TF阅读真题第919篇Building Materials in the Nineteenth Century-托您的福

Building Materials in the Nineteenth Century

For most of the nineteenth century, European architects built in historical revival styles (styles that imitate styles of the past). However, some reacted against such imitation of the past and sought to create an architecture that was true to the character of their own time by exploring the artistic potential of iron and steel construction. The use of iron and steel in construction has been as significant for modern cities as the development of the steam engine, which is more commonly associated with the Industrial Revolution.

Cast iron, and later steel, was first used on utilitarian structures such as bridges, factories, and warehouses. Because of these associations, architects were reluctant to apply their potential for ceremonial public buildings, unless they could hide these inelegant materials from view. However, their great strength and capacity to span large open spaces and to replace heavy stone or brick masonry load-bearing walls in building construction offered advantages both practical and aesthetic, so that cast iron and steel eventually became the materials of choice.

From the 1830s on, cast iron was a vital ingredient in the integration of new railroads into old cities. It was especially visible in the train sheds and the iron bridges needed to support or span the railroad tracks. Monet’s Saint-Lazare Train Station, the Normandy Train, painted in 1877， gives a vivid impression of the vast open spaces that could be spanned by a cast iron structure and roof, easily accommodating several tracks with platforms between while providing sufficient height to allow the smoke from the trains to dissipate. Monet’s painting also shows the utility of setting glass panes in iron roofing frames to admit light. Cast iron was, however, typically reserved for the train sheds that Monet depicts; the street entry of such railway stations was invariably built of stone in a grand, historicist style resembling anything from a stately city hall to an opera house.

In the Bibliotheque Sainte-Genevieve, a Parisian library built between 1843 and 1850， architect-engineer Pierre-Francois-Henri Labrouste (1801-1875) attempted to integrate these two different systems. He used stone treated in a historicist style for the exterior and spanned the interior Reading Room with exposed cast iron. It is still a compromise between old and new-an Italian Renaissance-style stone shell with modern cast-iron columns and arches on the interior. But whereas in train stations cast iron was reserved for the smoky train shed, here it openly adorns the heart of a repository of learning. Labrouste attempted to integrate the two systems of construction by repeating the arch of the stone window openings in the cast-iron arches of the twin barrel-vaulted roof, while contrasting the massiveness of the masonry with the delicacy of the cast iron. Its lightness is accentuated by the thinness of the columns and the perforated scroll pattern of the ceiling arches. Despite the harmony and contrasts achieved at the Bibliotheque Sainte-Genevieve, Labrouste was exposed to ridicule because of his break with convention in openly displaying an industrial material in a house of learning.

Architects and their public were more willing to tolerate an open embrace of new materials in utilitarian buildings, such as greenhouses, train sheds, public markets, and the temporary exhibition halls erected to show off the wealth and industry of modern nations, as well as the exotica of their overseas colonies. London’s Crystal Palace was the earliest and most famous of all such nineteenth-century exhibition halls. It covered eighteen acres, making it, at the time, the largest enclosed space in the world. Designed in 1850 by Sir Joseph Paxton (1801-1865)， a noted horticulturalist and innovator in greenhouse construction, the Crystal Palace was erected in less than nine months, to the astonishment of the world. Its standardized iron and glass components made possible this speedy construction: these components were mass produced in factories, delivered by rail, and assembled on site. This also made it the first, masterly example of coordinated, industrialized building construction. Nevertheless, the Crystal Palace was considered an object of utility rather than beauty and was taken down after the 1851 Universal Exhibition (the first in a series of World’s Fair exhibitions of culture and industry) to be reassembled elsewhere. Like the goods it temporarily displayed, it had served to celebrate the progress and prosperity of the Industrial Age.

According to paragraph 1， some nineteenth-century architects used iron and steel for construction because the architects

Factual Information Questions事实信息题

Acreated buildings in historical revival styles for which iron and steel were useful

Bbelieved that iron and steel were necessary for growing cities

Cneeded stronger materials to achieve their artistic goals

Drejected the practice of creating buildings that resembled historical styles

According to paragraph 2， all of the following properties of cast iron and steel made them desirable to architects EXCEPT

Negative Factual Information Questions否定事实信息题

Atheir effectiveness in supporting weight

Btheir relative lightness

Ctheir ability to extend over wide areas

Dtheir ability to be easily hidden from view

The word”invariably”in the passage is closest in meaning to

Vocabulary Questions词汇题

Acarefully

Balways

Cprimarily

Don the contrary

According to paragraph 3， Monet’s Saint-Lazare Train Station, the Normandy Train illustrates which of the following advantages of using cast iron in train stations?

Factual Information Questions事实信息题

AIt could be used to support glass panes on the roof to allow light through.

BIt could be easily repaired when damaged by smoke from trains.

CIt could be adapted for building street entrances in historicist styles.

DIt could make train sheds look like a stately city hall or an opera house.

Paragraph 4 suggests that Labrouste’s architecture received a negative reaction for which of the following reasons?

Inference Questions推理题

ABoth the interior and exterior of the library showed off the use of cast iron.

BLabrouste’s previous work on train stations had too great an influence on the library’s design and construction.

CThe use of older styles and materials was considered the only appropriate way to build structures such as libraries.

DThe library’s columns and arches were too thin and delicate to support the weight of its walls and ceiling.

In paragraph 4, why does the author mention the use of cast iron for the smoky shed of train stations in discussing the Bibliotheque Sainte Genevieve?

Factual Information Questions事实信息题

ATo argue that cast iron was especially well suited for creating vaulted roofs

BTo explain why the earlier historicist style was not appropriate for the interior of Sainte Genevieve

CTo explain why it was necessary to repeat the arch of Sainte Genevieve’s window openings in the cast-iron arches of the roof

DTo emphasize how unusual it was at the time for cast iron to be used for the interior of a library

Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

Sentence Simplification Questions句子简化题

ANew materials were more acceptable to architects and their public when used for building practical or temporary structures.

BNew materials were used to construct temporary structures at home and overseas to show off modern wealth and industry.

CThe use of new building materials allowed architects to show off the wealth and industry of modern nations, as well as the exotica of colonies.

DNew materials were needed for architects to build greenhouses, train sheds, public markets, and temporary exhibition halls.

According to paragraph 5， why was the Crystal Palace taken down after 1851 ？

Factual Information Questions事实信息题

AIt was no longer felt to be an adequate celebration of the Industrial Age.

BIt was too unstable to remain standing as a permanent structure.

CIt was thought to be useful only for a short-term purpose.

DIts land was needed as a site for new factories.

For most of the nineteenth century, European architects built in historical revival styles (styles that imitate styles of the past). [■] However, some reacted against such imitation of the past and sought to create an architecture that was true to the character of their own time by exploring the artistic potential of iron and steel construction. [■] The use of iron and steel in construction has been as significant for modern cities as the development of the steam engine, which is more commonly associated with the Industrial Revolution.

[■] Cast iron, and later steel, was first used on utilitarian structures such as bridges, factories, and warehouses.[■] Because of these associations, architects were reluctant to apply their potential for ceremonial public buildings, unless they could hide these inelegant materials from view. However, their great strength and capacity to span large open spaces and to replace heavy stone or brick masonry load-bearing walls in building construction offered advantages both practical and aesthetic, so that cast iron and steel eventually became the materials of choice.

Look at the four squares [■] that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage

The impact on society was far-reaching.Insert Text Questions句子插入题

Where would the sentence best fit？Click on a square sentence to the passage.

Cast iron and steel were two of the most important building materials to emerge during the Industrial Age.

ACast iron and steel were often reserved for utilitarian structures such as the train sheds in Monet’s painting, while historicist styles were preferred for ceremonial buildings.

BBy the second half of the nineteenth century, even the street entries of railway stations, opera houses, and city halls prominently featured the new building materials.

CLabrouste artfully used both stone and cast iron in constructing his library, but the public reacted against this blending of old and new.

DMany architects did not become aware of the practical benefits of using cast iron and steel until some ceremonial buildings made from these materials were erected.

EPaintings that depicted the use of industrial materials helped architects to realize the beauty of cast iron and steel.

FThe construction of London’s Crystal Palace showed off not only the use of modern construction materials but also the efficiency afforded by mass production.

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