№1. Which of the materials listed below are natural, artificial?
Metal, stone, brick, concrete, gravel, wood, sand, timber, iron.
№2. Which of the properties of construction materials may be classified as advantageous? Disadvantageous?
High cost fire-resistance non-fire-resistance
Low resistance low cost high strength
High weight durability corrosion-resistance
Heavy weight hardness softness
№3. Which of words given below are nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs? Translate every word.
Height, high, deepen, depth, deeply, strength, strengthen, strong, long, highly, lengthen, length, hard, hardly, harden, hardness.
№4. Read and translate the article in writing.
Materials used for construction purposes possess different properties. They differ in durability, strength, weight, fire-and decay-resistance and, naturally, cost.
Wood, timber, brick, stone, concrete, metals, and plastics belong to the most popular building materials used nowadays. They all have their advantages and disadvantages that are taken into account when designing a structure.
Wood belongs to naturally growing materials. It is known to be the oldest construction material and is still widely used for different purposes. Wood is popular since it has low weight and is easy to work. Besides, it grows naturally and is cheap. But its usage is limited because of its disadvantages: it easily burns and decays. As to stone, it also belongs to the oldest building materials. Among its advantages there are strength, high heat insulation and fire-resistance.
Brick belongs to artificial construction materials. It has been used in many countries and in different climates. In modern times bricks vary widely with the method of production and temperature of burning.
Concrete is known to be one of the most popular building materials. It is produced by mixing cement, gravel, water, and sand in the proper amounts.
№5. Answer the questions.
1. Into what groups can construction materials be divided?
2. What are the advantages (disadvantages) of wood, stone, metals?
3. What two groups are metals divided into?
4. What is the difference between ferrous non-ferrous metals?
