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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.
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罗拉：本叔叔，紫禁城这个名字是怎么来的啊?
本杰明：这个嘛，在封建社会，帝王拥有至高无上的权利，那他的住处当然是禁地啦。
罗拉：他的住所?你是说这整个宫殿吗?
本杰明：是的。紫禁城分为两个部分。南部，或者叫外院是皇帝实施权力管理国家的地方，北部，或者叫内院是皇室的住所。
罗拉：哦，真难以置信，好奢华啊。
本杰明：甚至连整个国家都是属于他的。这就是为什么他被称为皇帝啊。
罗拉：好吧，嗯，我喜欢这些造型别致的塔，它们上面有很多精致的雕刻。真是艺术啊。
本杰明：是啊。紫禁城的建筑和设计达到了中国传统建筑的顶峰，不仅科学而且很适合居住。
罗拉：我同意。它真是智慧的成果。还有，为什么把那些小动物的雕塑放在建筑物顶部呢?
本杰明：有一些是吉祥物，还有一些则是权势的象征。
罗拉：为什么这里有这么多黄色的东西啊?在中国黄色是幸运的颜色吗?
本杰明：哦，不是的。实际上，黄色是皇族的象征。
罗拉：就像是龙的图案，对吗?
本杰明：没错。这个是九龙壁。
罗拉：哦，它真漂亮啊。我要在这里照一张照片。
本杰明：可以，一定会是一张很棒的照片。
经典背诵 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.
生词小结
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. 有结构的
artistic adj. 富于艺术想象力的，有艺术技巧的
sculpture n. 雕塑
fabulous adj. 极好的，绝妙的
词汇扩展 Vocabulary Builder
关于世界名胜的词汇
基础词汇
Big Ben 大本钟
Great Barrier Reef 大堡礁
Hyde Park 海德公园
Pyramids 金字塔
Sydney Opera House 悉尼歌剧院
the Leaning Tower of Pisa 比萨斜塔
the Louvre 卢浮宫
the Statue of Liberty 自由女神像
提高词汇
Mount Fuji 富士山
Niagara Falls 尼亚加拉大瀑布
Notre Dame 巴黎圣母院
Taj Mahal 泰姬陵
the Arch of Triumph 凯旋门
the Eiffel Tower 埃菲尔铁塔
the Parthenon Temple 巴台农神庙
Tower Bridge 伦敦塔桥
Do it together 家庭总动员
两人一组，一方随机大声读出上面词汇的中文和英文，另一方用该词汇填入下面的句子，大声朗读出来并将句子翻译成中文。
How did ( ) get this name?
[例] 家长读Pyramids 金字塔
孩子读How did Pyramids get this name? 金字塔这个名字是怎么来的?
