Automotive Industries Unit 6

4 Read the texts and complete the table below.

1 Seat covers in luxury cars are made from leather. It is made from animal skins and is strong and
flexible. It doesn’t melt, but it can burn.
2 The instrument panel is placed in front of the driver’s seat. Holes are cut in the panel, and the
instruments are placed behind the holes. Some luxury cars have wooden instrument panels. These
are very expensive. The material is hard, but not flexible. You can cut it, but you can’t bend it or stretch
it. It doesn’t melt, but it burns.
3 The cheapest car in the world today has a light but strong two-cylinder petrol engine, with a capacity
of 623 cc. The engine is made of aluminium. It is placed at the rear and drives the two rear wheels.
4 Heavy goods vehicles have special, heavy tyres. The rubber composite makes the tyre tough but
flexible. The steel cords in the tyre walls make the tyres very strong, but heavy.
5 Cars have one or two silencers. Modern cars have steel silencers. These are coated with aluminium
and are strong, rigid and corrosion-resistant.
6 Most wheels are made of steel but the wheels of more expensive cars are made from a light but
strong alloy. This is more expensive than steel, but it looks better.
7 Most fuel tanks are made of steel, but the tanks of some small cars are made of plastic. Both plastic
and steel tanks are rigid, hard and water-resistant. Some of the plastic tanks have heat–resistant steel
plates fixed to them.

Part Material Properties

1 seat cover leather, strong,

2
INSTRUMENT PANEL WOOD HART, IS NOT FLEXIBLE
3
ENGINE ALUMINIUM LIGHT, CAPACITY OF 623CC
4 1) rubber composite 1) tough, flexible
TYRES 2) STEEL CORDS 2) HEAVY
5 1) STEEL
2) ALUMINIUM
1) STRONGH
2) RIGID
SILENCERS 3) CORROSION - RESISTANT

6 1) steel 1) no information given

WHEELS
2) ATRONG OLLY 2) LINGHT
7 1) STEEL 1) HEAT- RESISTANT
TANKS
2) PLASTIC 2) WATER

5 Make dialogues about the parts of a vehicle.

1 instrument panel / plastic / cheap and light A: What’s / What are the … made of?
2 headlights and sidelights / chrome / corrosion-resistant B: It’s/They’re made of …
3 seat covers / nylon and polyester / strong and cheap A: Why do they/you use …?
4 bonnet and boot / steel / tough and rigid B: Because it’s …
5 seat belts / nylon / strong and flexible
6 body shell / steel / rigid and hard

© Pearson Longman 2008 www.pearsonlongman.com/technicalenglish

 Automotive Industries Unit 6

Word List
6 Write the meanings of these words and phrases in your own language.

NOUNS dismantle DESMANTELAR

alloy ALEACION flatten APLANAR

aluminium ALUMINIO grip SUJECION

corrosion CORROSION label ETIQUETA

dent DENTADO mask MASCARA

fibreglass FIBRA DE VIDRIO melt DERRETIR

leather CUERO sand ARENA

panel PANEL slide DIAPOSITIVA

plastic PLASTICO straighten ENDEREZAR

steel ACERO stretch ESTIRARSE

NOUN PHRASES weld SOLDAR

body filler RELLENO DE CARROCERIA ADJECTIVES

masking tape CINTA ADHESIVA corroded CORROIDO

patch repair REPARACION CON PARCHE corrosion-resistant RESISTENTE A LA CORROSION

rubber composite COMPUESTO DE CAUCHO flexible FLEXIBLE

sanding block BLOQUE DE LIJADO heat-resistant RESISTENTE AL CALOR

sanding disk DISCO DE LIJADO luxury LUJO

steel cord CABLE DE ACERO nearside IZQUIERD@

VERBS rigid RIGID@

assess EVALUAR tough DURO

bend CURVA water-resistant RESISTENTE AL AGUA

burn QUEMAR wooden MADERA

coat CAPUCHA

© Pearson Longman 2008 www.pearsonlongman.com/technicalenglish