Стр.146 Across the curriculum ГДЗ Комарова Ларионова 8 класс

cotton, silk, nylon, microfibres

1. This comes from the seeds of a plant. Slaves were taken to America to pick its seeds. In the Industrial Revolution, machines made it much easier to spin the thread and weave the cloth.

2. These synthetic fibres are nearly invisible so they have to be used with other fibres. They are a hundred times thinner than a human hair. They are especially important for sports clothes.

3. This is made by caterpillars when they make a cocoon. The threads are very strong, beautiful and soft.

4. This is a completely synthetic or man-made product. It was invented in 1939 to replace silk and it was used in World War II for parachutes. Women’s tights are made from this.

50%, 400, 5500, 1 kg

The secret of silk
Silk is surrounded by mystery and legend. Tradition says that a Chinese empress discovered the secret of silk in 2640 BC when a silkworm cocoon fell from a tree into her cup of tea. For years, silk was a luxury and only the emperor and his family were permitted to wear it. For over 2000 years, silk was the best kept secret of the Chinese and the death penalty was given to anyone who exported the silkworm or its eggs. There are many stories about how the secret of the production of silk was finally taken out of China. One story says that the secret was finally revealed in 550 AD when two men hid some silkworms in bamboo sticks and took them to the court of the Roman emperor.

1. According to legend, who discovered silk?
2. Who was allowed to wear silk when it was first used in China?
3. What was the punishment for exporting silkworms?
4. When did Europeans discover the secret of silk production?