Lesson 107 Television Day:Fire,friend and enemy
第107课 电视日: 火--既是朋友又是敌人
Who doesn't love sitting beside a cosy fire on a cold winter's night?
谁不喜欢在寒冬夜晚坐在暖暖和和的火炉旁?
Who doesn't love to watch flames curling up a chimney?
谁不喜欢看火苗沿着烟囱缕缕升起?
Fire is one of man's greatest friends,
火是人类最好的朋友之一
but also one of his greatest enemies.
又是人类最危险的敌人之一.
Many big fires are caused by carelessness
许多大火因不慎引起的.
A lighted cigarette thrown out of a car or train window
一个点着的烟蒂从汽车或从火车窗户扔出来
or a broken bottle lying on dry grass can start a fire.
或者一个干草上的破瓶都可能引起一场火灾.
Sometimes,though,a fire can start on its own.
然而,有时火灾是自燃引起.
Wet hay can begin burning by itself.
潮湿的草会自燃.
This is how it happens
自燃是这么发生的:
the hay starts to rot and begins to give off heat which is trapped inside it.
先是草腐烂,并开始散发裹在里面的热量.
Finally,it bursts into flames.
最后草就着火了.
That's why farmers cut and store their hay when it's dry.
所以农民割完草要等草干才贮藏起来.
Fires have destroyed whole cities.
火毁掉过整座城市.
In the 17th century,a small fire which began in a baker's shop
17世纪一场小火从一家面包房开始
burnt down nearly every building in London.
几乎把伦敦所有楼屋全化为灰烬.
Moscow was set on fire during the war against Napoleon.
在反抗拿破仑战争时,莫斯科起了火.
This fire continued burning for seven days.
这场火连续烧了7天.
And,of course,in 64 A.D.
当然在公元64年,
Nero fiddled while Rome burned!
当罗马城正大火燃烧时,尼罗却还在拉提琴呢.
Even today,in spite of modern fire-fighting methods,
即使今天已经有了现代化的灭火方法,
fire causes millions of pounds' worth of damage each year
每年造成数以百万英镑计的损失
both in our cities and in the countryside.
在城乡的火灾.
It had been wisely said that fire is a good servant but a bad master.
有人说得好:火是个好的奴仆也是个坏主人.