9. Look at the pairs of drawings and discuss them:

Each pair of drawings shows a design mistake which could be dangerous, and a way of reducing the danger.

10. Now read the passage and list the numbers of the diagrams in the order you hear them described.

Fire is a danger to all buildings and today I'd like to discuss how it is possible to design fire out of buildings or to reduce the possibility of a fire causing serious dam­age. So, let's look at the diagrams and see how the fire risks in buildings can be minimized.

In the first diagram, we can see a steel external fire escape. This type of fire escape is very popular but they tend to be dangerous in wet or icy conditions. People es­caping from a fire may slip and injure themselves. A better solution is a fully enclosed fire escape set apart from the main building.

The next diagram shows that in this building the architect has forgotten about emergency vehicle access. In this case the fire brigade will have to fight the fire from the street. As it is a large building, there is a strong possibility that they will not be able to put it out.

Now look at the diagram of the stairs and the lift shaft. If there is a fire, people will probably need to use the stairs to escape. Consequently, these areas should always be clad with fire resisting materials.

Many buildings contain escalators. Fires tend to spread upwards through them and a small fire is far more likely to become a large one. To prevent this, fire resistant roller shutters should be used to cover the top of the escalator when a fire starts.

The next diagram shows a steel door holding back a fire. In this situation, the door can become an efficient heat radiator. The chances that the heat from the door will ignite combustible materials nearby are high. Therefore, all combustible materials should be kept at a safe distance from a steel fire door.

11. Look through the passage again and for each pair of diagrams take notes on:

1. the design mistake;

2. the possible event resulting from the mistake;

3. the action needed to correct the design mistake.

Now use these notes to make paragraphs like this:

External fire escapes can become wet and icy. As a result, people may slip and injure themselves when escaping from a fire. Therefore, if it is possible, a fire escape should be enclosed and protected from the weather.

Part 2. Supplementary texts Unit 1 Task 1

1. Read the text.

Concrete must be hard, strong, durable, dense, non-porous, fire resisting and economical.

Concrete has proved to be durable when made of good materials, well mixed, and properly cured. Failures can be found in concrete work, but the trouble is usually caused by poor material, faulty foundations, lack of knowledge of the properties of concrete or poor workmanship. For example, some cements will give better results in sea water than others. This fact had to be established by experience and experiments.

It is more difficult to secure durable reinforced concrete than mass concrete. This is due to the reinforcing steel and the additional water required to make the concrete flow around the steel bars. When moisture reaches the steel, it will rust and the expansion caused by the rust will crack the concrete, resulting in an unsightly structure and necessary repairs. In all structures exposed to the weather the reinforcing steel must be carefully placed and well secured so that it cannot be displaced while concreting. No metal should project to the surfaces. Small wires will soon cause rust spots on the surface of the concrete if they are exposed.

Concrete, to be durable, must be made of good materials, uni­form in quality, mixed with a minimum amount of water, and proper­ly placed and protected while curing. Concrete exposed to sea water and the rise and fall of water levels, especially in cold climates where ice forms on the structures, requires special attention in the selection of the cement, aggregates, mixing, placing and curing.

With the use of dense aggregates the proportions which will produce the densest products are generally those which contain the maximum amount of coarse aggregate and still contain enough fine aggregate to produce a smooth surface. With porous aggre­gates used in the production of light weight units, the amount of material in the mix passing a 50-mesh sieve is generally limited and in addition more of the coarse aggregate is used to produce a unit of less density and lower weight. This is generally desirable for light weight units except where fire resistance or watertightness are important.

The strength of plain concrete depends upon the quality of the cement, the strength and character of the aggregate, the quantity of cement in a unit of volume, and the density of the concrete. The strongest concrete is that containing the largest amount of cement in a given volume of concrete, the strength of the concrete varying directly as the amount of cement. With a given quantity of cement in a unit of volume, the strongest concrete is that in which the aggregates are proportioned so as to give a concrete of the greatest density that is of the greatest weight per unit of volume. The strength of concrete also depends upon the methods used in mixing, upon the care taken in measuring the ingredients, and in mixing and in placing the concrete. Concrete exposed to the air hardens more rapidly than protected concrete. The setting of cement is a chemical change brought about by the addition of water to the cement, the strength increasing very rap­idly the first few days, after which the mixture slowly hardens and increases in strength.

Concrete has poor elastic and tensional properties, but it is strong in compression. Its tensile strength is only one tenth of its compres­sive strength. The compressive strength of plain concrete varies between wide limits, depending upon the cement, the proportions of cement and aggregates, and the methods of mixing, and depositing, and the age.

2. Decide what title is more suitable for the text.

1. Building materials.

2. Aggregates for concrete.

3. The properties of concrete.

4. How to protect concrete exposed to weather.

5. Durability of concrete.

3. Find in the text the words having the similar meaning to:

basement; corrosion; not protected against weather; to be affected or determined by something; the flat top part or the outside of something; to become stiff or firm.

4. Answer the questions about the text.

1. What are failures in concrete work caused by?

2. Why is reinforced concrete more difficult to secure than mass concrete?

3. What factors are necessary for the durability of concrete?

4. What does the strength of plain concrete depend on?

5. What influences the compressive strength of plain concrete?

5. These are answers to the questions about the text. Write the questions.

1. Hard, strong, durable, dense, non-porous, fire resisting and economical.

2. When made of good materials, well mixed, and properly cured.

3. Rust spots on the surface.

4. Those which contain the maximum amount of coarse aggregate and still contain enough fine aggregate to produce a smooth surface.

5. By the addition of water to the cement.

6. Are the following sentences true or false? If they are false correct them.

1. The low quality of materials doesn't influence the quality of concrete work.

2. Mass concrete is easier to secure than reinforced concrete.

3. The amount of cement doesn't affect the strength of plain concrete.

4. Protected concrete hardens quicker than concrete exposed to the air.

5. The methods of mixing and other factors influence the compressive strength of plain concrete.

7. Translate into Russian the paragraph starting with the words:

Concrete, to be durable, must be made of good materials … to produce a smooth surface.

Task 2

1. Read the text.

The Great Pyramid is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World that still stands. It was built at the order of the Pharaoh Cheops, who once ruled Egypt. More than 100,000 slaves laboured for twenty years to build it. They had no machines, not even carts – all the work was done by human strength alone. Yet each huge block was so well laid that the Pyramid has stood for 5,000 years.

Near the Great Pyramid in Egypt stands a huge sculptured rock called the Sphynx. The face is that of a man, perhaps the Pharaoh Khafre who had built it almost 5,000 years ago. But the body is that of a lion, and between its great stone paws is a small temple. Since no one knows exactly why the Sphynx was built, it remains a symbol of mystery – a riddle.

In Babylon, one of the great cities of the Ancient World, there was a famous garden which amazed visitors for hundreds of years. It was called the Hanging Gardens, because it was built along arches and towers and looked like a wall of flowers and green shubs. The garden was kept alive by a hidden pool on the highest terrace, from which the water was drawn to appear in a series of fountains. The gardens were built by King Nebuchodnozzor, who is mentioned in the Bible as the cruel conqueror of Jerusalem.

The greatest god of the ancient Greeks was Zeus, for whom the Roman name was called Jupiter. The greatest statue of Zeus was at Olympia, where the famous Olympic Games were held in its ho­nour. The statue was 40 feet high – about seven times a man's height – and was made of marble, decorated with pure gold and ivory. After 1,000 years, an earthquake tumbled it down.

The temple of Artemis is one of the most famous temples of the ancient world. It stood for 600 years in Ephesus, a great city of Syria. The temple was sacred to Artemis, also called Diana, goddess of the moon. The finest sculptors and painters of Greece decorated this beautiful building, which was destroyed by the barbaric Goths. Only a few pieces of statues columns remained. They were dug up by modern scientists.

Few remember the tiny kingdom of Caria, which once flourished in what is now southwestern Turkey. But the name of its king, Mausolus, is known because of the word "mausoleum" – a massive tomb. The original Mausoleum, built in memory of this king by his widow, Queen Artemisia, was so magnificent that it was one of the Wonders of the Ancient World.

Rhodes, an island near Greece, was one of the richest and busiest towns of the ancient world. Standing across the entrance to its big harbour, was a huge statue of the sun god Helios, famous as the Colossus of Rhodes. Although ships sailed beneath these giant feet, the Colossus was not as large as the American Statue of Liberty.

The most famous lighthouse in ancient times was the Pharos of Alexandria built by Alexander the Great. It guarded the harbour of Alexandria, in Egypt, and light atop a high tower could be seen for sixty miles. To keep the beacon the powerful electric lamps behind glass lenses used in our lighthouses were not yet.

2. Decide what title is more suitable for the text.

1. The greatest buildings in Egypt.

2. The ancient history.

3. Ancient wonders of the world.

4. Pyramids and temples in Greece.

5. Places visited by tourists.

3. Find in the text the words having the similar meaning to:

to control the affairs of a country; someone who creates sculptures; to surprise very much; belonging to the distant past; a large sculpture made of stone or metal; very well known.

4. Answer the questions about the text.

1. Does anyone know why the Sphynx was build?

2. Who were the gardens built by?

3. Where was the greatest statue of Zeus?

4. Who destroyed the Temple of Artemis?

5. What was the Pharos built for?

5. These are answers to the questions about the text. Write the questions.

1. At the order of the Pharaoh Cheops.

2. The face is that of a man, the body is that of a lion.

3. By a hidden pool on the highest terrace, from which the water was drawn.

4. A massive tomb.

5. Colossus of Rhodes.

6. Are the following sentences true or false? If they are false correct them.

1. The Great Pyramid was being built for fifty years by 1000 slaves.

2. The Sphynx is a huge sculptured rock standing near the Great Pyramid.

3. The gardens were built by the King Nebuchodnozzor.

4. The Temple of Artemis is one of the most famous ancient temples which amazes tourists till nowadays.

5. Rhodes is an island near Egypt and is famous for its ancient theatre.

7. Translate into Russian the paragraph starting with the words:

The greatest god of the ancient Greeks was Zeus … They were dug up by modern scientists.

Task 3

1. Fill in the table using the information from the text "Building Materials".

The name of the building material	Its composition	Its peculiar features (color, strength, etc)