欧美人文风情第295篇:走进时光隧道

 When it rains in Paris, you can either stop for a glass of wine or head for a museum. 当巴黎下起雨时，你可以停下脚步喝杯酒，或动身前往博物馆。

If you're lucky, you might even get a little traveling music along the way. 如果你很幸运的话，沿途中你可能还会有些旅行配乐。

One of the greatest art museums in Paris is the Musee d'Orsay on the left bank of the River Seine. 巴黎其中一座最杰出的博物馆是位在塞纳河左岸的奥塞博物馆。

The Orsay was once a train station. It opened in 1900 just in time for the Paris World Exposition. 奥塞博物馆曾是座火车站。它在 1900 年开幕，恰好赶上巴黎世界博览会。

By 1939, the platforms in the Beaux-Arts style building were deemed too short to handle long-distance trains, so it was relegated¹ to suburban² trains. 到了 1939 年，这栋布杂艺术风建筑物内的月台被认为长度不足应付长程列车，因此被降为近郊列车专用。

By 1970, it was scheduled for demolition³ in order to make way for a new hotel, 到了 1970 年，车站预定被拆除以腾出空间盖新饭店，

but government officials stepped in to save it, eventually deciding it should be renovated⁴ and converted into an art museum, 不过政府官员介入拯救了车站，最终决定它应该被翻新并转变为一座艺术博物馆，

featuring works of art created between 1848 to 1915. 展出 1848 至 1915 年间的艺术品。

The Orsay now has the largest collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art in the world. 奥塞博物馆如今拥有全世界最大量的印象派和后印象派艺术收藏品。

When it opened in December 1986, it had 2,000 paintings and 600 pieces of sculpture, 在 1986 年十二月开幕时，馆内有两千幅画作以及六百件雕塑，

a fraction of what the Louvre has, but it doesn't leave you feeling overwhelmed. 是罗浮宫馆藏的一部分，但奥塞博物馆并不会让你觉得不知所措。

Unfortunately, photography is not allowed in the galleries. 可惜的是，展间内不允许摄影。

Perhaps the most beautiful work of art is the building itself. One of the most iconic elements of the building are its clocks. 或许最美丽的艺术品是建筑物本身。这栋建筑物其中一项最具特色的元素是它的时钟。

The one overlooking the old platforms is as beautiful as any piece of art. 俯瞰以往月台的那座钟就如任何一件艺术品一般美丽。

The exterior⁵ clocks offer a unique perspective. 外面的钟提供了独特的视角。

You can look out from the backside of the giant timepieces and see parts of the city, 你可以从巨大时钟的背后向外看，一览城市的各个区域，

like Montmartre, where many of the artists whose work is displayed at the Orsay today lived and worked. 象是蒙马特，许多作品现在陈列在奥塞博物馆的艺术家们曾居住和埋首创作的地方。

The Orsay is truly one of the world's greatest museums and definitely should be on everyone's must-see list—rain or shine. 奥塞博物馆真的是世上最棒的博物馆之一，而且绝对应该列在每个人的必看清单上－－无论晴雨。

 

1 relegated   

v.使降级( relegate的过去式和过去分词 )；使降职；转移；把…归类

参考例句：

• She was then relegated to the role of assistant. 随后她被降级做助手了。
• I think that should be relegated to the garbage can of history. 我认为应该把它扔进历史的垃圾箱。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

3 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。

4 renovated   

翻新，修复，整修( renovate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He renovated his house. 他翻修了房子。
• The house has been renovated three years earlier. 这所房子三年前就已翻新。

5 exterior   

adj.外部的，外在的；表面的

参考例句：

• The seed has a hard exterior covering.这种子外壳很硬。
• We are painting the exterior wall of the house.我们正在给房子的外墙涂漆。