Vessel (2)

Vessel comprises 80 landings connected by 154 flights of stairs. But for those who don't want to climb, there is an elevator that goes straight to the top. Its framework is made of painted steel with shiny copper undersides that reflect the surrounding city. Wood says, "It feels like pieces of pavement lifted into the air."

The designers were inspired by India's ancient stepwells - wells that are reached by a series of descending steps and platforms. Other monuments, such as the Spanish Steps in Rome, were also used for reference.

Vessel opened to the public on March 15, 2019. Those interested in exploration of the structure can book free tickets to enter at a set time. Or you can purchase more flexible passes that let you enter any time on a set day. Now that Vessel is open, there will be a competition to choose its permanent name.

Many questions remain about the future of Vessel. What will people use it for? Will it meet the designers' aspirations and become a major landmark and attraction? Will it succeed in bringing people together? Whatever Vessel's future, its designers have created a unique and attractive structure for people to enjoy now.


Info Cloud
We are all in the same boat.

Welcome to Info Cloud, friends. You know, recently, I've been thinking about the time I spent in language school. When studying a new language, it's easy to get discouraged. Learning Chinese is really overwhelming.

But, Anne Marie, all of our students here know what that feels like. They're learning English as their foreign language. And I studied Japanese as a foreign language as well. See? We're all in the same boat.

That's so encouraging, Rex. Students, when someone uses the phrase "We're all in the same boat," they are saying it to encourage you not to feel alone. They know what it's like, too.

Just like people in a boat are all traveling in the same direction, the phrase "we're all in the same boat" gives the idea that we are in this together.

Saying "we're all in the same boat" lets someone know that you are on their side, experiencing the same thing or understand how they feel. I've been there, too, and want to help you through it.

I think the scariest part of learning a new language is speaking out loud and be willing to make mistakes.

But, remember, don't be afraid to try because we are all in the same boat.

當你想要跟一個朋友表達同理心，告訴他們你經歷過相同的困難，你可以說: We are all in the same boat. 我們都在同一艘船上。這句話是用來安慰一些朋友，跟他們說你不是孤單一個人，我們經歷過或是正在經歷相同的挑戰。你是不是在學英文的路上感到有點挫折? We are all in the same boat. 你是不是在工作上感到有很多壓力? We are all in the same boat. 這句話除了安慰，也是一種鼓勵。


Language Lab
pavement n. 走道、人行道 
a usually concrete path along the side of a street for people to walk on
- Rodney got a ticket for parking his car on the pavement.
Rodney 車子停在人行道而被開罰單。
- A lot of people like to go running on the pavement in this neighborhood.
這個社區有很多人喜歡在人行道上慢跑。
pavement n. 鋪過的路面
the hard surface of a road, driveway, etc.
- Ann fell off her bike and almost hit her head on the pavement.
Ann 從腳踏車上摔下來，頭有差一點碰到路面。
pave v. 鋪築
to cover (something) with a material (such as stone, tar, or concrete) that forms a hard, level surface for walking, driving, etc.
- The old town is full of charm, and its streets are paved with cobblestones. 這座古鎮很有魅力，它的街道都是用鵝卵石鋪築的。

descend v. 下降, 走下
to go down : to go or move from a higher to a lower place or level
- The airplane is getting ready to descend.
飛機要準備下降。
- Descending the mountain was harder than I thought.
走下山比我想像地還要難。
descend v. 面或不好的感覺的蔓延或擴展
to go or change to a worse state or condition — + into
- Fear began to descend on the hikers as they waited for someone to come and help them.
當登山客們在等待救援時，恐懼開始瀰漫在他們當中。
descend v. 天黑了
to appear or happen like something that comes down from the sky
- As night descends, the tiger slowly comes out of its cave.
隨著天色變黑，老虎慢慢從洞穴裡出來。

exploration n. 探索、探測的活動 
the act of exploring something
explore v. 探索、探險
to look at (something) in a careful way to learn more about it : to study or analyze (something)
- After Cynthia put her stuff in her hotel room, she went to explore the area around the hotel building.
Cynthia 在把她的東西放在飯店房間後，她就去探索飯店附近的區域。
- Wayne loves the ocean and hopes to do some undersea exploration someday.
Wayne 熱愛海洋，希望有機會能做海底探索。
- The professor thinks the money spent on space exploration could have been used to fix some of the problems here on earth.
教授認為花在太空探索的錢，應該拿來解決地球上的一些問題。

aspiration n. 志向、目標
/ˌæspəˈreɪʃən/
something that a person wants very much to achieve
- Unlike his brothers who all became successful in their jobs, Trent never had any aspirations.
Trent 沒有志向，不像他們的兄長們那樣在事業方面都很成功。
- Sasha likes to talk about her aspirations, but she has never done anything to accomplish her dreams.
Sasha 老是講她有志向，卻從來沒有任何實際的行動。
aspire v. 立志要做到、完成某一件事 
to want to have or achieve something (such as a particular career or level of success) — often + to
- Gwendolyn aspires to become a doctor.
Gwendolyn 立志要成為一位醫生。

Vessel (1)

A beautiful, unique structure rises in New York City 
Vessel ── 紐約新地標 矗立於美國紐約 獨一無二新建築

Heatherwick Studios, run by British architect Thomas Heatherwick, has created a beautiful, complex structure temporarily known as Vessel. The designers call Vessel an interactive artwork; it's a network of staircases and platforms that offers views of New York City from a variety of perspectives. But the best views, according to Stuart Wood, group leader and partner at Heatherwick Studios, are those looking inward.

Vessel Stands at the heart of Hudson Yards, a real-estate development in New York City that includes offices, residences and stores.

Hudson Yards is currently the largest private development in the U.S. and is built over the top of an active rail yard. Vessel is meant to be a meeting point at the center of the area as well as an attraction for tourists. The designers say that they want the structure to bring people together, and they expect its use to evolve over time.

The name "Vessel" comes from the structure's shape: narrow at its base and then expanding up and out to a height of 46 meters and a width of 46 meters at its top. This is partly for pragmatic reasons: the designers didn't want the structure to take up too much space on the ground.


Info Cloud
New York State

Hello, friends. Welcome to Info Cloud. Anne Marie, have you ever been to New York before? I'm thinking of taking a trip there.

I have. My husband graduated from a college in New York. I visited with him before.

Wow! How did he like studying in such a busy place? I bet it was hard to concentrate with everything there was to do.

Actually, his college was located in New York State. He lived up in the mountains surrounded by nature, not in the city. A lot of people get that confused. New York City is located in New York State.

Oh, right. Did you know although New York City makes up less than 1 percent of New York State's land area, it holds 40 percent of the state's population? New York City is the most populous city in the United States.

That's amazing. New York State is actually geographically really diverse, too. The Adirondack Mountains, Catskill Mountains, Lake Ontario, Lake Erie and Niagara Falls are all located there.

I've heard New York City referred to as the Big Apple before. Do you know why?

No one really knows why. But I think we all can guess why sometimes New York City is called The City That Never Sleeps.

美國紐約是一個充滿魅力的城市，有些人可能不知道 New York 是一個城市，但也是一個州的名稱。New York City 紐約市其實是 New York State 紐約州裡面的一個小城市，佔地面積只有整個州的不到百分之一的大小。雖然如此，一個小小的 New York City 紐約市 卻擁有New York State 紐約州 百分之四十的人口。

其實紐約州的其它地方擁有相當多樣的天然地理環境，像是 Lake Ontario 安大略湖、Catskill Mountains 卡茲奇山, 以及 Niagara Falls 尼加拉大瀑布，都是在紐約州的北部地區。


Language Lab
architect n. 建築師
 /ˈɑɚkəˌtɛkt/
a person who designs buildings
- Denise wants to become an architect because she is interested in designing buildings.
Denise 想成為一位建築師，因為她對建築設計有興趣。
architect n. 創立者
 /ˈɑɚkəˌtɛkt/
a person who designs and guides a plan, project, etc. — usually + of
- That prime minister was the architect of the country’s successful foreign policy.
該國首相是該國成功外交的創立者。
architectural adj. 跟建築(學)有關的
 /ˌɑɚkəˈtɛktʃərəl/
- This hotel’s architectural design was inspired by the Versailles.
這棟大飯店的設計靈感來自法國的凡爾賽。
architecture n. 建築物
 /ˈɑɚkəˌtɛktʃɚ/
a method or style of building
- Nobody knows the history of the old castle, but the architecture itself is beautiful to look at.
沒有人知道那座古堡的歷史，但那建築物本身看起來就是非常地美輪美奐。

residence n. 住宅、住所
the state of living in a particular place
- Although this building is called the Governor’s Mansion, the governor’s actual residence is on the other side of town.
雖然這棟大房子被稱為州長官邸，但州長本人的住宅其實在城市的另一邊。
- After being away for thirty years, Alice couldn’t recognize her childhood residence.
離開了三十年後，Alice 認不出她兒時的住所。
resident n. 住戶、居民
someone who lives in a particular place
- The residents in this area are worried about the factory polluting their water and air.
這一區的居民很擔心他們的水跟空氣會被附近的工廠汙染。
- Abe is always having parties at night, and the residents in his neighborhood don’t like the noise. Abe常常在他家晚上開趴，所以附近的居民都不堪其擾。

evolve v. 逐步地發展、演變、形成
to change or develop slowly often into a better, more complex, or more advanced state : to develop by a process of evolution
- What started out as a weekend club for women interested in baking has evolved into a community food bank for the homeless.
一個周末女士烘焙俱樂部，就這樣演變成一個關心遊民的社區食物銀行。
- The original donut was a simple dough fried in oil, but it has since evolved into different shapes, sizes and flavors.
甜甜圈原本只是簡單的油炸麵糰，但是慢慢演變成具有不同形狀、大小及口味。
evolution n. 演化、進化
a process of slow change and development
- It is interesting to see the evolution of women’s workout clothes because what women used to wear to exercise and what women wear now are very different.
女士健身服的進化很有趣，因為早期女士運動而穿的衣著跟現在的非常不一樣。
evolution n.  進化論
a theory that the differences between modern plants and animals are because of changes that happened by a natural process over a very long time
- Darwin is the founder of the modern theory of Evolution.
達爾文是現代演化理論的創始人。

pragmatic adj. 實際的、講究實際的
 /prægˈmætɪk/
dealing with the problems that exist in a specific situation in a reasonable and logical way instead of depending on ideas and theories
- The team worked together to come up with a pragmatic solution to the problem.
團隊人員們一起想出一個實際的方法來解決問題。
pragmatically adv. 用實際的方法做事
 /prægˈmætɪkli/
- We need to handle the situation pragmatically or things will get worse.
我們需要用實際的方式來處理這個狀況，不然事情會變得更嚴重。
pragmatism n. 實用或務實的思想、實用主義
/ˈprægməˌtɪzəm/
a reasonable and logical way of doing things or of thinking about problems that is based on dealing with specific situations instead of on ideas and theories
- Pragmatism and common sense led to Tom’s decision to abandon the project.
務實的思想以及常識讓Tom決定放棄那個專案計畫。