Gherkin 小黃瓜
The script of this programme 本節(jié)目臺詞
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Vicki: Hi, and welcome to On the Town from BBC Learning English. I’m Vicki.
Oliver: 大家好，我是 Oliver.
Vicki: Today we’re finding out all about quite a new building in London, which has already become a very recognisable part of the London skyline.
Oliver: Skyline 地平線，這是一座什么建筑物呢？
Vicki: It’s 30 St. Mary Axe.
Oliver: 這一定不是什么有名的地方，我從來都沒聽說過。
Do you think it looks like a gherkin?
Vicki: Ah well, you see, it’s usually called by a nickname: the Gherkin.
Oliver: 哦，你這么說我就知道了，這是一座全玻璃外墻的建筑，有著非常特別的造型，看起來像一只小黃瓜。 A gherkin.
Vicki: It was completed in 2004 and has won many architectural awards and awards for innovation.
Oliver: 這座建筑獲得過很多獎項。一些是建筑方面的獎項 architectural, 一些是創(chuàng)新方面的獎項 innovation.
Vicki: Most of the building is office space, and is occupied by a Swiss insurance company and some other tenants.
Oliver: Tenants 承租人、房客。整棟建筑內大部分空間被瑞士保險公司占用。
Vicki: But there some areas of the building that are not just offices.
30 St. Mary Axe is set in a pedestrianised plaza with shops, restaurants, and bars. The plaza is open to the public, and is bordered by a landscaped garden. There is a gourmet restaurant on the 39th floor; the highest eating place in London. The 40th floor lounge bar offers 360-degree panoramic views over London. Private dining rooms are also available for hire. However, all the entertaining facilities are only available for corporate use.
Oliver: 哦，我覺得我們應該去體驗一下。在大樓的周圍還有一圈公共地帶，對了叫什么名字呢？ Vicki?
Vicki: A plaza. It is a pedestrian area, so no vehicles are allowed. And it has a landscaped garden.
Oliver: 一座景觀花園，什么人都可以去參觀嗎？
Vicki: Yes, it’s open to the public.
Oliver: 在屋頂還有餐館和酒吧，聽起來不錯，這可是倫敦最高的餐館呢。
There is a great view of London from inside the Gherkin tower
Vicki: The bar has 360-degree panoramic views.
Oliver: 360度全景 panoramic 全景
Vicki: So you can see the whole of London.
Oliver: 剛才我們聽到描述餐館的詞兒是什么？
Vicki: Gourmet.
Oliver: 精制的，真想去那里吃東西。
Vicki: Ah, but I’m afraid you can’t just go there; the restaurant and bar are only available for corporate use.
Oliver: 唉，太遺憾了，只對團體開放。讓我們再聽一次。
Vicki: In the programme today we’re talking about a recently built famous building in London, known as the Gherkin tower.
Oliver: 因為它特別的形狀為他帶來了這么一個可愛的昵稱，小黃瓜。
Vicki: Here are some interesting facts about the building for you. The building is all glass on the outside. That means there is 24,000 square metres of glass, equivalent to 5 football pitches.
Oliver: 能覆蓋5個足球場面積的玻璃－24000平方米。
Vicki: Even though the building looks circular, there’s only one piece of curved glass, at the very top.
Oliver: Curved 曲面的。
Vicki: The Gherkin is three times as tall as Niagara Falls.
Oliver: 它的高度是尼亞加拉瀑布的三倍。
Vicki: And it was sold this year for ￡630 million!
Oliver: 天呢這可真是一棟高價建筑！
Vicki: Now, there’s something else which is interesting about the building. It’s very environmentally friendly.
Oliver: 環(huán)保的。
The building has energy-saving features which allow it to use half the power a similar tower would typically consume. Natural light floods interiors, reducing the amount of artificial lighting needed. Natural ventilation is assisted by the building’s aerodynamic form, reducing the need for conventional air-conditioning. The building is close to a variety of types of public transport, and has a large number of cycle spaces in the basement to encourage people to ride their bikes.
Oliver: 也就是說，大樓在設計的時候就希望能夠比同類的建筑更加節(jié)省能源。
Vicki: It has energy-saving features.
Oliver: 節(jié)省能源的設施, 就象自然光。
Vicki: Natural light.
Oliver: 這些都可以盡可能的使用自然光源，而減少使用人工光源。
Vicki: And the building is aerodynamic.
Oliver: 符合空氣動力學原理的，就是它通過自然通風，而避免使用常規(guī)的空調設備。
Vicki: Conventional air-conditioning.
Oliver: 同時，也鼓勵在這里工作的人們使用公共交通或者騎自行車代替自己開車上下班。
Vicki: So, when you see a picture of the London skyline, look out for the Gherkin tower.
Oliver: 聽你這么一說，我覺得這座建筑絕對值得去看看，哪怕不能進去呢。
Vicki: Well, that’s all we have time for today.
Oliver: 下次見。
Vicki: Goodbye!
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