现代大学英语听力第四册Unit 07.doc

Unit 7 Task 1: 【答案】【原文】The Temple of Heaven is situated in the southern part of Beijing, about 6 kilometres away from the centre of the city. Traditionally, this temple was for imperial use only. It was built in 1420, covering an area of 273 hectares. It is one of the largest parks in Beijing. The Temple of Heaven was the place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshipped heaven and prayed for good harvests. The emperors visited the temple three times a year: on the 8th day of the first lunar month to pray for a good harvest; during the Summer Solstice to pray for rain; and during Winter Solstice to give thanks for a good harvest. During each ceremony, the emperors worshipped heaven and prayed for a good harvest. In addition, the emperors also worshipped their ancestors and other natural phenomena such as the Cloud God, Rain God and Wind God. In imperial days, the Chinese people believed that the sky was circular and the earth was square. On the basis of this traditional concept, the circle was widely adopted in the design of the temples main building. It is in accord with peoples imagination of heaven. During past ceremonies each year, the emperor left the Forbidden City through the front gate for the Temple of Heaven. No common people or foreigners were allowed to watch the emperor s procession to the temple. They had to remain hidden behind closed doors and windows. No women, not even the empress, were allowed to take part in the procession. Task 2: 【答案】【原文】 Until the construction of the Sears tower in Chicago and the World Trade Center in lower Manhattanthe Empire State Building was for 40 years the tallest building in the world, standing 102 stories and 1,454 feet tall, including a 222 feet television antenna. The unusual structure of the Empire State Building, built in just 410 days during the depths of the Depression, was planned during the boom years of the 1920s and completed in May 1931. The building cost 40,000,000 dollars and wa