Lesson 107 Television Day:Fire,friend and enemy
    第107課 電視日: 火--既是朋友又是敵人
    Who doesn't love sitting beside a cosy fire on a cold winter's night?
    誰不喜歡在寒冬夜晚坐在暖暖和和的火爐旁?
    Who doesn't love to watch flames curling up a chimney?
    誰不喜歡看火苗沿著煙囪縷縷升起?
    Fire is one of man's greatest friends,
    火是人類好的朋友之一
    but also one of his greatest enemies.
    又是人類危險(xiǎn)的敵人之一.
    Many big fires are caused by carelessness
    許多大火因不慎引起的.
    A lighted cigarette thrown out of a car or train window
    一個(gè)點(diǎn)著的煙蒂從汽車或從火車窗戶扔出來
    or a broken bottle lying on dry grass can start a fire.
    或者一個(gè)干草上的破瓶都可能引起一場火災(zāi).
    Sometimes,though,a fire can start on its own.
    然而,有時(shí)火災(zāi)是自燃引起.
    Wet hay can begin burning by itself.
    潮濕的草會自燃.
    This is how it happens
    自燃是這么發(fā)生的:
    the hay starts to rot and begins to give off heat which is trapped inside it.
    先是草腐爛,并開始散發(fā)裹在里面的熱量.
    Finally,it bursts into flames.
    后草就著火了.
    That's why farmers cut and store their hay when it's dry.
    所以農(nóng)民割完草要等草干才貯藏起來.
    Fires have destroyed whole cities.
    火毀掉過整座城市.
    In the 17th century,a small fire which began in a baker's shop
    17世紀(jì)一場小火從一家面包房開始
    burnt down nearly every building in London.
    幾乎把倫敦所有樓屋全化為灰燼.
    Moscow was set on fire during the war against Napoleon.
    在反抗拿破侖戰(zhàn)爭時(shí),莫斯科起了火.
    This fire continued burning for seven days.
    這場火連續(xù)燒了7天.
    And,of course,in 64 A.D.
    當(dāng)然在公元64年,
    Nero fiddled while Rome burned!
    當(dāng)羅馬城正大火燃燒時(shí),尼羅卻還在拉提琴呢.
    Even today,in spite of modern fire-fighting methods,
    即使今天已經(jīng)有了現(xiàn)代化的滅火方法,
    fire causes millions of pounds' worth of damage each year
    每年造成數(shù)以百萬英鎊計(jì)的損失
    both in our cities and in the countryside.
    在城鄉(xiāng)的火災(zāi).
    It had been wisely said that fire is a good servant but a bad master.
    有人說得好:火是個(gè)好的奴仆也是個(gè)壞主人.