Priestly called the new material rubber, as was instructed by his American friend
because it was soft and could easily be rubbed
since he had shaped the ball by rubbing it on a hard surface
having been inspired by one of its functions
as it could rub surfaces without wearing them out
If rubber had not been discovered people would have to use synthetic substitutes instead
there would not be any shoes, chairs, or gloves
people would be even less imaginative than they are now
life today would be considerably different from what it is
there's a good chance that human life would have ended
The passage makes it clear that, at present, there are many types of products made from rubber, though it seems that many are being replaced by plastics
and it seems quite likely that there will be more in the future
despite the fact that the material tends to wear out quickly
but people tend to stay away from the material and use natural substitutes instead
yet they are only available in technologically advanced countries
99 HENRY FORD: HUMANITARIAN AND BUSINESSMAN? Other American industrialists and factory managers were stunned when automobile manufacturer Henry Ford announced in 1914 that he would pay his assembly line workers $5.00 a day and reduce the working day from nine to eight hours. The average daily wage in American industry at the time was $2.34. He became world famous almost overnight. Opponents derided Ford as a socialist, while supporters called him a great humanitarian. Actually, Ford had simply come to understand that mass production required a society composed of many consumers, not just a few wealthy people amid a multitude of poor. He was making cars for the middle class and knew that sales depended on the existence of a middle class able to afford them, preferably including his own workers. This notion went against the grain of most American businessmen, who believed that low wages, coupled with the highest possible prices, were necessary to make a profit.
