VOA慢速英语2016--A Home for Killers Is Now a Museum

AS IT IS 2016-07-15 A Home for Killers¹ Is Now a Museum

In 1924, architects created a modern house for a wealthy family in Beirut, Lebanon. People called it the Yellow House. The building was well known for its unusual style.

But after 1975, when a civil war struck Beirut, the Yellow House became known for another reason.

The building stood at the intersection² of what was known as the city’s "Green Line.” The line divided the warring parties of east and west Beirut.

Its location made the Yellow House perfect for people who wanted to look over the city and kill others. Snipers took over the house.

“It went from an avant-garde, innovative³ presence in the city to become a tool for killing⁴, a murderous house,” explained Youssef Haidar. He is the architect responsible for renovating⁵ the building, which is now called Beit Beirut – or Beirut House.

The building will re-open to the public in September. This time, it will be a “memory museum.”

Some people don’t want to remember because they were guilty of crimes in the war, Haider explained. But, he added, “I believe that remembering is important.”

Horror and hope

Mona Hallack is the person who is most responsible for transforming the Yellow House into a museum.

She first stepped into the abandoned building in 1994.

On the floor, she saw things from families and businesses that once used the space: school photos, letters, film from a photography shop.

At the same time, the building still had snipers’ sandbags, graffiti, and bullet holes. On one wall, someone had written the word “Hell.”

Hallack said being in the house reminded her of the war. She recalled the snipers, and the stories about people being killed. But she also felt hope.

Changing a murderous house

The city planned to tear the building down. But Hallack fought to keep it. She and others eventually succeeded in making it a museum.

Evidence of the war – including the bullet holes and graffiti – remain. But architects have also added an underground theater and a glass fa?ade.

Hallack is now gathering⁶ exhibits for the museum. She explained she hopes they will allow people to "tell their stories."

Beirut is changing, she said. Many of the old buildings are being replaced by modern apartments and offices.

She said something is being lost. That includes the unusual architecture of the Yellow House, and the things people left on its floor.

“These aren’t just buildings, it is the traditions and quality of the lives of those who lived there,” Halleck said. Those traditions and lives, she explained, make Beirut different from Dubai, or from any other city.

Never again

Beit Beirut may focus on the past, but it has the power to shape the future.

Some early visitors to the museum included the family of Fouad Kozah. Kozah was an architect in 1932. He added two floors to the original Yellow House.

Kozah’s daughter is named Nadine. She hopes that younger generations will visit the building and learn from it as “a reminder⁷ of never again.”

Words in This Story

architect – n. a person who designs buildings

sniper – n. a person who shoots at another person from a hidden place

avant-garde – adj. related to people who develop new and often very surprising ideas in art, literature, etc.

innovative – adj. introducing or using new ideas or methods

renovate⁸ – v. to make changes and repairs to an old house or building, so that it is back in good condition

abandoned – adj. left without needed protection or care

sandbag – n. a bag filled with sand and used as a weight or to build temporary walls, dams, etc.

graffiti – n. pictures or words painted or drawn⁹ on a wall or building

facade¹⁰ – n. the front of a building

1 killers   

凶手( killer的名词复数 )； 消灭…者； 致命物； 极难的事

参考例句：

• He remained steadfast in his determination to bring the killers to justice. 他要将杀人凶手绳之以法的决心一直没有动摇。
• They were professional killers who did in John. 杀死约翰的这些人是职业杀手。

2 intersection   

n.交集，十字路口，交叉点；[计算机] 交集

参考例句：

• There is a stop sign at an intersection.在交叉路口处有停车标志。
• Bridges are used to avoid the intersection of a railway and a highway.桥用来避免铁路和公路直接交叉。

3 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

4 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。

5 renovating   

翻新，修复，整修( renovate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The increased production was largely attained by renovating old orchards and vineyards. 通过更新老果园和葡萄园，使生产大大增加。
• Renovating that house will cost you a pretty penny. 为了整修那所房子，你得花很多钱。

6 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

7 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

8 renovate   

vt.更新，革新，刷新

参考例句：

• The couple spent thousands renovating the house.这对夫妇花了几千元来翻新房子。
• They are going to renovate the old furniture.他们准备将旧家具整修一番。

9 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

10 facade   

n.(建筑物的)正面，临街正面；外表

参考例句：

• The entrance facade consists of a large full height glass door.入口正面有一大型全高度玻璃门。
• If you look carefully,you can see through Bob's facade.如果你仔细观察，你就能看穿鲍勃的外表。