有声英文阅读-风城巨烛（西尔斯）

Forged from stainless¹ aluminum² and encased in bronze-tinted glass, the Sears Tower rises majestically³ over the business sector⁴ of Chicago to stand at 518 m as the city's tallest building. Built in 1973 for Sears-Roebuck & Company, the Sears Tower was the highest building in the world until it was topped by the Petronas Towers in Malaysia in 1996.

Designed by architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the Sears Tower is composed of nine twenty-three-by-twenty-three-m towers bundled together, a type of design which allows for a building to have unlimited⁵ altitude. It is the largest private office complex in the world with a gross area of 410,000 square meters and 109 stories. Occupying an entire downtown Chicago block, the tower is comprised of sufficient steel to build fifty thousand cars, has enough concrete to complete an eight-lane, eight-kilometer-long highway, and enough wire to wrap around the earth one and three quarters times.

Owned today by a Toronto-based real estate investment trust firm, the former home of one of the world's biggest retail⁶ chains has become one of Chicago's most prestigious⁷ buildings and a haven⁸ for some of the city's biggest companies. It is also a must-see for the scores of tourists who flock to it every year to marvel⁹ at its formidable elegance¹⁰ and massive spires¹¹.
 

由不锈铝合金锻造筋骨，又披上深褐色的玻璃外衣， 518米高的西尔斯大厦昂然耸立在芝加哥的商业中心，它是这座城市最高的建筑。西尔斯大厦是在1973年为西尔斯—罗巴克公司修建的，在1996年马来西亚“国油双峰塔”峻工之前，一直是世界最高的建筑。

西尔斯大厦由建筑师史基摩、欧文斯和米瑞尔设计。大厦由九座23米见方的大楼组成，这种设计有无限向上延伸的空间。它是全球最大的私人办公综合大楼，占地总面积41万平方米，楼高109层。大厦可以说占据了整个芝加哥市中心的街区，建构大厦的钢铁足以制造五万部汽车，混凝土足以建造一条八车道八公里长的公路，电线可以绕地球一又四分之三圈。

大厦目前的拥有者是多伦多的一家房地产投资信托公司。西尔斯大厦过去曾是全球最大零售连锁店的总部所在地，今天已成为芝加哥远近驰名的建筑之一，也是当地一些大公司的总部。它是观光客趋之若骛的名胜，游客年年络绎不绝簇拥而来，赞叹其令人肃然起敬的豪华气派及的魁伟尖顶。

1 stainless   

adj.无瑕疵的，不锈的

参考例句：

• I have a set of stainless knives and forks.我有一套不锈钢刀叉。
• Before the recent political scandal,her reputation had been stainless.在最近的政治丑闻之前，她的名声是无懈可击的。

2 aluminum   

n.(aluminium)铝

参考例句：

• The aluminum sheets cannot be too much thicker than 0.04 inches.铝板厚度不能超过0.04英寸。
• During the launch phase,it would ride in a protective aluminum shell.在发射阶段，它盛在一只保护的铝壳里。

3 majestically   

雄伟地； 庄重地； 威严地； 崇高地

参考例句：

• The waters of the Changjiang River rolled to the east on majestically. 雄伟的长江滚滚东流。
• Towering snowcapped peaks rise majestically. 白雪皑皑的山峰耸入云霄。

4 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

5 unlimited   

adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• There is no safety in unlimited technological hubris.在技术方面自以为是会很危险。

6 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

7 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。

8 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

9 marvel   

vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事

参考例句：

• The robot is a marvel of modern engineering.机器人是现代工程技术的奇迹。
• The operation was a marvel of medical skill.这次手术是医术上的一个奇迹。

10 elegance   

n.优雅；优美，雅致；精致，巧妙

参考例句：

• The furnishings in the room imparted an air of elegance.这个房间的家具带给这房间一种优雅的气氛。
• John has been known for his sartorial elegance.约翰因为衣着讲究而出名。

11 spires   

n.（教堂的） 塔尖，尖顶( spire的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Her masts leveled with the spires of churches. 船的桅杆和教堂的塔尖一样高。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• White church spires lift above green valleys. 教堂的白色尖顶耸立在绿色山谷中。 来自《简明英汉词典》