The first English window was just a slit① in the wall. It was cut long， so that it would let in as much light as possible， and narrow， to keep out the bad weather. However， the slit let in more wind than light. This is why it was called “the wind’s eye”. The word window itself comes from two Old Norse words for wind and eye.
Before windows were used， the ancient halls and castles of northern Europe and Britain were dark and smoky②. Their great rooms were high， with only a hole in the roof to let out the smoke from torches③ and cooking fires.
As time went on， people wanted more light and air in their homes. They made the wind’s eyes wider so as to admit air and light. They stretched canvas④ or tapestry⑤ across them to keep out the weather.
① slitn. 狭长的口子；投币口，投入口；裂缝；狭缝[C]
② smokyadj. 烟雾弥漫的
③ torchn. 火炬，火把
④ canvasn. 帆布[U]
⑤ tapestryn. 绣帷；挂毯
英国的第一扇窗子
英国的第一扇窗子不过是墙上的一个狭长口子。口子开得很长，为的是让尽可能多的光照进屋内；口子又开得很窄，从而使屋内不受坏天气的影响。然而，从洞口刮进来的风却比照进来的光多。这就是它被称为“风眼”的缘故。“window”一字本身也是由古挪威语中的“风”和“眼”二字构成的。
在窗子问世以前，古代北欧和英国的大厅及城堡里漆黑一片而又烟雾弥漫。屋子虽然又大又高，可是只在屋顶上开了一个洞口，让火把和炊火的烟从那儿通到外面去。
随着时间的推移，人们想使家中获得更多的光和空气。他们把这些“风眼”加宽，让空气和光进屋；他们又把帆布和毯子张开挂到窗子上，用以阻止寒气入内。