Reaching for the sky

 　　Callum: Hello Rob.

　　Rob: Today we’re talking about tall buildings - very tall buildings in fact.

　　Callum: I suppose we could call them skyscrapers² - because they’re so tall they almost touch the sky.

　　Rob: They do. Many countries compete with each other in trying to earn the title of having the tallest building in the world. And this month, London has opened its newest structure but unfortunately it’s not going to win the world record for being the highest.

　　Callum: No, but it is now the European Union’s tallest building standing³ at 310 metres tall.

　　Rob: That’s high enough for me. I haven’t really got a head for heights! Anyway if you don’t know what this new building is called we’ll tell you in a moment but not before I’ve set today’s question for Callum.

　　Callum: I suppose this is going to be about height?

　　Rob: Yes, that’s the long and short of it! According to the Guinness World Records, the first ever skyscraper¹ was built in the USA, but in which city? Was it in:

　　a) New York

　　b) Chicago

　　c) Detroit

　　Callum: I don’t know this but I’m going to go for a: New York because there are many famous skyscrapers in New York. So I’m going to go a: New York.

　　Rob: Well, I’ll let you know the answer at the end of the programme. But let’s talk more about London’s newest building, which has just opened to the public, and is called The Shard⁴.

　　Callum: The Shard. That’s because of its shape. The structure narrows as it gets higher and comes to a point at the top. From a distance, with the sun reflecting on it, it looks like a shard - or a sharp, broken piece of glass, which is what a shard means.

　　Rob: Yes, and the steel structure is covered in glass which means that if you are inside you get a fantastic view over London.

　　Callum: And if you don’t mind forking out lots of money you can go to the viewing platform on the 72nd floor for a birds-eye view of the city. That’s what these people did - what did they think of it?

　　The Shard visitors: I’m just a bit blown away to be honest. It’s what we needed really, isn’t it, against other capitals. I’ve been on the London Eye and look how much higher up we are.

　　Rob: Well, The Shard seems to have the wow factor for those people. In other words, they were very impressed. The first woman said she was ‘blown away’ or amazed by the experience.

　　Callum: Someone else mentioned it was much higher than the London Eye - that’s another famous landmark⁵. And somebody else commented that it was what London needed - but why?

　　Rob: A good question. A new skyscraper can create good publicity⁶ for a city - it’s an image that is seen all around the world and it can show a city as being prosperous and modern.

　　Callum: Yes, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates is a good example of this. It boasts the world’s tallest building - the Burj Khalifa - standing at 828 metres tall. 'Burj', by the way, is Arabic for tower. Other countries such as China, Malaysia and the USA all boast towers much taller than The Shard.

　　Rob: Of course, the engineering involved is impressive. But what do you put inside these towers? Most contain luxury living accommodation, a hotel, offices, and, of course, an observation deck - that’s a viewing platform.

　　Callum: But there is a problem for The Shard. At the moment only 20% of the office space is leased - which means only 20% is rented out. Jack⁷ Sidders from the Estates Gazette newspaper has his reasons for this:

　　Jack Sidders, of the Estates Gazette newspaper: What they are trying to do is create an entire quarter here, to make it into more of an established office location but, you know, maybe if you’re a tenant⁸, economy’s very dodgy, that added bit of risk, maybe that will put people off.

　　Rob: So, the owners of The Shard want to make it an established office location - so, therefore, a good recognised location for business - but the current economic situation could be putting off tenants⁹ from moving in.

　　Callum: Yes, he said described the economy as dodgy - a slang word for uncertain or risky¹⁰.

　　Rob: That’s not the view of Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London. He’s proud of the new building and, together with other new constructions, he’s optimistic about the future. See if you can hear the names of some other London landmarks¹¹ he mentions:

　　Boris Johnson, Mayor of London: You’ve got the Walkie Talkie going up, The Cheese Grater, the stuff that wasn’t happening four years ago, all those cranes stopped moving four years ago; they’re back on the scene now.

　　Callum: Some interesting names for buildings there - The Walkie Talkie and The Cheese Grater! This is, of course, because of the shape of the buildings, which look like the objects they are named after. I suppose these names make it easier to identify the buildings.

　　Rob: Yes but I think I’d be quite embarrassed to tell people I work in The Cheese Grater! OK, well it’s time now to reveal the answer to today’s question.

　　Callum: Ah yes. You asked me, according to the Guinness World Records, the first ever skyscraper was built in the USA but in which city?

　　Rob: Yes, was it in:

　　a) New York

　　b) Chicago

　　c) Detroit

　　Callum: And I said New York.

　　Rob: And you are wrong I'm afraid. The world’s first skyscraper was the Home Insurance Building in Chicago. Built between 1884 and 1885, the so-called “Father of the Skyscraper” towered all of ten storeys and was just 42 metres tall.

　　Callum: Not much of skyscraper by today’s standards, is it really?

　　Rob: Indeed. OK, well, it’s almost time to go but before we do, Callum could you remind us of some of the words we have heard today.

　　Callum: Yes. We heard:

　　skyscrapers

　　a shard

　　forking out

　　the wow factor

　　landmark

　　prosperous

　　observation deck

　　leased

　　established

　　dodgy

　　Rob: Thanks Callum. Well, that’s all we have time for today. Please join us again soon for 6 Minute English from bbclearningenglish.

　　Both: Bye.

1 skyscraper   

n.摩天大楼

参考例句：

• The skyscraper towers into the clouds.那幢摩天大楼高耸入云。
• The skyscraper was wrapped in fog.摩天楼为雾所笼罩。

2 skyscrapers   

n.摩天大楼

参考例句：

• A lot of skyscrapers in Manhattan are rising up to the skies. 曼哈顿有许多摩天大楼耸入云霄。
• On all sides, skyscrapers rose like jagged teeth. 四周耸起的摩天大楼参差不齐。

3 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

4 shard   

n.（陶瓷器、瓦等的）破片，碎片

参考例句：

• Eyewitnesses spoke of rocks and shards of glass flying in the air.目击者称空中石块和玻璃碎片四溅。
• That's the same stuff we found in the shard.那与我们发现的碎片在材质上一样。

5 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

6 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

7 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

8 tenant   

n.承租人；房客；佃户；v.租借，租用

参考例句：

• The tenant was dispossessed for not paying his rent.那名房客因未付房租而被赶走。
• The tenant is responsible for all repairs to the building.租户负责对房屋的所有修理。

9 tenants   

n.房客( tenant的名词复数 )；佃户；占用者；占有者

参考例句：

• A number of tenants have been evicted for not paying the rent. 许多房客因不付房租被赶了出来。
• Tenants are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent. 租金由承租人共同且分别承担。

10 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

11 landmarks   

n.陆标( landmark的名词复数 )；目标；（标志重要阶段的）里程碑 ~ (in sth)；有历史意义的建筑物（或遗址）

参考例句：

• The book stands out as one of the notable landmarks in the progress of modern science. 这部著作是现代科学发展史上著名的里程碑之一。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The baby was one of the big landmarks in our relationship. 孩子的出世是我们俩关系中的一个重要转折点。 来自辞典例句