A) In what context do you think the following words and phrases will appear in the text?

•hand-moulded •moist clay •firing •manufacturing process •quarry •extraction •cement mortar •surmounted by a corbelled structure

b) Read the text quickly and check your answers:

Originally, bricks were hand-moulded from moist sun clay and then sun-baked, as is still the practice in certain arid climates. The firing of clay bricks dates back well over 5000 years, and is now a sophisticated and highly controlled manufacturing process; yet the principle of burning clay, to convert it from its natural plastic state into a dimensionally stable, durable, low-maintenance ceramic material, remains unchanged. The quarrying of clay and brick manufacture are high-energy processes, which involve the emission of considerable quantities of carbon dioxide and other pollutants including sulphur dioxide. The extraction of clay also has long-term environmental effects, although in some areas former clay pits have now been converted to bird sanctuaries or put to recreational use. However, well-constructed brickwork has a long life with low maintenance, and although the use of Portland cement mortar prevents the recycling of individual bricks, the crushed material is frequently recycled as aggregate in further construction.

The elegant cathedral at Evry near Paris (Fig. 6.1), designed by Mario Botta, illustrates the modern use of brickwork. The cathedral of Saint Corbinian, built with 670,000 bricks, was dedicated in 1997. The building exhibits fine detailing both internally and externally. Externally the cylindrical form rises to a circle of trees. Internally the altar is surmounted by a corbelled structure leading one’s view upwards to the central rooflight. Three-dimensional internal brickwork is finely detailed to generate the desired acoustic response.

5 Read the text again and answer the questions that follow (1-5):