, etc.
I) - Reading comprehension
A) - Answer the following questions:
1) What is the main role of civil engineering?
The main role of civil engineering is the design, construction, and maintenance of built
environment
2) According to the text, what are the different fields of civil engineering?
The different fields of civil engineering are: Construction Engineering, Public Works, Geotechnical
Engineering, Material Engineering and Topography
B) - Say whether the following statements are: True / False / Not mentioned.
1) The crane is among the instruments used in the topography False
2) Structural Analysis enters the field of Construction Engineering True
3) Slump test is a test that enters within the domain of Material Engineering. Not
mentioned.
adem.aitmohamedamer@univ-relizane.dz
Academic year: 2023/2024 1st Master VOA + Structure Dr: A. Ait Mohamed
Technical English and Terminology 2
II) - Lexis :
A) - Find in the text words that are similar in meaning to the following:
- Domains = Branches
- Building = Structures
- Way = Road
B) -Fill in the gap in the text below with the following appropriate words
specializations - engineer - comfort - structures - design
A civil .. engineer. is concerned with determining the right … design … for these
structures and looking after the construction process so that the longevity of these …
structures …. is guaranteed after completion. These structures should also be satisfactory for
the public in terms of… comfort … . Some civil engineers, particularly those working for
government agencies, may practice across multiple… specializations.., particularly when
involved in critical infrastructure development or maintenance.
III) - Translate into French the following terms :
Public works = Travaux Publics Soil = Sol
Bridges = Ponts Bearing capacity = Capacité portante.
Dams = Barrages Strength = Force / Résistance
Airports = Aéroport Materials = Matériaux
Sewerage systems = L’ assainissement Cement =Ciment
Buildings = Immeubles Gravel = Gravier
Railways = Les chemins de fer Sand = Sable
Structural Analysis = Analyse structurelle Crane = Grue
Academic year: 2023/2024 1st Master VOA + Structure Dr: A. Ait Mohamed
