London’s newest skyscraper is called the Shard and it cost about 430 million pounds to build. At a height of almost 310 metres, it is the tallest building in Europe. The Shard has completely changed the appearance of London. However, not everyone thinks that it is a change for the better.
伦敦最新的摩天大楼称为“碎片大楼”，建造成本约为4.3亿英镑。高度接近310米，是欧洲最高的建筑。碎片大楼完全改变了伦敦的面貌。然而，并不是每个人都认为这是一个更好的变化。
The Shard was designed by the famous Italian architect Renzo Piano. When he began designing the Shard for London, Piano wanted a very tall building that looked like a spire. He wanted the glass surfaces to reflect the sky and the city. The sides of the building aren’t regular. So the building has an unusual shape. It looks like a very thin, sharp piece of broken glass. And that is how the building got the name: the Shard. Piano says that the spire shape of the Shard is part of a great London tradition. The shape reminds him of the spires of the churches of London or the tall masts of the ships that were once on the river Thames.
碎片大楼由意大利著名建筑师伦佐·皮亚诺设计。当他开始为伦敦设计碎片大楼时，皮亚诺想要一座看起来像尖塔的高楼。他希望玻璃表面能映射天空和城市。建筑物侧面不规则，所以这座建筑有一个不寻常的形状。它看起来像一块非常薄、锋利的碎玻璃。这就是建筑名字的由来：碎片大楼。皮亚诺说，碎片大楼的尖塔形状是伦敦传统的一部分，它的形状让他想起了伦敦教堂的尖塔或泰晤士河上以往的船只高耸的桅杆。
The Shard has 87 floors. At the top, there is an observatory. At the moment the building is empty, but eventually there will be a five-star hotel. There will also be top quality restaurants, apartments and offices.
碎片大楼有87层，顶部是一个天文台。目前大楼是空的，但最终会有一家五星级酒店。这里还将有高档餐厅、公寓和办公室。
Before building work began, a lot of people didn’t want the Shard though the plans were approved. Now they are still unhappy about the Shard. Some critics say that such a tall skyscraper might be good in a city like New York, but not in London. They say that the best thing about the Shard is its spire shape. But that is the only thing. There is no decoration, only flat surfaces. The Egyptians did that 4,500 years ago. They also think the Shard is too big for London. It destroys the beauty of the city.
在工程开始之前，许多人不想要碎片大楼，尽管计划已经批准。现在他们仍然对碎片大楼感到不满。一些评论家说，这样高的摩天大楼在纽约这样的城市可能很好，但在伦敦却不行。他们说碎片大楼最好的地方是它的尖顶形状。但只有这个，没有装饰，只有平面。埃及人在4500年前就这样做了。他们还认为，碎片大楼对于伦敦来说太大了，破坏了城市的美。
Other critics don’t like what the Shard seems to represent. They say that the Shard shows how London is becoming more unequal. Only very rich people can afford to buy the expensive private apartments and stay in the hotel. But the people who live near the Shard are among the poorest in London. So the Shard seems a symbol of the division in society between the very rich and the poor.
其他评论家不喜欢碎片大楼似乎代表着什么。他们说，碎片大楼表明伦敦正变得越来越不平等，只有非常富有的人才能买得起昂贵的私人公寓并住在酒店里。但住在碎片大楼附近的人属于伦敦最穷的人，所以碎片大楼似乎是社会贫富分化的象征。
The Shard now dominates the London skyline. It is not certain, however, that ordinary London citizens will ever accept it as a valuable addition to the city.
碎片大楼现在占据了伦敦的天际线。然而，不能确定普通伦敦市民是否会将其视为城市的宝贵财富。
