全球最大的天文馆

河北 胡金莹

上海天文馆是迄今为止世界上最大的天文馆，整个设计中没有直线或直角，与宇宙的几何结构和天体运行的轨道相呼应。上海天文馆的倒置玻璃穹顶，让游客有机会看到开阔的夜空，身临其境地领略星空的奥秘。

题材科学体裁说明文文章词数354难度★★★建议用时7分钟

1The world's largest astronomy museum has opened in Shanghai, and its complex shape has been designed to reflect the geometry of the universe.With no straight lines or right angles used throughout, the structure is instead formed from three overlapping arcs (弧形) that mean the orbits of celestial bodies(天体).

2The 420,000-square-foot Shanghai Astronomy Museum, designed by US firm Ennead Architects, houses exhibitions, a planetarium, an observatory and a 78-foot-tall solar telescope.“We really thought that we could use the architecture to bring incredible effects to this whole experience,”said lead designer Thomas J.Wong.

3By straight walls supporting arcing lines, Wong and his team hoped to show that everything in the universe is in constant motion and governed by a series of forces.In Wong's design, the universe's riddle translates into three arcing shapes, which refer to the sun, the moon and stars respectively.Each houses an important visitor attraction or design function.

4Visitors first encounter the skylight, which opens up above the museum's main entrance.It acts as a timepiece,producing a circle of sunlight that travels across the floor throughout the day,indicating the passing time and season.Next comes the planetarium theater, which is enclosed in a sphere and rises from the building's roof like a moonrise.The under part of the massive structure appears to float weightlessly,with room to walk beneath. Lastly, a vast inverted glass dome on the roof's top gives visitors the chance to view the open night sky,which is described as a real encounter with the universe to conclude the simulated experience within.

5“We want people to understand the special nature of the Earth as a place that hosts life,unlike any other place that we know of in the universe,”Wong said.

6With offices in both the US and China, Ennead Architects is also responsible for the famous Rose Center for Earth and Space at the American Museum of Natural History.Wong said there is a connection between the two buildings.The Rose Center is regarded as a cosmic cathedral and it is very appropriate to the experience at the Shanghai Astronomy Museum.

Reading Check

Choose the best answers according to the text

Language Study

Ⅰ.Analyze the difficult sentence in the text

It acts as a timepiece, producing a circle of sunlight that travels across the floor throughout the day,indicating the passing time and season.它相当于一个时钟，日间，阳光散布在地板上，形成一个圆形光斑，光斑在地板上移动，显示着时间和季节的流逝。

【点石成金】本句中producing a circle of sunlight...为非谓语动词作伴随状语，it 和produce 之间构成逻辑上的主谓关系；that travels across the floor throughout the day 为that 引导的定语从句，that 在句中作主语，指代先行词a circle of sunlight；indicating the passing time and season为非谓语动词作结果状语。

Ⅱ.Memorize some text-centered chunks

in constant motion 不断运动

a series of forces 一系列力量

refer to 指的是

act as 充当；担当

a circle of 一圈

be described as 被描述成

be responsible for 对……负责

be regarded as...被看作……

be appropriate to 适合……