In India, see one of the most beautiful buildings in the world
泰姬瑪哈陵 全世界最美的建築之一
Shah Jahan, a 17th-century Indian emperor, surely loved his wife. When she died, he had a great mausoleum, the Taj Mahal, built to hold her remains. Construction took 22 years, more than 20,000 workers and 1,000 elephant. Materials from all over India and Asia, including white marble, gold and semi-precious stones, were used. The total cost exceeded, in today's terms, US$800 million! In 1983, the Taj Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage site. According to many people, it's one of the world's most beautiful buildings, and millions visit this attraction every year.
A personal visit
My son, Benjamin, and his wife, Priscilla, visited the Taj in April 2019. As they recount, "We arrived at the gates well before opening time, so we were able to take photos without crowds in the background. Also, it was cooler." Having visited in 2013, Priscilla saw distinct improvements on this trip.
"Environmental rules now protect the Taj," she says. "For example, only electric vehicles are allowed near it. This reduces destructive air pollution. It's now even more stunning than it was then. The marble is cleaner and whiter. The nearby river is also much cleaner than 2013."
Info Cloud
wearing white
Hello, friends. Welcome back to Info Cloud. Hey, Anne Marie, I see you have a new pair of white pants on today.
Oh. Well, actually, these aren't new. I just hadn't worn them in a while. You know, some people in the States only wear white during certain times of the year.
Really? That's super interesting. Can you tell us more about that?
Traditionally, Americans follow a fashion rule that white should only be worn between Memorial Day in May and Labor Day in September.
What is their reason for this rule?
No one knows for sure. In the past, wearing white was linked to how wealthy you were. But white clothing does become impractical during many states' cold winters.
Do people still follow this rule today?
Some people do, some people don't. Actually, there's another time you're not supposed to wear white in America because it's considered rude. Do you know when that is?
I do. It's at weddings. In American culture, wearing white to someone else's wedding is rude. They like to let the bride be the only one wearing white on her special day. That way, she can stand out.
Well, for me, I don't wear white very often. You never know when you might spill something on yourself, and that's a bad time to stand out.
我們身上穿的衣服，有些顏色有它特別的意思，今天要跟大家分享穿白色的衣服，在美國人的眼裡，有什麼特別意義。一般來說，美國人只會在五月的 Memorial Day 陣亡將士紀念日和九月的 Labor Day 勞工節，穿白色的服裝。真正的原因眾說紛紜，不過傳統上，穿白色的衣服跟你擁有的財富有關係。特別要注意的是，在美國最好不要穿白色參加婚禮，因為不太禮貌，他們會覺得你在搶新娘的風采，所以最好是穿其他顏色，讓新娘可以成為婚禮的單一焦點。
Language Lab
construction n. 建造
the act or process of building something (such as a house or road)
- The construction of the new library will begin next month.
新的圖書館要在下個月開始建造工程。
- All construction had to stop when the rainy season began.
雨季的來臨時，所有的建築工程必須停下來。
construct v. 建造
to build or make (something physical, such as a road, bridge, or building)
- George hired a group of workers to help him construct a new house.
George 請了一群工人來幫他蓋新房子。
constructive adj. 建設性的、有益的
/kənˈstrʌktɪv/
helping to develop or improve something : helpful to someone instead of upsetting and negative
- Pamela had wanted her comments to be constructive, but her choice of words was not the best.
Pamela 原本希望她的評語是有建設性的，但他所選的詞語卻不是很妥當。
exceed v. 超過、超越
/ɪkˈsiːd/
to be greater or more than (something)
- Andrew did a great job in the show, and his performance exceeded everyone’s expectations.
Andrew 在節目裡表現非常好，超出大家的期望。
- Dorothy didn’t think she spent a lot of money, but her credit card bill showed that her purchases exceeded ten thousand dollars.
Dorothy 不認為她花了很多錢，但是她的信用卡帳單顯示她所花的錢超過一萬塊。
exceedingly adv. 非常 (較正式)
very, extremely
- After Grandpa Harold joined the community program, he became exceedingly active in the senior classes.
自從Harold 的爺爺加入社區活動後，他在長青班中變得非常活躍。
- Jerry is an exceedingly thoughtful person, and is always taking care of her neighbors.
Jerry 是一位做事體貼的人，他常常照顧他的左鄰右舍。
distinct adj. 明顯的
different in a way that you can see, hear, smell, feel, etc. : noticeably different;
easy to see, hear, smell, feel, etc.
- Although the twins may look the same on the outside, there are distinct differences in their personalities.
那對雙胞胎外表或許長得一模一樣，但是他們的個性卻是明顯地不同。
- If you look at the chart, you will see that there was a distinct increase in sales during the month of December.
如果你看一下圖表，你會發現十二月的銷售量有明顯地增多。
distinctly adv. 明顯地、清楚地
- The language professor pronounced each vocabulary word slowly and distinctly for her students.
語言教授慢慢有很清楚地把每個生字唸給他的學生聽。
- The word “poison” was written distinctly on the bottle.
瓶子上很清楚寫著"毒藥"。
destructive adj. 有破壞性的
causing a very large amount of damage : causing destruction or harm
- The little girl’s destructive behavior surprised her teacher.
小女孩的破壞性行為讓她的老師感到驚訝。
- The destructive typhoon brought so much damage to the town.
那個極具破壞力的颱風，給鎮裡帶來很多損害。
destruction n. 毀滅、破壞
the act or process of damaging something so badly that it no longer exists or cannot be repaired : the act or process of destroying something
- The destruction caused by the tornado was something Gabby had never seen before.
龍捲風造成的破壞是Gabby從沒見過的。
construction n. 建造
the act or process of building something (such as a house or road)
- The movie is about a team of scientists’ race against time to save earth from destruction.
那部電影是關於一群科學加分秒必爭地搶救地球，好讓它不至毀滅。
