今年的元宵节，故宫首次在夜间开放。民众的参与热情很高，门票瞬间被抢光。而这次的故宫灯光秀也带来了一些争议。
The Forbidden City opens at night
by Lily Lee
For the first time in 94 years, Beijing's Palace Museum, commonly known as the Forbidden City, opened its doors to the public after dark – and with spectacular results. The special event, taking place February 19-20, forms part of Beijing's Lantern Festival celebration, which marks the end of the Lunar New Year holiday.
palace /ˈpælɪs/ n. 宫殿（Palace Museum指故宫博物院）
commonly /ˈkɒmənli/ adv. 通常、常常（由common加后缀-ly变成副词）
forbidden /fəˈbɪd(ə)n/ adj. 禁止的（Forbidden City就是紫禁城）
after dark 天黑之后
spectacular /spekˈtækjulə(r)/ adj. 引人入胜的、令人惊叹的
form /fɔːm/ v. 形成
lantern /ˈlæntən/ n. 灯笼（Lantern Festival就是元宵节）
celebration /ˌseləˈbreɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 庆祝活动（由celebrate加后缀-ion变成名词）
mark /mɑːk/ v. 标志着
lunar /ˈluːnə(r)/ adj. 月亮的（这里指阴历的）
The Forbidden City normally closes to tourists at around 4:30 p.m. in the winter and 5 p.m. in the summer. Until this week, few – save for VIP state guests, such as US President Donald Trump in 2017 – have been granted the privilege of seeing this incredible landmark at night.
normally /ˈnɔːməli/ adv. 正常情况下（由normal加后缀-ly变成副词）
save for = except for 除了
VIP = Very Important Person 贵宾
state /steɪt/ n. 国家、政府
grant /ɡrɑːnt/ v. 准许、给予
privilege /ˈprɪv(ə)lɪdʒ/ n. 特权、优待
incredible /ɪnˈkredəb(ə)l/ adj. 不可思议的
landmark /ˈlændmɑːk/ n. 地标、标志性建筑（由land和mark组成）
On Tuesday night, about 3,000 lucky visitors entered the Forbidden City's gates to take in the dramatic displays, which include lantern shows, symphony orchestra performances and projections of ancient Chinese paintings.
take in 观赏
dramatic /drəˈmætɪk/ adj. 戏剧性的、激动人心的
symphony /ˈsɪmfəni/ orchestra /ˈɔːkɪstrə/ 大型交响乐团
performance /pəˈfɔːməns/ n. 表演（由perform加后缀-ance变成名词）
projection /prəˈdʒekʃ(ə)n/ n. 投影
ancient /ˈeɪnʃ(ə)nt/ adj. 古代的
Among them was Zhang Zhifu, a 77-year-old public security volunteer who received a free ticket from the government as a token of gratitude for her volunteer work. "I grew up in Beijing and I visit the Forbidden City every year, but I've never got to see it at night until today," says Zhang.
public security 公共安全、治安
volunteer /ˌvɒlənˈtɪə(r)/ n. 志愿者
token /ˈtəʊk(ə)n/ n. 象征、表示
gratitude /ˈɡrætɪtjuːd/ n. 感谢
Holding a Chinese national flag in her hand, Zhang says she appreciates the government's gesture. "Not everyone can come. I heard it is extremely difficult to get the ticket. It is truly an honor to be granted this special privilege."
appreciate /əˈpriːʃieɪt/ v. 感谢、感激
gesture /ˈdʒestʃə(r)/ n. （表达情感或意图的）姿态
extremely /ɪkˈstriːmli/ adv. 极其（由extreme加后缀-ly变成副词）
truly /ˈtruːli/ adv. 真地（表示强调；由true加后缀-ly变成副词）
honor /ˈɒnə(r)/ n. 荣誉、光荣
"For 2,000 years there's been the tradition featuring lights during the Chinese Lantern Festival, which is an extension of the Lunar New Year," says Shan Jixiang, director of the Palace Museum.
tradition /trəˈdɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 传统
feature /ˈfiːtʃə(r)/ v. 以…为特色
extension /ɪkˈstenʃ(ə)n/ n. 延伸
"We want to pass on that tradition and light up the ancient architecture to give people more festival experiences. Tonight is a trial. If the feedback is positive, there will be more events like this."
pass on 传给下一代
light up 照亮
architecture /ˈɑːkɪtektʃə(r)/ n. 特色建筑
trial /ˈtraɪəl/ n. 试验（由try加后缀-al变成名词）
feedback /ˈfiːdbæk/ n. 反馈意见
positive /ˈpɒzətɪv/ adj. 正面的、好的
The feedback has been quick. Discussion of the Forbidden City's new look lit up social media following Tuesday's display. And, unsurprisingly, there's been some criticism, too.
look /lʊk/ n. 外观
social media 社交媒体
unsurprisingly /ʌnsəˈpraɪzɪŋli/ adv. 不令人奇怪地（由surprising加上表示否定的前缀un-变成unsurprising，再加后缀-ly变成副词）
criticism /ˈkrɪtɪsɪz(ə)m/ n. 批评
"I'm so disappointed. I had such high hope of the Palace Museum's aesthetical standard. The dazzling LED lights don't fit the atmosphere of the elegance of the Forbidden City," says one comment on Weibo.
aesthetical /esˈθetɪk(ə)l/ adj. 美学的、审美的
standard /ˈstændəd/ n. 标准、水准
dazzling /ˈdæz(ə)lɪŋ/ adj. 晃眼睛的、让人眼花缭乱的
atmosphere /ˈætməsfɪə(r)/ n. 气氛、氛围
elegance /ˈeləɡ(ə)ns/ n. 优雅、雅致
Completed in 1420, the Forbidden City was the home of emperors and served as the political center of China for over 500 years. Back in the day, celebrating the Lantern Festival in the Forbidden City was a tradition reserved for Imperial families.
emperor /ˈemp(ə)rə(r)/ n. 皇帝
serve as 做为、充当
political /pəˈlɪtɪk(ə)l/ adj. 政治的
reserve /rɪˈzɜːv/ v. 保留
imperial /ɪmˈpɪəriəl/ adj. 皇帝的
But concerns about protecting the landmark's ancient architecture – which is mostly made of wood – from fire hazards arose and the tradition died out. Festival organizers planning this year's Lantern Festival event are using LED lights rather than traditional paper lanterns and red candles.
concern /kənˈsɜːn/ n. 担心、担忧
hazard /ˈhæzəd/ n. 危险、危害
arise /əˈraɪz/ v. 出现、发生（arose是过去式）
die out 逐渐消失
organizer /ˈɔːɡ(ə)naɪzə(r)/ n. 组织者（由organize加上表示人的后缀-er）
traditional /trəˈdɪʃ(ə)n(ə)l/ adj. 传统的（由tradition加后缀-al变成形容词）
candle /ˈkænd(ə)l/ n. 蜡烛
Tickets for the tour – which were available free online – were snapped up almost immediately. The Palace Museum's official website temporarily crashed at midnight on Sunday due to the overload of visits.
snap up 抢购
official /əˈfɪʃ(ə)l/ adj. 官方的
temporarily /ˈtempr(ə)r(ə)li/ adv. 暂时地、短时间地（由temporary加后缀-ly变成副词）
crash /kræʃ/ v. （网站）崩溃
overload /ˈəʊvələʊd/ n. 超出负荷、过载（由load加上表示过度的前缀over-）
（如果您使用的是火狐浏览器，可能会发现某些行的最后一个单词被分成两半了，这是简书系统的Bug，换成Chrome或其他浏览器就能正常显示了。）
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