B2 - Use of English - PART 3

Harry Brearley, the son of a Sheffield steel smelter, left school at 12 to go to work in one of the city’s steelworks. He was an (a)   (AMBITION) chap and started to study metallurgy at home and in evening classes.

He (a)   (GRADUAL) built a reputation for expertise, ...

He gradually built a reputation for expertise, and still in his 30s was chosen to run a new (a)   (SEARCH) facility funded by two of Sheffield’s largest steel companies.

In 1912, he was tasked by a small-arms manufacturer to find a material that could (a)   (LONG) the life of their gun barrels. He set out to find erosion-resistant steel, but found corrosion-resistant steel instead.

The story goes that in 1913 he threw out some (a)   (EXPERIMENT) steel made of 12.8 per cent chromium and 0.24 per cent carbon.

A few weeks later, he found it in the yard still (a)   (SHINE) as new.

This apparently serendipitous discovery led to the (a)   (TRANSFORM) of the already established cutlery industry in Sheffield.

serendipitous = lucky

Stainless steel is now used in everything from (a)  

(SURGERY) instruments and turbine blades to architectural cladding.

Diamonds are the most prized and (a)   (HIGH) valued of gemstones.

Throughout history, they have been admired by royalty and worn as a symbol of

(a)   (STRONG), courage and invincibility.