Rescue mission for crumbling Paris landmark 巴黎圣母院为修缮寻求捐助

学习要点

和“buildings 房屋”有关的词汇

边看边答

What is causing the masonry to crumble away?

文字稿

Outside on the roof above the back of the cathedral, this is the part of Notre Dame that visitors don't get to see. Fallen chunks of stoneware, gargoyles replaced by PVC pipes, a flying buttress held together by metal staples, a pinnacle in a brace.

在巴黎圣母院背后的屋顶上，这是游客无法看到的教堂一部分。落下的大块石器、被PVC排水管代替的滴水槽、由金属“订书针”固定的飞扶壁、由支架撑着的尖顶。

Slowly this jewel of Gothic architecture is becoming unstable.

慢慢地，这座哥特式建筑的瑰宝变得越来越不稳定。

This section over here is what they call the cemetery. These pieces are all bits of Gothic masonry which are in such bad repair, that they simply fell off.

这个部分是被他们称为“墓地”的地方。这些都是从这座急需修复的哥特式砖石建筑上掉下来的碎片。

The problem is pollution, combined with the cold and rain, which together are eating into the limestone. Eventually it crumbles away. 

问题是污染，再加上寒冷的天气和雨水，它们一起不断侵蚀着这些石灰岩。最终使其破碎。

The only solution is to replace the masonry block by block. But that is a massive job and the French state can't afford it.

唯一的办法是一块一块地替换这些砖石砌块。但工程浩大，法国政府负担不起这笔费用。

That's why the cathedral has launched an international plea for private funds, aimed principally at the U.S. On this very roof after all once cavorted the hunchback of Disney fame - oh yes, and the book.

这也正是巴黎圣母院向全球发起寻求私人捐助呼吁的原因，此呼吁主要针对美国。因为由迪士尼成功制作的动画《钟楼怪人》中的主人公正是在这个屋顶上欢声雀跃，是的，还有那本书。

Michel Picot, Head of fundraising
“Not begging, but asking for help is the best thing to do because it's not, it's not a French monument, it's not a Paris monument, it's a worldwide monument.”

米歇尔·皮科 筹款总监
“我们不是乞求，而是寻求帮忙，这是最好的方式，因为它不仅是一座法国的纪念碑，或巴黎的纪念碑，它是全世界的纪念碑。”

Time, the elements and the petrol engine have exacted a heavy toll on Notre Dame Cathedral.

时间、天气和汽油发动机对巴黎圣母院造成了严重的损坏。

Today the imaginative genius of its medieval craftsmen is being eroded into annihilation. Without urgent help, much more will be lost.

时至今日，中世纪工匠的想象力已经被侵蚀殆尽。如果没有紧急援助，损失的将会更多。

词汇

chunks
大块

flying buttress
（扶持墙壁的）飞扶壁

brace
支架

Gothic masonry
哥特式砖石建筑

crumbles
破裂

你知道吗？

The first stone of Notre Dame was laid in 1163 and it took 180 years to complete. Today the cathedral stands as a Gothic masterpiece.

盖建巴黎圣母院的第一块石头是在1163年铺设的，完成它花费了180年。今天，这座教堂是哥特式建筑杰出作品的代表。

问题答案

Pollution, combined with the cold and rain, are eating into the limestone, making it crumble.