VOA标准英语2012--New York Residential Building Tops in Height, Price

New York Residential¹ Building Tops in Height, Price

America’s most famous skyline has a new architectural icon² - New York by Gehry. This gleaming 76-floor residential skyscraper³ is dramatic. So is the cost to live there. 

A penthouse costs $65,000 a month to rent. Most units range from $3,000 to $12,000 a month…and there’s no shortage of renters, says marketer Clifford Finn.

“There never have been a lot of rental⁴ buildings that spoke⁵ to the high end. And, most of that product was always condominium. So there was a pent-up demand from people that were always looking to rent, not purchase, for various reasons," Finn said. 

The building is named for its famed architect, Frank Gehry - and inspired by 17th century Italian artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s Ecstasy⁶ of Saint Theresa. The artwork’s great folds are reflected in the building’s undulating fa?ade.

In his new tower, Gehry resurrected the “bay window” seen in many old New York buildings. 

“But, if there is a bay window, you walk two more feet forward and you are in outer space - so that the window surrounds you, and that experience on the 40th, 50th,60th floor is unique. There is nothing like it in New York City,” he said. 

On the top floor they’re constructing three penthouses. From this height you can see the Statue of Liberty, to the new World Trade Center Tower, to the Empire State building and to the city’s great bridges. 

Finn says Gehry also designed the interiors. Generous bedrooms, open floor plans and modern kitchens define the units. 

There are extraordinary amenities⁷ too. A fitness studio. A gameroom with pool tables and even virtual golf. Plus a movie theater and an indoor-outdoor pool. 

And it’s not only Americans who are inspired to move in. 

”We’ve had members of royal families from various countries visit and rent in the building. We have had international students in the building. We have had captains of industry, people in finance,” Finn said. 

The New York Times newspaper calls the shimmering⁸ metallic⁹ tower “the finest skyscraper to rise in New York in the last 46 years.” 

1 residential   

adj.提供住宿的；居住的；住宅的

参考例句：

• The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。
• The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。

2 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。

3 skyscraper   

n.摩天大楼

参考例句：

• The skyscraper towers into the clouds.那幢摩天大楼高耸入云。
• The skyscraper was wrapped in fog.摩天楼为雾所笼罩。

4 rental   

n.租赁，出租，出租业

参考例句：

• The yearly rental of her house is 2400 yuan.她这房子年租金是2400元。
• We can organise car rental from Chicago O'Hare Airport.我们可以安排提供从芝加哥奥黑尔机场出发的租车服务。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 ecstasy   

n.狂喜，心醉神怡，入迷

参考例句：

• He listened to the music with ecstasy.他听音乐听得入了神。
• Speechless with ecstasy,the little boys gazed at the toys.小孩注视着那些玩具，高兴得说不出话来。

7 amenities   

n.令人愉快的事物；礼仪；礼节；便利设施；礼仪( amenity的名词复数 )；便利设施；（环境等的）舒适；（性情等的）愉快

参考例句：

• The campsite is close to all local amenities. 营地紧靠当地所有的便利设施。
• Parks and a theatre are just some of the town's local amenities. 公园和戏院只是市镇娱乐设施的一部分。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 shimmering   

v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The sea was shimmering in the sunlight. 阳光下海水波光闪烁。
• The colours are delicate and shimmering. 这些颜色柔和且闪烁微光。 来自辞典例句

9 metallic   

adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的

参考例句：

• A sharp metallic note coming from the outside frightened me.外面传来尖锐铿锵的声音吓了我一跳。
• He picked up a metallic ring last night.昨夜他捡了一个金属戒指。