An old building“walks”to a new location

山东 李全忠

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难词探意

1. alternately /ɔːl΄tзːnətli/ adv. 交替地；轮流地

2. crutch /krʌtʃ/ n. 拐杖

3. pillar /΄pɪlə(r)/ n. 柱；台柱

4. rotate /rəʊ΄teɪt/ v. （使）旋转；使转动

An 85-year-old building, the Lagena Primary School has been lifted off the ground—in its entirety—and relocated using new technology called the “walking machine”.In the city's latest effort to preserve historic structures, engineers attached nearly 200 mobile supports under the fivestorey building, according to Lan Wuji, chief technical supervisor of the project. The supports act like robotic legs.They're split into two groups whichalternatelyrise up and down, imitating the human walking. Attached sensors help control how the building moves forward,Lan said, whose company Shanghai Evolution Shift developed the new technology in 2018. “It's like giving the buildingcrutchesso it can stand up and then walk,” he said. Constructed in 1935, the school was moved in order to make space for a new commercial and office complex (建筑群), which will be completed by 2023.

Workers had to first dig around the building to install the 198 mobile supports in the spaces underneath,Lan explained.After thepillarsof the building were cut short,the robotic “legs”were then extended upward, lifting the building before moving forward.

Over the course of 18 days, the building wasrotated21 degrees and moved 62 meters (203 feet)away to its new location. The relocation was completed on October 15 last year with the old school building set to become a center for heritage protection and cultural education. The project marked the first time this “walking machine” method has been used in Shanghai to relocate a historical building.

There are a few ways to go about moving a building: It can slide down a set of rails, or be pulled along by vehicles, for instance. But the Lagena Primary School, which weighs 7,600 tons, created a new challenge—it's T-shaped, whereas previously relocated structures were square or rectangular (长方形的).The irregular shape meant that traditional methods of pulling or sliding may not have worked. Experts and technicians met to discuss possibilities and test a number of different technologies before deciding on the “walking machine”. Lan said that he couldn't share the exact cost of the project, and that relocation costs will differ case by case. “But in general, it's cheaper than demolishing and then rebuilding something in a new location.”

Reading

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1. What can we know about the Lagena Primary School?

A. It was relocated in 2018.

B. It was constructed in the 1930s.

C. It was designed by Lan Wuji.

D. It was lifted off the ground partly.

2. What was used to move the school?

A. Mobile supports. B. Robotic arms.

C. Pulling vehicles. D. Sliding machines.

3. Why was the school moved away?

A. To protect it in a better way. B. To test the walking machine.

C. To make space for a modern school. D. To make room for commercial buildings.

4. What does the underlined word “demolishing” in the last paragraph mean?

A. Refusing. B. Knocking. C. Destroying. D. Defeating.

Language

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熟词生义

The irregular shape meant that traditional methods of pulling or sliding may not have worked.

work v. 奏效

e.g. The pills the doctor gave me aren't working.