What has become of the water? Dry clay is full of tiny pores, and it has sucked up the water into its pores.

水上哪儿去了?干燥的粘土满是细小的孔洞，把水都吸到孔洞里去了。

Now let us mould our lump of soft clay into the form of a cup, and fill it with water. The water does not soak through the clay, for all its pores are already full of water. Now you see why clay is used to line the bottoms and sides of ponds and canals. Clay will not let water pass through it: it is waterproof.

咱们再把这个软软的粘土大块，塑成一只杯子的形状，盛满水。水是不会渗过粘土的，因为粘土的孔洞已经盛满了水。现在你就知道，人们为什么用粘土，来铺在池塘和水渠的底下和侧面了，因为粘土不会让水透过去，粘土是“防水的”。

Let us mould another lump of clay into the shape of a brick. We shall take this lump of clay to a brick-maker, and ask him to bake it for us in his kiln. There it will become a hard red block like a brick, which would be very useful in helping to build a house.

咱们把另一大块粘土塑成砖的形状，把这块粘土拿给烧砖的工人，让他在砖窑里给我们烧一遍。这样，粘土就会变成一种暗红色的块儿，跟砖一样。这种粘土，在修建房子的时候非常有用。

Drain-pipes, tiles, chimney-pots, and many other articles are made of baked clay. Clay burned in rough lumps is sometimes used for making roads and foot-paths. It soaks up the rain-water, and so keeps the road dry.

渗水管、瓦片、烟筒的管帽，还有很多其他的物件，都是烧制的粘土做的。烧过的粘土大块，有时候用来修建街道和人行道。粘土能把雨水吸干净，让道路保持干燥。

Jugs and basins and cups and saucers are also made of baked clay. These vessels must not be porous, or they will let the liquids escape which we put into them. The pores of such articles are filled up by dipping them into a mixture that makes them smooth like glass.

水壶、脸盆、杯子、碟子也是烧过的粘土做的，但是这些器皿可不能“渗透”，不然盛上液体就会漏出去。这种材料里的小孔，是浸在一种混合物里才堵上的，这种混合物，能让粘土像玻璃一样光滑。

A man who makes vessels out of clay is called a potter. He has a flat wheel in front of him on which he places the soft lump of clay, and as it spins round he moulds it with his hands into any shape he likes. Dishes made of clay are called pottery or earthenware.

用粘土制作器皿的人叫“陶工”，陶工前面有一个扁平的轮子，他把软粘土放在上面，轮子一边转，他就一边用手，把粘土塑造成他想要的形状。粘土做的器皿统称陶器。

 

英语美文