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Tales From the Opera House 巴黎歌剧院传奇

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Attempt to Assassinate the Emperor Fails  刺杀君王未遂               Paris, France: Jan. 15, 1858

Last night, an attempt to assassinate NapoleonⅢ as he rode in his carriage to the Paris Opera House killed at least eighty people and wounded scores more, The Emperor and his wife escaped without incident. The Emperor has announced he is now hosting a competition to design an opera house where elite guests can enter secretly. Two hundred architects are expected to submit plans.

昨夜拿破仑三世在乘坐马车前往巴黎歌剧院途中遭人意图刺杀，结果造成至少八十人死亡及更多人受伤。拿破仑三世及其夫人则逃过一劫。拿破仑三世于是宣布举办一项竞赛，要设计一座能让贵宾秘密入内的歌剧院。预计将有两百位建筑师提出设计图。

Charles Garnier, an unknown architect then, won the competition with his monumental neo-baroque design. His opera house stands seven stories high, covers three acres of land, and can seat two thousand people. Upper floors are noted for their opulence and classical grace: underground floors for a labyrinth of rooms and tunnels. Oddly, there is also a lake lying at the very bottom.

一位没没无名的建筑师查尔‧加尼叶以其具代表性的新巴洛克式设计赢得征选。他设计的歌剧院楼高七层，占地七英亩，且可容纳两千名观众。地上楼层以豪华及典雅气息闻名；地下楼层则以错综复杂的包厢及通道着称。奇特的是，歌剧院的最底层竟然还有一座湖。

In 1869, the writer Gaston Leroux was watching a performance in the house when a sandbag, used as a counterweight for a huge chandelier, suddenly fell and killed another audience member. The horrific event became the inspiration for The Phantom of the Opera.

1869年时，作家古斯塔夫勒鲁在歌剧院里看表演时，有个被用来平衡大型吊灯的沙袋突然掉了下来，砸死了一名观众。这恐怖的事便成了《歌剧魅影》的灵感来源。

In the story, a mysterious phantom living in the bowels of the house falls in love with a talented young singer. He grows so obsessed with the girl that he kills anyone who crossed her. While researching his story, Leroux was given special access to the opera house and his book, as a result, is extremely accurate in its details of the building. Does this mean he really saw a phantom hidden somewhere in the dark tunnels?

这故事中，一名住在歌剧院里的神秘鬼魅爱上了一位年轻有才华的歌手。他变得对那名女子越来越着迷，着迷到杀害了任何阻碍她的人。在构思这个故事的同时，勒鲁获得特殊管道进入歌剧院，因此书中对于歌剧院细节描写分外精准。莫非，他真的见到了隐身阴暗地道某处的鬼魅吗?

−By Murray Walker

Vocabulary

score [skor]二十，二十人，二十个 the number 20; (scores of=many)

incident: [ˋɪnsədnt] n. 事件；事变 a distinct or definite occurrence; event

architect [ˋɑrkə͵tɛkt] n. 建筑师；设计师

submit:[səbˋmɪt]  v. 提交 to offer as a proposition or contention

monumental: [͵mɑnjəˋmɛnt!] adj. 不朽的; 伟大的 astounding

horrific [hɔˋrɪfɪk] adj. 可怕的

More Information

assassinate [əˋsæsɪn͵et] v. 暗杀，对……行刺

elite: [ɪˋlit] n. 精英；优秀分子 a group or class of persons or a member of such a group or class, enjoying superior intellectual, social, or economic status

noted: [ˋnotɪd] adj. 有名的 well-known; celebrated; famous; renowned

opulence: [ˋɑpjələns] n. 富裕，华丽 luxuriousness, sumptuousness

labyrinth [ˋlæbə͵rɪnθ] n. 迷宫 an intricate structure of interconnecting passages through which it is difficult to find one's way; a maze

counterweight [ˋkaʊntɚ͵wet] n. 砝码；平衡锤

chandelier [͵ʃænd!ˋɪr]  n. 枝形吊灯

phantom:[ˋfæntəm] n. 幽灵 a ghostly appearing figure

bowel: [ˋbaʊəl] n. 内部，深处 the interior of something

obsessed[əbˋsɛst] adj. 着迷的 having or showing excessive or compulsive concern with something

cross: [krɔs] vt. 反对；妨碍 Informal to interfere with; thwart or obstruct

Paris Opera House