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Engineering is a profession， which means that an engineer must have a specialized university education. Many government jurisdictions also have licensing procedures which require engineering graduates to pass an examination， similar to the examination for a lawyer， before they can actively start on their careers.
In the university， mathematics， physics， and chemistry are heavily emphasized throughout the engineering curriculum， but particularly in the first two or three years. Mathematics is very important in all branches of engineering， so it is greatly stressed. Today， mathematics includes courses in statistics， which deals with gathering， classifying， and using numerical data， or pieces of information. An important aspect of statistical mathematics is probability， which deals with what may happen when there are different factors， or variables， that can change the results of a problem.Before the construction of a bridge is undertaken， for example， a statistical study is made of the amount of traffic the bridge will be expected to handle ① . In the design of the bridge， variable such as water pressure on the foundation， impact， the effects of different wind forces， and many other factors must be considered.
Because a great deal of calculation is involved in solving these problems， computer programming is now included in almost all engineering curricula. Computers， of course， can solve many problems involving calculations with greater speed and accuracy than humans. But computers are useless unless they are given clear and accurate instructions and information—in other words， a good program.
In spite of the heavy emphasis on technical subjects in the engineering curriculum， a current trend is to require students to take courses in the social science and the language arts. The relationship between engineering and society is getting closer； it is sufficient， therefore， to say again that the work performed by an engineer affects society in many different and important ways that he or she should be aware of ② . An engineer also needs a sufficient command of language to be able to prepare reports that are clear and， in many cases， persuasive. An engineer engaged in research will need to be able to write up his or her findings for scientific publications.
The last two years of an engineering program include subjects within the student’s field of specialization. For the student who is preparing to become a civil engineer， these specialized courses may deal with such subjects as geodetic surveying， soil mechanics， or hydraulics.
Active recruiting for engineers often begins before the student’s last year in the university. Many different corporation and government agencies have competed for the services of engineers in recent years. In the science-oriented society of today， people who have technical training are， of course， in demand. Young engineers may choose to go into environmental or sanitary engineering， for example，where environmental concerns have created many openings； or they may choose construction firms that specialize in highway work； or they may prefer to work with one of the government agencies that deal with water resource. Indeed， the choice is large and varied.
When the young engineer has finally started actual practice， the theoretical knowledge acquired in the university must be applied. He or she will probably be assigned at the beginning to work with a team of engineers. Thus， on-the-job training can be acquired that will demonstrate his or her ability to translate theory into practice to the supervisors.
The civil engineer may work in research， design， construction supervision， maintenance， or even in sales or management. Each of these areas involves different duties， different emphases， and different uses of engineer’s knowledge.
Civil engineering projects are almost always unique， each has its own problems and design features. Therefore， careful study is given to each project even before design work begins. The study includes a survey both of topography and subsoil features of the proposed site. It also includes a consideration of possible alternatives， such as a concrete gravity dam or an earth-fill embankment dam. The economic factors involved in each of the possible alternatives must also be weighed.Today， a study usually includes a consideration of the environmental impact of the project. Many engineers， usually working as a team that includes surveyors， specialists in soil mechanics， and experts in design and construction， are involved in making these feasibility studies.
Many civil engineers， among them the top people in the field， work in design. As we have seen， civil engineers work on many different kinds of structures， so it is normal practice for an engineer to specialize in just one kind. In designing buildings， engineers often work as consultants to architectural or construction firms. Dams， bridges， water supply systems， and other large projects ordinarily employ several engineers whose work is coordinated by a system engineer who is in charge of the powerhouse and its equipment. In other cases， civil engineers are assigned to work on a project in another field； in the space program， for instance， civil engineers were necessary in the design and construction of such structures as launching pads and rocket storage facilities.
Construction is a complicated process in almost all engineering projects. It involves scheduling the work and utilizing the equipment and the materials so that costs are kept as low as possible.Safety factor must also be taken into account， since construction can be very dangerous. Many civil engineers therefore specialize in the construction phase.
specialized a. 专业的，专门的
jurisdiction n. 管辖权，权限
curriculum n. 课程，学习计划
probability n. 概率
variable n. 变量
persuasive a. 有说服力的
geodetic n. 大地测量学
hydraulics n. 水力学
recruit v. 招聘，征募新人
demonstrate v. 展示，演示
topography n. 地形学
subsoil n. 地基下层土
gravity n. 重力，地心引力
geodetic surveying 大地测量
soil mechanics 土力学
feasibility study 可行性研究
consultant n. 咨询师，顾问
coordinate v. 合作
system engineer 系统工程师
launching pads （火箭等的）发射台
schedule v. 订计划
construction phase 施工阶段
①the bridge will be…：为定语从句，省略了关系代词“which”。
②It is sufficient，therefore，to say…：句中，it为形式主语，to say为真实主语，that the work…为宾语从句，that he or she…为定语从句，修饰ways。