Section II. Lexical - Grammar Tests

Для того, чтобы правильно выполнить контрольные работы, необходимо усвоить следующий грамматический материал:

1. Имя существительное. Мн. Число. Существительное в функции определения и его перевод.

2. Имя прилагательное. Степени сравнения. Сравнительные конструкции.

3. Местоимения: личные, притяжательные, вопросительные, указательные, неопределённые, относительные и отрицательные.

4. Словообразование. Наиболее распространенные суффиксы существительных, прилагательных, глаголов и наречий; приставки; конверсия.

5.Видо-временные формы глагола:

активный залог – формы Indefinite, Continuous, Perfect (Present, Past, Future),

6. Многозначность глаголов to be, to have, to do.

7. Оборот There + to be.

Test 1. Metals

Iron and steel are the world's cheapest and most useful metals. These hard, durable metals are used in making thousands of products, from paper clips to automobiles.

The word iron can refer to both an element and a number of alloys of iron and other metallic elements. As an element, iron is one of the most common chemical substances, but it is never found in pure form. Almost all iron occurs in ores, though some meteorites also contain iron. The properties of any kind of iron depend largely on the chemical composition of the alloy. Heating and shaping the metal can greatly change its physical properties. Manufactures use iron alloys in the manufacture of so-called iron products.

Cast iron is any iron alloy that contains from 2 to 4 per cent carbon and from 1 to 3 per cent silicon. Because of its high carbon content, solid cast iron cannot be shaped, no matter how hot it is heated. This kind of iron is made into useful objects by pouring the liquid metal into molds and letting it harden. Cast iron's hardness, low cost, and ability to absorb shocks make it an important construction material.

Steel is produced by refining iron and alloying it with other metals. Steel finds its use in corrugated sheets for roofing, for girders, frames, etc. Various shapes are employed in construction.

Aluminum is the oldest and best known light metal. It is the most plentiful metallic element in the earth's crust and the third most common of all the elements, after oxygen and silicon. But unlike some other metals, such as gold and silver, aluminum is always chemically combined with other elements. Aluminum, with its alloys, has such valuable properties as light weight, strength, corrosion resistance, electrical conduction, heat conduction, light and heat reflection.

The world construction industry uses more aluminum than any other metal except iron and steel. It is very suitable for framing members in building and prefabricated housing, for window frames and for the skin of the building in curtain-wall construction. Aluminum is also used in such items as gutters, panels, residential roofing, tubes for electric wires.

Notes:

durable – прочный

refine - очищать

Test 2. Plastics

Plastics are man-made materials that can be shaped into any form. They are one of the most useful materials ever created. Engineers have developed plastics that are as rigid as steel or as soft as cotton. They can make plastics that are any color of the rainbow or as clear and colorless as crystal. Plastics can be rubbery or rigid, and they can be shaped into an endless variety of objects. Plastic products often have a useful life of many years.

But why are the chemists so enthusiastic about plastics? Plastics are rapidly becoming important synthetic materials because of their great variety, strength, durability and lightness. A synthetic product must necessarily be both better and cheaper in order to justify its manufacture. This is essentially true of the various plastics when compared to the material they are to replace.

Since plastics combine all the fine characteristics of a building material together with good insulating properties, and are fireproof as well, it is no wonder that the architects and engineers have turned to them to add color and attractiveness to modern homes and offices. Engineers have created hundreds of different plastics, each with its own properties. They have developed plastics that can replace metals, natural fibers, paper, wood and stone, and glass and ceramics. For example, plastic siding does not dent as easily as that made of aluminum. Plastic pipes are lightweight and easy to cut and join. Moreover, they do not corrode like metal pipes. Plastic wall tiles, bathtubs, and sinks are less fragile, cheaper and easier to install than ceramic ones. Plastics are also used to make insulating foam that blocks the flow of heat and sound.

Foamed plastics have very low compressive and tensile strength. They can be used between two layers of a hard surface material, such as a metal or plywood, to create a laminated sandwich panel with high stiffness. Laminated panels are used as floors, partitions and exterior walls in building.

Nowadays, builders are using plastics in almost any part of a building from the foundation to the final coat of paint.

Notes:

shape – придавать форму

compressive – компрессионный

tensile strength – предел прочности на растяжение

UNIT II

BUILDING A HOUSE

Section I. Reading material