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Laura: Uncle Ben, how did the Forbidden City get this name?
Benjamin: Well, in the feudal society, emperors had supreme power, so his residence was certainly a forbidden palace.
Laura: His residence? You mean the whole palace?
Benjamin: Yes. The Forbidden City is divided into two parts. The southern section, or the Outer Court was for the emperor to exercise his power over the nation, and the northern part, or the Inner Court was for his royal family.
Laura: Oh, unbelievable. This was too luxurious.
Benjamin: Even the whole country belonged to him. That’s why he is called the emperor.
Laura: OK, then. I love these unique structured towers with the delicate carvings on them. It’s really artistic.
Benjamin: Yeah, the buildings and designs of the Forbidden City are the peak of Chinese traditional architecture, not only scientific but also suitable for living.
Laura: I agree. It’s definitely a product of wisdom. Well, why were those small animal sculptures placed on the tops of the buildings?
Benjamin: Some of them are mascots and some are symbols of power.
Laura: Why are there so many yellow things? Is yellow the lucky color in China?
Benjamin: Oh, no. In fact, yellow is the symbol of the royal family.
Laura: Just like the pattern dragon, right?
Benjamin: Exactly. Here is the Nine-dragon Screen.
Laura: Oh, it’s really fabulous. I wanna take a picture here.
Benjamin: Sure, this will be a really good picture.
聽看學
羅拉：本叔叔，紫禁城這個名字是怎么來的啊?
本杰明：這個嘛，在封建社會，帝王擁有至高無上的權利，那他的住處當然是禁地啦。
羅拉：他的住所?你是說這整個宮殿嗎?
本杰明：是的。紫禁城分為兩個部分。南部，或者叫外院是皇帝實施權力管理國家的地方，北部，或者叫內院是皇室的住所。
羅拉：哦，真難以置信，好奢華啊。
本杰明：甚至連整個國家都是屬于他的。這就是為什么他被稱為皇帝啊。
羅拉：好吧，嗯，我喜歡這些造型別致的塔，它們上面有很多精致的雕刻。真是藝術啊。
本杰明：是啊。紫禁城的建筑和設計達到了中國傳統建筑的頂峰，不僅科學而且很適合居住。
羅拉：我同意。它真是智慧的成果。還有，為什么把那些小動物的雕塑放在建筑物頂部呢?
本杰明：有一些是吉祥物，還有一些則是權勢的象征。
羅拉：為什么這里有這么多黃色的東西啊?在中國黃色是幸運的顏色嗎?
本杰明：哦，不是的。實際上，黃色是皇族的象征。
羅拉：就像是龍的圖案，對嗎?
本杰明：沒錯。這個是九龍壁。
羅拉：哦，它真漂亮啊。我要在這里照一張照片。
本杰明：可以，一定會是一張很棒的照片。
經典背誦 Recitation
Laura: I am an American girl. Now I’m traveling in China. Today, I went to the Forbidden City. I was told that in the feudal society, the emperor had supreme power, so his residence was a forbidden palace. That’s why it got the name. There, I saw some really beautiful buildings and sculptures which were all amazing. So I took many pictures.
生詞小結
feudal adj. 封建的
supreme adj. 最高的
residence n. 住所
royal adj. 皇家的
luxurious adj. 奢侈的
structured adj. 有結構的
artistic adj. 富于藝術想象力的，有藝術技巧的
sculpture n. 雕塑
fabulous adj. 極好的，絕妙的
詞匯擴展 Vocabulary Builder
關于世界名勝的詞匯
基礎詞匯
Big Ben 大本鐘
Great Barrier Reef 大堡礁
Hyde Park 海德公園
Pyramids 金字塔
Sydney Opera House 悉尼歌劇院
the Leaning Tower of Pisa 比薩斜塔
the Louvre 盧浮宮
the Statue of Liberty 自由女神像
提高詞匯
Mount Fuji 富士山
Niagara Falls 尼亞加拉大瀑布
Notre Dame 巴黎圣母院
Taj Mahal 泰姬陵
the Arch of Triumph 凱旋門
the Eiffel Tower 埃菲爾鐵塔
the Parthenon Temple 巴臺農神廟
Tower Bridge 倫敦塔橋
Do it together 家庭總動員
兩人一組，一方隨機大聲讀出上面詞匯的中文和英文，另一方用該詞匯填入下面的句子，大聲朗讀出來并將句子翻譯成中文。
How did ( ) get this name?
[例] 家長讀Pyramids 金字塔
孩子讀How did Pyramids get this name? 金字塔這個名字是怎么來的?
