The House

THEME: The House 

Read, write and learn the following words and word combinations:

brick цегла

to put up (put, put) будувати

flat плоский

to construct будувати

construction будівництво

direction напрям

middle середина

to borrow запозичувати                                     

slanting roof  похилий дах

to add додати

strength міцність

to remain зберігати

to serve слугувати

to destroy руйнувати

effort зусилля

great diversity велике різноманіття

to arouse викликати, пробуджувати

to differ from відрізнятися (від)

 Read and translate the text.

Man has always been a builder. The kind of house he built in the beginning depended upon the climate, upon his enemies and upon the building materials at hand. The first houses in many parts of the world were made of wood, for in those days the greater part of the earth was covered with forests. Men tied together the tops of several trees and covered them with the skins of animals or with leaves and grass. So a tent, or hut, was the first house of the primitive people who lived where there was much wood. In other regions the most convenient building material was stone. Men began building houses out of stone very long ago. Although they were built without cement, the remains of a few of them still exist.

The ancient Egyptians built very simple houses by present standards. Having dried the bricks in the sun, they put up four walls, and above these they placed a flat roof. The roof was flat because there was very little rain in Egypt. Although their buildings were simple in construction, the Egyptian art of building was very beautiful. Their pyramids and monuments, sphinxes and palaces arouse our wonder to this day. An important part in the history of building has been played by the column, and it was ancient Egypt that gave the world its first lessons in the art of making columns.

The Greeks learned much from Egypt. But they did not borrow the flat roof. They built a slanting roof because there was much rain in their country. The Greeks made the roof slant in two directions from the middle. They also improved on Egypt's columns and soon became the teachers of the world in column making.

The Romans, in turn, learned much from the Greeks. First of all, they borrowed the slanting roof and the columns. But they added the arch, thus adding much strength and beauty to their buildings.

In our country architecture flourished for the first time in Kiev Rus. Unfortunately, only a few of the church buildings of that period have remained. The churches of the time were strong buildings with thick walls and small windows. They often had to serve as fortresses during enemy invasions. Tourists from all over the world come to see the famous Cathedral of St. Sophia, the cornerstone of which was laid in 1037. A very advanced construction technique today is the use of precast concrete. According to this technique, the reinforced concrete units of which a building is to be made are manufactured at a factory and are then simply assembled on the site. The use of precast concrete has many advantages over other building methods. For one thing, building work is industrialized more highly. The site becomes something like an assembly shop which cuts the labour needed for building by 60 to 70%, the main part of the work being done at the factory. The building season is also extended. After all, in the greater part of our country the winter lasts for several months.

Architecture of the 20th century is characterized by very high buildings – particularly skyscrapers – and by great diversity of styles which completely differ from those of the past.

Answer the following questions.

1. How did the Egyptians build houses?

2. Why was the roof flat in ancient Egyptian houses?

3. What can you say about the Egyptian art of building?

4. It was ancient Egypt that gave the world its first lessons in the art of making columns, wasn't it?

5. How did the Greeks make the roof? Why?

6. What was the Greeks' contribution to construction?

7. What did the Romans do to add strength and beauty to their buildings? 

Fill in the gaps using the words below.

concrete            wood              hole

advantages        huge              assemble

put up                restored       construction

1. The old house was made of ... .

2. There was a big ... on the roof of a wooden house.

3. A building of stones has been ... this month not far from the bus stop.

4. Aluminium has many ... over other metals.

5. After the war many destroyed buildings had to be ... .

6. This ... building can be seen from all parts of the city.

7. New methods of construction allow us to ... ready made units on the site.

8. The house looked like a big box made of steel and ...

9. Concrete as well as other building materials was widely used for the bridge ... .