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Active vocabulary
add [xd] додавати, приєднувати
afterward(s) ['Q:ftqwqd(z)] пізніше
amount [q'maVnt] кількість; величина
arc [Q:k] дуга; утворювати дугу, іскрити
ash зола, попіл
bottom ['bPtqm] низ, нижня частина; кінець
carbon хім. вуглець
charcoal ['tSQ:kqVl] деревне вугілля
chimney труба (димова); димохід
coke [kqVk] кокс
compound ['kPmpaVnd] суміш
content ['kPntent] вмісткість
current ['kArqnt] течія, потік
dioxide [daI'Pks(a)Id] хім. двоокис
dirty брудний, нечистий
engine ['endZIn] машина, двигун
enough [I'nAf] достатня кількість
entire [In'taIq] повний, цілий, завісь
ever ['evq] колись
exhaust випуск, вихлопні гази
filament ['fIlqmqnt] нитка, волокно
fireplace ['faIqpleIs] камін
furnace топлення (казана)
gasolene ['gxsqli:n] газолін; амер. бензин
improvement [Im'pru:vmqnt] покращення; удосконаленя
mixed [mIkst] змішаний, перемішаний
neighbourhood ['neIbqhVd] сусідство, близькість
nuisance ['nju:s(q)ns] досада, неприємність
oxygen хім. кисень
particle частка
pipe [paIp] труба
soot [sVt] сажа
stove [stqVv] піч
sufficient [sq'fIS(q)nt] достатній
sufficient [sq'fIS(q)nt] достатня кількість
unite [ju:'naIt] з’єднувати
usable ['ju:zqb(q)l] придатний для вживання; зручний, практичний
wasted ['weIstId] знесилений
accidental ["xksI'dentl] неіснуюча якість; випадковий, зненацька
among [q'mAN] посередині
attend [q'tend] відвідувати, бути присутнім
civic ['sIvIk] цивільний
contain [kqn'teIn] утримувати
custom ['kAstqm] звичай; звичка
depend [dI'pend] (on, upon) залежати; обумовлюватися
devoted [dI'vqVtId] відданий, лагідний; тієї, що любити
discovery винахід
dragon ['drxgqn] дракон
essential [I'sen(q)l] сутність, невід’ємна частина; найголовніше
example [Ig'z:mp(q)l] приклад
faithfulness ['feITf(q)lnIs] вірність, відданість; лояльність
gained [geInd] придбаний
gift [gIft] подарунок, дарунок
goddess ['gPdIs] богиня
guess [ges] здогад
hearth вогнище; домашнє вогнище
kept [kept] тримати, мати, зберігати
knowledge знання
mythology [mI'TPlqdZI] міфологія
observing уважний
priest [pri:st] священик
regard увага, турбота
religion релігія
rock [rPk] скеля
sacred ['seIkrId] священний, святий
selected [sI'lektId] відібраний, обраний
shine [SaIn] сяяти, сіяти; озаряти
shrine [SraIn] ковчег
sparks [sp:ks] радист
stricken ['strIkqn] уражений
strike [straIk] удар
volcano [vPl'keInq] вулкан
welfare ['welfeq] добробут, статок
worship пошана
Text 1.
What Fire Produces
An entire piece of wood or coal will not burn, even if there is sufficient oxygen present. Most of us have taken the ashes from the stove, furnace, or fireplace. The ash, generally a mineral, is mixed with the fuel, but will not unite with the oxygen. Some fuels have a lower ash content than others. This is important to remember when buying coal because you want the coal with the lowest ash content, provided that it is as good in other respects.
Often the bottom of a pan or a skillet becomes black when it is placed over a fire. This is because of the unburned carbon, and soot. Soot forms when there is not, enough oxygen present to burn all the carbon of the fuel. If a furnace produces great quantities of soot, some of the carbon of the fuel is not being burned, and is wasted. This can be remedied by seeing that sufficient air is supplied to burn all the carbon in the fuel.
Gases. Substances that burn in air are nearly always composed of two elements, carbon and hydrogen, or their compounds. For example, coal, coke, and charcoal are mostly carbon. Natural gas, gasoline, and fuel oils consist of many compounds of hydrogen and carbon. When these fuels bum, the oxygen of the air unites with the carbon and hydrogen to form carbon dioxide gas and water vapor. These usually mix with the air and disappear. The uniting of the oxygen with the hydrogen and the carbon is what produces the heat and flame of the fire.
Often, a deadly gas called carbon monoxide forms when there is not enough oxygen to burn the fuel completely. For example, when gasoline burns in an automobile engine some of this gas forms and comes out the exhaust pipe. If you are in a closed garage when this happens, you arc in danger of breathing this gas. Death may result. A person should never run the engine of an automobile in a closed garage. Smoke, like soot, is produced when too much fuel is added for the amount of oxygen present. It is unburned carbon going out the chimney. Smoking furnaces arc wasteful because all the fuel is not burned and the heat energy is lost. The smoke is also a nuisance, because it makes a neighborhood dirty.
Light. Most of the energy caused by a fire goes into heat, but some of it goes into light. The light results either because the carbon particles in the flame become so hot that they give off light energy, or because the gas that is burning is a type that gives off light.
Ever since fire was discovered, man has-been trying to make more energy from heat go into light energy. He first used a flaming piece of wood as a torch. He later discovered that if he dipped the wood into pitch before lighting it, the light lasted longer and was much brighter. Years afterwards man poured oil in a dish, placed a wick in it, and lighted the wick. This gave a better light He later invented the tallow candle, which was convenient to carry around. The kerosene lamp, with its chimney to help control the air currents, was a big improvement over the candle. After electricity was made usable, Thomas A. Edison caused electricity to pass through a carbon wire or filament until the filament became so hot that it gave off light.
Answer the questions
1. What are the three conditions that must exist before a fire can be made?
2. What classed of fuels do you know?
3. What does the burning of a solid fuel depend on?
4. Do the kindling temperatures of fuels differ?
5. Why do we buy word with the lowest ash usually content?
6. Why does the bottom of a pun often become black?
7. Why does so of form on the bottom of a skillet?
8. What are substances that burn in air composed of?
9. When does carbon monoxide form?
10. What is ash?
11. Do all fuel have the same ash content?
12. What coal would you bye? What ash content should it have?
13. Why does the battom of a pan become black when it is placed over a fire?
14. What is gas? Supply some examples.
15. What happens when natural gas, fuel oils, gasoline burn?
16. What produces the heat and flame of the fire?
17. Under what conditions is carbon monoxide formed? How is this gas called?
18. Why is it dangerous to run the engine of an automobile in a closed garage?
19. What is light and light energy?
Text 2.
Fire in Legend and Religion
We can only guess that man may have gained his knowledge of fire from observing things in nature, such as lightning, the fire of volcanoes, and the heat of the sun. Early man also must have noticed that sparks fly when stones are struck upon one another, or when the hoofs or claws of an animal strike some hard substance. In Persian literature, there is a story of the discovery of fire in a fight with a dragon. One of the stones which the hero used as weapons missed the monster and struck a rock. Light shone forth and man saw fire for the first time. The mythology of nearly all primitive races contains some account of the accidental or the supernatural happenings which first revealed fire to men. Fire was regarded as a true gift of the gods.
Fire was considered sacred because it was so essential to the welfare of man. Fire worship and sun worship have existed since very early times. Because fire was so hard to produce, the custom soon became common of keeping a public fire, which was never allowed to die out. These fires were kept in every village among the Egyptians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans. They were often in the civic center of the community.
The Temple of Vesta in Rome was an outstanding example of the importance of fire to the Romans. Vesta was originally the goddess of the hearth, and her shrine was in every home. But when religion became an affair of state, a temple was erected in which the sacred fire was kept constantly burning. This temple consisted merely of a round hearth. For its service there were selected the Vestal Virgins, who devoted their lives to the duty of attending the fire. They were selected by the high priest, or Pontifex Maximus, and the safety of the state was thought to depend upon the faithfulness of the Vestal Virgins.
Answer the questions
1. How did man gain his knowledge of fire?
2. What can one find in Persian literature concerning the discovery of fire?
3. What does the mythology of most of the primitive races contain?
4. Yow was fire regarded by early man?
5. What do you know about keeping a public fire?
6. Where were these fires kept?
7. What examples of the importance of fire do you know?
8. Why did religion become an affair of state?
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