VOA常速英语2015--洪水威胁美国伊州标志性地标

Floodwaters Threaten Iconic American Landmark 1 洪水威胁美国伊州标志性地标

PLANO, ILLINOIS—

The Farnsworth House in the Midwest State of Illinois is one of the most iconic homes in America. Thousands of tourists visit the site every year. Its location near a river inspired the design of the house.

Farnsworth House is literally 2 a glass house, situated 3 along the Fox River in rural Plano, Illinois.

字面上讲这是座玻璃房子，它位于伊利诺斯州乡村地区普莱诺的狐狸河畔。

For Dr. Edith Farnsworth, the glass house was her retreat.

对伊迪特·范士沃斯医生而言，这是她的静居之处。

“Dr. Farnsworth was a practicing kidney specialist in the city of Chicago and wanted to have some place away from town where she could relax from the stresses of her career,” explains Maurice Parrish, Executive Director, Farnsworth House.

“范士沃斯医生曾是芝加哥市的一名肾脏方面的专家，她希望有个地方远离城市烦扰，能够让她从职业压力中缓解放松。”

Parrish, who works with the National Trust for Historic Preservation 4, says that  in 1945, Farnsworth turned to well-known architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe to come up with the plans. The design set off a trend.

全国文物保护信托基金会的帕里斯表示1945年范士沃斯邀请知名建筑师路德维格·迈尔斯·凡德罗进行房子的设计。而这项设计开启了一轮新风尚。

“This is the house that made modernism popular in the United States and around the world,” Parrish notes.

“这座房子使现代主义建筑风尚席卷美国及全世界。”

Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe knew the lot was in a flood plain, and designed the house with that in mind.

路德维格·迈尔斯·凡德罗获悉房子所属地区是洪泛区后将这一点纳入设计规划范畴。

"He elevated the house five feet three inches above the ground, which, according to his research, would make it at least a foot higher than the highest recorded flood level up until that time,” Parrish explains.

“他把房子升高到离地5英尺3英寸，据他的研究，按当时的情况这是比记录以来最高洪水水位至少高一英尺。”

Damaged by floodwaters

But even during construction in the early 1950s, the water came up higher than anticipated.

但即使是到了20世纪50年代初施工期间，水位就超过了预期。

Since then, floodwaters have penetrated 5 the home numerous times, causing extensive damage.

从那以后范士沃斯住宅多次遭洪水侵袭造成严重损坏。

The National Trust for Historic Preservation now manages the property, and Parrish said it is considering relocating the structure.

现在这座房子归全国文物保护信托基金会管理。帕里斯表示他们正考虑迁走房子。

“Unfortunately there is no perfect solution,” he says.  "One option that is not on the table is doing nothing."

“很不幸没有完美解决方案。”没有任何可行之道。

Trend-setting design

Farnsworth House is more than a trend-setting design for Chicago architect Dirk Lohan. It was designed by his grandfather, Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe, and inspired his own career.

对芝加哥建筑师迪克·洛汉而言，范士沃斯大宅不仅是创立新风尚的设计。这座房子出自他的祖父路德维格·迈尔斯·凡德罗之手，这也是他投身建筑行业的理由。

“If he had been his own client, he would have designed the house exactly the way it is,” Lohan says.

“假如由他担当设计重任，他会选择完全一样的方式。”

Lohan favors installing a hydraulic 6 elevator system to lift the home above rising floodwaters and keep it where it is.

洛汉赞同安装一套水力液压升降系统将房子升高到洪水之上并维持在原地。

“I think he would say what I am saying, that that house was designed for that location," he says. "Why would we have to move it if we have the technical ability to protect it in that location?”

“我认为祖父会同意我的观点，这座房子的设计初衷就是为了这个地方，如果我们能提供技术帮助，为什么房子要换地方呢？”

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, together with the non-profit group Landmark Illinois, will make the final decision later this year on where future visitors will experience Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s minimalist architectural masterpiece.

至于游客们在何地才能再次体验到路德维格·迈尔斯·凡德罗极简主义建筑风格的魅力，全国文物保护信托基金会将与非营利组织伊利诺伊地标合作在今年晚些时候做出最终决定。