新编英语教程第二册Unit18

Unit 18

DIALOGUE I

Save Our Heritage

A: Finally we're back from the field trip.
B: Yes. But our visit to that historic city could've been more exciting.
A: I know. If it hadn't been for the destruction of some of the ancient monuments, I would've enjoyed the trip much more.
B: Yes. If some of the local officials had taken better care of them, I would've enjoyed it much more too.
A: What shocked me most was the pulling down of the stately Drum Tower. We can only see it in pictures now. If it had been destroyed in a battle or in an earthquake, I would've felt much better.
B: Oh, yes. How could they have had the heart to pull it down just to straighten the road for city traffic?
A: That's shocking! And the legendary¹ Buddhist² Temple that was built fifteen hundred years ago. There are so many beautiful tales about it. But what did we see there? Skyscrapers³ rising one after another.
B: It's a shame to see so many modern buildings inside the temple's precincts. The refined elegance⁵ of the old is drowned by the crude simplicity⁶ of the new. Just impossible! It makes me sick to recall what we saw there.
A: And what about the thousand-year-old corridor? It's become part of a tourist hotel just for money.
B: More than that, it's being ravaged⁷ by kitchen smoke. Do you remember the place where we had tea? What an experience!
A: Just disgusting, turning a tombstone of an imperial Tang court into a tea table.
B: It I were head of the local relics⁸ administration, I would remove the management from their office.
A: One reason that they destroy historical monuments is for money, but another is perhaps due to their ignorance of the real value of our cultural heritage.
B: In that case, I'm really for the saying "Ignorance is sin". While they are ruining those priceless treasures, perhaps they don't know that they are actually committing an inexcusable crime.
A: Fortunately there are also people who recover national treasures from piles of junk. I heard of a broken bronze vessel⁹ cast in the eleventh century B.C. which was picked out of a scrap⁴ heap. Some workers there were certainly antique-conscious.
B: Yes, I hear people working in the Administrative¹⁰ Bureau of Cultural Relics have saved thousands of ancient craftworks from construction sites. But their efforts are counteracted¹¹ by those of antique looters.
A: Those people are vicious. I've seen a film on smugglers who tried to take antiques abroad so that they could make a fortune. They ought to be punished. Something must be done; the sooner, the better.
B: I think they must have already been punished by the law. The new law imposes well-defined restrictions¹² on the export of valuable antiques.
A: Five thousand years of civilization have endowed our country with a great store of historical and cultural treasure. It's up to every citizen to see that they are well preserved.

DIALOGUE II

Dialogue:

Two students are reading an illustrated¹³ pamphlet on the Taj Mahal, the tomb of the Indian Shah Jehan and his wife. They are admiring its magnificent structure.
A: I'm quite struck by such a magnificent piece of architecture. It's brilliantly white under the sun.
B: My Uncle Bill has been there. He told me something about this unique ancient structure. It's made of fine white marble.
A: Not entirely¹⁴ of white marble. See the coloured inlays here? Such beautiful colours and tastefully matched too! Are they also marble?
B: They're coloured marble, I believe. The platform under the structure was made of red sandstone.
A: Look at the four elegant towers on the corners of the platform! Aren't they exquisite¹⁵!
B: And what a beautiful garden surrounding the Taj Mahal! The green trees seem to make the marble even whiter.
A: And the pool in front of the main entrance to the building. What a brilliant design! See the reflection in the water? Just beautiful!
B: My uncle told me that the Taj Mahal is most beautiful at sunset. Then the marble picks up the colour of the sunset, and the building and its reflection in the pool gleam like pink jewels. The sight is simply overwhelming!
A: I heard that people prefer admiring it in moonlight. Then it's really out of this world.
B: And when morning comes, the Taj Mahal turns from silver to gold.
A: It must be gorgeous! I wish I could go to India and see it for myself.
B: It's unbelievable how Nature can give a human structure such mystic enchantment¹⁶.

READING I

The Taj Mahal

Everyone who has seen the Taj Mahal in India would probably agree that it is indeed a thing of beauty. And it has certainly given joy to millions of people since its completion in the middle of the seventeenth century. It is doubtful that any other structure has ever been modelled, painted, photographed, or described as often as the Taj Mahal.
India is a land of architectural magnificence, having many ornate and exquisite temples, monuments, and palaces. The best-known of all these is the beautiful Taj Mahal, a tomb built by an emperor in honour of his beloved wife. It has been called "a poem in marble" and is said to be the most expensive compliment paid to a woman. Perfect in symmetry, its beauty has never been surpassed.
The history connected with the Taj Mahal is a very poignant¹⁷ one. When the emperor's wife was about to die, she made two requests of him: first, that he would never marry again; and second, that he would build her a tomb that would make her name remembered forever. These wishes the grief-stricken emperor readily promised to fulfil. And in the palace during the long, lonely nights that followed her death, he considered how he could best express in a monument his tender feelings for his wife. He wanted the monument to be as lovely as she was. At last the idea for the memorial came to him in a dream, and the great work was begun.
Built of white marble that shimmers¹⁸ in both sunlight and moonlight, the Taj Mahal stands on an eighteen-foot-high marble platform which has a delicate minaret¹⁹ on each corner. In the centre of the platform stands the tomb itself, octagonal in shape, crowned with a graceful²⁰ dome²¹ rising high above it. There are four smaller domes²² around the central dome which duplicate it in design, as do the domes on top of the four dainty minarets²³. In the moonlight, these lovely domes seem to float like clouds in a deep-blue sea.
Surrounding the Taj Mahal are beautiful formal gardens, and leading up to the main entrance are cypress-lined reflecting pools where sparkling fountains play. Also on the grounds are a mosque²⁴ and a guesthouse. Each structure adds to the beauty of the others, and together they all make up a whole whose charm has never been matched.
It is reported that it took twenty thousand men working for almost twenty years to complete this unique and delicately feminine memorial. Most of the workers were from India, but others were brought from Persia, Iraq, Turkey, and Afghanistan. Artists were brought from as far away as Italy and Portugal to help decorate the walls, both inside and outside, with inlays of precious and semiprecious stones, and to create mosaic²⁵ designs of great intricacy. One of the mosaic flowers they created may have as many as three hundred pieces of stone in it.
The walls inside the tomb were originally covered with gold, and there was a canopy²⁶ with ten thousand pearls on it. Many of the jewels and other valuable materials were later taken from the Taj Mahal by vandals, but the white marble with its soft warm glow still remains²⁷.
The emperor planned that when the Taj Mahal was completed he would build a similar tomb of black marble for his own burial place. It was to be built on the opposite side of the nearby river and was to be connected to the Taj Mahal by a silver bridge, which would symbolize²⁸ his happy marriage with his wife.
But the second tomb was never built. By the time the Taj Mahal was finished, the emperor's sons had grown to manhood and were quarrelling with each other over which one should be the next emperor. Finally the second son succeeded in banishing²⁹ one brother and killing³⁰ the other two. He then seized the throne and imprisoned³¹ his father in a fort about a mile away, where he was forced to spend the last eight years of his life -- out of sight of the lovely Taj Mahal.
One day, however, the old emperor happened to notice a tiny mirror embedded³² in one of the pillars of the balcony where he was allowed to walk. Upon closer examination, he discovered that the little mirror, which was no more than an inch across, reflected the entire Taj Mahal. From that time until his death, he spent many hours enjoying the miniature reflection of the beautiful monument he had built for his wife; and when he died, he was buried there beside her.

READING II

The Mosques³³ of Istanbul

Anyone who has been in Turkey will remember the day when he first saw the skyline of Istanbul. There are many interesting buildings in the city, but those that stand out most in one's memory are the mosques, with their many domes and delicate minarets. These beautiful structures are where the Moslems go to worship. Istanbul has about a million inhabitants, and most of them are Moslems. For this reason, one sees mosques in almost every direction. No wonder the skyline of this Turkish city is so fascinating!
Many mosques have only one minaret, but the Blue Mosque has six. In fact, it is the only one in the world with that number. A more unusual feature, however, is the interior of the building. There the walls are covered with thousands of blue tiles, which make a soft glow inside the mosque and give it its name. This is the favourite mosque of almost everyone who visits Istanbul.
Another famous place in the city is the Saint Sophia Museum, which is only a short distance from the Blue Mosque. This ancient building is considered one of the world's finest religious structures. Because of this, it is now a museum rather than a place where people worship. On entering it, one is immediately impressed by the size of its interior and its huge marble columns. The big central dome appears to be floating in the air, with nothing to support it. The architect who planned Saint Sophia truly created a work of art.

1 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

2 Buddhist   

adj./n.佛教的，佛教徒

参考例句：

• The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。
• In the eye of the Buddhist,every worldly affair is vain.在佛教徒的眼里，人世上一切事情都是空的。

3 skyscrapers   

n.摩天大楼

参考例句：

• A lot of skyscrapers in Manhattan are rising up to the skies. 曼哈顿有许多摩天大楼耸入云霄。
• On all sides, skyscrapers rose like jagged teeth. 四周耸起的摩天大楼参差不齐。

4 scrap   

n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废

参考例句：

• A man comes round regularly collecting scrap.有个男人定时来收废品。
• Sell that car for scrap.把那辆汽车当残品卖了吧。

5 elegance   

n.优雅；优美，雅致；精致，巧妙

参考例句：

• The furnishings in the room imparted an air of elegance.这个房间的家具带给这房间一种优雅的气氛。
• John has been known for his sartorial elegance.约翰因为衣着讲究而出名。

6 simplicity   

n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯

参考例句：

• She dressed with elegant simplicity.她穿着朴素高雅。
• The beauty of this plan is its simplicity.简明扼要是这个计划的一大特点。

7 ravaged   

毁坏( ravage的过去式和过去分词 )； 蹂躏； 劫掠； 抢劫

参考例句：

• a country ravaged by civil war 遭受内战重创的国家
• The whole area was ravaged by forest fires. 森林火灾使整个地区荒废了。

8 relics   

[pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸

参考例句：

• The area is a treasure house of archaeological relics. 这个地区是古文物遗迹的宝库。
• Xi'an is an ancient city full of treasures and saintly relics. 西安是一个有很多宝藏和神圣的遗物的古老城市。

9 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

10 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

11 counteracted   

对抗，抵消( counteract的过去式 )

参考例句：

• This can be counteracted only by very effective insulation. 这只能用非常有效的绝缘来防止。
• The effect of his preaching was counteracted by the looseness of his behavior. 他讲道的效果被他放荡的生活所抵消了。

12 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

13 illustrated   

adj. 有插图的，列举的 动词illustrate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• His lecture was illustrated with slides taken during the expedition. 他在讲演中使用了探险时拍摄到的幻灯片。
• The manufacturing Methods: Will be illustrated in the next chapter. 制作方法将在下一章说明。

14 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

15 exquisite   

adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的

参考例句：

• I was admiring the exquisite workmanship in the mosaic.我当时正在欣赏镶嵌画的精致做工。
• I still remember the exquisite pleasure I experienced in Bali.我依然记得在巴厘岛所经历的那种剧烈的快感。

16 enchantment   

n.迷惑，妖术，魅力

参考例句：

• The beauty of the scene filled us with enchantment.风景的秀丽令我们陶醉。
• The countryside lay as under some dread enchantment.乡村好像躺在某种可怖的魔法之下。

17 poignant   

adj.令人痛苦的，辛酸的，惨痛的

参考例句：

• His lyrics are as acerbic and poignant as they ever have been.他的歌词一如既往的犀利辛辣。
• It is especially poignant that he died on the day before his wedding.他在婚礼前一天去世了，这尤其令人悲恸。

18 shimmers   

n.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的名词复数 )v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The hot pavement sent up shimmers. 晒热的道路浮起热气晃动的景象。 来自辞典例句
• Sunlight shimmers on the waters of the bay. 阳光在海湾的水面上闪烁。 来自辞典例句

19 minaret   

n.（回教寺院的）尖塔

参考例句：

• The minaret is 65 meters high,the second highest in the world.光塔高65米，高度位居世界第二。
• It stands on a high marble plinth with a minaret at each corner.整个建筑建立在一个高大的大理石底座上，每个角上都有一个尖塔。

20 graceful   

adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的

参考例句：

• His movements on the parallel bars were very graceful.他的双杠动作可帅了!
• The ballet dancer is so graceful.芭蕾舞演员的姿态是如此的优美。

21 dome   

n.圆屋顶，拱顶

参考例句：

• The dome was supported by white marble columns.圆顶由白色大理石柱支撑着。
• They formed the dome with the tree's branches.他们用树枝搭成圆屋顶。

22 domes   

n.圆屋顶( dome的名词复数 )；像圆屋顶一样的东西；圆顶体育场

参考例句：

• The domes are circular or ovoid in cross-section. 穹丘的横断面为圆形或卵圆形。 来自辞典例句
• Parks. The facilities highlighted in text include sport complexes and fabric domes. 本书重点讲的设施包括运动场所和顶棚式结构。 来自互联网

23 minarets   

n.（清真寺旁由报告祈祷时刻的人使用的）光塔( minaret的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Remind you of a mosque, red baked bricks, the minarets. 红砖和尖塔都会使你联想到伊斯兰教的礼拜寺。 来自互联网
• These purchases usually went along with embellishments such as minarets. 这些购置通常也伴随着注入尖塔等的装饰。 来自互联网

24 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

25 mosaic   

n./adj.镶嵌细工的，镶嵌工艺品的，嵌花式的

参考例句：

• The sky this morning is a mosaic of blue and white.今天早上的天空是幅蓝白相间的画面。
• The image mosaic is a troublesome work.图象镶嵌是个麻烦的工作。

26 canopy   

n.天篷，遮篷

参考例句：

• The trees formed a leafy canopy above their heads.树木在他们头顶上空形成了一个枝叶茂盛的遮篷。
• They lay down under a canopy of stars.他们躺在繁星点点的天幕下。

27 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

28 symbolize   

vt.作为...的象征，用符号代表

参考例句：

• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。
• Dolphins symbolize the breath of life.海豚象征着生命的气息。

29 banishing   

v.放逐，驱逐( banish的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• And he breathes out fast, like a king banishing a servant. 他呼气则非常迅速，像一个国王驱逐自己的奴仆。 来自互联网
• Banishing genetic disability must therefore be our primary concern. 消除基因缺陷是我们的首要之急。 来自互联网

30 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

31 imprisoned   

下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was imprisoned for two concurrent terms of 30 months and 18 months. 他被判处30个月和18个月的监禁，合并执行。
• They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 他们因拥有毒品而被监禁。

32 embedded   

a.扎牢的

参考例句：

• an operation to remove glass that was embedded in his leg 取出扎入他腿部玻璃的手术
• He has embedded his name in the minds of millions of people. 他的名字铭刻在数百万人民心中。

33 mosques   

清真寺； 伊斯兰教寺院，清真寺； 清真寺，伊斯兰教寺院( mosque的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Why make us believe that this tunnel runs underneath the mosques? 为什么要让我们相信这条隧洞是在清真寺下？
• The city's three biggest mosques, long fallen into disrepair, have been renovated. 城里最大的三座清真寺，过去年久失修，现在已经修复。