There is a story of architecture through humanity, and about Beauty in simplicity and nature.
We are in the Arctic Circle, traveling towards the North Pole, across the frozen world. We are coming to celebrate an ancient, elemental and beautiful structure. But because of the temperature in the Arctic are rising faster than anywhere else, It’s a structure could soon be lost forever.
Today we will build an igloo together, a structure that reveals the origin of architecture, when man first created shelter from hostile weather and prowling beasts.
First we need a good snow.
Igloo, a creation of the Inuit culture, was used as winter home and shelters on hunting expeditions. The people there still hunt, but few build igloos.
Then we draw a big circle on the ground.
And blocks. The blocks are cut from snow, compacted by the wind to the right consistency. We need about fifty blocks in all.
The master block, the foundation has to be placed facing towards the sunshine, because the sun gives us everything. The blocks are laid in a clockwise direction, following the motion of the sun as it moves though the sky from draw to dusk.
The way it works is very simple. This particular sort of dome is like the top of an eggshell. It is a ovoid dome, not a semi-circle, so that the force of the weight of the blocks are taken more or less straight down to the ground. The trouble with these sorts of dome, they thrust outwards and want to sort of fall down, but the igloo is incredibly strong. And it supports its own weight, and a lot of other things besides when it’s completed.
The miracle of the igloo is that the weakest building material possible, frozen water, achieve strength through brilliant engineering.
After a couple of layers of blocks, the walls start sloping inward. The blocks start to spar up and each block is cunningly shaped. It’s all together by a good bit which sort of melts a bit of snow, and then that freezes. And it just stays firm. So it’s all being glued together with ice.
Constructing a dome without props or scaffolding is a perilous undertaking. The final stages are hazardous. Problematic joins are fixed with intricate ice carpentry. And the familiar shape keeps on growing.
Back inside, all that remains are the finishing touches. We spin two blocks of particular shape to be the keystone and capped stone. Finally it’s completed.
The dome is regarded as one of the high points of our architectural culture, particularly celebrated as a hallmark of roman engineering genius. Yet, in this culture, isolated, remote from our own, the dome also developed to meet particular environmental problems and demands. It’s incredible that two cultures so different should come up with the same architectural form.
The igloo is a wondrous machine. The snow blocks are cold but wonderful insulators. When heat melts the surface of snow, and the liquid would run into the cracks, freeze and seal them,. So the whole thing really becomes a building of ice rather than snow, eventually much stronger.
The igloo contains all the basic ideas of architecture. It’s a practical shelter and a miniature masterpiece of engineering. But above all, the igloo is beautiful, beautiful because of the logic, the clarity of thinking behind its design and construction, beautiful because it seems so simple, yet is also so complex in its function. And of course, beautiful because of its form, the celestial dome, the symbol of the sun in this icy land.
第二篇：英文演讲稿
中国英语网.cn
I have been in University for about one year. During my stay here, I came to realize that university life is like drinking coke. We experience all tastes of life here, sour, sweet, bitter and hot.
I am from Province, which is far away from here. I often miss my Mum, friends, and relatives in my hometown. However, I can't see them very often. So loneliness always keeps me company. I am sad that I can't be there with them.
Lucky for me, life in university is rich and colorful. With more free time,we can do many more things besides study, such as joining societies clubs, and taking part-time jobs. Such activities not only make our life more colorful, but also help us improve all kinds of skills. The university is a society miniature, what we learn here will benefit our future life.
Our path in life will not always be smooth. Setbacks can't be avoided. Failing an important exam, break up with boy or girl friend, or refused by a promising company, such setbacks are likely to get us down. Sometimes we fell so frustrated that we even burst into tears.
Drinkin coke is wonderful, despite the undesirble consequent hiccups. It's bitter, sour and peppery, but also sweet. And you'll even feel excited after gulping down a glass. A college experience is part of growing up. We cry, smile, fall in love, get hurt, leave, learn and then we become a better person.
University life is like drinking coke. I'm experiencing it. And I know, I enjoy it!
我一直在大学呆了一年多。我在这儿时,我才意识到大学生活就像喝可乐。我们的生活经历各种口味、酸、甜、苦、辣。
我从省,离这儿很远。我常常想念妈妈的亲戚、朋友,在我的家乡。然而,我不能经常见到他们。那么孤独总是会陪伴我。我很难过,我无法和他们在一起。
幸运的是,我在大学生活是丰富多彩的。有更多的闲暇时间,我们可以做更多的事情除了学习,如加入社团俱乐部,打工。这样的活动,不仅使我们的生活更加丰富多彩,而且还能帮助我们改进各种各样的技能。大学是一个社会,我们在这里学到的微缩有利于我们今后的生活。
我们的人生之路不会一帆风顺。挫折是无法避免的。失败的一个重要的考试,跟男孩还是女孩的朋友,或者拒绝由一个有前途的公司,这样可能会让我们的挫折。有时候,我们觉得很沮丧,我们甚至大哭起来。
喝可乐是美妙的,尽管undesirble随之打嗝。这是苦的,酸和暴躁,而且甜。你甚至可以感觉到激动下一杯。全身后,一个大学的经验是成长的一部分。我们哭泣,微笑着,坠入爱河,受伤,离开,学习,然后我们做一个更好的人。
大学生活就像喝可乐。我的感受。我知道,我喜欢它!
YOUTH
Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life.
Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity of the appetite, for adventure over the love of ease. This often exists in a man of sixty more than a body of twenty. Nobody grows old merely by a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals.
Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, fear, self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spirit back to dust.
Whether sixty or sixteen, there is in every human being's heart the lure of wonder, the unfailing child-like appetite of what's next, and the joy of the game of living. In the center of your heart and my heart there is a wireless station; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage and power from men and from the Infinite, so long are you young.
When the aerials are down, and your spirit is covered with snows of cynicism and the ice of pessimism, then you are grown old, even at twenty, but as long as your aerials are up, to catch the waves of optimism, there is hope you may die young at eighty.
其他回答 共4条
Pain past is pleasure.过去的痛苦即快乐。All things are difficult before they are easy.凡事必先难后易。Nothing is impossible to a willing heart.心之所愿，无事不成。Where there is life, there is hope.有生命必有希望。I feel strongly that I can make it.我坚信我一定能成功。Better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.与其诅咒黑暗，不如燃起蜡烛。The shortest answer is doing.最简短的回答就是行动。Four short words sum up what has lifted most successful individuals above the crowd: a little bit more.成功的秘诀就是四个简单的字：多一点点。（凡事比别人多一点点！多一点努力，多一点自律，多一点实践，多一点疯狂。多一点点就能创造奇迹！）
DEFINITION OF CRAZINESS "Crazy" stands for the human spirit of transcending oneself. It stands for the single-minded pursuit of dreams. It stands for the total devotion to your work. It stands for the passion of commitment to reach the goal. Once you have this craziness, you can achieve anything you want. Let alone learning English!疯狂的定义"疯狂"代表着人类超越自我的精神，代表着对理想的执着追求，代表着对事业忘我的全情投入，代表着不达目的绝不罢休的激情。人一旦有了这种疯狂，做任何事都可以成功，何况攻克英语！
ALWAYS HAVE A DREAM Forget about the days when it's been cloudy, But don't forget your hours in the sun. Forget about the times you've been defeated, But don't forget the victories you've won. Forget about the misfortunes you've encountered, But don't forget the times your luck has turned. Forget about the days when you've been lonely, But don't forget the friendly smiles you've seen. Forget about the plans that didn't seem to work out right, But don't forget to always have a dream.永不放弃梦想忘掉你的失意日子，但不要忘记黄金的时光。忘掉你的一次次失败，但不要忘记你夺取的胜利。忘掉你遭遇的不幸，但不要忘记你的时来运转。忘掉你的孤独日子，但不要忘记你得到的友善的微笑。忘掉你没有得以顺利实施的计划，但不要放弃你的梦想。
李阳的励志名言打击我吧！伤害我吧！折磨我吧！侮辱我吧！冤枉我吧！迫害我吧！Attack me! Hurt me! Torture me! Humiliate me! Mistreat me! Persecute me!让暴风雨都来吧！让我付出代价！让我心态归零！你使我兴奋！你使我斗志昂扬！你使我咬牙切齿！Let storms rage against me! Let me pay the price! Let me hit rock bottom! You excite me! You fill me with the spirit to fight! You make me grind my teeth!你使我百折不挠！你使我脱胎换骨！你使我变得更坚强！你使我成为真正的人！你是我最幸福的回忆！你是我终生感激的恩人！我不是人，我要重塑人的尊严！You make me determined! You make my completely reshape myself! You make me stronger! You make me a real man! You are my most joyful memory! I owe you all my life! I'm not human. I want to rebuild my dignity and honor. I want to reshape my life.
特别赠言：让我们牺牲一些娱乐的时间、牺牲一些无聊的时间、牺牲一些闲聊的时间、牺牲一些为自己的穿着打扮苦恼的时间、牺牲一些思考如何吃的时间、牺牲一些打麻将的时间！让我们多一些反思自我、改造自我的时间！人一生总要成就一些事情！说一口流利的英语就是一件非常值得做的事，而且是一定可以做好的事！从中找到自己的快乐吧！找到自己的信心吧！找到自己的价值吧！找到奋斗的快感吧！找到克服重重困难的幸福吧！我只要有三顿
饭吃，我就感到无比幸福和满足，我将不会再去考虑其它的东西！我只有一个心思：一定要讲一口流利的英语！我就不信我做不到！在这种状态下，你肯定成功！你肯定会拥有一切你需要的东西，你想拒绝都没有办法！你想庸俗都没有选择！成功、名誉、财富！一切都随之而来！而那些天天在想他们自己未来需求的人，最终也只能白日做梦，越做越远！让我们将我们的欲望集中在一个地方，那就是早日攻克英语！一旦成功，你的人生历史一定会重
In my 18 years of life, there have been many things. University days are the best part of them. I can never forget the days when I stepped into my university. I was impressed by its garden-like campus, its enthusiastic students and especially its learning atmosphere. I at once fell in love with it.
After the arduous military training, I get absolutely absorbed in my studies. The classes given by the teachers are excellent. They provide us with information not only from our textbooks but from many other sources as well. They easily arouse my insatiable desire to take in as much as I can.
Frankly speaking, at first I had some difficulty following the teachers. However, through my own efforts and thanks to my teachers' guidance, I made remarkable progress. Now I've benefited a lot from lectures and many other academic reports.
Learning is a long process; I'll keep exploring in the treasure house of knowledge to enrich myself. This summer I got out of the ivory tower and entered the real world.
A publishing house offered me a part-time job in compilation and revision.
At the beginning I was belittled by my colleagues. But they were really surprised when I translated seven English articles over 5,000 words on only one day. Gradually, they began to look at me with respectful eyes. In their opinion I turned out to be a useful and trustworthy colleague.
I also realize that only those who bring happiness for others can be truly happy. So I often take part in activities concerning public welfare. I once went to a barren mountain village with my classmates. We taught the kids there who could not afford school. While showing them how broad and how civilized the outer world is, I was deeply touched by their eagerness to learn, their honesty and their purity. I couldn't control my tears on the day when we left. The precious experience with the poor kids made me aware of the responsibility on the shoulders of us, future teachers. Besides study and social practice, there are entertainments as well. I do body building every day, hoping to keep healthy and energetic. We also write a play and put it on in our spare time.www.HXen.Com
Campus life is the most splendid time. But different people have different choices. The majority of students cherish their beautiful season and cherish the hope that one day they'll become outstanding. But there are indeed some students still under ignorance. They gather together for eating, drinking or playing cards. They're busy in searching for a girlfriend or a boyfriend. They forget completely about their
mission as college students and the hope of their motherland.
Finally, I do hope everybody can try their best to become a worthy citizen of the country. I do hope everybody can become the backbone of our nation and make great contributions to society!
译文:享受生活、不忘使命
在我这18年的生命中，有着许多美好的经历，而大学生活则是其中最难忘的一段。我永远不会忘记刚刚跨进大学校园的那几天:花园一样的校园，热情活跃的学生，特别是那里的学习气氛，给我留下了深刻的印象。Hxen恒星英语学习网
经过了一段艰辛的军事训练后，我完全融入到了学习中。老师的讲课真是棒极了。他们传授给我们的不仅是课本上的知识，还包括其他各种各样的信息。我渴望获得尽可能多的知识，是老师激发起了我这个不能满足的欲望。Hxen恒星英语学习网
坦率地说，一开始我还不能跟上老师的讲课。但是，通过我自己的努力以及老师的指导，我取得了巨大的进步。我从老师的授课和其他许多学术报告中获益匪浅,恒星英语学习网
学习是个循序渐进、长期的过程，我会在知识的宝库中不断探索，丰富自我。今年暑假，我跨出象牙塔，进入并接触到了真正的社会。一个出版社给了我编辑和校对的兼职工作。 工作初期，同事们都礁不起我。但是，当我在一天之内翻译完7篇(总字数超过5000字)的英语文章后，他们真的是Hxen恒星英语学习网
大吃一惊。渐渐地，他们开始用尊敬的眼光看待我。他们认为，我变成了一个有用并值得信赖的好同事。Hxen恒星英语学习网
我也同样意识到，只有那些为别人带来幸福的人才能真正的幸福。因而，我经常参加有关公众福利享业的活动。有一次，我和同学去了一个贫痔的山区村庄。在那里，我们教那些没钱上学的孩子。我向他们展示了一幅宽广、文明的外部世界的画面，但同时我也被那些孩子学习的渴望、他们的真诚和纯洁深深打动了。在我们离开的那一天，我那不争气的眼泪禁不住流了下来。这次珍贵的经历让我们这些未来的教师意识到了自己肩上的责任重大。 除了学习和社会实践，我还经常参加娱乐活动。我每天都锻炼身体，希望保持健康和充满活力。我们还在业余时间写剧本并排练演出。
园生活是最丰富多彩的。但是，不同的人有着不同的选择。大多数的学生珍惜他们的美好时光，并殷切希望将来能出类拔萃。可是，的确有学生无动于衷。他们聚在一起吃喝玩乐;他们忙于追求异性朋友;他们完全忘记了自己作为大学生的使命和祖国对他们的厚望。
最后，我希望每个人都能尽最大努力成为国家的有用人才。我也希望每个人都能成为我们民族的脊梁，为社会做出巨大的贡献!
From: /englishstudy/yingyuyanjianggao/2008-06-05/39730.html
Man’s life is a process of growing up, actually I’m standing here is a growth. If a person’s life must constituted by various choices, then I grow up along with these
choices. Once I hope I can study in a college in future, however that’s passed, as you know I come here, now I wonder what the future holds for (= what will happen to) me.
When I come to this school, I told to myself: this my near future, all starts here. Following I will learn to become a man, a integrated man, who has a fine body, can take on important task, has independent thought, an open mind, intensive thought, has the ability to judge right and wrong, has a perfect job.
Once my teacher said :” you are not sewing, you are stylist; never forget which you should lay out to people is your thought, not craft.” I will put my personality with my interest and ability into my study, during these process I will combine learning with doing. If I can achieve this “future”, I think that I really grow up. And I deeply believe kindred, good-fellowship and love will perfection and happy in the future.
How to say future? Maybe it’s a nice wish. Lets make up our minds, stick to it and surely well enjoy our life.
From: /englishstudy/yingyuyanjianggao/2007-04-16/5900.html