The Monument (倫敦大火) 紀念碑

Sun Chen: 我是孫晨。每次在這個節目當中，我們都會給你介紹倫敦很有意思的地方。

Helen: London is famous for many of its sights and historical buildings: Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the Tower of London, to name but a few.

Sun Chen: But where are you taking us today?

Helen: Today we're visiting a monument, which you may not have heard of but is well worth a visit.

Sun Chen: 一座紀念碑，用來緬懷過去發生的事情。

Helen: And this one is rather tall. We are at the Monument to the Great Fire of London.

Sun Chen: 要說起歷史上的倫敦大火，我們是不是首先來說說這場大火是怎么回事兒呢？

Helen: Sure. In 1666, there was a huge fire in the city and nearly half of London was destroyed. According to records, the fire burned for days and it was absolutely devastating for everyone living in the city.

Sun Chen: 這場歷史上的倫敦大火發生在350多年以前，幾乎把半個倫敦城都給燒沒了。倫敦大火在倫敦的歷史上非常重要。而且到現在為止，孩子們還在傳唱根據倫敦大火編成的兒歌。

Helen: Now let's focus on the Monument. Our guide today is James Clare. He is the Historic Buildings Architect for the City of London.

Sun Chen: So what can James tell us about this monument?

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It's a tall stone column and there are stairs inside that you can climb and view London from the top. Just above that viewing platform, there is a golden ball of fire that commemorates the Great Fire of London in 1666.

Sun Chen: 和很多紀念碑一樣，這座紀念碑也是一個很高的石柱子。

Helen: It's a tall stone column and there are stairs inside which allow people to climb up and view London from the top.

Sun Chen: 當你登上了這座紀念碑的碑頂，你就會看到一個金質的火球雕塑。

Helen: That's to commemorate the Great Fire of London.

Sun Chen: To commemorate 這是一個正式用詞。是用來紀念一個偉大的人，或者是一件偉大的事件。 So when was the Monument built and who built it?

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It was started in 1671 and finished in 1677. There was a Commission set up jointly between the government, which was the Crown, and the City of London, and they had equal representation on that committee. The leader for the Crown was Sir Christopher Wren and the leader for the City was Robert Hooke.

Helen: So the monument was built eleven years after the Great Fire of London and the construction project lasted six years.

Sun Chen: 為興建這座紀念碑，還專門成立了一個委員會。

Helen: A commission was set up between the government and the City of London.

Sun Chen: 這座紀念碑的興建，還是一個合作項目。王室，當地區政府，和倫敦市政府在委員會里占有等同的人數。

Helen: A committee, a small group of people chosen to make decisions on behalf of a larger group.

Sun Chen: 在這兩組當中，產生了兩位著名的人士，他們就是 Christopher Wren 爵士和 Robert Hooke.

Helen: Sir Christopher Wren was a very very famous architect.

Sun Chen: 他是一個著名的建筑學家。

Helen: And some of his other buildings are popular tourist attractions today.

Sun Chen: 其實還有一座他的著名作品，就里這里不遠。

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Yes, he designed and supervised St. Paul's Cathedral, the new cathedral in the classical form which replaced the old Gothic cathedral which had been destroyed in the Great Fire. And you can get a good view of St. Paul's from the top of the Monument.

Sun Chen: Well, that’s impressive work from Christopher Wren. 他負責設計和監造了圣保羅大教堂。

Helen: The old St Paul's Cathedral was in the old Gothic style. It was destroyed in the Great Fire of London.

Sun Chen: 哥特式風格 gothic style. 倫敦大火燒毀了以前的教堂。我們今天看到的圣保羅大教堂比大火以前的更大，更雄偉。不過你要是想從最好的角度看圣保羅大教堂，你就得好好做準備。

Helen: Absolutely, we did say there are stairs...

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Well, it's over 200 feet tall, that's about 61 metres and there are 311 steps to the viewing platform.

Helen: 311 steps.

Sun Chen: Wow, 這個平臺高出地面61米，一共要爬311級臺階。

Helen: So you'd better be prepared, there's no lift service and there's not likely to be one in the future.

Sun Chen: 我必須承認，你在紀念碑頂上看到的景色，絕對是無以倫比。

Helen: And here's what some of the visitors thought of their visit.

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Man: It's a really amazing view, and it's really nice, we have a perfect view over the whole city and I really enjoy it.

Woman: It's really cool, I can't say any more. You must be here and see it, all the city.

Sun Chen: They've really enjoyed themselves, haven't they?

Helen: Well, that's it for today's On the Town from BBC Learning English.

Sun Chen: 你要是想知道我們英語教學的更多內容，別忘了登陸我們的網站 www.bbcchina.com.cn 然后點擊英語教學。

Helen: That's it, so see you next time!

Sun Chen: 我們下次節目再見！

Helen: Bye bye.