Passage 2

I’d like to introduce briefly Australia’s Sydney Opera House．It is a great architectural work of the 20th century that brings together multiple strands of creativity and innovation in both architectural form and structural design．The opera house has come to define not only a city，but also an entire nation and continent．Beyond that，it is a global expression of cultural modernity．Everyone in the world with media access knows what the Sydney Opera House looks like．//
    First designed in 1957 and finally declared it complete in 1973，the opera house was the singlebest—known modern building in the world．At the tip of a peninsula projecting into Sydney Harbor，the building has had an enduring influence on architecture．The Sydney Opera House comprises three groups of interlocking vaulted”shells”which roof two main performance halls and are staurant．The Sydney Opera House is remarkable for another reason：it is a complete one-off．It does not fit into any stylistic or chronological category．