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Iron, the master metal
Iron is referred to as the most important metal of our metallic age Iron is the chief component - of pig iron, cast iron, wrought iron, ingot iron and (he innumerable - varieties of steel. It is as vital to modem civilization as air and water are to life. It is so common that like air and water, its true importance is lost sight of by most people. Its abundance is looked upon as something quite natural. No other metal contributes so much to the welfare3 and comfort of man. There is scarcely an article used in our daily lives that is not produced from iron or by means of it. It has no exact substitute in nature, and we cannot imagine the existence of most of our modern conveniences, such as our watches and clocks, our water systems, the automobile, the airplane and the railroad without iron.
When iron was first used, no one knows, for that date belongs to prehistoric4 times. Archaeological research can only establish that people began to use it more than four thousand years ago
There can be no doubt that it was used by the Assyrians about 1400 B.C. and, more recently, by the Greeks. The latter were followed by the Romans, who became rather skilled in metallurgy. Some knowledge of the metal, however, preceded them, for Caesar, crossing the English Channel, found it in use among the native Britons. During the Roman occupation, the industry grew to one of importance in England. At that time iron was obtained by heating a mixture of ore and charcoal. Only after 1350 the iron makers of Central Europe succeeded in producing iron that could melt in the furnace.
No other metal is capable7 of giving such a wide range in physical properties that makes iron available for an almost unlimited17 number of purposes. One property which it possesses in a greater degree14 than any of the other metals is that of magnetism. From a practical viewpoint, iron may be considered the most important magnetic substance. Hence our modern magnetic and electrical appliances are largely dependent upon this one metal. This combination of properties permits its use to perform various functions simultaneously, for example, to withstand stresses and to conduct electricity.
All these qualities make iron the master metal.
Grammar and lexical exercises
I. Translate the following sentences into Ukrainian paying attention to the Verbs in the Passive Voice.
1. Heat is radiated by the sun to the earth, but the land, the sea, and the air are affected differently by this radiation. 2. The positive particle in the nucleus was given the name of the "proton". 3. We were shown a number of experiments illustrating the presence of high-energy particles in the cosmic radiation. 4. The scientists of the world are confronted with the problem of interplanetary flights. 5. The modern scientific forecasts of weather can be fully relied upon. 6. Light may be thought of as some factor that is capable of affecting the eye. 7. The neutron is completely unaffected by a magnetic field. 8. The theory which K. Tsiolkovsky arrived at was based on experimental work. 9. We live at the bottom of an ocean of air, and our lives are constantly influenced by the change and movement of this gas.