From the History of Human Dwellings

Notes to the text:

Most of the time people spend within the walls of some building. Houses are built for dwelling; large buildings are constructed for industrial purposes; theatres, museums, public and scientific institutions are built for cultural activities of the people. The purposes of modem buildings differ widely, but all of them originate from the efforts of primitive men to protect themselves from stormy weather, wild animals and human enemies.

In prehistoric times men looked for protection under the branches of trees; others settled in caves, dwelling places that storm and cold could not destroy. On the walls of their caves ancient people painted pictures. Such decorated caves are found in Europe, Asia and Africa.

When man began to build a home for himself, caves were imitated in stone structures; trees were taken as a model for huts built of branches. Such primitive stone structures and huts are the earliest types of human dwellings.

In the days of early civilization, once men had learnt how to build simple houses for their families, they began to feel a need to have a number of different kinds of houses in one place. At first the difference was mainly in size – the leader had a larger hut or tent than the rest of the people. Much later, when men began to build towns, there grew up a difference between town houses and country houses. The streets in towns were very narrow and there was not much place for building within the town walls, and therefore houses had to be built higher than they were in the country. A typical town house consisted of a shop opening on the street where the man did his work or sold his goods, with a kitchen behind and a bedroom above.

The rich people in the country built huge castles with thick walls and narrow windows. These castles were built not only as dwellings, but also to stand up to enemy attack. The earliest houses of which anything is known are those of ancient Egypt. They were built of bricks dried in the sun. Some of them were built around a courtyard or garden with rooms opening into it.

The earliest houses in Britain were round, built of wood. In the centre of the house there was the hearth; light came in through the hole in the roof above it and through the door because there were no windows.

1. Comprehension questions.

1. Where did primitive people look for protection?

2. What are the earliest types of human dwellings?

3. Why were the houses in town higher than in the country?

4. What were the houses in ancient Egypt built of?

5. How did the light come into early English houses?

1. Find the following words and word combinations in the text, translate them.

Проводити час, культурна діяльність, мета, сучасна будівля, різнитися розмірами, походити (від), намагання, захищатися, дикі тварини, у доісторичні часи, у часи ранньої цивілізації, гілки дерев, місце проживання, руйнувати, імітувати, кам’яні споруди, брати за зразок, намет, вузькі вулиці, типовий міський будинок, величезний замок, багатій, стародавній Єгипет, побудований із цегли, бути побудованим навколо подвір’я, світло.