Excerpt from Stuff Matters

By Mark Miodownik

In the absence of copper, gold, and meteoric iron, our ancestors’ tools during the Stone Age were made of flint, wood, and bone. Anyone who has ever tried to make anything with these kinds of tools knows how limiting they are: if you hit a piece of wood it either splinters, cracks, or snaps. The same is true of rock or bone. Metals are fundamentally different from these other materials because they can be hammered into shape: they flow, they are malleable. Not only that, they get stronger when you hit them; you can harden a blade just by hammering it. And you can reverse the process simply by putting metal in a fire and heating it up, which will cause it to get softer. The first people to discover these properties ten thousand years ago had found a material that was almost as hard as a rock but behaved like a plastic and was almost infinitely reusable. In other words, they had discovered the perfect material for tools, and in particular cutting tools like axes, chisels, and razors. This ability of metals to transform from a soft to a hard material must have seemed like magic to our ancient ancestors.

***

In 1961 Professor Richmond from Oxford University discovered a pit that had been dug by the Romans in AD 89. It contained 763,840 small two-inch nails, 85,128 medium nails, 25,088 large nails, and 1,344 extra-large sixteen-inch nails. The hoard was of iron and steel and not gold, which most people would have found bitterly disappointing. But not Professor Richmond. Why, he asked himself, would a Roman legion bury seven tons of iron and steel? The legion had been occupying the advance headquarters of Agricola in a place called Inchtuthil in Scotland. This was at the outer reaches of the Roman Empire, and their mission was to protect its border from what they saw as the savage tribes who threatened it: the Celts. The legion of five thousand men occupied the region for six years before retreating and, in the process, abandoning their fort. They made great efforts to leave behind nothing that could help their enemies. They smashed all food and drink containers and burned the fort to the ground. But they weren’t satisfied with this. In the ashes were the steel nails that had held the fort together, and they were far too valuable to be left to the tribes that had driven them out. Iron and steel were the materials that enabled the Romans to build aqueducts, ships, and swords; they allowed them to engineer an empire. Leaving the nails to their enemies would have been as useful as leaving a cache of weapons, so they buried them in a pit before marching south.
The author draws a contrast between metals and other materials in all of the following EXCEPT:

A) Flint, wood, and bone are more brittle.

B) Metals are reusable.

C) Metals are non-polluting.

D) Metals can be shaped into other objects.

Answer:

C) Metals are non-polluting.

Explanation:

According to the excerpt from Stuff Matters

by Mark Miodownik, it is narrated that metals were a very important discovery that helped shaped mankind forever. Our ancestors made use of stones, flints and bones but these materials had their limitations and could not be shaped into other forms. However, the discovery of metals solved this problem.

The author draws a contrast between metals and other materials in all of the following EXCEPT saying that Metals are non-polluting.

i shall spend my golden years watching the sunset

what can you learn from the underlined sentence granny delighted with finished project that marissa had so carefully created gently ran her fingers over the fusion of objects from hawaii sea and utah land
I-ready level G

"would you marry a stranger" by Jessica mcbirney written argumentative essay

ohhhhhhh who lives in a pineapple under the sea
HELP MEEE


Why should Europe be concerned with changes in population trends?

Pls help lol .What is the passage mostly about?

GET 35 POINTS EASY :)


how does the word " wrote" connect to racism in America ?

“When I was your age, 80 years ago,” Luke’s great-grandmother began, “a wagon pulled by horses picked me up outside our house to take me to school. There wasn’t room for us in the schoolhouse, so all of us West End kids went to school in the basement of the library.” Luke was surprised. “That sounds like a fun way to get to school! I ride the school bus. I hope we don’t ever have too many kids to in my school, because our town library doesn’t have a basement!”



Paraphrase the dialogue. i d k how to Paraphrase the dialogue.

plzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz helpppppppppppppppp

i need help please on this question
​

Which of these books is most likely to have a picture of a large city on its
cover?
O A. A story of a farmer
OB. A book about animals
O C. The story of a homeless person
O D. A novel about prison

Please help me fast!!!!!!!

Which statement is an example of a simple sentence?
A. Penguins huddle together during the winter months, but some still
freeze.
B. I would really, truly like to help you with that rather enormous
problem
C. Although he denies them, Dr. Vasquez faced several scandals last
year.
D. Cars tend to be expensive, but airplanes are in a price range of
their own

Why did Harriet continue to help them even though it was dangerous?

Read the sentence.

There are abundant opportunities available for those who graduate from high school and pursue higher levels of education.

Why does the author most likely use the word abundant over the word "adequate"?

It contains a stronger positive connotation.
It contains a stronger negative connotation.
It contains a more neutral connotation.
It contains exactly the same connotation.

Which of the following details would best support the message, Learning another language makes children smarter?
A. Children who speak two languages are better at solving some kinds of mental puzzles.
B. Learning languages is hard and takes a very long time to do.
C. Children are better at learning languages than adults are.
D. Many children in the U.S. today are bilingual.

A holiday was set up to honor Martin Luther king, Jr . Because

THIS IS URGENT PLEASE HELP ASAP



Two-three sentences

How are Cornell notes helpful?

Do you think that the inauguration was the appropriate setting for Amanda Gorman’s poem?

hurry pleaseeee
i need helppp
i don't know what to write about. i need to choose an interesting research topic for an essay

Why do you think Chris wasn’t interested in talking about his parents/family?

can someone write in Op-ed format about how immigration is an controversy?! i will give brainless
(edit): can u write it with over 350 words?

ASAPP!!! 5 paragraph Persuasive Essay. WILL GIVE 16points


Will technology end up increasing or decreasing equality worldwide?

Why isn't the following sentence an appropriate thesis?
I love heat and sunshine.
It does not present an argument
It is not a controversial statement
It is an appropriate thesis

Lord capulet suggests that Paris

What do you learn about hospital conditions and the nurses’ routine activities?

Would i be a good person from 1-10 i need an answer because i dont how people would describe me

Which character traits best describe Keevan?

what's the difference between comprehension and decoding

PLEASE HELP WILL MARK BRANLIEST





(story is the picture)


A Simple Flower Poem
by Trey Loker

A flower buds its petals of pink
It rises to the sky
Glowing and coloring the grass,
a light wind may pass,
and cool water flows to drink


A flower buds its petals of yellow
It's covered by trash
Coughing and wheezing a lot,
the wind cannot stop,
the trash from killing this fellow


A flower buds its poials of blue
Is crushed by cans
Without provocation
its freed from the suffocation
by a woman who loves so true


in which two ways is the story different from the poem?

A)The story involves a group of people working together towards a common goal
B) The story includes only one type of flower that was saved from pollution
C)The story involves discarded bags and cans covering delicate flowers
D)The story reveals more types of trash that could possibly be found on the ground​

interpreting Signals If you saw this sign, what would you think it meant? The entrance is to the left. The entrance is to the right. There's a larger entrance to the right There's an entrance on the left and right ENTRANCE I would not know what to think. Intro Done​