正文
$8M Marble Arch Mound to close after just six disappointing months
耗资 800 万美元的大理石拱门土丘遭嫌弃，诞生仅半年就关闭
Just six months after opening, London's newest tourist attraction is shutting its doors.
开幕仅六个月后，伦敦最新的旅游景点就将关门大吉。
The much-derided Marble Arch Mound, which cost a reported £6 million ($8.15 million), and was overseen by Westminster Council, will close January 9 after developing a reputation as a major disappointment and having been the source of widespread mockery on social media since July.***
这个饱受揶揄的大理石拱门土丘将于 1 月 9 日关闭（注：现已关闭，后拆除）。据报道，其造价高达 600 万英镑（815 万美金），由威斯敏斯特议会督建。自去年 7 月以来，该景点就落下了让人大失所望的名声，在社交媒体上引发群嘲。
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The Mound — situated on the corner of Hyde Park and Oxford Street — had promised sweeping greenery, unique views of the city and a light exhibition inside. It was conceived by Westminster Council as part of a "smarter, greener" future for the borough.
该土丘位于海德公园和牛津街交叉口，曾宣传会有大面积的绿化，独特的城市景观，内部还会设有灯光展览。威斯敏斯特议会将其策划为该自治市“更智能，更环保”的未来的一部分。
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But when it opened, visitors were shocked to discover that elements of the attraction were clearly unfinished. Scaffolding used in the development of the structure was still visible and the lush greenery that had been promised was sorely lacking.
但是，当土丘开放时，游客们震惊地发现景点的重要组成部分显然还没有完工。搭建景点框架时使用的脚手架还清晰可见，而宣传中的繁茂植被却严重不足。
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The views at the top of the Mound — 130 steps up — were described as underwhelming and less than had been expected.
人们将这 130 级台阶之上的丘顶景观描述为：平淡无奇，低于预期。
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In a review written for "The Critic" when it first opened, Dan Barker said that the marketing material around the Mound had described entering into the inside of the structure as "descending into the heart" yet felt "a little soulless rather than a beating heart, an empty space used to store hand sanitizer and temporary signs."***
在土丘开放之初，丹·巴克在为《评论家》写的评论文章中表示，土丘的那些营销物料把走进建筑内部描述为“下沉至心脏”，但是（建筑内部）其实却“没什么生气，并不像颗跳动的心脏，给人感觉是一个用来存放免洗洗手液和临时招牌的空洞空间。”
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While its time in the English capital may have been short-lived, the Marble Arch Mound will always be remembered — although not for the reasons its creators might have liked.
虽然大理石拱门土丘在英国首都没“活”多久，但它会被永远铭记——尽管它被铭记的原因可能并不是土丘创作者们喜欢的。
主编：Dobby、啾笛、Luni、乐崽
品控：XP
审核：Abby
重点词汇
marble
/ˈmɑːr.bəl/
n. 大理石
搭配短语：marble tiles
arch
/ɑːrtʃ/
n. 拱；拱形结构；拱门（或窗、顶、洞等）
文化补充：Marble Arch（大理石拱门）是一座白色大理石建筑，位于英国伦敦牛津街西端，几乎正对着海德公园的演说者之角。拱门位于一个繁忙的大型交通环岛上，环岛上还有一个很小的公园，也就是后来大理石拱门土丘的建筑地点。历史上，只有皇室成员和皇家骡马炮兵团才能在庆典游行时通过大理石拱门。
mound
/maʊnd/
n. 土堆，沙石堆；小丘
搭配短语：a burial mound
shut
/ʃʌt/
v.（使）关闭；停止营业
近义词：close（v. 关闭）
搭配短语：shut your mouth / shut up
搭配短语：shut the door
例句：The bakery shuts at 2:30 in the afternoon every day.
derided
/dɪˈraɪdɪd/
adj. 饱受嘲笑的；饱受揶揄的
相关词汇：deride（v. 嘲笑，讥笑）
近义词：mock（v. 嘲笑，嘲弄）
例句：We derided his singings as pathetic.
oversee
/ˌoʊ.vɚˈsiː/
v. 监督；监察；监管
词根词缀：over-（从上面）
例句：The manager will oversee the project.
mockery
/ˈmɑː.kɚ.i/
n. 嘲笑，讥笑
相关词汇：deride（v. 嘲笑，讥笑）
相关词汇：mock（v. 嘲笑，嘲弄）
搭配短语：make a mockery of sth.（取笑；嘲讽；使…显得荒谬（或无价值））
例句：His behavior makes a mockery of the company's policy.
promise
/ˈprɑː.mɪs/
v. 预计……可能发生；保证，答应
英文释义：to make sth. seem likely to happen
例句：It promised a swimming pool in the gym.
sweeping
/ˈswiː.pɪŋ/
adj. 影响广泛的；大范围的
词性拓展：sweep（v. 打扫，清扫）
搭配短语：to sweep the floor（扫地）
词性拓展：sweep（v. 猛烈吹过；横扫）
例句：The tornado swept across the city.
搭配短语：a sweeping victory
greenery
/ˈɡriː.nər.i/
n.（尤指剪下来做装饰物的）青枝绿叶，绿色植物
相关词汇：green（adj. 绿色的）
英文释义：attractive green leaves and plants
conceive
/kənˈsiːv/
v. 想象；想出；构想；怀孕
例句：The baby was conceived in May.
borough
/ˈbɝː.oʊ/
n. 市镇；大城市中的行政区
scaffolding
/ˈskæf.əl.dɪŋ/
n. 脚手架
相关词汇：scaffold（n. 脚手架）
lush
/lʌʃ/
adj.（地区）郁郁葱葱的，植被茂盛的
sorely
/ˈsɔːr.li/
adv. 极其；非常
近义词：extremely
underwhelming
/ˌʌn.dɚˈwel.mɪŋ/
adj. 未留下深刻印象的；未引起巨大反响的
词根词缀：-whelm（覆盖；淹没）
派生词：overwhelm（v.（水）淹没，覆盖，漫过）
例句：Streams of lava overwhelmed the village at the foot of the volcano.
派生词：overwhelm（v.（强烈的感情）充溢，使难以承受，使不知所措）
搭配短语：be overwhelmed by grief
英文释义：not impressive at all
soulless
/ˈsoʊl.ləs/
adj. 没有生气的；缺乏感情的
相关词汇：soul（n. 灵魂）
搭配短语：soulless eyes
搭配短语：soulless hotel
sanitizer
/ˈsæn.ə.taɪ.zɚ/
n.（免水）杀菌洗手液
相关词汇：sanitize（v. 给…消毒；使清洁）
例句：We still need to keep soical distance and wash hands and sanitize very often.
short-lived
/ˌʃɔːrtˈlɪvd/
adj. 短暂的；短命的
搭配短语：a short-lived government
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