Notre-Dame's Crumbling Gargoyles Need Help
VOA News
August 29, 2017 4:54 PM (source)
Notre-Dame's Crumbling Gargoyles Need Help
巴黎聖母院：怪獸石雕崩裂，盼外界幫忙
August 29, 2017 4:54 PM
Associated Press
PARIS —
The Archbishop of Paris is on a 100 million-euro (0 million) fundraising drive to save the crumbling gargoyles and gothic arches of the storied Notre-Dame cathedral.
Every year, 12 million to 14 million people visit the 12th-century Parisian landmark on an island in the Seine river. Groundbreaking for the structure occurred in 1163 and construction was completed in 1345. Pollution and exposure to elements over time have resulted in losses of large chunks of stone.
"If we don't do these restoration works, we'll risk seeing parts of the exterior structure begin to fall. This is a very serious risk," said Michel Picaud, president of the Friends of Notre-Dame charity set up by the archbishop.
Church officials, who have created what they are calling a "stone cemetery" from fallen masonry, say the cathedral remains safe to visit.
Entry to the cathedral is free, and the French state, which owns the building, devotes 2 million euros a year to repairs.
But that is not enough to embark on major restoration works, the last of which were carried out during the 1800s, officials at the cathedral and charity said.
Hugo's book
Notre-Dame has long drawn tourists from around the world.
It is most famous in popular culture as the locale for 19th-century author Victor Hugo's "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame" and films of the same name, including the 1939 classic with Charles Laughton and the 1996 Disney musical animation.
The latter in particular raised the cathedral's profile for modern-day tourists from China to the United States.
"It's the movie for me. I just think of the Hunchback of Notre-Dame, and the book as well. After reading that book, I actually really wanted to come see it," said U.S tourist Claire Huber as she visited the cathedral.
Church authorities hope the cathedral's worldwide fame will attract donors, particularly from the United States.
"Gargoyles are what people want to see when they come to Paris. If there are no more gargoyles, what will they see?" Notre-Dame communications chief Andre Finot said.
巴黎大主教(archbishop)正在籌備1億歐元（1.2億美元）的募款活動(fundraising drive)，以拯救有名的巴黎聖母院大教堂(cathedral)中正逐漸崩裂的怪獸石雕雨漏(gargoyle)與哥德式拱門(arch)。（編按：雨漏，又稱為「滴水嘴獸」，是一種設計於建築輸水管道噴口終端的雕飾，常見的雨漏造型為動物或鬼怪模樣。下雨時，屋頂上的雨水可透過雨漏排出，如此可避免雨水沿著建築物的牆壁流下來，用以減少雨水對牆壁石塊之間的砂漿的侵蝕。）
每年有一千二百萬到一千四百萬人到訪這個建於十二世紀，位在塞納河(Seine)小島上的巴黎地標(landmark)。聖母院的建築物開工動土(groundbreaking)是在1163年，而建造則於1345年完成。污染和長期暴露於惡劣天候(elements)已導致建築物出現大塊的石材崩壞。
「如果我們不進行這些修復工程(restoration work)，我們是冒著看到外部(exterior)結構體開始掉落的風險，這將會非常嚴重。」在大主教所設立(set up)的慈善機構「聖母院之友(Friends of Notre-Dame)」擔任會長的米歇爾‧皮卡德(Michel Picaud)如此表示。
教會人員把掉落的磚石(masonry)堆放在一起，稱之為「石頭墓園(cemetery)」，但他們說教堂仍然安全，可供參觀。
巴黎聖母院的入場免費，法國政府是建築物的所有者，每年投入(devote . . . to . . .)200萬歐元進行修繕(repair)。
但這筆金額仍不足以著手進行(embark on)重大的修復工程。教堂與教堂的慈善機構的人員表示，最近一次的大整修是在十九世紀期間進行(carry out)的。
雨果的書
巴黎聖母院一直以來都吸引(draw)來自世界各地的訪客。
巴黎聖母院在流行文化中最著名的就是作為19世紀作家維克多‧雨果(Victor Hugo)的小說《鐘樓怪人(The Hunchback of Notre-Dame)》和幾部同名電影的場景(locale)，其中包含了1939年的查爾斯‧勞頓(Charles Laughton)所演出的經典之作(classic)和1996年的迪士尼音樂動畫電影(animation)。
後者（迪士尼動畫）尤其是為今日的(modern day)中美旅客提高了聖母院大教堂的知名度(raise one's profile)。
克萊兒‧胡伯(Claire Huber)是來參觀聖母院大教堂的美國遊客，她受訪時表示：「聖母院對我來說就是電影，我腦海裡想到的就是《鐘樓怪人》的電影和書。看完書後，我就真的想來這裡看看。」
教堂的相關人員希望聖母院遍及全世界的名聲可以吸引到捐款者(donor)，尤其是來自美國的捐款。
聖母院通訊組長安德烈‧菲諾(Andre Finot)說道：「人們來訪巴黎時想要看到的就是怪獸石雕雨漏。如果少了這些怪獸石雕，旅客們要看什麼呢？」
Language Notes
gargoyle ['gɑrgɔɪl] (n)（教堂屋頂等上的怪獸狀石雕）滴水嘴
cathedral [kə'θidrəl] (n)（一個教區內的）總教堂，大教堂
groundbreaking (n) 開工動土
* 本字更普遍的意思是「開創性的；創新的」，作形容詞用；新聞中「開工動土」之意是由動詞片語 "break ground" 變化而來。相關的片語 "break new ground" 則為「開創新局，創新」的意思
restoration [͵rɛstə'reʃən] (n) 整修，使復原
* restore [rɪ'stor] (v) 整修，修復
exterior [ɪk'stɪrɪɚ] (a) 外面的；外表的
* 反義字為：interior [ɪn'tɪrɪɚ] (a) 內部的
set something up (v phr) 設立，設置
* 本片語如果以「人」為受詞，即 "set someone up"，則有「爲. . . . . .安置職位」、「資助」或「設局、陷害」等意思
cemetery [sɛmə͵tɛrɪ] (n) 公墓，墓地
repair (n) 修理；修補；修繕
* 本字作複數 "repairs"時，常指「修理工作；修補工作」
locale [lo'kæl] (n)（尤指書籍或電影中的）故事發生地，場景
hunchback ['hʌnʧ͵bæk] (n) 駝背的人
* hunch (v) 弓著身體；彎著腰
animation [͵ænə'meʃən] (n) 動畫；動畫片
profile (n) 大眾的注意
* 常見的相關字有"high-profile"，意思是「引人注目的，備受關注的」，為形容詞；另常見的片語則有"keep a low profile"，表示「不張揚；低調處理」
Check your vocabulary!
At the far side of the cemetery a group of mourners stood in a circle around the grave.
We need to increase our company's profile in Asia.
A gargoyle is an ugly creature or head cut from stone and attached to the roof of an old church, etc., often with an open mouth through which rain water flows away
They usually put a protective coating on the exterior surface of the walls.
The first task following the disaster was the restoration of clean water supplies.
The book's locale is a coastal town in the summer of 1958.
編譯：簡嘉呈
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