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  3. The Parthenon The Parthenon,a building in Athens,Greece,is perhaps one of the most memorable structures on Earth. Built 25 c

The Parthenon The Parthenon,a building in Athens,Greece,is perhaps one of the most memorable structures on Earth. Built 25 c

admin2012-07-18  53
问题     The Parthenon
    The Parthenon,a building in Athens,Greece,is perhaps one of the most memorable structures on Earth. Built 25 centuries ago, it is one of the great architectural of the ancient world. There are many reasons for its greatness.
    Background
    Athens was the most important city in ancient Greece. In 480 B.C.Greece was under attack by both the Persian army and the Persian navy. The Athenian commander,Themistocles,knew that his forces could not defeat the Persian army then marching toward Athens. Hoping instead to make a stand against the Persians at sea,Themistocles and his forces fled Athens for a nearby island. Although the Persian army overwhelmed Athens and left it in ruins,the Greek navy,led by Themistocles,annihilated the Persian fleet. This victory by the Greeks led all Persian forces to retreat within one year.
    About 30 years later the building of the Parthenon began. Construction took place between 447 and 432 B.C. During the rule of Pericles,The Parthenon was constructed on the same site as an unfinished structure intended to honor the men who had lost their in an earlier battle against the Persians. The Parthenon would stand as a symbol of the strength lives and importance of the Greek people.
    Location
    Many important cities in ancient Greece had an acropolis,or "high city," on which people constructed important buildings. The acropolis was the highest and most defensible location,so it also served as a fortress in the event of enemy attack. The Parthenon is located about 500 feet above the city of Athens. Before the Parthenon could be built,some areas of the acropolis had to be leveled down,and other areas had to built up. Then a large,solid foundation was constructed out to limestone blocks. The entire area was buttressed by a reinforcing wall.
    Description
    The Parthenon is a rectangular structure consisting of two inner areas surrounded by columns. There are eight columns at each end and seventeen columns along each side. It is a large structure,considering when it was built. It is about 200 feet long and about 100 feet wide. It stands about 60 feet high.
    Construction
    One extraordinary aspect of the Parthenon is its construction. It required between 20,000 and 30,000 tons of marble that had to be precisely carved so that huge blocks of it could be fitted together without mortar to form the columns and interior walls.
    Perhaps even more impressive are the "optical corrections" that were used. The columns bulge slightly in the middle because experience had shown the Greeks that perfectly straight columns would not look straight to viewer. Because comer columns normally appear smaller than others,the comer columns of the Parthenon were made slightly thicker and were placed closer to the other columns. The columns were also designed to lean inward slightly because perfectly perpendicular columns seem to slant outward. Furthermore the platform on which the Parthenon sits was made to curve upward in the middle because perfectly level floor would appear to sag in the center.
    The Parthenon stands today despite the centuries that have passed. It is a timeless tribute to the enduring culture of the Greek people and is considered a model of excellence in concept and construction. It established the classic style of architecture seen today in many public buildings,such as the White House and the Lincoln Memorial in Washington,D. C. This architectural style is a lasting gift from the ancient Greeks to the modem world.
The author of the passage probably views the Parthenon with_____.
选项 A、amusement
B、suspicion
C、amazement
D、disapproval
答案C
解析 综观全文，本文都是在介绍和赞美古希腊建筑Parthenon，尤其是从建筑的角度对其工程量之大、视觉修正的精湛技艺等惊叹不已。因此C项为正确答案。
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