Lesson 80 The Crystal Palace

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Perhaps the most extraordinary building of the nineteenth century was the Crystal Palace, which was built in Hyde Park for the Great Exhibition of 1851. The Crystal Palace was different from all other buildings in the world, for it was made of iron and glass. It was one of the biggest buildings of all time and a lot of people from many countries came to see it. A great many goods were sent to the exhibition from various parts of the world. There was also a great deal of machinery on display. The most wonderful piece of machinery on show was Nasmyth’s steam hammer. Though in those days, traveling was not as easy as it is today, steam boats carried thousands of visitors across the Channel from Europe. On arriving in England, they were taken to the Crystal Palace by train. There were six million visitors in all, and the profits from the exhibition were used to build museums and colleges. Later, the Crystal Palace was moved to South London. It remained one of the most famous buildings in the world until it was burnt down in 1936.

Words & Expressions

*museum, a museum is a building where a large number of interesting and valuable objects, such as works of art or historical items, are kept, studied, and displayed to the public.

The Palace Museum 故宫博物院

The British Museum 大英博物馆

Metropolitan Museum of Art 大都会艺术博物馆

American Museum of Natural History 美国自然历史博物馆

Guggenheim Museum 古根海姆博物馆（位于美国纽约）

Louvre Museum 卢浮宫

art museum 美术馆，美术博物馆；艺术博物馆

national museum 国家博物馆

history museum 历史博物馆

science museum 科学博物馆；科技馆；科学馆

military museum 军事博物馆

space museum 太空馆；太空博物馆

wax museum 蜡像馆

geological museum 地质博物馆

olympic museum 奥林匹克博物馆

museum guide/docent 讲解员

*docent ['dosənt], a voluntary worker who acts as a guide in a museum, art gallery, etc

*collection藏品

--collection of sculptures by Henry Moor

--collection of prints and paintings

*exhibit　[ɪɡ'zɪbɪt]　展览品

a public display of paintings, sculpture, or objects of interest in a museum or art gallery.

*curator [kjʊ'retɚ] 馆长，策展人

someone who is in charge of the objects or works of art in a museum or art gallery.

*mind blowing令人极度兴奋的；给人印象极深的

And really the innovation that will come out of designers being able to produce their ideas is going to be mind blowing.

pronunciation

exhibition /eksɪəbɪʃən/

extraordinary /ɪkstrɔːrdn-eri, ekstrəɔːr-/

machinery /məʃiːnəri/

palace /ˈpælɪəs/

感谢文的语音点评，记录如下：

iron /aɪərn/

wonderful /wʌndərfəl/

train /treɪn/ 放松，不要发成tree的音。

Lesson 80 The Crystal Palace Lesson 80 The Crystal Palace