Unit 8 Architecture Part I Warming up A. Tapescript:
For hundreds of years, it has been an imperial capital of Europe. Its rulers raided the Western world to enrich the coffers of the empire. They spent their wealth on magnificent palaces and grand public buildings. They built an opera house that rivals any in Europe. They founded great museums and libraries. They constructed massive, ornate government buildings. And they raised opulent palaces for themselves. A tour of Vienna is a tour of these monuments to excess.
Take Schonbrunn Palace, for instance. The Palace's Million Room, named after the cost of the decorations -- 1 million guilders, is a Rococo masterpiece. Inset in the paneling are 260 rare miniatures of Indo-Persian heritage. The frames are real gold leaf, and the paneling is precious wood. The Great Gallery, modeled after a room in Versailles near Paris, has 35-foot ceilings graced with giant frescoes（壁画） boasting of the power of the Austrian army. Massive crystal chandeliers reflect in the wall of mirrors, trimmed in gold leaf.
The list of other sights to see in Vienna is long. St. Stephen's Cathedral dominates the skyline of Old Town, the medieval section of the city. Its main spire soars 450 feet into the sky, and the top can be reached by
climbing 343 steps. The cathedral' was begun in the 12th century. In the catacombs（陵墓） beneath the cathedral are copper urns（骨灰坛） containing the intestines of deceased Habsburgs. Their bodies are in ornate caskets（棺材） in the Imperial Burial Vaults in the Kapuziner Church a few blocks away, and can be visited.
The Old Town is a fascinating place to walk. Most of the narrow streets have been turned into pedestrian malls lined with shops, coffeehouses and restaurants. In one section, the original Roman ruins under the streets can be seen by going to an underground museum.
The Natural History Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts occupy matching buildings on Maria Theresa Plaza, a small square across from the Hofburg. Hofburg is the Habsburg’s in-town palace. It is big, with 2,600 rooms, but not ornate. Hofburg is a jumble of buildings constructed at different times and in different styles, from Baroque, Gothic and Classical to Renaissance and Rococo. Its oldest parts date from the 13th century, but most were built from the 1700s on. B1.
The Palais du Louvre: Location: heart of Paris
Beginning year of construction: 1527
Time when first used as a public art gallery: 1793
The Louvre Pyramid: Designer: Ieoh Ming Pei
Use: the main entrance to the Palais du Louvre Height: 21m Width: 33m
Materials: steel tubes, cables, sheet glass Year of completion: 1988
Tapescript:
The Palais du Louvre stands at the heart of Paris, and houses one of the world's greatest collections of works of art. The original palace dates from 1527, and it was extended and added to over the next four centuries. It was first used as a public art gallery in 1793. In 1981, the Chinese-American architect Ieoh Ming Pei was commissioned to redevelop the public part of the Louvre and create more space for reception areas and services. He designed the famous Glass Pyramid, which serves as the main entrance to the building, leading underground to the museum and art gallery. The Pyramid is 21 meters high and 33 meters wide, and uses a combination of steel tubes, cables and sheet glass. It was
completed in 1988, and quickly became a major tourist attraction in its own right. B2
1. She likes the Louvre Pyramid because of the transparency, and it has a light effect.
2. She likes the Louvre Pyramid for its contrast of shapes. It emphasizes the beauty of the Louvre.
3. She thinks the right thing is to put something so contradictory to the Louvre. They stand in dialogue with each other and they don't try to complement each other.
4. She thinks it would have been the biggest mistake to try to build something similar to the Louvre.
Tapescript:
I like the Louvre Pyramid because of its transparency, because you can
