Green houses in Iceland冰岛草皮屋:历久弥新

2023-11-19胡浩新

疯狂英语·新阅版 2023年3期

胡浩新

公元9世纪到公元11世纪时，草皮屋因其作为屋顶的草皮容易获得且持久而在冰岛大量出现。现在，草皮屋和自然景观融为一体，成为冰岛一道亮丽的风景线。

主题语境：历史与传统篇幅：337词建议用时：7分钟

1 In Iceland， these green housesmelt into the natural landscape， atechnique that first appeared with thearrival of British settlers during the9th through 11th centuries. Unliketheir previous warm and wet climate，wood was rare and slow to regenerate.Turf （草皮） became their first pick to make shelters.

2 Across Europe， turf bricks—widely available—were cut from local bogs （沼澤） andtransported for use at higher lands. The turf was then laid over a wooden structure to formwalls and a thick roof—to keep cold out from tough northern climates. Turf walls werereplaced as frequently as every 20 years， and even up to 70 years.

3 It is difficult to find out its precise origins in the archaeological record. However， evidence of similar constructions can be found in many countries throughout the ages. His⁃toric records suggest that up to 50 percent of Icelandic houses were partly made of turf untilthe late 19th century. As populations began to gather in cities like Reykjavik， wood build⁃ings replaced stone and earth architecture. After fires burned up the city in 1915， con⁃crete （混凝土） became the material of choice. In 1918， Iceland gained independence fromDenmark， setting in motion a wave of nationalism that threatened the survival of turfhouses. Those who liked modern buildings argued that Reykjaviks buildings were less at⁃tractive than the skylines of Paris， Berlin， and London. Traditional techniques were criti⁃cized as“rotten Danish wood”and there was a campaign to clear them in favor of modernbuildings—a move later criticized by many as destruction of cultural heritage.

4 A tourism boom in the latter half of the 20th century encouraged Iceland to reexam⁃ine the value of traditional architecture. Do Icelanders still live in turf houses？ The answerwould be no. You might still see an occasional grass roof， but that has everything to do witharchitecture. And Icelanders want to hold on to their beloved heritage rather than any needfor turf as insulation （隔热） material.

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1. Why was turf used to build houses in the past？

A. It matched nature perfectly.

B. It could be changed often.

C. It was long⁃lasting and accessible.

D. It was preferred by settlers.

2. What was a direct result of the wave of nationalism？

A. People all went to Reykjavik.

B. Traditional architecture developed quickly.

C. Turf houses were almost unable to exist.

D. Wood buildings replaced stone buildings.