We don not know how the first fire was made， but we can sure that early fires on the earth were certainly caused by nature， not by man. Some were caused by lightning in a storm；others， perhaps by one hot material which came out of a volcano①.Quite possibly， at times， the heat of the sun set light to some dry grass or leaves.
At first， man， like other animals， was probably afraid of fire. He saw that fire could destroy a forest； he knew that fire could hurt his body. So great was the power of fire that he feared it and worshipped② it. Gradually， however， with his better powers of thinking， he overcame his fear. Probably he overcame most of his fear when he discovered how to make fire for himself， but，undoubtedly③， he learned some of the uses of fire before he could make one when and where he wished. Throughout the ages he has learned more about fire， how to control it， and how to use it in many ways. Now fire is no longer a master or a god， it is a servant.
Again， at some early date， Man found how fire could be used to make certain metals from rocks. Some time later， he found out how to make the metal which we now call bronze④. This is a mixture of copper and tin. Bronze was a very useful metal. It is hard and tough， but he could be shaped by hammering⑤ (probably with heavy stones). He could make a tool with a sharp edge for cutting. It isn’t so easy to get iron from its ore and this metal was probably not discovered until very much later.
① volcanon. 火山[C]
② worshipv.崇拜，敬重，爱慕
③ undoubtedlyadv. 毫无疑问地，肯定地
④ bronzen. 青铜[U]
⑤ hammerv. 锤击，锤打
很久以前的火
我们不知道第一次火是怎样被制造的。但是我们可以确定地球上早期的火一定是由自然引起的，而非人类。一些是由风暴中的闪电引起的；其他的则或许是由火山中喷发的高热物体引起的。有时候，这相当有可能是因为太阳的中心地带将光热照到了一些干枯的杂草或者树叶上面而引发的。
起初，人类也像其他的动物那样害怕火。他看见大火可以毁掉整片的森林；他知道大火可以烧伤他的身体。火的能力是如此的巨大，以至于他变得畏惧它，同时又崇拜它。但是，随着他的思考能力变得愈来愈强，他逐渐地克服了恐惧。很可能是当他自己发现了怎样生火的时候，他才能够克服大部分的恐惧。但是毫无疑问地，在他何时何地都能够如愿地生火以前，他学会了一些使用火的方法。随着岁月的变迁他逐渐了解了关于火的更多知识，懂得如何去控制他，如何用不同的方法去使用它。现在，火已经不再是一个主人或者是一个神了，它是我们的仆人。
再次，早些时候，人们发现了能够用火去制造一些源于岩石中的金属。过了一段时期，他懂得了如何制造我们现在称之为青铜的金属。这是一种铜和锡的组合。青铜是一种很有用的金属。它坚硬无比，但是被捶打后可以变形。它可以制作成一种带有锋锐边缘的、用来切割的工具。从矿石中提炼铁是一件不易的事情，这种金属也是后来过了很长时期才被发现的。