Lions-and-Tigers-and-Bears-部分背景知识

Backgroundinformation

of

UNIT4

ContentBelvedereCastle(眺望台城堡)BelvedereCastle

isa

folly〔装饰性建筑〕

in

CentralPark

in

Manhattan,

NewYorkCity.Itcontainsexhibitroomsandanobservationdeck〔观测甲板〕,andsince1919,thefollyhasalsobeenthelocationoftheofficialCentralParkweatherstation.BelvedereCastlewasdesignedby

FrederickLawOlmsted

and

CalvertVaux

inthelate1800s.Anarchitecturalhybrid〔建筑混合〕of

Gothic〔哥特式〕

and

Romanesque〔罗马式〕

styles,Vaux‘sdesigncalledforamoreweightyManhattan

schist〔片岩〕

and

granite〔花岗岩〕structurewithacornertowerwithconicalcap〔锥形顶〕,withtheexistinglookoutoverparapetwalls〔矮护墙〕betweenthem.ToreducecostsitwasrevisedinNovember1870,andcompletedunderthenew

TammanyHall〔坦慕尼协会〕regimeasanopenpainted-wood〔烤漆的〕pavilion.Belvederemeans“beautifulview”or“panoramic〔全景的〕view"inItalian.Henrylucenatureobservatory〔亨利.鲁斯自然观测中心〕NamedforphilanthropistHenryLuce(founderofTimeMagazine)theNatureObservatoryishousedinsideoneoftheparksmostbeautifulbuildings,BelvedereCastle.TheCastlealsohousestheCentralParkcenteroftheNationalWeatherBureau.EveryminutethecurrentclimateconditionsaresenttotheweathercenteratBrookhaven,LongIsland.HenrylucenatureobservatoryisawonderfuleducationalsitethatteachesvisitorsaboutnatureandwildlifeinCentralParkinNewYork.Climbingupanddownthenarrow,windingstaircases〔螺旋式楼梯〕ofBelvedereCastle,guestscanseeallthatthissmallObservatoryhastooffer,includingmicroscopes〔显微镜〕,telescopes〔望远镜〕,andDiscoverykits〔发现包〕completewithbinoculars〔双筒望远镜〕,maps,andpaperforjottingdown〔草草记下〕findingsinthepark.ShakespeareGardenShakespearegardens,createdoutofreverenceforthebard,canbefoundthroughoutmanylocationsinboththeUSandBritain.Ofthesegardens,oneofthemostfamousisthatfoundinCentralPark,whereitislocatedontheWestSideoftheparkand79thstreet.WhathadformerlybeenknownastheGardenoftheHeartwas,in1916,renamedtheShakespeareGardentomarkthe300thanniversaryofWilliamShakespeare‘sdeath.FollowinginthetraditionofalreadyestablishedShakespeareGardens,theGardenwasfilledwiththebeautifulplantsandflowersmentionedintheworksoftheplaywright.Thelush〔葱茏的〕CentralParkwoodland,knownastheRamble,iscomposedof38acresofwindingpathwaysbetween73rdand78thstreets.TheRamble〔林中漫步〕DescribedbyFrederickLawOlmstedasa“wildgarden”,theRamble‘smaze〔迷宫〕oftrailsamidstitsabundantflora〔植物群〕andfauna〔动物群〕contrastsspectacularlywiththeformalityofnearbyattractions,suchastheBethesdaTerrace〔毕士大平台〕.TheRambleisoftennotedforitsbirdwatchingopportunities,wherebirdwatcherscancatchaglimpseofsomeoftheapproximately230speciesfoundinthewoods.VisitorscanstoptotakealookattheGill,theman-madestreamthat