TED演讲:昔日纽约(3)

 That's the end of that. The next story is called In Praise of the Taxpayer¹. 这个故事讲完了。下一个故事叫作《纳税人的荣耀》。

That so many of the city's most venerable taxpayers² have survived yet another commercial building boom, is cause for celebration. 这个城市里，很多受人尊崇的纳税人又逃过了一次拆旧楼建新的商业大楼浪潮的劫难。他们为此庆祝。

These one or two storey structures, designed to yield only enough income to cover the taxes on the land on which they stand, were not meant to be permanent buildings. 设计这些一两层的建筑，也只期望它们获得的收入能付得起土地租金就行了，并不把它们当做这长久的建筑。

Yet for one reason or another they have confounded the efforts of developers to be combined into lots suitable for high-rise construction. 然而由于种种原因，这些低层建筑常常困扰开发商让他们不知道该如何把这些零星的点组合成一块适合高层建筑的地皮。

Although they make no claim to architectural beauty,  虽然不能说这些小楼房有什么建筑设计的美感

they are, in their perfect temporariness, a delightful³ alternative to the large-scale structures that might someday take their place. 但是，在它们这短暂存在的这段时间里，的确是钢筋水泥高楼林立的城市中一道亮丽的风景线，尽管最终要被取代。

The most perfect examples occupy corner lots. 最突出的例子就是拐角处的小楼盘。

They offer a pleasant respite⁴ from the high-density development around them. 它们是被迅猛发展的高楼包围着的一片惬意的栖息地。

A break of light and air, an architectural biding⁵ of time. 这些小楼房为这高密度的水泥森林提供缕缕阳光和清新空气，它们在和时间赛跑。

So buried in signage are these structures,  这些小楼房就这样被淹没在形形色色的商标之中，

that it often takes a moment to distinguish the modern specially⁶ constructed taxpayer from its neighbor: 以至于，要把它们的应纳税款和那些，附近的特别设计的大楼房区分开来，还得花些时间。

the small commercial building from an earlier century, whose upper floors have been sealed,  这是栋上世纪的小型商业建筑，他们的上面几层已经被查封了，

and whose ground floor space now functions as a taxpayer. 但是一楼还营业着，并且缴着税。

1 taxpayer   

n.纳税人

参考例句：

• The new scheme will run off with a lot of the taxpayer's money.这项新计划将用去纳税人许多钱。
• The taxpayer are unfavourably disposed towards the recent tax increase.纳税者对最近的增加税收十分反感。

2 taxpayers   

纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
• She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。

3 delightful   

adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的

参考例句：

• We had a delightful time by the seashore last Sunday.上星期天我们在海滨玩得真痛快。
• Peter played a delightful melody on his flute.彼得用笛子吹奏了一支欢快的曲子。

4 respite   

n.休息，中止，暂缓

参考例句：

• She was interrogated without respite for twenty-four hours.她被不间断地审问了二十四小时。
• Devaluation would only give the economy a brief respite.贬值只能让经济得到暂时的缓解。

5 biding   

v.等待，停留( bide的现在分词 )；居住；（过去式用bided）等待；面临

参考例句：

• He was biding his time. 他正在等待时机。 来自辞典例句
• Applications:used in carbide alloy, diamond tools, biding admixture, high-temperature alloy, rechargeable cell. 用作硬质合金，磁性材料，金刚石工具，高温合金，可充电池等。 来自互联网

6 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。