20090917 -- Sides of Shanghai (1)

Sides of Shanghai

Old and new, East and West meet in Shanghai

Shanghai dazzles visitors with its variety of places new and old, East and West. New Shanghai begins at the airport with a step onto the Maglev, Shanghai's high-speed train. Reaching 431 km/h, it whisks travelers the 32 kilometers from the airport to Pudong in eight minutes. Visitors disembark from the Maglev at Pudong, where Shanghai's modern side awaits right outside the station.

New, modern Pudong
Twenty years of intense development has given Pudong - and Shanghai a new skyline. People usually first notice the Oriental Pearl Tower, which has come to symbolize Shanghai. Besides serving as a TV and radio tower, the Oriental Pearl houses museums and a rotating restaurant. South of it stands the 421-m-tall Jin Mao Tower, which has hosted BASE-jumping events from just above its 88th floor. The Shanghai World Financial Center, the city's tallest building, tower above both structures at 492 m. The 100th-floor observatory has glass floors, giving visitors a bird's eye view of the city. The best view of Pudong's skyline, however, is from across the Huangpu River on a walk along the Bund.


dazzle v. 使目眩/眼花
=> impress
eg: Daisy dazzled her friends when she showed them her diamond ring.
eg: The fireworks dazzled the entire audience.
eg: She was dazzled by her sudden fame.

dazzle v. 發出炫目的光芒
eg: The stars are dazzling in the night sky.

whisk v. 快速走開/帶走
=> move very quickly
eg: The elevator whisked us up to the top floor of the building.
eg: He was whisked away to the emergency room when he had a heart attack.
eg: Elaine's husband whisked her away to New York for the weekend on her birthday.

financial adj.
=> involves money
eg: My financial planning consists of a savings account and some stock investments.

observatory n.
eg: The observatory at the top of the mountain provides a grand view of the whole city.


rot-輪
rotate v. 輪流/旋轉/交替
=> turn
eg: The interns(實習生) will rotate from department to department.
eg: Rotate the handle gently when you open the gate.

disembark 下（車、船、飛機等）
=> get off


//== Chat room ==//

a bird's eye view 鳥瞰(如鳥俯瞰大地的視覺感受)
a bird's eye view 廣義的俯瞰
eg: get a bird's eye view on situations 全盤了解狀況


snake eyes 玩遊戲擲骰子時，兩顆骰子投出各一點，總共兩點的情形
fish-eyes lens　魚眼鏡頭(一種廣角鏡頭)

a dear in headlights 面對事情毫無反應/不知所措/一片茫然的人
eg: He looks like a dear in headlights.

//== Grammer on the go ==//

People usually first notice the Oriental Pearl Tower, which has come to symbolize Shanghai.
=> People usually first notice the Oriental Pearl Tower, which has now become the symbol of Shanghai.

has come to
=> how something comes the way it is

represent
eg: Although blue jean were originally designed to be work pants, they have come to represent style.

mean
eg: For some people, wearing fur has come to mean animal cruelty.