2007年VOA标准英语-Coney Island's Astroland to Close at Summer's E

By Nathan King
New York City
12 July 2007
 

New York's Coney Island is one of the Big Apple's most visited attractions. Its beach, boardwalk and amusement park have been attracting visitors for more than a century. But its largest theme park -- Astroland -- is set to close at the end of the summer season to make way for a $250 million re-development project. Nathan King reports for VOA.

Coney Island's Astroland

All the fun of the fair: Coney Island's Astroland is about as far from the glitz and glamour¹ of the modern day theme park as you can get.

The Cyclone² roller coaster first opened back in 1926. Like it, Coney Island and much of the surrounding area has been in decline for many years.

This corner of Brooklyn was America's first resort attraction, bringing in millions of New Yorkers right through the 1960s. Then fires, bankruptcies³ and urban decay set in. But now there are plans to restore that lustre⁴.

Drwaings show artists' impressions of a Coney Island for the 21st century. It is part of a $2 billion makeover that will turn Coney Island into a world-class theme park.

But the plans also envisage⁵ big hotels, condominiums, and apartments, far from what Coney Island feels like today.

Carol Albert

Carol Albert and her family have owned Astroland for the past 45 years, but they recently sold it to real estate developer Thor Equities⁶. And so, reluctantly, they will close the park at the end of this summer.  "We thought as we can't develop it and since he has now bought up everything but two blocks we were going to be surrounded by demolition⁷ and construction,” says Albert. “We really thought we would lose most of our business."

Many who have grown up in this section of Brooklyn want to preserve the family feel of Coney Island. It is easily accessible by subway. The rides are cheap and there is no entrance fee to the park.

Stan Fox is a Brooklyn resident and local historian.  "You can spend a dollar, a hundred dollars or nothing if you just want to walk the boardwalk, just bring a bottle of water with you and you can have a great time," says Fox.

The five kilometer-long beach, just a subway ride from Manhattan, is still a magnet for tourists in the summer, but in the winter less so. Municipal authorities want a year-round attraction.

Vendor⁸ Paul Georgoulakos has worked here since emigrating from Greece, and he says the time is right to restore glory to this faded icon⁹. "Coney Island, you know it was the dream of the whole world in those days, and now," he says  shrugging, "it got smaller and they try to build it back again."

Currently Thor Equities is in negotiations¹⁰ with the city and neighborhood groups to reduce the number of apartments and condominiums the developer wants to build.

But those, like Carole Albert, who have spent their lives here want New Yorkers to have a Coney Island they still recognize as their own.

"This is New York after all. New Yorkers are tough. They can hang on to what they like. They want this boardwalk, they want this beach and they want it to be a democratic event and we all hope it will continue to be so."

1 glamour   

n.魔力，魅力；vt.迷住

参考例句：

• Foreign travel has lost its glamour for her.到国外旅行对她已失去吸引力了。
• The moonlight cast a glamour over the scene.月光给景色增添了魅力。

2 cyclone   

n.旋风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• An exceptionally violent cyclone hit the town last night.昨晚异常猛烈的旋风吹袭了那个小镇。
• The cyclone brought misery to thousands of people.旋风给成千上万的人带来苦难。

3 bankruptcies   

n.破产( bankruptcy的名词复数 )；倒闭；彻底失败；（名誉等的）完全丧失

参考例句：

• It's a matter of record that there were ten bankruptcies in the town last year. 去年这个城市有十家破产是事实。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Business bankruptcies rose 50 percent over the previous year. 破产企业的数量比前一年增加５０％。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

4 lustre   

n.光亮，光泽；荣誉

参考例句：

• The sun was shining with uncommon lustre.太阳放射出异常的光彩。
• A good name keeps its lustre in the dark.一个好的名誉在黑暗中也保持它的光辉。

5 envisage   

v.想象，设想，展望，正视

参考例句：

• Nobody can envisage the consequences of total nuclear war.没有人能够想像全面核战争的后果。
• When do you envisage being able to pay me back?你看你什么时候能还我钱？

6 equities   

普通股，股票

参考例句：

• These are invested mainly in the OECD bonds and equities. 这些资产主要投资于经济合作及发展组织的债券与股票市场。
• They are also advantage of the global rebound in equities. 它们还在利用全球股市反弹的机会。

7 demolition   

n.破坏,毁坏,毁坏之遗迹

参考例句：

• The church has been threatened with demolition for years. 这座教堂多年来一直面临拆毀的威胁。
• The project required the total demolition of the old bridge. 该项目要求将老桥完全拆毁。

8 vendor   

n.卖主；小贩

参考例句：

• She looked at the vendor who cheated her the other day with distaste.她厌恶地望着那个前几天曾经欺骗过她的小贩。
• He must inform the vendor immediately.他必须立即通知卖方。

9 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

10 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。