有声英文阅读-圣家堂：未完的绮梦

La Sagrada Familia:The Unfinished Dream
圣家堂：未完的绮梦 

By day, it rises up from Barcelona like an art nouveau dream. By night, it looms¹ over the city like a Gothic nightmare. Whether it is seen by day or by night, visitors are always impressed by the grandiose² architecture and monumental presence of La Sagrada Familia (the Church of the Holy Family).

Begun in 1882, the project was originally conceived by church architect Francisco de Villar. However, the real mastermind behind the unique and elegant edifice³ is Barcelona's favorite son, Antonio Gaudi. When he took over the project in 1884, he truly made the work his own.

Over the course of building La Sagrada Familia, Gaudi evolved into a passionate⁴ artist possessed⁵ by his faith. He became engrossed⁶ in the symbolism of the building, which resulted in an architectural style that is both imposing⁷ and unmatched.

Gaudi's plans for La Sagrada Familia were greatly influenced by the Christian⁸ scriptures⁹. Each facade¹⁰ signifies a part of the life of Christ, and each of the 12 belltowers crowning the facades¹¹ symbolizes¹² one of Christ's apostles.

Gaudi dedicated¹³ more than 40 years of his life to building the church. Yet when he died in 1926, the building was still incomplete. Work on the edifice has continued---off and on---for more than 75 years since then. To this day, the church remains¹⁴ a work in progress and a testament¹⁵ to an artist's unfinished dream.

 

1. grandiose a. 宏伟的
2. mastermind n. 策划人
3. imposing a. 壮丽的，堂皇的
4. facade n. （建筑物的）正面

 

白天，它像新的艺术绮梦，矗立在巴塞罗纳。夜晚，它仿佛歌特式的梦魇，笼罩着这座城市。无论是在白天或夜晚参观圣家堂，旅客们都会对它的雄伟建筑和恢弘气势留下深刻的印象。

这项工程最初是教堂建筑师Francisco de Villar1882年开始构思的。然而，这幢独特而高雅的建筑背后真正的策划者，是巴塞罗纳杰出的建筑师安东尼奥·高迪。他1884年接手后，便按照自己的风格来设计这件作品。

在建造圣家堂期间，高迪逐渐成为一位执着于自己的信念、充满激情的艺术家。他全神贯注地构思这栋建筑的象征意义，造就了一种富丽堂皇、无与伦比的建筑风格。

高迪对圣家堂的设计深受圣经的影响。建筑的每一面都象征着基督人生的一个阶段，而砌于各面顶端的12座钟楼，每一座都象征着基督的一位使徒。

高迪花了40多年的心血来建造这座教堂。然而，当他在1926年去世时，这座建筑仍未竣工。后来，建筑工程又断断续续地进行了75年多。直到现在，这座教堂仍在建设中，它是一位艺术家未完成的梦想的明证。

1 looms   

n.织布机( loom的名词复数 )v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的第三人称单数 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• All were busily engaged,men at their ploughs,women at their looms. 大家都很忙，男的耕田，女的织布。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The factory has twenty-five looms. 那家工厂有25台织布机。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 grandiose   

adj.宏伟的，宏大的，堂皇的，铺张的

参考例句：

• His grandiose manner impressed those who met him for the first time.他那种夸大的举止给第一次遇见他的人留下了深刻的印象。
• As the fog vanished,a grandiose landscape unfolded before the tourists.雾气散去之后，一幅壮丽的景观展现在游客面前。

3 edifice   

n.宏伟的建筑物(如宫殿，教室)

参考例句：

• The American consulate was a magnificent edifice in the centre of Bordeaux.美国领事馆是位于波尔多市中心的一座宏伟的大厦。
• There is a huge Victorian edifice in the area.该地区有一幢维多利亚式的庞大建筑物。

4 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

5 possessed   

adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的

参考例句：

• He flew out of the room like a man possessed.他像着了魔似地猛然冲出房门。
• He behaved like someone possessed.他行为举止像是魔怔了。

6 engrossed   

adj.全神贯注的

参考例句：

• The student is engrossed in his book.这名学生正在专心致志地看书。
• No one had ever been quite so engrossed in an evening paper.没人会对一份晚报如此全神贯注。

7 imposing   

adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的

参考例句：

• The fortress is an imposing building.这座城堡是一座宏伟的建筑。
• He has lost his imposing appearance.他已失去堂堂仪表。

8 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

9 scriptures   

经文，圣典( scripture的名词复数 )； 经典

参考例句：

• Here the apostle Peter affirms his belief that the Scriptures are 'inspired'. 使徒彼得在此表达了他相信《圣经》是通过默感写成的。
• You won't find this moral precept in the scriptures. 你在《圣经》中找不到这种道德规范。

10 facade   

n.(建筑物的)正面，临街正面；外表

参考例句：

• The entrance facade consists of a large full height glass door.入口正面有一大型全高度玻璃门。
• If you look carefully,you can see through Bob's facade.如果你仔细观察，你就能看穿鲍勃的外表。

11 facades   

n.（房屋的）正面( facade的名词复数 )；假象，外观

参考例句：

• Terraces of asphalt are placed by the building's south and west facades. 沥青露台位于建筑的南面和西面。 来自互联网
• Preserving historic buildings or keeping only their facades (or fronts) grew common. 保存历史建筑或是保持它们普通的正面增长。 来自互联网

12 symbolizes   

v.象征，作为…的象征( symbolize的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The use of light and dark symbolizes good and evil. 用光明与黑暗来象征善与恶。
• She likes olive because It'symbolizes peace. 她喜欢橄榄色因为它象征着和平。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

14 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

15 testament   

n.遗嘱；证明

参考例句：

• This is his last will and testament.这是他的遗愿和遗嘱。
• It is a testament to the power of political mythology.这说明，编造政治神话可以产生多大的威力。