It is hard to think of a world without gas or electricity. Both are commonly used for lighting and heating today. We now can instantly flick a lighter or strike a match to make a flame. But it was not long ago that there were no such things as matches or lighters. To make fire, it was necessary to strike a piece of iron on flint for sparks to ignite some tinder. If the tinder was damp, or the flint old, you had to borrow some fire from a neighbor.

We do not know exactly when or how people first used fire. Perhaps, many ages ago, they found that sticks would burn if they were dropped into some hole where melted lava from a volcano lay boiling. They brought the lighted sticks back to make their fire in a cave. Or, they may have seen trees catch fire through being struck by lightning, and used the trees to start their own fires.

Gradually people learned they could start a fire without traveling far to find flames. They rubbed two pieces ot wood together. This method was used for thousands of years.

When people became used to making fires with which to cook food and stay warm at night, they found that certain resins or gums from trees burnt longer and brighter. They melted resins and dipped branches in the liquid to make torches that lit their homes at night. Iron stands in which torches used to be fixed can still be seen in old buildings of Europe.

There was no lighting in city streets until gas lamps, and then electric lamps were installed.

Boys ran about London at night carrying torches of burning material. They were called torch boys, or link boys, and earned a living by guiding visitors to friends’ houses at night.

For centuries homes were lit by candles until oil was found. Even then, oil lamps were no more effective than a cluster of candles. We read about the splendors and marvels of ancient palaces and castles, but we forget that they must have been gloomy and murky places at night.

What form of street lighting was used in London when link boys used to work there?

Câu hỏi liên quan

• The author uses the word “draw” in line 16 to mean ...............

• What is Martin Luthur King well- known for?

• According to the passage, in what way did the climate changes in the ice ages differ from the modern ones?

ZUNIA12

• The word "they" refers to ................

• According to the researchers, husbands should ............

• "Negative publicity" in the passage most likely means .................

• The word "scrutinized" in the fourth paragraph could be replaced by .............

• It can be inferred from the passage that if a person remembers a piece of information for two days, this is probably ............

• The word ‘akin’ in paragraph 1 could be best replaced by ...........

• What will happen if a dodder plant starts growing where there are no other plants around?

• According to the passage, Pilgrims are ______.

• Nowadays, there are ............

• What is the similar meaning to the word “octogenarian”?

• Which of the following is closest in meaning to “frigid” in paragraph 1?

• The passage mentions which of the following as a reason for the importance of Lake Vostok to scientists?

• All of the following are mentioned as places in which memories are stored EXCEPT the:

• Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

• Which of the following statements can best summarize the main idea of the passage?

• Which of the following statements about the use of chemical agents as herbicides would the author most likely agree?

•  It is mentioned in the passage that before the electric lamp was invented, ..............