Gherkin 小黄瓜

Vicki: Hi, and welcome to On the Town from BBC Learning English. I'm Vicki.

Oliver: 大家好，我是 Oliver。

Vicki: Today we're finding out all about quite a new building in London, which has already become a very recognisable part of the London skyline.

Oliver: Skyline – 地平线，这是一座什么建筑物呢？

Vicki: It's 30 St Mary Axe.

Oliver: 这一定不是什么有名的地方，我从来都没听说过。

Vicki: Ah well you see it's usually called by a nickname – The Gherkin.

Oliver: 哦，你这么说我就知道了，这是一座全玻璃外墙的建筑，有着非常特别的造型，看起来像一只小黄瓜。A gherkin.

Vicki: It was completed in 2004 and has won many architectural awards and awards for innovation.

Oliver: 这座建筑获得过很多奖项。一些是建筑方面的奖项 – architectural ，一些是创新方面的奖项– innovation.

Vicki: Most of the building is office space, and is occupied by a Swiss insurance company and some other tenants.

Oliver: Tenants – 承租人、房客。整栋建筑内大部分空间被瑞士保险公司占用。

Vicki: But there some areas of the building that are not just offices.

Insert

30 St Mary Axe is set in a pedestrian plaza with shops, restaurants, and bars. The plaza is open to the public, and is bordered by a landscaped garden. There is a gourmet restaurant on the 39th floor – the highest eating place in London. The 40th floor lounge bar offers 360degree panoramic views over London. Private dining rooms also available for hire. However, all the entertaining facilities are only available for corporate use.

Oliver: 瓦哦，我觉得我们应该去体验一下。在大楼的周围还有一圈公共地带，对了叫什么名字呢？Vicki？

Vicki: A plaza. It is a pedestrian area – so no vehicles are allowed. And it has a landscaped garden.

Oliver: 一座景观花园，什么人都可以去参观吗？

Vicki: Yes, it's open to the public.

Oliver: 在屋顶还有餐馆和酒吧，听起来不错，这可是伦敦最高的餐馆呢。

Vicki: Yes, the bar has 360 degree panoramic views.

Oliver: 360度全景 panoramic – 全景。

Vicki: So you can see the whole of London.

Oliver: 刚才我们听到描述餐馆的词儿是什么？

Vicki: Gourmet.

Oliver: 精制的，真想去那里吃东西。

Vicki: Ah, but I’m afraid you can't just go there – the restaurant and bar are only available for corporate use.

Oliver: 唉，太遗憾了，只对团体开放。让我们再听一次。

Vicki: In the programme today we're talking about a recently built famous building in London – known as the Gherkin tower.

Oliver: 因为它特别的形状为他带来了这么一个可爱的昵称，小黄瓜。

Vicki: Here are some interesting facts about the building for you. The building is all glass on the outside. That means there is 24000 sq metres of glass, equivalent to 5 football pitches.

Oliver: 能覆盖5个足球场面积的玻璃－24000平方米。

Vicki: Even though the building looks circular, there is only one piece of curved glass – at the very top.

Oliver: Curved – 曲面的。

Vicki: The Gherkin is 3 times as tall as Niagara Falls.

Oliver: 它的高度是尼亚加拉瀑布的三倍。

Vicki: And it was sold this year for ￡630 million!

Oliver: 天呢这可真是一栋高价建筑！

Vicki: Now, there's something else which is interesting about the building – it is very environmentally friendly.

Oliver: 环保的。

Insert

The building has energy-saving features which allow it to use half the power a similar tower would typically consume. Natural light floods interiors, reducing the amount of artificial lighting needed. Natural ventilation is assisted by the building’s aerodynamic form, reducing the need for conventional air-conditioning. The building is close to a variety of types of public transport, and they have a large number of cycle spaces in the basement to encourage people to ride their bikes.

Oliver: 也就是说，大楼在设计的时候就希望能够比同类的建筑更加节省能源。

Vicki: It has energy-saving features.

Oliver: 节省能源的设施, 就象自然光。

Vicki: Natural light.

Oliver: 这些都可以尽可能的使用自然光源，而减少使用人工光源。

Vicki: And the building is aerodynamic.

Oliver: 符合空气动力学原理的，就是它通过自然通风，而避免使用常规的空调设备。

Vicki: Conventional air-conditioning.

Oliver: 同时，也鼓励在这里工作的人们使用公共交通或者骑自行车代替自己开车上下班。

Vicki: So when you see a picture of the London skyline, look out for the Gherkin tower.

Oliver: 听你这么一说，我觉得这座建筑绝对值得去看看，哪怕不能进去呢。

Vicki: Well that's all we have time for today.

Oliver: 下次见。

Vicki: Goodbye!