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Lesson 44 How Bricks Are Made
第44課 磚是怎么做出來的
We know that bricks are made of burned clay; but let us try to learn something more about them. Have you ever measured a brick? If you do so, you will find that its length is nine inches, its breadth four and a half inches, and its thickness three inches. A good brick should weigh seven pounds.
我們知道，磚是由燒制的粘土做的。不過，我們再來學點兒關于磚的新知識吧！你量過磚的尺寸嗎？量一下，就會發現長度是9英寸，寬度是5英寸，高度是3英寸。一塊好磚的重量應該是7磅。
Notice what a regular shape the brick has, with its flat sides and its straight edges. It is because bricks are so regular in shape, in size, and in weight, that they make such a good material for building houses.
請注意，磚的形狀非常規則，幾個邊都是平的，幾個棱也都是直的。因為磚在形狀、大小、重量上都非常標準，所以才成了修建房屋的好材料。
Let us go to a brick-field and watch the men while they are at work. Some men dig the clay, while others pick out any large stones that may be in it. The clay is then moistened with water, and ground in a kind of mill until it becomes a smooth paste.
咱們去磚瓦廠看看工人的工作。有些工人，把粘土挖出來；另外一些工人，把里面可能有的大石頭挑出來；然后把粘土用水弄濕，在一種磨粉機里面碾碎，最后粘土變成了一種細細的糊狀物。
It is then moulded by being pressed into wooden boxes of the right size and shape. The moulded bricks are next piled on barrows, and wheeled away to a field where they are laid in rows in the open air under low sheds. They are left here to dry for a few weeks.
然后把這種糊狀物，填進木匣子，木匣子的尺寸和形狀，都正好是磚的尺寸和形狀。下一步，把完成了“坯體成型”的磚，堆到手推車上，運到另外的一片地方，把這些磚一排排放在露天，用低矮的棚子遮起來，放上幾天，讓磚干燥。
