1 Read the text and label the picture with the name of each

part.

All substances , solids, liquids or gases, are composed of one

or more of the chemical elements. Each elem ent is composed /
of id entical atoms.
Each atom is composed of a small central nucleu s consisting
of protons and neutrons aro und which orbit shells of
electron s. These electrons are ver y much smaller than protons
and n eutron s.
The electr ons in the outermost shell are called valence
electrons and the electrical properties of th e substan ce depend
on the number of these electron s.
Neutrons have no electric charge, but protons have a positive charge
w hile electrons have a negative charge. In some substances, usually m etals, the
valence electrons ar e free to move from one atom to another and this is what constitutes an electric current.

2 Read the text again and complete the sentences with the missing information.
1 Elements make up _ _ _ _ __
2 Identical atoms
3 Atoms consist of and
------
4 Inside there are _ _ _ _ and , while outside
Silver
5 Shells
--------------------
6 Valence electrons - - - Copper
7 Neutrons do not have - - - - - - -
8 Electricity is generated when __________________________________ Aluminium

3 () 5 Listen and complete the text with the missing information. --

=
,-
,-
.c
Iron

Mercury
Electri city consists of a (1) _ of free electrons along a ca:
conductor. To produce this current flow , a generato r is pla ced at the end of the en Carbon
cond uctor in order to move th e (2)
Conductors
-=
c
,-
c.:I
'Cl
Water
El ectri city needs a ma terial whic h allows a current to pass through easily, which C
offe rs little (3)
material is cal led a co nductor and
to the flow and is full of free electrons . Thi s
can be in the form of a bar, tube or sheet. The
=
U
en Germanium
most commonly used (4) _ __ are wires, available in many sizes c
,-
en
and thicknesses . They are coated
Semiconductors
with insulating materials such as plastic.

Semiconductors such as silicon and germanium are used in transistors and their
..
CD
as
c.:I
C
Silicon

conductivity is halfway in between a conductor and an (5) ________

Small quantities of other substances, called impurities, are introduced in the
material to (6) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ the conductivity.
Insulators
A material which contains very (7) _ __________ electrons is call ed an
insulator. Glass, rubber, dry wood and (8) _______ resist the flow of
elect ri c charge, and as such they are good insulating materials .

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4 Read the text again and decide if the following statements are true (T) or false (F), then correct the
false ones.
1 A flow of electrons moving inside a conductor creates an electric current.
2 A generator is used to move the charges.
3 Electrons can easily pass through any material.
4 Any material is a good conductpr.
5 Conductors are coated with insulators.
6 The presence of free electrons affects the conductivity of materials .
7 Impurities are introduced to increase conductivity.
8 Insulating materials resist the flow of electrons.

5 Read the text and complete the table with the missing information.

There are two types of current: Direct current (DC) and Alternating current (AC).
Direct current is a continuous flow of electrons in one direction and it never changes its direction until the power
is stopped or switched off.
Alternating current constantly changes its direction because of the way it is generated. The term 'frequency ' is
used to indicate how many times the current changes its direction in one second .
Alternating current has a great advantage over direct current because it can be transm itted over very long distances
through small wires, by making energy high voltage and low current.
There are several quantities that are important when we are talking about electric current. Volts M- so named
, 'V ~~. after the Italian physicist Alessan dro Volta - measure the
difference of electric potential between two points on a
conducting wire. Amperes (A) measure the amount of current
flowing through a conductor, that is to say the number of
electrons passing a point in a conductor in one second.
Coulomb (C) measure the quantity of charge transferred in one
second by a steady current of one ampere. Power is the rate
at which work is performed and it is measured in watts (W). A
Kilowatt (kW), which is equal to one thousand watts, is used to
measure the amount of used or available energy. The amount
of electrical energy consumed in one hour at the constant rate
of one kilowatt is called kilowatt-hour.

Unit of measurement What does it measure? I

.--- I
(1) the number of electrons passing a given point in a conductor in one second
I
(2) the quantity of electricity transferred by a steady current of on ~am ~
(3) the amount of electric energy used

(4) -
the difference of potential between two point'.on a conductor ~
(5) rate at which work is done )

MY GLOSSARY
charge /tJo:d3/ _ __ __ _ _ _ __ _ __ to pass through /tg po:s 8ru:/ _ _ _ __ _ _ __
coated Ibutrd/ _ __ __ _ __ _ __ __ _ property Ipmpgti/ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _
conductor /k;:m'dAktg(r)/ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ __ semiconductor /semibn'dAktg(r)!_ _ _ _ _ _ __
current flow lumt flgu/ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ __ shell
halfway lho:fweI/ steady Istedi/_ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ __ __
im purity /Iffi'pjmnti/ _____________ to switch off /tg SWltJ of/ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __
insulator ImsjuleItg(r)/ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ __ thickness 18Ikms/ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ __
to name after /tg nelm 'o:ftg(r)/_ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ valence Ivrelgns/ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ __
to orbit /tu:

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