The construction of the building
A building is a construction which is raised on a foundation and is generally made of stone, concrete blocks, bricks and mortar or cement. Bricks and concrete blocks are held together by mortar. Walls made of bricks and those built of concrete blocks are suitable both for small buildings and multistorey structures. Nowadays houses are often built of complete concrete structural units which are factory-made and assembled on the spot.
Every detail of a house must be carefully planned. The working plan itself is called a blueprint. Without a blueprint the workmen would make all sorts of mistakes and waste a lot of time.
Plans for building a house are drawn by an architect. The architect draws a separate plan for each individual floor. He shows all the parts of the house exactly as if the house were already built.
It is from the blueprint of the architect that the workman sees where to place the walls, the windows, the doors, the staircases, etc. The size of the rooms, the width of the doors and the windows, the height of the ceiling are also marked on the plan by the architect.
Different workmen are employed in building a house. The stonemason builds the foundation. The bricklayer builds the walls and other parts made of bricks. He lays the bricks one on the top of another and puts mortar between them with a trowel. A slater or tiler is employed for putting slates or tiles on the roof. The plumber fixes all the baths, water pipes and the sanitary fittings of drains and lavatories in the places marked for them in the plan drawn by the architect. The electrician runs electric wires and makes connections all through the house from the cellar under ground to the attics under the roof. All the doors and window-frames are made by the carpenter and put into their places by the joiner. The latter also lays down the floor. Then the plasterer puts the plaster or cement over all the walls and ceilings and makes them smooth. The walls are then painted, papered or whitewashed.
Ex.1. Say in one or two sentences what the following people do:
1. a builder 11.a plasterer
2. a farmer 12.a musician
3. a pilot 13.a student
4. an architect 14.a designer
5. a teacher 15.a cook
6. a painter 16.a watchmaker
7. a carpenter 17.a plumber
8. a bricklayer 18.a joiner
9. a writer 19.a slater
10. a baker 20.a singer
Ex.2.Complete the sentences using the English equivalents for the Russian words in brackets.
1. All the parts of many houses are produced on an industrial scale in factories and (монтируются на месте). 2.The structure is put up by (каменщиками, плотниками, штукатурами, водопрoводчиками, кровельщиками). 3.(Фундамент) is to keep the floors and walls from contact with the soil. 4. The building of a wall consists in laying down courses of bricks and bonding them together with (раствором). 5. The instrument used by the bricklayer is called a (лопаткой). 6. Houses are built of (дерева, кирпича, камня и бетона).
Ex.3.Read and memorize these dialogues.
I. – What is a house?
– It is a building made for people to live in.
– And what is a building?
– It is a structure. Houses, schools, factories and theatres are all buildings.
II. – What do we call that part of a building on which the walls rest?
– We call it the foundation.
– And what do we call the top covering of the building?
– We call it the roof.
III. – What is lime? Do you know?
– It’s a white substance obtained by burning limestone.
– Is it used in making cement and mortar?
– Right. It’s used in making cement and mortar.
IV. – What is mortar?
– It’s a mixture of lime, sand and water.
– What is it used for?
– It’s used to hold bricks, stones, etc. together.
Ex.4. Put questions to the words given in bold type:
1. The first step in the construction of a house is making a plan.
2. A surveyor measures the plot of land or site. 3.The workmen mix cement, sand and water in a cement mixer to make concrete. 4.The walls of the house will be built on the concrete. 5.The building of skyscrapers was started in the 19-th century. 6.The use of fine tools resulted in developing building methods.7.By using industrial methods of construction the speed of construction may be considerably increased.
Ex.5.Rearrange the words so as to make up sentences:
1. the bricklayer, a trowel, the instrument, by, is called, used.
2. work, the foundation, anchoring sills (закрепление нижних брусов), by providing, is finished.
3. of prefabs, a lot of, are built, houses.
4. courses, of bricks, consists, the building, together, of a wall, and bonding, them, in laying down.
Ex.6. Answer the questions:
1. What is a building generally made of?
2. How are bricks and concrete blocks held together?
3. To build a house it is necessary to make a plan, isn’t it?
4. Who draws plans for building a house?
5. What specialists are employed in building a house?
6. What is the work of the stonemason?
7. What does the bricklayer do?
8. What does the tiler do?
9. What does the plumber do?
10. What is the work of the plasterer?
Unit 2
Read the words and translate them.
1. to meet requirements [mi:t ri′kwaiəmənts] – удовлетворять требования
2. durable [′dju(ə)rəbl] – прочный, долгoвременный
3. fire-resistant [′faiə ri′zist(ə)nt] – огнеупорный
4. to fasten [′fa:s(ə)n] – прикреплять, затвердевать ( о растворе)
5. wood [wυd] – древесина
6. disadvantage [,disəd′va:ntidз]– недостаток
7. to decay [di′kei]– разлагаться
8. compactness [kəm′pæktnis] – компактность, плотность
9 .porosiry [p :′r siti] – пористость
10. sound insulation [saund ,insjυ′lei∫(ə)n] – звукоизоляция
11. heat insulation [hi:t]– теплоизоляция
12. artificial [,a:ti′fi∫(ə)l] – искусственный
13. to refer to [ ri′fз:] – относиться,ссылаться
14. crushed stone [′kr٨∫t] – дробленый камень
15. skilled labour [′leibə] – квалифицированный труд
16. it is no wonder [′w٨ndə] – не удивительно
17. to divide [di′vaid] – делить
18. rock – горная порода
19. timber [′timbə] – лесоматериал
20. lime [laim]– известь
21. gypsum [′dзips(ə)m] – гипс
22. auxiliary [ :g′ziljəri] вспомогательный
23. bearing structure [′be(ə)riŋ ′str٨kt∫ə]– несущая структура
24. secondary [′sekənd(ə)ri]– вторичный
Read and translate the text.