Passage 4: Materials
A material is what something is made of. There are 5 basic materials.
Most things are made with these materials. Some things are made of metal.
Some things are made of glass. Some things are made of wood. Some things are
made of cloth. And some things are made of plastic. There are some other
materials. But they are not used as much as these 5 materials. Let’s talk about
metal first. Metal is very heavy. And it is very hard and strong. It usually feels
cool if you touch it. We use metal to make lots of things. We use it for forks and
knives. We use it for keys. We use it for cars. We use it for these things because
it is very strong.
Next, let’s talk about glass. Glass is very smooth. It feels cool to touch. It
is not as heavy as metal. It is hard. But it is not strong. It breaks very easily!
Then why do we use it? We use it because it is clear! You can see through
glass! That’s why we use it for windows. That’s also why we use it for glasses.
Now, let’s talk about wood. Wood is lighter than
metal and glass. It is not as strong as metal. But it is much
stronger than glass. We use wood to make lots of things.
Things made from wood are usually light and hard and
strong. Chairs and tables are made from woods. Pencils
are made from woods.
Now let’s talk about cloth. Cloth is very light. It is much lighter than
wood. And it is very soft. We use cloth to make lots of things. For example, it is
use to make clothing. And it is used to make blankets.
Last, let’s talk about plastic. Plastic is also very light. But it is different
from cloth. Sometimes it is soft. And sometimes it is hard. Plastic can be used to
make thin plastic bags. These are light, soft, and strong. But plastic can also be
used to make bicycle helmets. These are light, hard, and strong. A helmet and a
bag seem different. But they are both made from plastic.