The Urals – a borderline between Europe and Asia - are a mountain chain which appeared many years ago as a result of tectonic activity. As time went on, the mountains were being destroyed by the action of water, sun and air. As a result, the highest mountains are only one thousand metres high. One more consequence is that the greatest deposits of ores came to the surface of the Earth. The fact that they were easily accessible stimulated the development of plants.

The Ural mining industries began during the time of Peter the First. In the 18th century the Urals, with their high quality ores and rich forests (a fuel for plants) played the greatest role in the world industry. Russia exported metal even to Great Britain.

The modernisation of the Ural industry began with Magnitogorsk plant, built near the mountain Magnitnaya, rich in metallic ores. Later, many engineering plants were built in the region. The greatest plants are situated in Magnitogorsk, Nizhniy Tagil, Chelyabinsk and Novotroitsk.

At the beginning of the 20th century the Ural metal industry suffered a crisis because of the shortage of coal. But the delivery of coal from Kuzbass solved the problem.

It must be mentioned that about 70 metals and minerals were first discovered in the Ural mountains. Large deposits of iron, copper, lead, zinc, nickel, titanium, wolfram and many other metals characterize the region.

Nowadays some of the deposits are exhausted, and the plants work on the ores from the new layers (Kazakhstan, Siberia). But nevertheless, the Urals are the region with great history, traditions and experience, and hopefully it will have new stages of development.

3. Continue the following statements.
1. The Urals are а mountain change which ...
2. Mountains were being destroyed, and now the highest mountains ...
3. In the 18th century the Urals ...
4. The modernisation ofthe Ural industry began ...
5. The greatest plants are situated ...
6. At the beginning of the 20th century the Ural metal industry ...
7. About 70 metals and minerals ...
8. Nowadays some ofthe deposits are ...
9. Hopefully, the Urals will ...