B. 4. Translate the sentences

1. We were able to translate this text. 2. The old machines are to be replaced. 3. This angle can be measured. 4. One must observe certain experimental conditions. 5. He didn't have to make calculations. 6. One should know that "röntgen" is a unit of radiation 7. You can't do without air. 8. The solution (раствор) is to be purified. 9. They were allowed to continue the research. 10. Some materials with useful properties may be produced in space. 11. The people of the Old Stone Age had to find some warm and dry place to shelter from bad weather.

C. 1. Read the text THE DEVELOPMENT OF A HOUSE and answer the questions:

1. What were the most ancient houses in Rus?

2. What new elements were introduced by Greeks and Romans?

3. What are the advantages of precast concrete technique?

Most of the time of a modern man is spent within the walls of some buildings. Houses are built for dwelling; large buildings are constructed for individual purposes; theatres, museums, public and scientific institutions are built for cultural activities of the people. The purposes of modern buildings differ widely, but all of them originate from the efforts of primitive men to protect themselves from stormy weather, wild animals and human enemies.

The people of the Old Stone Age had to find some warm and dry place to shelter from bad weather. They chose caves, dwelling places that storm and cold could not destroy. Later caves were imitated in stone structures, trees were taken as a model for huts built of branches. Primitive stone structures, huts and tents are the earliest types of human dwellings.

Man has always been a builder. The kind of house he built depended upon the climate and upon the building materials at hand. The most ancient homes on the territory of Rus were earthen houses. They consisted of a shallow hole of oval shape. The floor was covered with limestone slabs. The roof was conical and stood on poles¹ covered by branches or animal skins.

The first houses in many parts of the world were made of wood. Men tied together the tops of several trees and covered them with the skins of animals or with leaves and grass. A hut was the first house of primitive people. In other regions the most convenient building material was stone. Men began building houses out of stone long ago.

The first kind of house in Britain was a simple one-room building of stone or wood, according to the materials the people could obtain. They were used about four thousand years ago. The people who lived in them were greatly in advance of the primitive men who used rock shelters. The walls of such houses were very thick, and the roof was made of whalebone rafters covered with skins, with a hole in the middle as a chimney. Those houses were plastered. A plastered house is warmer and looks nicer. There were no windows in such houses and the light came in through the hole in the roof. When it rained they covered the hole and opened the door.

The ancient houses of which anything is known are those of ancient Egypt. The Egyptians built very simple houses by present standards. They were built of bricks dried in the sun. Having dried the bricks², 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. Some of them were built around a courtyard or garden with rooms opening into it. Their buildings were simple in construction but very beautiful. We still admire their monuments, pyramids, sphinxes and palaces. An important part in the history of building has been played by the column and ancient Egypt gave the world the lessons in the art of making columns. The Greeks learned much from Egypt. But they built a slanting roof because there was much rain in their country. They also improved on Egypt's column and soon became the teachers of the world in column making. In Rome bricks were used for building and houses were often finished with plaster over bricks on both inside and outside walls. The Romans, in turn, learned much from the Greeks. But they added the arch, thus adding much strength and beauty to their buildings.

A very advanced construction technique³ today is the use of precast concrete. It has many advantages over other building materials. Precast building units can be assembled at the site, the main part of the work is done at the factory. The precast concrete technique plays a great role in building.

Notes: whalebone китовый ус 1. стояла на столбах

2. высушив кирпичи 3. передовая технология строительства

A. 5. Translate the sentences

1. Plastics play a great part in construction. 2. The quality of paper depends upon the conditions of its manufacture. 3. The metre is a unit of length, and gramme is a unit of weight. 4. Some changes have been made in the original design. 5. The work at the meteorological stations goes on regularly in any weather. 6. The assembly of heavy units took much time. 7. Stone is used for finishing and decorating. 8. The house was almost completely destroyed during the earthquake. 9. Motor-cars maintained the speed of 60 km within the city limits. 10. The box is red inside and black outside. 11. In Rome houses were often finished with plaster.