TED演讲:昔日纽约(1)

 I'm going to read a few strips. 我马上会朗读的一些连环漫画。

These are, most of these are from a monthly page I do in and architecture and design magazine called Metropolis¹. 它们中的很多都选自我每月刊登在一本关于建筑设计杂志上的小故事。那本杂志叫《摩登都市》。

And the first story is called "The Faulty Switch." 第一个故事叫做《开关的小瑕疵》。

Another beautifully designed new building ruined by the sound of a common wall light switch. 又一个设计精良的新建筑被一个再平常不过的电灯开关的启动声给毁了。

It's fine during the day when the main rooms are flooded with sunlight. 白天的时候一切都很美好，阳光洒满了你的房间。

But at dusk everything changes. 但当黄昏降临一切都变了。

The architect spent hundreds of hours designing the burnished² brass³ switchplates for his new office tower. 建筑师愿意花很多时间，为新的办公大楼设计这些抛光的铜制开关板。

And then left it to a contractor⁴ to install these 79-cent switches behind them. 然后让承包商在这些精致的开关板后装上79美分的开关。

We know instinctively⁵ where to reach when we enter a dark room. 我们本能地知道，当我们走进这间黑屋子时，该按哪里打开开关。

We automatically throw the little nub of plastic upward. 接着，我们就自然而然地把那小小的按钮向上一摁。

But the sound we are greeted with, 但是，当房间溢满，

as the room is bathed in the simulated glow of late-afternoon light, 如傍晚阳光般昏暗的光线的时候，那迎接我们的一声响。

recalls to mind a dirty men's room in the rear of a Greek coffee shop. 却让人想起了一间希腊咖啡店后面那不甚整洁的男洗手间。

This sound colors our first impression of any room;it can't be helped. 这声响让我们对任何一间房的印象都那样先入为主，改都改不了。

But where does this sound,commonly described as a click, come from? 但是这我们称之为“咯嗒”的声响到底从何而来呢？

1 metropolis   

n.首府；大城市

参考例句：

• Shanghai is a metropolis in China.上海是中国的大都市。
• He was dazzled by the gaiety and splendour of the metropolis.大都市的花花世界使他感到眼花缭乱。

2 burnished   

adj.抛光的，光亮的v.擦亮（金属等），磨光( burnish的过去式和过去分词 )；被擦亮，磨光

参考例句：

• The floor was spotless; the grate and fire-irons were burnished bright. 地板上没有污迹；炉栅和火炉用具擦得发亮。 来自辞典例句
• The woods today are burnished bronze. 今天的树林是一片发亮的青铜色。 来自辞典例句

3 brass   

n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器

参考例句：

• Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。

4 contractor   

n.订约人，承包人，收缩肌

参考例句：

• The Tokyo contractor was asked to kick $ 6000 back as commission.那个东京的承包商被要求退还6000美元作为佣金。
• The style of house the contractor builds depends partly on the lay of the land.承包商所建房屋的式样，有几分要看地势而定。

5 instinctively   

adv.本能地

参考例句：

• As he leaned towards her she instinctively recoiled. 他向她靠近，她本能地往后缩。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He knew instinctively where he would find her. 他本能地知道在哪儿能找到她。 来自《简明英汉词典》