新西兰英语 275 New Zealand pavilion at World Expo

　　The World Expo opened in Shanghai on May 1st and already the New Zealand pavilion has been popular. It is situated¹ very near China’s pavilion.
New Zealand’s 2,000 sq metre pavilion cost our government and sponsors $30 million. NZ hopes that we will increase our exports to China. We also want more tourists and students from China to come to our country. Near the gate-way, are screens with information about New Zealand which visitors can download to their cell phones. Inside the pavilion is a VIP lounge² where 175 businesses during the next six months, will host functions like cocktail³ parties, with a total of 7,000 guests. Outside the VIP lounge is a living wall, a wall of living green plants.
Outside the pavilion, to entertain the crowds while they are standing⁴ in line, is a group of Maori performers and five Maori carvers who are carving⁵ the 10m high wooden gate-way. Already two thirds of the carving is finished. Just inside the entrance is a very large piece of pounamu, the Maori name for New Zealand greenstone. It weighs 1,800 kg and has water flowing over it. People can touch it. Jade⁶ has a special meaning for Chinese people as well as for New Zealanders.
The roof-top garden shows New Zealand’s landscape. It starts up high with mountain grasses, forest with tall tree ferns, then grassland⁷, goes past a bubbling Rotorua mud pool, and it finishes down at the sea with a beautiful beach. Beside the beach is a 12m high Pohutukawa tree, the New Zealand Christmas tree, in full flower. It looks real but is actually man-made.
The landscape includes a kiwi-fruit vine which was grown in China for our pavilion. Perhaps Chinese people do not know that the kiwi-fruit came from China in 1903. It was called the yang tao, but New Zealand called it Chinese gooseberry. In 1952, we changed the name to kiwi-fruit.
Note: a VIP is a Very Important Person
Questions to think about
Do we need more tourists? What are benefits? What problems are there with more tourism?
The cost of the pavilion is only one part of the total cost. Other costs include staff living in Shanghai for 6 months. Is this a good use of money?
Numbers to listen for:
There are a lot of numbers here. Can you write them down as you listen?
Size and cost of pavilion, number of functions and guests in VIP lounge, height of gate-way, fraction of gate way finished, number of carvers, weight of pounamu, height of Pohutukawa tree, date that kiwifruit came to New Zealand and date that the name changed.

1 situated   

adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的

参考例句：

• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。
• She is awkwardly situated.她的处境困难。

2 lounge   

n.休闲室，休息室，长沙发；v.闲荡，闲散地度过，混日子

参考例句：

• We had coffee in the lounge.我们在客厅里喝咖啡。
• Don't lounge away your working hours.不要消磨工作时间。

3 cocktail   

n.鸡尾酒；餐前开胃小吃；混合物

参考例句：

• We invited some foreign friends for a cocktail party.我们邀请了一些外国朋友参加鸡尾酒会。
• At a cocktail party in Hollywood,I was introduced to Charlie Chaplin.在好莱坞的一次鸡尾酒会上，人家把我介绍给查理·卓别林。

4 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

5 carving   

n.雕刻品，雕花

参考例句：

• All the furniture in the room had much carving.房间里所有的家具上都有许多雕刻。
• He acquired the craft of wood carving in his native town.他在老家学会了木雕手艺。

6 jade   

n.玉石；碧玉；翡翠

参考例句：

• The statue was carved out of jade.这座塑像是玉雕的。
• He presented us with a couple of jade lions.他送给我们一对玉狮子。

7 grassland   

n.牧场，草地，草原

参考例句：

• There is a reach of grassland in the distance.远处是连绵一片的草原。
• The snowstorm swept the vast expanse of grassland.暴风雪袭击了辽阔的草原。