(九下)Unit 2 Great people
A
贝聿铭,著名的土木专家和建筑师,出生于广东广州,祖籍是江苏苏州。他应邀设计的卢浮宫扩建工程是其一生建筑事业的最高成就。
Ieoh Ming Pei is one of the best-known architects of the 20th century. Born in China, Pei moved to the United States in 1935 to study architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University.
Pei's works around the world include museums, government buildings, hotels, schools and other structures built with stone, steel and glass. One of his best-known and most disputed works was built 30 years ago. Pei created a new entrance for the world-famous Louvre Museum in Paris. Pei first spent four months studying the museum and French history. He then drew plans for a 21-metre-tall steel and glass pyramid, with three smaller pyramids nearby. It was a very futuristic style of work for the 12th-century building.
A French newspaper criticized Pei's pyramids as "an annex to Disneyland". An environmental group said they belonged in a desert. Others accused Pei of ruining one of the world's greatest landmarks.
Pei said the Louvre was the most difficult job of his career. He argued that he had wanted to create a modern space that would not take away from the traditional part of the museum. He said the glass pyramids were based on the works of French landscape architect Le Notre. They honoured French history.
The pyramids opened in the spring of 1989. Over the years that followed, the structure came to be loved by most, if not all, of its critics.
Other well-known Pei buildings include the National Centre for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, the East Building of the National Gallery of Art in Washington and the Dallas City Hall in Texas.
Pei officially retired in 1990. However, he continued to work on projects—including museums in Luxembourg, Qatar and his ancestral home of Suzhou.
WORD BOX ＞＞
| disputed | [dɪ'spjuːtɪd] | adj. 有争议的 | pyramid | ['pɪrəmɪd] | n. 锥体 |
| :------- | :------------ | :------------ | :------ | :---------- | :------ |
| futuristic | [ˌfjuːtʃə'rɪstɪk] | adj. 极其现代的 | annex | [ə'neks] | n. 附加物 |
| accuse | [ə'kjuːz] | vt. 谴责 | architect | ['ɑːkɪtekt] | n. 建筑师 |
| retire | [rɪ'taɪə(r)] | vi. 退休 | ancestral | [æn'sestrəl] | adj. 祖先 |
COMPREHENSION CHECK UP ＞＞
Choose the best answer according to the passage.
() 1. What is TRUE about the entrance created by Pei for the Louvre Museum?
A. Pei spent four mouths drawing plans for it.
B. There are four pyramids in total.
C. It's in a style of the 12th century.
D. It took 30 years to complete the work.
() 2. What can we infer from Pei's words in paragraph 4?
A. The glass pyramids were originally designed by Le Notre.
B. The glass pyramids were based on the French landscape.
C. The glass pyramids were in harmony with the Louvre.
D. The glass pyramids reflected both French and Chinese styles.
() 3. What was most people's attitude towards Pei's pyramids years after its opening?
A. Indifferent. B. Puzzled. C. Critical. D. Favourable.
() 4. What do we know about Pei according to the passage?
A. He was hard-working, optimistic and easy-going.
B. He spread Chinese traditional architecture to the world.
C. He created many great works both in China and other countries.
D. He was the most outstanding architect of the 20th century.