每日英語 #025: Grand Central Station
Grand Central Station 格蘭中央車站
Located in New York City, Grand Central Station – technically known as Grand Central Terminal – is the largest train station in the world, if by “largest” we mean the number of “platforms” (places where you get on and off the train) it has. It is, therefore, one of the busiest places in the very busy city of New York, with people “coming and going” (arriving and leaving) all day and all night. When you have a lot of people in one room or area, especially when they are moving about, we say that the place is “like Grand Central Station” – meaning, it’s crowded and very busy.
位於紐約市的格蘭中央車站 - 技術上稱為格蘭中央車站 - 如果我們指的是它擁有的“月台”（你上下車的地方）數量，那麼它就是世界上最大的火車站。因此，它是紐約這個非常繁忙的城市中最繁忙的地方之一，人們整天整夜地來來往往。當你在一個房間或區域裡有很多人，特別是當他們來回移動時，我們會說這個地方“像格蘭中央車站” - 意思是，它擁擠而且非常忙碌。
Grand Central was built in 1913, on the same “spot” (location) as two previous railroad stations in Manhattan, the “downtown” area of New York City. Inside the terminal, which has appeared in many movies and television shows, you will find the Grand Concourse, the main “room” of the terminal, with four large clocks over the “information booth” (area for getting information) in the center. This is a common meeting place for New Yorkers and tourists “alike” (both), since it is so easy to find inside the building. There is also a large American flag that has hung in the terminal since September 11, 2001, which you “cannot fail to see” (can see clearly).
格蘭中央車站建於1913年，位於曼哈頓的同一“地點”（位置），曼哈頓是紐約市的“市中心”區域。在這個總站內，出現在許多電影和電視節目中，你會找到格蘭中央大廳，這是車站的主要“房間”，在中央的“資訊亭”上有四個大時鐘，可以得到資訊。這是紐約人和遊客的常見會合地點，因為在建築物內部非常容易找到。還有一面自2001年9月11日以來一直懸掛在車站內的大美國國旗，你“無法不看到”（可以清楚地看到）。
The terminal “spurred” (increased; quickened) development in the “surrounding” (nearby) neighborhood during the early part of the 20th century, with such buildings as the Chrysler Building. Today, you will find restaurants, bars, and stores in the building. For many years, the “studios” (places where audio and video recording is done) of one of the three largest television networks in the U.S., CBS, were located in the terminal as well. According to one travel magazine, Grand Central Terminal is the sixth most-visited tourist site in the world, with more than 21 million visitors each year.
在20世紀早期，車站“激發了”（增加; 加快）周圍地區的發展，如克萊斯勒大樓等建築物。今天，你會在建築物內找到餐廳，酒吧和商店。多年來，美國三大電視網之一CBS的“工作室”（音頻和視頻錄製地點）也設在車站內。根據一本旅行雜誌，格蘭中央車站是世界上第六受歡迎的旅遊景點，每年超過2100萬遊客前來。
重點單字
- technically 技術上 /ˈtɛknɪkəli/
- platforms 月台 /ˈplætfɔːrmz/
- coming and going 來來往往 /ˈkʌmɪŋ ænd ˈɡoʊɪŋ/
- spot 地點 /spɑt/
- downtown 市中心 /ˈdaʊntaʊn/
- information booth 資訊亭 /ˌɪnfɚˈmeɪʃən buːθ/
- alike 一樣 /əˈlaɪk/
- spurred 激發了 /spɜrd/
- surrounding 周圍的 /səˈraʊndɪŋ/
- studios 工作室 /ˈstjuːdioʊz/
