Luis國際資訊事務所

　　More than 2,000 years after it was built, the Pantheon has stood the test of time. Its un-reinforced concrete dome has been influential to designers since its completion. In Italy 1,000 years after the Pantheon was finished, workers spent a century building the most magnificent cathedral they could, but there was one main problem: there was no roof and no one knew how to build one. The designer drew inspiration from the Pantheon, but there was no mixture of concrete at the time. Instead, bricks were the only material available to him. Eventually, the designer came up with an ingenious feat without using any scaffolding, and the dome of the Florence Cathedral still stands today as a testament to this engineering.
　　A more recently built dome is the Houston Astrodome, which was renowned as an architectural triumph in 1965. The main reasons for its praise were its lightweight roof and Astroturf—a new term for artificial grass. Nearly 30 years later, engineers were very concerned about public safety when it came to fires in crowded places. The Georgia Dome included an advanced ventilation system that could suck smoke out in case of an emergency when it became the home of the Atlanta Falcons in 1992. But what do all these domes have in common? They have all greatly influenced the Oita Dome in Japan.
　　The Oita Dome is the pinnacle of structural engineering as the largest freestanding dome in the world. It has taken bits and pieces of each structure mentioned and combined them to make the dome of the future. The roof spans 274 meters, and the stadium can seat 43,000 fans. If the weather changes, one click of a switch and the dome closes so that the sporting event and its spectators won't be affected. This month, the National Geographic Channel goes inside the Oita Dome and learns the incredible story behind it with Big Bigger Biggest 2: Dome.

1. What was the biggest problem with the Florence Cathedral?
(A) No building that big had ever been built.
(B) There weren't enough workers to finish it.
(C) No one knew how to make a roof with brick.
(D) It wasn't nearly as big as the Pantheon.

2. Which material was NOT mentioned in the passage?
(A) Fake grass.
(B) Concrete.
(C) Wood.
(D) Brick.
3. The Houston Astrodome _____.
(A) came up with a new name for fake grass
(B) was completed after the Georgia Dome
(C) had many fires, so they installed a new ventilation system
(D) had a very heavy roof
4. What can you do with one click of a switch at the Oita Dome?
(A) Turn all the lights on.
(B) Close the dome and protect everyone from bad weather.
(C) Allow more people to come in.
(D) Make fans see more clearly.

1. dome n. 圓屋頂
2. Pantheon n. 眾神廟，萬神廟
3. concrete n. 混凝土
4. completion n. 完成
5. cathedral n. 大教堂
6. mixture n. 混合物
7. brick n. 磚塊
8. ingenious a. 製作精巧的
9. feat n. 功績
10. scaffolding n. 鷹架
11. architectural a. 建築的
12. lightweight a. 重量輕的
13. Astroturf n. 人工草皮
14. artificial a. 人工的
15. ventilation n. 通風
16. falcon n. 獵鷹
17. pinnacle n. 顛峰；最高點
18. structural a. 結構的；建築上的
19. freestanding a. 獨立式的
20. stadium n. 體育場
21. seat vt. 容納
22. click n. 喀嚓聲
23. switch n. 開關
24. spectator n. 觀眾
25. fake a. 假的
26. install vt. 安裝

精解字詞片語
1. stand the test of time　　經得起時間的考驗
例: The works of Shakespeare have stood the test of time.
（莎士比亞的作品歷久不衰。）

2. un-reinforced a. 未經補強的
reinforce vt. 補強；加強
例: The construction workers reinforced the supports of the bridge to prevent it from collapsing.
（那些建築工人補強橋樑的支柱以防止它崩塌。）
例: Those new findings reinforced the scientist's theory.
（這些新發現更加確定了該科學家的理論。）

3. influential a. 有影響力的
例: Ed is an influential man. The products he recommends always become bestsellers.
（艾德是個很有影響力的人。他推薦的產品總是大賣。）

4. magnificent a. 壯麗的，宏偉的
例: The magnificent castle is worth visiting.
（那座壯觀的城堡值得一看。）

5. inspiration n. 靈感
draw inspiration from...　　從……得到靈感
例: Lynn drew inspiration from the sunsets to write her poetry.
（琳恩從落日得到寫詩的靈感。）

6. available a. 可得到的
例: Vegetarian meals are available in this restaurant.
（這家餐廳有提供素食餐點。）

7. come up with...　　想出……
例: Our class came up with several new ideas for the school play.
（我們班想到了一些關於校劇演出的新點子。）

8. testament n. 證明；證據（常與介詞 to 並用）
例: Joe's success is a testament to his years of hard work.
（喬的成功是他經年累月努力的見證。）

9. be renowned as + 身分　　以某身分為人所知
= be famous as + 身分
be renowned for...　　以……（事物）聞名
= be famous for...
例: Harry is renowned as a fabulous pianist.
（哈利是琴藝高超的知名鋼琴家。）
例: Sarah is renowned for her great singing ability.
（莎拉以歌唱得好聞名。）

10. be concerned about...　　關切∕擔憂……
例: I'm concerned about Nick's health.
（我很擔心尼克的健康狀況。）

11. When it comes to + N/V-ing, S + V　　說到∕談到……，……
例: When it comes to cooking, Lisa is a pro.
（說到烹飪，麗莎可是個專家。）

12. emergency n. 緊急情況
in case of (an) emergency　　在緊急狀況時
例: You can contact Jim in case of an emergency.
（遇到緊急狀況時，你可以聯絡吉姆。）

13. have...in common　　在……方面有共通點
例: Though Tim and Tom are twins, they have nothing in common.
（雖然提姆和湯姆是雙胞胎，卻無任何共同點。）

14. combine vt. 使結合
combine A with B　　結合 A 和 B
例: A hybrid car combines the use of gasoline and electric power and thus saves energy.
（油電混合車結合汽油及電力的使用，因此可以節能。）
＊ hybrid a. 混合而成的

15. span vt.（空間）橫跨；（時間）涵蓋
例: The US spans about 3,000 miles from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.
（美國從大西洋到太平洋橫跨約 3,000 英里。）

16. protect A from B　　保護 A 免於∕遠離 B
例: You can't always protect your children from trouble.
（你無法一直保護你的小孩讓他們遠離麻煩。）

　　兩千多年前興建的萬神廟歷經時間的考驗。未經強化的水泥圓屋頂從完工後，就一 直影響後世的設計師。萬神廟完工後的一千年，義大利的工人極其所能，花了一世紀建造最雄偉的大教堂，然而卻有個最主要的問題，就是缺少屋頂，而沒有人知道 該怎麼建。設計師從萬神廟獲得靈感，但是當時並沒有混凝土，他僅有磚頭這種材料。最後設計師想到一個不需任何支架的巧妙壯舉，讓佛羅倫斯大教堂的圓屋頂至 今仍屹立不搖，成為這門工程學的見證。
　　更近期所興建的圓頂建築有休士頓巨蛋體育館，這是 1965 年著名的建築成就，其令人讚賞的原因主要在於輕盈的屋頂和 Astroturf（人工草皮的新名稱）。將近 30 年後，工程師很注重擁擠地區的消防公安問題。喬治亞巨蛋體育館自 1992 年成為亞特蘭大獵鷹隊的主場體育館，它內建先進的通風系統，能在緊急情況發生時將煙霧排出。然而這些巨蛋有什麼共通點呢？它們都對日本大分巨蛋產生極大的 影響。
　　大分巨蛋是結構工程的巔峰之作，是全世界最大的獨立圓頂建築。它集合前述建築的各個特點，造就了未來世界的圓頂。屋頂寬達 274 公尺，體育場內可容納 4 萬 3 千名球迷。天氣轉壞時，只要切換開關，屋頂就能關上，不會影響到賽事和觀眾。本月分國家地理頻道的《超大建築狂想曲：大分體育場》將帶您走進大分巨蛋，了 解背後奇妙的故事。

1. 佛羅倫斯大教堂最大的問題是什麼？
(A) 如此大型的建築從未被建造過。
(B) 工人不足，無法完工。
(C) 沒有人會用磚頭建造屋頂。
(D) 遠不及萬神廟的規模。
題解: 根據本文第一段，義大利的工人在建造佛羅倫斯大教堂時，一直有個問題無法解決，那就是沒有人知道如何建屋頂，直到設計師從萬神廟獲得靈感，利用磚頭這種現有的材料，最後終於建造完成，可知 (C) 應為正選。

2. 哪一種材料沒有在文章裡提到？
(A) 人工草皮。
(B) 混凝土。
(C) 木材。
(D) 磚塊。
題解: 本文第一段提到萬神廟的水泥圓屋頂，和佛羅倫斯大教堂的磚頭屋頂；第二段提到休士頓巨蛋體育館的人工草皮，僅 (C) 選項的木頭材料未提及，故選之。

3. 休士頓巨蛋體育館 _____。
(A) 提出人工草皮的新名稱
(B) 在喬治亞巨蛋後建成
(C) 經歷多場火災，因此裝設新的通風系統
(D) 有沉重的屋頂
題解: 根據本文第二段，建於 1965 年的休士頓巨蛋體育館有輕盈的屋頂和 Astroturf（人工草皮的新名稱），可知應選 (A)，其餘選項在文中皆未提及。

4. 在大分巨蛋按下開關有什麼作用？
(A) 打開所有燈光。
(B) 關閉屋頂，使大家不受壞天氣影響。
(C) 讓更多人進場。
(D) 讓球迷看得更清楚。
題解: 根據本文第三段，天氣轉壞時，只要切換大分巨蛋的開關，屋頂就能關上，不會影響到賽事和觀眾，故選 (B)。

標準答案: 1. (C)　2. (C)　3. (A)　4. (B)