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Home Is Where the Heart Is 搞怪房子

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An old English proverb says, “A man’s house is his castle.” It is supposed to mean that inside his home a man is king. However, for U.S. national soccer team goalkeeper Kasey Keller, it has a slightly different meaning. He actually lives in a castle! The 1,000-year-old brick castle, located in western Germany, has two large towers, a moat, and lots of gargoyles. Keller is just one of many people living in curious quarters.

如同一句古老英文谚语所说：「一个人的家，就是他的城堡。」这个谚语的意思是说在这个家里，主人便像是国王，主宰一切。但是，对于美国国家足球队的守门员凯勒来说，这句谚语的意义稍有不同。他真的住在城堡里！这座位于西德，历史约有1000年之久的砖造城堡拥有两座高塔，一个护城河，和无数的「兽形石像」。在许多住在稀奇古怪房子的人当中，凯勒不过是其中一个罢了。

An architect living in Africa decided to combine the design for his home with his passion for sports. So, he built a four-story house shaped like a soccer ball, which sits on top of a three-meter-high brick wall! The exterior is made of metal, while the interior is wood. This helps keep his spacious home warm during winter and cool during summer. It continues to draw curious onlookers, some of whom still don’t believe people actually live in it.

一个住在非洲的建筑师决定结合他的房子和他对运动的热爱，所以建造了一栋外观像足球，高四层楼的房子，而这房子位在三公尺高的砖墙上！房子的外部由金属建成，内部建材是木头。这样的设计可以让这宽敞的房子冬暖夏凉。这栋房子一直吸引好奇的观众，而且有些人还是不相信真的有人住在里面。

In a contest, a woman from Kentucky won her unusual house – one that every youngster would love to call home. Developers watched hours of The Simpsons, a popular American cartoon, before crafting an exact copy of the family’s residence. The vividly-painted orange and yellow house features bright bedrooms, blue-and-yellow tiles on the kitchen floor, and even a pink car parked outside!

在一项比赛中，一位来自肯德基州的妇人赢得了一栋特别的房子──这样的房子是每个青少年的梦想之屋。房子设计者看了好几小时的「辛普森家庭」（一部广受欢迎的美国卡通），然后精巧地完全复制了「辛普森家庭」的住所。这栋外观是色彩鲜艳的橘色和黄色的房子，内有明亮的房间，厨房地板为蓝、黄相间的磁砖，甚至有辆粉红色车子停在外头！

Many other unusual homes exist around the world. There are some that resemble boats, planes, or even fairytale cottages. Yet, no matter what a person’s home looks like, it is still, and always will be, his or her castle.

全世界各地都有与众不同的房子，有些像船、飞机，甚至是像童话故事里的小屋。然而，无论房子的外观如何，家依旧并且永远都会是一个人的城堡。

−by Matthew Wilson

Vocabulary

architect [ˋɑrkə͵tɛkt] n. 建筑师

exterior [ɪkˋstɪrɪɚ] n. 外部

spacious [ˋspeʃəs] adj. 宽敞的

More Information

proverb [ˋprɑvɝb] n. 谚语，俗语

be supposed to 可以; 应该

moat [mot] n. 护城河，壕沟

gargoyle [ˋgɑrgɔɪl] n.【建】（多为怪兽像的）滴水嘴

quarter [ˋkwɔrtɚ] n. 居所

combine [kəmˋbaɪn] v. 使结合；使联合[（+with）]

onlooker [ˋɑn͵lʊkɚ] n. 观众；旁观者

youngster [ˋjʌŋstɚ] n. 小孩; 年轻人

developer [dɪˋvɛləpɚ] n.〔土地﹑房产等的〕开发商﹐发展商

craft [kræft] v. 精巧地制作

residence [ˋrɛzədəns] n. 住所；住宅

resemble [rɪˋzɛmb!] v. 像，类似

cottage [ˋkɑtɪdʒ] n. 小屋; 村舍

Reading Questions

1. Which of the following definitions would best describe “curious quarters” as it is used in the text?

A. Coins worth 1/4 of a dollar, with strange drawings on them.

B. Homes that are different from those that people normally live in.

C. An area of a city or a village that awakens people’s curiosity.

D. A room inside a house where people are allowed to do strange stuff.

2. Which of the following statements about unusual houses is NOT true?

A. An architect in Africa loves soccer so much that he’s built a house to honor the sport.

B. Some people live in houses that are so big that they’re comparable to castles.

C. One house was inspired by a popular American cartoon.

D. Ordinary people all over the world can’t believe that people actually live in those houses.

3. What can be inferred from this article?

A. That people’s imagination is now finding its way into how we build our houses.

B. That artists are increasingly having an influence on the way we see the world.

C. That strange houses will soon replace the normal houses we’re used to.

D. That modern houses are increasingly being influenced by the movies we watch.

MNT Goalkeeper Kasey Keller's Castle Tour

Jan Sonkie’s house

Answer