METALS AND ALLOYS

1 Work in pairs. Make a list of metals that you know. Compare your list with another pair.

2 Work in groups and discuss these questions.

a. What can be made from metal?

b. What are the most popular properties of metals?

3 Read the text and answer the questions.

1. Why do metals usually have a high density?

2. What does a low density cause?
3. What is the flexibility of metals?
4. What can be done with metals which have a high tensile strength?
5. Why do metals conduct electricity?
6. What is the galvanization process?
7. How does the grain size influence the properties of metals?
8. What is an alloy?
9. Why are alloys made?
10. What are coins made from?
11. What is made from duralumin?
12. What makes alloys more brittle?
13. What can be made from solder? Why?
14. Why is steel alloyed with chromium and nickel?

4 Find all the properties of metals and alloys in the text. Can you add any other properties to the list?

5 Find words in the text that match these definitions. (M=Metal crystals; A=Alloys; 1, 2, 3 etc.=paragraph number)

1. a very small piece of matter with a negative electrical charge that moves around the nucleus (=central part)
of an atom (M1)
2. an amount or piece of a material or substance that covers a surface or that is between two other things (M2)
3. the amount of physical power with which something moves or hits another thing (M2)
4. the chemical force that holds atoms together in a molecule (M2)
5. something that allows electricity or heat to travel along it or through it (M3)
6. a piece of metal in the form of a thread, used for carrying electrical currents or signals (M3)
7. the central part of something (M3)
8. a scientific instrument that makes extremely small things look larger (M4)
9. the outside or top layer of something (M4)
10. a firm object or substance that has a fixed shape, not a gas or liquid (A1)
11. to make a coin (A2)
12. a substance of a low quality that is contained in or mixed with something else, making it less pure (A3)
13. to plan or develop something for a specific purpose (A4)
14. to stop something from happening, or stop someone from doing something (A4)

6 What can be made from alloys in table 3.7?

7 What metals and alloys are used in civil engineering? What is made from them?