Solid ['sɔlɪd] – твёрдый (а не жидкий или газообразный) remain [rɪ'meɪn] V. – оставаться

mineralogy [ˌmɪn(ə)'ræləʤɪ] – минералогия

predominantly [prɪ'dɔmɪnəntlɪ] – особенно, преимущественно

compose [kəm'pəuz] v. – составлять

limestone ['laɪmstəun] – геол. известняк

calcite ['kalsʌɪt] – геол. кальцит (эталонный минерал с твёрдостью 3 по шкале Мооса)

mica ['maɪkə] – минер. слюда

feldspar ['feldspɑː] – геол. полевой шпат

chlorite ['klɔːrʌɪt] – хим. хлорит

kaolin ['keɪəlɪn] – геол. каолин (белая огнеупорная глина, керамическое сырьё)

epidote ['ɛpɪdəʊt] – минер. эпидот (породообразующий минерал - водный силикат кальция, алюминия и железа)

olivine ['ɒlɪviːn, -ʌɪn] – минер. оливин, хризолит, перидот

augite ['ɔːdʒʌɪt] – минер. авгит

hornblende ['hɔːnblend] – геол. роговая обманка; минер. амфибол

magnetite ['mægnətaɪt] – геол. магнетит, магнитный железняк

hematite ['hiːmətaɪt] – крист. гематит; горн. гематит, красный железняк, железный блеск

species ['spiːʃiːz] – вид (подразделение в систематике, входящее в состав высшего раздела - рода)

handful ['hændful] – пригоршня; горсть; горстка, небольшое количество

sample ['sɑːmpl] – образец, образчик; экземпляр

commercially valuable [kə'mɜːʃ(ə)lɪ 'vaɪəbl] – коммерчески жизнеспособный

refer [rɪ'fɜː] v. – направлять; отсылать (к кому-л. / чему-л.); приписывать (чему-л.) ; относить на счёт (чего-л.

purpose ['pɜːpəs] – цель, намерение; замысел, стремление

desired [dɪ'zaɪəd] – желательный, желанный; приятный

separate ['sep(ə)rət] v. – отделять, разделять

ore [ɔː] – руда

tailing ['teilɪŋ] – размытие спектра; тянучка, тянущееся продолжение; затягивание

Exercise 1. Read the text “Minerals Are Substances” and find in it the words according to the following meanings:

1. smallest unit of matter which can take part in a chemical reaction

2. qualities or attributes of a substance

3. usually colourless hard precious stone

4. silver-white metallic element

5. white crystalline substance used to season food; chemical compound of acid or metal

6. perfectly round solid object

7. hard mineral substance that makes up part of the earth crust; large rugged mass of stone

8. clear colourless tasteless liquid that fall as rain and forms rivers

9. soft reddish-brown metal

10. gaseous element essential to life and combustion

11. hard outer part of the earth

12. oxide containing two oxygen atoms per molecule

Minerals Are Substances

Minerals are inorganic homogeneous units which are combined in various ways and under different conditions to form rocks. Minerals are naturally occurring substances with a characteristic atomic structure and characteristic chemical and physical properties. Some minerals have a fixed chemical composition; others vary within certain limits. It is their atomic structure that distinguishes minerals from one another.

Some minerals consist of a single element, for example, gold, silver, copper, and carbon (diamond and graphite), but most minerals are composed of two or more elements. A diamond, for instance, consists only of carbon atoms, but quartz is a compound of silica and oxygen. Of the 105 elements presently known, nine make up more than 99 percent of the minerals and rocks.

The most fundamental combination of these elements is their union with oxygen to form oxides. When silicon unites with oxygen, silicon dioxide is formed, which unites with water and forms acids. The six other elements unite with oxygen and water to form bases. The acids and bases combine to form silicates, which are the most abundant compounds in the earth’s crust.

The most striking feature of minerals is their crystal form, and this is a reflection of their atomic structure. The simplest example of this is rock salt, or halite (NaCl, sodium chloride), in which the positive ions (charged atoms) of sodium are linked with negatively charged chlorine ions by their unlike electrical charges. We can imagine these ions as spheres, with the spheres of sodium having about half the radius of the chlorine ions (.98 A as against 1.8 A; A is an Angstrom Unit, which is equivalent to one hundred millionth of a centimeter, written numerically as ~0.00000001 cm). The unit is named for Anders Angstrom, a Swedish physicist.

Exercise 2. Read the text “Minerals Are Substances” once again and answer the following questions:

1. Are minerals naturally occurring substances?

2. All minerals have a fixed chemical composition, don’t they?

3. Minerals are distinguished from one another by their atomic structure, aren’t they?

4. Do all minerals consist of a single element?

5. What does diamond consist of?

6. What does quartz consist of?

7. What is the most fundamental combination of minerals?

8. How are silicates formed?

9. What is the most striking feature of minerals?

10. Which ions in halite are positive?

11. Which ions in halite are negatively charged?

12. What number does Angstrom Unit equal?

Exercise 3. Find antonyms in the text to the following words:

1. outside –

2. less –

3. positively –

Exercise 4. Find synonyms in the text to the following words:

1. simply–

2. include–

3. stabilized –

Exercise 5. Read the text and identify true or false are the following statements:

OXYGEN AND SILICON are the two most abundant elements in the earth’s crust. Their presence, in such enormous quantities, indicates that most of the minerals are silicates (compounds of metals with silicon and oxygen) or aluminosilicates. Their presence in rocks is also an indication of the abundance of quartz (SiO2, silicon dioxide) in sandstones and granites, as well as in quartz veins and geodes.

1. Oxygen and silicon are the elements of the earth’s crust.

2. Most of the minerals are oxygen.

3. Most of the minerals are silicates.

4. Sandstones and granites contain silicon dioxide.

5. Quartz is not included in rocks.

6. Silicon is the most abundant substance in the earth’s crust.

Exercise 6. Separate the following texts into words and sentences and then read them and translate into Russian: