Diamond in the Desert(2) | 沙漠之钻——阿布扎比

by Jeremy Beacock

Ancient traditions mix with modern life in the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

阿拉伯联合大功国的首都阿布扎比有着新旧交杂的都市面貌。

Abu Dhabi has some of the most impressive buildings in the world. It has the eighth-largest mosque, the Sheikh Zayed Mosque, and the second most expensive hotel ever built, the nearly US$3 billion Emirates Palace. Now, the Capital Gate skyscraper, due for completion by the end of 2010, looks ready to become Abu Dhabi's first number one—the building with the furthest lean.

Capital Gate was designed by the international architectural firm RMJM. The building itself is a 35-story, 160-meter skyscraper. Floors two to 16 are comprised of office spaces, and from floor 18 onwards is a luxury business hotel, the Hyatt. What makes the building so special, though, is its amazing lean of 18 degrees, which is more than four times that of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

To pull off this impressive feat of engineering, the building was built story by story, each offset around a meter after the 12th floor. For support, it has a special steel frame in a grid-like pattern, and each element of the grid has its own shape. As a result, no two rooms in the building are identical. What's more, the design includes some unique features, like the Hyatt's 19th-floor outdoor swimming pool, which will have a 270-degree view of the surrounding city.

Although it won't be open until 2011, the Capital Gate's lean and its elegant curved lines have already made it one of Abu Dhabi's most iconic buildings. Even if you can't afford to stay at the hotel, it will surely become one of the city's must-see tourist attractions.

1.  Why is Abu Dhabi so appealing to visitors?

(A) It has a long architectural history.

(B) Many people love taking tours of its oil refineries.

(C) It is a very traditional city in the middle of a desert.

(D) It offers a combination of modern and traditional attractions.

2.  From the article, we can infer that _____.

(A) Abu Dhabi has a very small foreign population

(B) Abu Dhabi is very popular with tourists

(C) visiting Abu Dhabi is very expensive

(D) Abu Dhabi's main export is pearls

3.  What makes the Capital Gate unique?

(A) The fact that it leans.

(B) It has a pool with great views.

(C) It's one of the tallest buildings in the world.

(D) The architect that designed it also built the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

4.  Which sentence best summarizes the Day 2 article?

(A) Staying at the Capital Gate will be cheaper than at the Emirates Palace.

(B) A new addition to the Abu Dhabi skyline will be a sight to see.

(C) Water lovers will have a good time at the Hyatt Capital Gate.

(D) Abu Dhabi is in a race to build the world's tallest building.

阿布扎比拥有一些全球最令人印象深刻的建筑。它有第 8 大的清真寺『榭赫扎伊清真寺』，与有史以来造价第二昂贵的饭店『酋长皇宫饭店』，耗资几近 30 亿美金。现在，预计在 2010 年完工的『首都门摩天大楼』，看来已准备好成为阿布扎比第一个世界之最──角度最斜的建筑物。

首都门是由国际建设公司 RMJM 所设计。建物本身是35 层楼、160 公尺高的摩天大楼。二楼到 16 楼构成的是办公空间，而 18 楼以上则是豪华商业饭店『凯悦饭店』。然而，使这栋建筑如此特别的，是它 18 度的惊人倾斜角度，比比塞塔还斜了 4 倍以上。

为了成就这项惊人的工程创举，这栋建筑物是逐层建造而成，从第 12 层以后，每一层大约偏移一公尺。为了达到支撑效果，它有一个特别的格状钢铁结构，而且每个格子形状亦不相同。因此，大楼中没有两个房间是完全相同的。除此之外，这里的设计包含了某些独一无二的特色，像是凯悦饭店的 19 楼有个户外游泳池，拥有 270 度俯瞰城市周围的视野。

虽然首都门要到 2011 年才会开幕，但它凭着倾斜的角度与优雅的曲线，早已成为阿布扎比最具代表性的建筑之一。就算你负担不起在饭店里住一晚，它也必然会成为阿布扎比一个非去不可的观光景点。

答案：1. (D)　2. (C)　3. (A)　4. (B)

For Your Information

与阿拉伯联合大公国总统府仅一街之隔的『酋长皇宫饭店』，原本最初是设计来作为议会殿堂，后来才改建为饭店。酋长皇宫饭店的气派，可以说是从外观一路深入到饭店内的每个细节。穿过高耸的凯旋门，走进酋长皇宫饭店大厅，头顶上便是纯金打造的巨型圆顶。这座全世界最大的圆顶，是由 114 个大大小小的圆顶组合而成。除了黄金，更装饰以金、银色系的马赛克玻璃瓷砖，让这座巨型圆顶在灯光的辉映下，闪烁着耀眼光采。