中级口译阅读 UNIT THREE HOUSE 2.docVIP

UNIT THREE HOUSE READING A Introduction Modem houses are airy, light and comfortable. They are built to keep out the cold and wet and to stay warm. Large windows, electricity hot and cold running water and good heating systems make them very cozy to live in. As towns and cities grew in size, thousands of cheap apartments or small cheap houses were built to house workers. Today, houses are built from a wide variety of different materials, and in many shapes and sizes. Tall blocks of flats are mostly built of steel and concrete, while small suburban houses are usually made of bricks or stone.  Do you know how to-build a house? Building a House 1 We all like to watch work going on. Work on buildings, whether houses, offices, factories, roads or bridges, interests us because there are so many men doing different things.2 Some men and machines are digging. Some are carrying away earth or rock. Some are putting together the steel frame, some are mixing and pouring concrete, and some are laying bricks.3 The roof must be covered. All the pipes for water, gas and drainage have to be laid. The woodwork has to be made and fitted. The electricity has to be brought in and the lights and electric points fixed. Before the work is finished, painting has to be done.4 There are men who are skilled at each kind of work. Some drive bulldozers and work cranes. Others are steel erectors, bricklayers, and plasterers, tilers, plumbers, joiners, electricians and painters.5 Each man has to know about the things he uses, which he calls his materials. He must know about his tools and the proper way to use them. He will have spent a long time learning this, beginning when he left school. In other words, he will have learned his craft or trade.6 Some of the men working will not be craftsmen doing special work, but will help different craftsmen. These are the labourers. They have to learn to dig, lift and carry and to work all day withou