英语口语大赢家Topic221:故宫博物馆 The Palace Museum

今天，本杰明带着罗拉来参观故宫博物馆。故宫里面非凡的建筑和景观把罗拉惊呆了，本杰明则在一边细心地讲解着。

 

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Laura: Uncle Ben, how did the Forbidden City get this name?

Benjamin: Well, in the feudal¹ society, emperors had supreme² power, so his residence was certainly a forbidden palace.

Laura: His residence? You mean the whole palace?

Benjamin: Yes. The Forbidden City is divided into two parts. The southern section, or the Outer Court was for the emperor to exercise his power over the nation, and the northern part, or the Inner Court was for his royal family.

Laura: Oh, unbelievable. This was too luxurious³.

Benjamin: Even the whole country belonged to him. That's why he is called the emperor.

Laura: OK, then. I love these unique structured towers with the delicate carvings⁴ on them. It's really artistic⁵.

Benjamin: Yeah, the buildings and designs of the Forbidden City are the peak of Chinese traditional architecture, not only scientific but also suitable for living.

Laura: I agree. It's definitely a product of wisdom. Well, why were those small animal sculptures placed on the tops of the buildings?

Benjamin: Some of them are mascots⁶ and some are symbols of power.

Laura: Why are there so many yellow things? Is yellow the lucky color in China?

Benjamin: Oh, no. In fact, yellow is the symbol of the royal family.

Laura: Just like the pattern dragon, right?

Benjamin: Exactly. Here is the Nine-dragon Screen.

Laura: Oh, it's really fabulous⁷. I wanna take a picture here.

Benjamin: Sure, this will be a really good picture.

听看学
罗拉：本叔叔，紫禁城这个名字是怎么来的啊？

本杰明：这个嘛，在封建社会，帝王拥有至高无上的权利，那他的住处当然是禁地啦。

罗拉：他的住所？你是说这整个宫殿吗？

本杰明：是的。紫禁城分为两个部分。南部，或者叫外院是皇帝实施权力管理国家的地方，北部，或者叫内院是皇室的住所。

罗拉：哦，真难以置信，好奢华啊。

本杰明：甚至连整个国家都是属于他的。这就是为什么他被称为皇帝啊。

罗拉：好吧，嗯，我喜欢这些造型别致的塔，它们上面有很多精致的雕刻。真是艺术啊。

本杰明：是啊。紫禁城的建筑和设计达到了中国传统建筑的顶峰，不仅科学而且很适合居住。

罗拉：我同意。它真是智慧的成果。还有，为什么把那些小动物的雕塑放在建筑物顶部呢？

本杰明：有一些是吉祥物，还有一些则是权势的象征。

罗拉：为什么这里有这么多黄色的东西啊？在中国黄色是幸运的颜色吗？

本杰明：哦，不是的。实际上，黄色是皇族的象征。

罗拉：就像是龙的图案，对吗？

本杰明：没错。这个是九龙壁。

罗拉：哦，它真漂亮啊。我要在这里照一张照片。

本杰明：可以，一定会是一张很棒的照片。

经典背诵 Recitation
Laura: I am an American girl. Now I'm traveling in China. Today, I went to the Forbidden City. I was told that in the feudal society, the emperor had supreme power, so his residence was a forbidden palace. That's why it got the name. There, I saw some really beautiful buildings and sculptures which were all amazing. So I took many pictures.

生词小结
feudal adj. 封建的

supreme adj. 最高的

residence n. 住所

royal adj. 皇家的

luxurious adj. 奢侈的

structured adj. 有结构的

artistic adj. 富于艺术想象力的，有艺术技巧的

sculpture n. 雕塑

fabulous adj. 极好的，绝妙的

词汇扩展 Vocabulary Builder
关于世界名胜的词汇

基础词汇

Big Ben 大本钟

Great Barrier Reef 大堡礁

Hyde Park 海德公园

Pyramids 金字塔

Sydney Opera House 悉尼歌剧院

the Leaning Tower of Pisa 比萨斜塔

the Louvre 卢浮宫

the Statue of Liberty 自由女神像

提高词汇

Mount Fuji 富士山

Niagara Falls 尼亚加拉大瀑布

Notre Dame⁸ 巴黎圣母院

Taj Mahal 泰姬陵

the Arch of Triumph 凯旋门

the Eiffel Tower 埃菲尔铁塔

the Parthenon Temple 巴台农神庙

Tower Bridge 伦敦塔桥

Do it together 家庭总动员
两人一组，一方随机大声读出上面词汇的中文和英文，另一方用该词汇填入下面的句子，大声朗读出来并将句子翻译成中文。

How did ( ) get this name?

[例] 家长读Pyramids 金字塔

孩子读How did Pyramids get this name? 金字塔这个名字是怎么来的？

1 feudal   

adj.封建的，封地的，领地的

参考例句：

• Feudal rulers ruled over the country several thousand years.封建统治者统治这个国家几千年。
• The feudal system lasted for two thousand years in China.封建制度在中国延续了两千年之久。

2 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

3 luxurious   

adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的

参考例句：

• This is a luxurious car complete with air conditioning and telephone.这是一辆附有空调设备和电话的豪华轿车。
• The rich man lives in luxurious surroundings.这位富人生活在奢侈的环境中。

4 carvings   

n.雕刻( carving的名词复数 )；雕刻术；雕刻品；雕刻物

参考例句：

• The desk was ornamented with many carvings. 这桌子装饰有很多雕刻物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Shell carvings are a specialty of the town. 贝雕是该城的特产。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

6 mascots   

n.吉祥物( mascot的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• One of the mascots was the platypus. 吉祥物一是鸭嘴兽。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Information on all things Olympic, including logos, mascots, venues,and bid candidates. 所有事情奥林匹克，包括的标识语，吉祥物，地点，和出价候选人的信息。 来自互联网

7 fabulous   

adj.极好的；极为巨大的；寓言中的，传说中的

参考例句：

• We had a fabulous time at the party.我们在晚会上玩得很痛快。
• This is a fabulous sum of money.这是一笔巨款。

8 dame   

n.女士

参考例句：

• The dame tell of her experience as a wife and mother.这位年长妇女讲了她作妻子和母亲的经验。
• If you stick around,you'll have to marry that dame.如果再逗留多一会，你就要跟那个夫人结婚。