西萨·佩里：二十世纪最杰出的建筑师

赵婷婷

Born on Oct. 12， 1926 in Argentina， César Pelli was widely regarded as one of the 20th centurys outstanding architects.

After earning a bachelors degree in architecture at the National University of Tucumán， Pelli moved to the United States to attend the University of Illinois， where he received a masters degree in 1954. He began his professional career with the firm of Eero Saarinen & Associates. He worked on the Trans World Airlines terminal at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. Pelli was director of design at Daniel， Mann， Johnson & Mendenhall in Los Angeles from 1964 to 1968 and at Gruen Associates， also in Los Angeles， from 1968 to 1977. During those years he perfected the technology of glass skins， producing buildings of lightweight， translucent （半透明的） quality.

By the mid⁃1990s， Pelli was known for the lightweight， almost tent⁃like， appearance of his buildings， which were often surfaced in glass or a thin stone veneer（饰面薄板）. His projects displayed a fascination with abstract， crystalline（透明的） glass shapes shot through with lines of coloured stone or metal. Among his best⁃known works are the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles， the US embassy in Tokyo， the expansion and renovation of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City， the World Financial Center and Winter Garden in New York City， the Canary Wharf Tower in London， and the Carnegie Hall Tower in New York City. The Pacific Design Center， notable for its reflective， opaque（不透明的） blue?glass exterior and geometric design， brought Pelli early recognition. His Museum of Modern Art gallery expansion and residential tower was hailed（赞扬） as an innovative reworking of an important cultural landmark. Pelli also designed the two circular， step⁃tapered（锥形阶梯的） Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur， Malaysia. Upon completion in 1996 they became， at 452 metres （1，483 feet）， the tallest buildings in the world， and in 2004 Pelli received the Aga Khan Award for Architecture for his design.

At the turn of the 21st century， Pelli continued his decades⁃long career with a commission to design the Connecticut Science Center in Hartford. It was completed in June 2009.

Throughout his career Pelli lectured and published extensively. He won more than 80 awards for design excellence， including the American Institute of Architects 1995 Gold Medal， its highest honour.

Answer the following questions.

1.Where did César Pelli receive his masters degree in 1954？

2.What were the surfaces of César Pellis buildings usually made of？

3.For what building did Pelli receive the Aga Khan Award for Architecture？

Vocabulary

1.outstanding adj. 杰出的

2.architect n. 建筑师

3.technology n. 工艺

4.fascination n. 魅力

5.renovation n. 翻新

6.residential adj. 住宅的

7.commission n. 委员会

8.extensively adv. 广泛地

Difficult sentences

1.After         （earn） a bachelors degree in architecture at the National University of Tucumán， Pelli moved to the United States to attend the University of Illinois，          he received a masters degree in 1954. 在图库曼大学获得建筑学学士学位后，佩里搬到美国就读伊利诺伊大学，在那里他于1954年获得了硕士学位。

【点石成金】本句是一个含有定语从句的复合句。After...是介词短语在句中作时间状语，所填的词作介词after的宾语;Pelli moved to the United States是主句，動词不定式短语to attend...作目的状语;第二空所填的词引导非限制性定语从句并在从句中作地点状语。

2.By the mid⁃1990s， Pelli was known for the lightweight， almost tent⁃like， appearance of his buildings，          were often surfaced in glass or a thin stone veneer. 到了20世纪90年代中期，佩里以轻巧的、几乎像帐篷一样的外观而闻名，这些建筑的外观通常都是玻璃或薄石板饰面的。

【点石成金】本句是一个含有定语从句的复合句。By the mid⁃1990s是时间状语，Pelli was known for...是主句，所填的词引导非限制性定语从句，并在从句中作主语。