Take Away English 随身英语

11 August 2014

Reaching for the sky 城市摩天大楼 直冲云端

Vocabulary: buildings 楼房
When you're walking around a city, how often
do you look up and admire the view? Many of
us are in too much of a rush to appreciate the
architecture all around us.

Cities are always growing, and when space is

at a premium, they expand upwards –
reaching for the sky. The skylines of many
modern cities are full of skyscrapers:
landmarks that can be seen for miles
around. What will the London skyline look like in
ten years?
These iconic buildings are often must-see
sights for tourists and locals alike. New York has its Empire State Building and the glitzy
skyscrapers of Manhattan. Dubai has the world's tallest tower, the Burj Khalifa, which
stands at 828 metres; and Shanghai has the world's number two with the completion of
the Shanghai Tower. London hasn't always been associated with the race for vertical
expansion, but since the opening of Canary Wharf tower in the city's Docklands area,
the development of high-rise buildings has been unstoppable.

Now London boasts new skyscrapers with quirky nicknames that reflect the shapes of
the buildings - like the Gherkin, the Cheese Grater and the Walkie Talkie. Standing
tall amongst them is the Shard – and at 309 metres it's Europe's tallest building.

But they are not loved by everyone. While some prefer them to uninspiring rows of
office blocks, others say they obstruct the sightlines of old-fashioned landmarks and
that they threaten London's cultural identity. Some say they're just plain ugly!

A group of high-profile Londoners, politicians, artisans and academics are now

campaigning to halt certain high-rise developments. Jonathan Glancey, an architecture
and design critic and writer, says: "The sad thing is that the quality of the 200 buildings
proposed is remarkably low, like weeds in a garden, like Japanese knotweed spreading
across the city, and it's something that needs to be stopped."

Of course change and development is inevitable in any growing city. Demand for living,
office and retail space is increasing, but why is the only way up? Could London become a
city that pioneers building downwards, for example?

What do you think? Should we be building bigger and taller skyscrapers in our cities?

词汇表请参看答案与词汇部分

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Quiz 测验
阅读短文并回答问题。

1. Which New York skyscraper is mentioned in the article?

2. Why do some of the new skyscrapers in London have names like the Cheese Grater
and the Gherkin?
3. Which word used in the article means 'stop'?
4. Give one reason why some people don't want any more skyscrapers to be built in
London.
5. Why do more buildings need to be built in cities?

Exercise 练习
请你在不参考课文的情况下完成下列练习。从每个表格中选择一个意思合适的单词填入句子的空格处。

1. I really _________ my grandfather. He's very old but still managed to walk to the top
of the mountain without complaining!

admire admiral adverb admirable

2. The Eiffel Tower is a really _________ landmark in Paris. If you're visiting the city
you've got to see it!

ironic iphonic iconic eyesore

3. The new exhibition at the art gallery was _________. I've seen that type of artwork so
many times before.

unintentional underhand uninspiring unusual

4. The people of Scotland are very proud of their nation's history and culture. They have
a strong cultural _________.

identifiable identity identification identify

5. My brother wants to manage a department store so he's going to study for a

qualification in _________ management.

environmental media project retail

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Answers and Glossary 答案与词汇

Quiz 小测验

1. Which New York skyscraper is mentioned in the article?

The Empire State Building.
2. Why do some of the new skyscrapers in London have names like the Cheese Grater
and the Gherkin? They are nicknames that reflect the shapes of the
buildings.
3. Which word used in the article means 'stop'? Halt.
4. Give one reason why some people don't want any more skyscrapers to be built in
London. People say skyscrapers obstruct the sightlines of old-fashioned
landmarks, they threaten London's cultural identity, and they're just plain
ugly.
5. Why do more buildings need to be built in cities? Because there is an increasing
demand for living, office and retail space.

Exercise 练习

1. I really admire my grandfather. He's very old but still managed to walk to the top of
the mountain without complaining!

2. The Eiffel Tower is a really iconic landmark in Paris. If you're visiting the city you've
got to see it!

3. The new exhibition at the art gallery was uninspiring. I've seen that type of artwork
so many times before.

4. The people of Scotland are very proud of their nation's history and culture. They have
a strong cultural identity.

5. My brother wants to manage a department store so he's going to study for a

qualification in retail management.

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Glossary 词汇表

to admire 欣赏
architecture 建筑物
at a premium （空间因稀少或难得）昂贵，寸土寸金
skyline （以天空为背景映出的）轮廓
skyscraper 摩天大楼
landmark 地标（建筑）
iconic 标志性的
must-see 必看的
vertical expansion （城市）垂直纵向扩展
quirky 奇特的
gherkin 酸黄瓜（伦敦一栋摩天大厦的昵称）
cheese grater 奶酪刨（伦敦一栋摩天大厦的昵称）
walkie talkie 对讲机（伦敦一栋摩天大厦的昵称）
uninspiring 不吸引人的，引不起兴趣的
sightline （从眼睛到所见物之间的）视线
cultural identity 文化特征、认同
retail 零售

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