IX. Zinc. (Write a Summary to the text.)

The metallic element zinc is commonly used to coat buckets, and other iron or steel objects to prevent rusting. There are, however, many other uses for this bluish white and fairly soft metal. All brass contains zinc. Zinc is an ingredient in some medicines. In the human body, zinc is an essential trace element: in the red blood cells.

The first people to recognize zinc as a distinct metal were apparently the Hindus in about the 13th century. In the West, commercial zinc production got under way in England by the middle of the 18th century.

A large share of the zinc produced today is used for galvanizing iron and steel, that is, coating them with zinc to make them rustproof. Brass making generally ranks second in the use of zinc. The different types of brass contain from 5 to 45 percent zinc. For many purposes, zinc is simply flattened into sheets called rolled zinc. These sheets are used in the manufacture of many roofing products, refrigerator linings, and printing plates.

The compounds of zinc have numerous uses. Because of its high heat conductivity, zinc oxide is used in rubber as a heat dissipater. Zinc sulphate is used in weed killers. Zinc sulphide has been used in X-ray screens and in luminous dials for clocks and watches. Zinc compounds are also used in medicines and toiletries (туалетные принадлежности).

X. The Steel Alloys. (Retell the text.)

Iron is the major constituent of the most frequently used alloys, the ferrous alloys, from the Latin ferrum, meaning "iron." When carbon is dissolved in iron, the resulting alloy is steel. The simplest such alloy, called plain carbon steel or wrought carbon steel, has varying qualities depending upon its carbon content. It can be given other qualities by including other elements. Steel containing manganese is easier to shape in rolling mills; so most steels contain it. Steels with nickel are rust resistant. Chromium steels are hard and strong. Silicon steels have magnetic properties that make them ideal in electric generators and other electrical devices.

Stainless steels, so called because they resist rust and acid corrosion, are usually alloys of iron with 10 to 20 percent chromium and 5 to 10 percent nickel. They are used to make eating utensils, lighting fixtures, decorative trim for automobiles, and many other articles. Stainless steels are also employed in machinery and vats for processing and storing chemicals that would destroy ordinary steels.

Automotive spring steels, which contain chromium, are elastic and absorb road shocks well. High-speed tool steels, so named for their use in high-speed cutting tools, retain a cutting edge even when red-hot. They can be made hard enough to cut almost any material, including other very hard steels. High-speed tool steels are made of iron, tungsten, chromium, and vanadium. Tungsten is the most important element in these steels because of its high melting temperature of 3,370 ºC

22. Try it. How Words Work… Find in the following texts some more suitable association words for the other materials used in car production. Use the words to speak on it.

A. Pronounce the derived words correctly.

1. A-l-u-m-i-n-i-u-m: alloy – light – utilize – metal – important – nearly – industrially – use – manganese

2. C-o-p-p-e-r: cooking – cold-rolled – prevent – products – equipment – refrigeration

3. I-r-o-n: industrial – revolution – outer space – new uses

B. Make as many words as possible out of one word and translate them. Think of the examples of your own words or terms.

e.g.: Plastics – last – pass…

23. Every picture tells a story.

1) Write a short essay.

1

2

3

2) Match the numbers with the titles:

A) Recycled Auto Plastics;

B) Raining Plastic;

C) Sorted Plastics

24. Organize Yourself. Study the data from the boxes below. Decide when you need a dictionary to get the idea of the terms and explain them to your group-mate.

25. Compare English and Russian Equivalents. Define the Metals.

1) The metal solidifies	a) Металл застывает
2) The ~ casts well	b) ~ обладает хорошими литейными качествами
3) The ~ melts	c) ~ плавится (переходит в жидкое состояние)
4) The ~ takes a polish well	d) ~ принимает полировку хорошо
5) The ~ spreads	e) ~ раздается (при прокатке)
6) The ~ stands up to attack by acids well/poorly	f) ~ хорошо/плохо противостоит воздействию кислот
7) The ~ corrodes	h) ~ корродирует
8) The ~ creeps	i) ~ ползет

26. Translate from Russian into English. Use some prompts.

Cчитается, что автомобиль нормально отрегулирован (regulate), когда все детали подвески (suspension) и рулевого управления (steering wheel) исправны, схождение (gather / toe-in) и развал колес (wheel camber) находятся в норме. Если вы заметили неравномерный износ протектора (tread), это, скорее всего, вызвано нарушением регулировок развала и схождения колес, необходим квалифицированный ремонт. Рекомендуется также осуществлять перестановку шин (tyre) через каждые 8–10 тысяч километров.

Follow-up Activities