We’ve been discussing the factors the architect has to consider when designing domestic buildings. I’m going to move on now to consider the design of public buildings, and I’ll illustrate this by referring to the new Taylor Concert Hall that’s recently been completed here in the city.
So, as with a domestic building, when designing a public building, an architect needs to consider the function of the building – for example, is it to be used primarily for entertainment, or for education, or for administration? The second thing the architect needs to think about is the context of the building, this includes its physical location obviously, but it also includes the social meaning of the building how it relates to the people it’s built for 【Q31】. And finally, for important public buildings, the architect may also be looking for a central symbolic idea on which to base the design, a sort of metaphor for the building and the way in which it is used.
Let’s look at the new Taylor Concert Hall in relation to these ideas. The location chosen was a site in a run-down district that has been ignored in previous redevelopment plans. It was occupied by a factory that had been empty for some years 【Q32】. The whole area was some distance from the high-rise office blocks of the central business district and shopping centre, but it was only one kilometre from the ring road. The side itself was bordered to the north by a canal 【Q33】 which had once been used by boats bringing in raw materials when the area was used for manufacturing.
The architect chosen for the project was Tom Harrison. He found the main design challenge was the location of the site in an area that had no neighbouring buildings of any importance. To reflect the fact that the significance of the building in this quite run-down location was as yet unknown, he decided to create a building centred around the idea of a mystery – something whose meaning still has to be discovered.
So how was this reflected in the design of the building? Well, Harrison decided to create pedestrian access to the building and to make use of the presence of water on the site. As people approach the entrance, they therefore have to cross over a bridge 【Q34】. He wanted to give people a feeling of suspense as they see the building first from a distance, and then close-up, and the initial impression he wanted to create from the shape of the building as a whole was that of a box 【Q35】. The first side that people see, the southern wall, is just a high, flat wall uninterrupted by any windows. This might sound off-putting, but it supports Harrison’s concept of the building – that the person approaching is intrigued and wonders what will be inside. And this flat wall also has another purpose. At night-time, projectors are switched on and it functions as a huge screen, onto which images are projected. 【Q36】
The auditorium itself seats 1500 people. The floor’s supported by ten massive pads. These are constructed from rubber 【Q37】, and so are able to absorb any vibrations from outside and prevent them from affecting the auditorium. The walls are made of several layers of hony-coloured wood, all sourced from local beech trees. In order to improve the acoustic properties of the auditorium and to amplify the sound, they are not straight, they are curved 【Q38】. The acoustics are also adjustable according to the size of orchestra and the type of music being played. In order to achieve this, there are nine movable panels in the ceiling above the orchestra which are all inpidually motorized, and the walls also have curtains which can be opened or closed to change the acoustics. 【Q39】
The reaction of the public to the new building has generally been positive. However, the evaluation of some critics has been less enthusiastic. In spite of Harrison’s efforts to use local materials, they criticise the style of the design as being international rather than local 【Q40】, and say it doesn’t reflect features of the landscape or society for which it is built.
Complete the notes below.
Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
听前预测：定位词 context；提示词 physical。此处应填形容词。
题目解析：本题的定位词 context 在句中提前出现，“The second thing the architect needs to think about is the context of the building, this includes its physical location, obviously, but it also includes the social meaning of the building, how it relates to the people it’s built for.”接着限定词 physical 被 physical location 同义替换了，虽然听力原文提到的是 social meaning，但这里需要填形容词，因此答案为 social。
听前预测：定位词 site；提示词 disused。此处应填名词。
题目解析：本题的定位词先出现在前边的句子中，“The location chosen was a site in a run-down district that has been ignored in previous redevelopment plans.”然后再提及答案以及提示词，“It was occupied by a factory that had been empty for some years.” 其中提示词 disused 被 had been empty 同义替换。因此答案为 factory。
听前预测：提示词 beside。此处应填名词。
题目解析：本题容易漏听。“The site itself was bordered to the north by a canal which had once been used by boats bringing in raw materials when the area was used for manufacturing.”本题在判断的时候应该确定是一个地点类的名词，所以听到原文中的 site 的时候应该注意，其中提示词 beside 被 was bordered to 同义替换了，所以本题答案为 canal。
听前预测：定位词 building design、pedestrians；提示词 approached。此处应填名词。
题目解析：33 题到 34 题的信息点过渡偏长，但是可以通过小标题定位“So how was this reflected in the design of the building?”定位词 pedestrians 提前出现在句中“Well, Harrison decided to create pedestrian access to the building and to make use of the presence of water on the side”。提示词在听力原文以主动语态出现（题目是被动语态）“As people approach the entrance, they therefore have to cross over a bridge.”答案出现在提示词 approach 后面，因此答案为 bridge。
听前预测：定位词 building、shape。此处应填名词。
题目解析：本题定位词 building 先出现“He wanted to give people a feeling of suspense as they see the building first from a distance, and then close-up”，然后定位词 shape 和答案出现在同一句中“and the initial impression he wanted to create from the shape of the building as a whole was that of a box.”因此答案为 box。
听前预测：定位词 exterior wall；提示词 acts as、large。此处应填名词。
题目解析：本题的定位词 exterior wall 在原文中被同义替换为 flat wall uninterrupted by any windows，“The first side that people see, the southern wall, is just a high, flat wall uninterrupted by any windows”，接着提示词出现“And this flat wall also has another purpose. At night-time, projectors are switched on and it functions as a huge screen, onto which images are projected.” 其中 functions as 同义替换了 acts as，huge 同义替换了 large，因此答案为 screen。
听前预测：定位词 floor、pads；提示词 built、made of。此处应填名词。
题目解析：本题的定位词、提示词和答案在同句中出现“The floor’s supported by ten massive pads. These are constructed from rubber”，其中 supported 同义替换了 built，constructed from 同义替换了 made of，因此答案为 rubber。
听前预测：定位词 walls、local wood；提示词 are。此处应填形容词。
题目解析：本题的定位词先出现在听力原文句中“The walls are made of several layers of honey-colored wood, all sourced from local beech trees”，其中 honey colored wood, all sourced from local beech trees 同义替换了 local wood，接着提示词出现，“In order to improve the acoustic properties of the auditorium and to amplify the sound、they are not straight, they are curved”，其中 straight 为干扰，题目中并没有否定词 not，所以答案应为 curved。
听前预测：定位词 celling panels、walls、adjustment；提示词 and。此处应填名词。
题目解析：本题的定位词和答案同时出现“In order to achieve this, there are nine movable panels in the ceiling above the orchestra which are all inpidually motorized, and the walls also have curtains which can be opened or closed to change the acoustics.”其中定位词 adjustment 被 can be opened or closed 同义替换了，答案出现在提示词 and 后面，所以答案为 curtains。
听前预测：定位词 some critics、style。此处应填形容词。
题目解析：定位词和答案同时出现在本句中“However, the evaluation of some critics has been less enthusiastic. In spite of Harrison’s efforts to use local materials, they criticise the style of the design as being international rather than local.”其中本句中出现了 A rather than B 的结构，肯定的是 A 否定的是 B，所以这里的 local 一词为干扰，因此答案为 international。
