The Monument (伦敦大火) 纪念碑

Sun Chen: 我是孙晨。每次在这个节目当中，我们都会给你介绍伦敦很有意思的地方。

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: 一座纪念碑，用来缅怀过去发生的事情。

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

Sun Chen: 要说起历史上的伦敦大火，我们是不是首先来说说这场大火是怎么回事儿呢？

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: 这场历史上的伦敦大火发生在350多年以前，几乎把半个伦敦城都给烧没了。伦敦大火在伦敦的历史上非常重要。而且到现在为止，孩子们还在传唱根据伦敦大火编成的儿歌。

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: 和很多纪念碑一样，这座纪念碑也是一个很高的石柱子。

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: 当你登上了这座纪念碑的碑顶，你就会看到一个金质的火球雕塑。

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

Sun Chen: To commemorate 这是一个正式用词。是用来纪念一个伟大的人，或者是一件伟大的事件。 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: 为兴建这座纪念碑，还专门成立了一个委员会。

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

Sun Chen: 这座纪念碑的兴建，还是一个合作项目。王室，当地区政府，和伦敦市政府在委员会里占有等同的人数。

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

Sun Chen: 在这两组当中，产生了两位著名的人士，他们就是 Christopher Wren 爵士和 Robert Hooke.

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

Sun Chen: 他是一个著名的建筑学家。

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

Sun Chen: 其实还有一座他的著名作品，就里这里不远。

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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. 他负责设计和监造了圣保罗大教堂。

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

Sun Chen: 哥特式风格 gothic style. 伦敦大火烧毁了以前的教堂。我们今天看到的圣保罗大教堂比大火以前的更大，更雄伟。不过你要是想从最好的角度看圣保罗大教堂，你就得好好做准备。

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, 这个平台高出地面61米，一共要爬311级台阶。

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: 我必须承认，你在纪念碑顶上看到的景色，绝对是无以伦比。

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: 你要是想知道我们英语教学的更多内容，别忘了登陆我们的网站 www.bbcchina.com.cn 然后点击英语教学。

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

Sun Chen: 我们下次节目再见！

Helen: Bye bye.