· 59 lists · 1940 words
Technology and industry
What is said on the shop floor, and what is on the drawing.
What holds these lists together
These lists look at the same object from three angles: the plant, the part and the proof that both are right. Their words often mean something else in daily life, and nothing warns you. Il calibro on the workbench is a calliper, not the calibre of a gun; il rilievo, relief on a map or a façade, is a finding in an audit report. And one word is on every fuse box in the country without appearing in any beginner’s book: il salvavita, literally «life-saver», the residual current device that British electricians call an RCD.
The 59 lists
C1Electrical engineering and the gridTerminal, earthing, short circuit, safe isolation — and the drawing on which all of it appears once.40 wordsC1Mechanical engineering and productionTurning, milling, tolerance, fit — the language of the drawing and of the shop floor.40 wordsC1Quality assuranceSampling, deviation, cause, evidence — and the sheet of paper it is written on.40 wordsB1Digital life and data protectionAccount, access, backup — what every software message is made of.27 wordsB2Interface and data protectionHow a page is operated, how it is measured, and what the law says about both.49 wordsB2Software and developmentBuilding, testing, shipping, securing.41 wordsC1Networks and securityFrom the packet to the key exchange — and what goes wrong.64 wordsC1OpticsLens, focal length, aberration — why an image comes out sharp.40 wordsC1Streaming and subscriptionsWhat a subscription really costs, and how to get out of one again.34 wordsC1Passwords and account securityWhat really protects an account, and what only looks as if it does.35 wordsC1Learning systemsTraining, testing, scoring — and where a number lies.39 wordsC1Robotics and automationAxis, gripper, safety zone — and where the person is allowed to stand.42 wordsC1MiningHow you get at the rock, and what is left standing once the shift is over.37 wordsC1Measurement technologySensor, deviation, traceability — a number that claims to stand for something.41 wordsC1Refrigeration and air conditioningCircuit, refrigerant, load — why a plant cools and when it fails to.40 wordsC1DatabasesKeys, joins, transactions — and what a backup is actually worth.36 wordsC1WeldingBeads, processes, testing — and why a weld holds or tears open.40 wordsC2SpaceflightA launch is an appointment with physics, not with the calendar.41 wordsC2Vacuum technologyWhere almost nothing is left, and why that is so hard to bring about.33 wordsC2Harbour and coastal worksWhere a ship makes fast, and who built the thing it makes fast to.30 wordsC2SurveyingWhere a thing exactly is, and how exact that exactness is.21 wordsC2Laser technologyLight that sets off in one direction and stays in it.31 wordsC2Game developmentHow a system of rules turns into an experience.25 wordsC2HydropowerA power station that makes electricity out of height and volume.24 wordsC2Watchmaking and precision mechanicsEscapement, balance, power reserve — precision mechanics learnt on a single example.59 wordsC2Mobile networksHow a conversation finds its way through the air.24 wordsC2Particle physicsField, interaction, decay — and how to see something you never see.40 wordsC2Cranes and lifting gearA load, a rope and a chain of certificates.32 wordsC2Corrosion and material damageWhy things fail long before they break.35 wordsC2Fire safety in a buildingWhat a building has to manage on its own, before anybody calls the fire brigade.35 wordsC2GlassmakingA material that never quite becomes solid, and the trades that work it while it is soft.30 wordsC2TunnellingBuilding a void that the rock itself wants to close again.34 wordsC2Bridge buildingA structure that has to move in order to stand.30 wordsC2Satellite navigationA position out of four clocks.32 wordsC2The tanneryHide is turned into leather so that it does not rot.30 wordsC2Explosion protectionThree things that must never all come together.33 wordsC2CryptographyKeys, signature, attack — and what security means here.36 wordsC2Hydraulics and pneumaticsForce carried by a fluid, and the places where it goes missing.29 wordsC2Packaging technologyWhat lies between a product and the world.23 wordsC2Drive technologyFrom torque to sizing, by way of everything that stands between the motor and the load.27 wordsC2Lubricants and tribologyWhat goes between two surfaces so that they do not eat each other.24 wordsC2Pipeline engineeringA line a thousand kilometres long, and what happens inside it.23 wordsC2Control engineeringWhy a system that corrects too quickly ends up oscillating.32 wordsC2Wastewater treatmentWhat happens to the water after it has disappeared down the drain.31 wordsC2Lift technologyA car, a rope, a counterweight and a great deal of safety engineering.24 wordsC2Plastics engineeringFrom the granulate to the part, and what goes wrong along the way.23 wordsC2ShipbuildingA hull that floats, carries and rights itself again.27 wordsC2Foundry technologyMolten metal that shrinks as it goes solid.31 wordsC2Making paperFrom the fibre, by way of the wire, to the finished reel.24 wordsC2Metal cuttingTaking material away until the part is what is left.31 wordsC2Nuclear technologyA reactor, its barriers, and what becomes of the rest.27 wordsC2Wind energyA machine that stands out in the weather all its life.26 wordsC2HydrogenA gas that leaves nothing behind and makes everything difficult.27 wordsC2Earthquake-resistant buildingA structure that is allowed to move so that it stays standing.31 wordsC2Batteries and storageWhat a cell can actually deliver, and why it ages.29 wordsC2Structural steelworkA load-bearing frame that is bolted and welded.27 wordsC2Semiconductor technologyHow sand becomes a component that switches.34 wordsC2Sheet metal workA flat piece of metal becomes a part.23 wordsC2Noise control and acousticsHow sound is measured, damped and rated.27 words
Spread across the levels
The category runs across the levels — it is an area, not a difficulty. If you practise it, you can also choose a level at the top of the practice page and then get only the part that sits there.
| Level | Words | Share |
|---|---|---|
| B1 | 27 | 1 % |
| B2 | 90 | 5 % |
| C1 | 567 | 29 % |
| C2 | 1256 | 65 % |
Practise this category
Multiple choice and gaps, across all 59 lists and all 1940 words. Whatever you get wrong comes back tomorrow.