Hong Kong bids farewell to landmark Star Ferry pier

时间：2006-11-13 08:42:44

（单词翻译:单击）


The Star Ferry Clock Tower at the Central Pier1 is seen through a cutout in an art work in Hong Kong Nov. 11, 2006. The Central Pier, which was built in 1957, is closed on Nov. 12 for Central Reclamation2 Project.
 
Nov. 12 - Hong Kong bade farewell to the world-famous Star Ferry pier as the last boat departed from the historic structure to cross Victoria Harbour.

 

At midnight, the 48-year-old pier closed to make way for a six-lane bypass and a shopping centre built on reclaimed3 land.

 

The pier, one of the territory's most famous icons4 in a downtown district teeming5 with modern skyscrapers6, will be moved 360 meters (1200 feet) west to a 1.54 million US dollar new terminal.

 

The much-loved pier, together with adjacent Queen's Pier and the old clock tower, will turn to dust when the government tears them down next year.

 

Among the crowd of 1,500 watching the final sailing was David Scott, 39, a financial adviser7.

 

"It's yet another piece of the city's heritage, harbour and history sold down the river," he said. "It's not the prettiest of structures, but it's what it represents that matters."

 

Hundreds of "mourners" had written messages on scraps8 of paper and pegged9 them at the ferry pier. Gilda Wan10, a 25-year-old secretary, said: "I met my husband on the Star Ferry out of Central. It means a lot to us. It broke my heart when I was told it was to be scrapped11."

 

The new three-story structure, modeled on the 1912 version of the terminal with an Edwardian design, will feature a public viewing deck, shops and a waterfront restaurant, while a roof-top bar is also planned.

 

The service operator, the Star Ferry Company, hopes the new terminal will give passengers and travellers a new way to enjoy the harbour crossing, which in 1999 was named by the National Geographic12 of Traveler magazine as one of "the 50 places of a lifetime."

 

"We hope that the new pier will provide not just a transport service but will also serve as a tourist attraction," said Frankie Yick, Star Ferry managing director.

 

Yick said he also hopes the 7,000 square-meter (75,000 square-feet) building will help draw more local passengers, beating competition from other modes of cross-harbour transport.

 

Although the ferry costs as little as 1.7 Hong Kong dollars (22 US cents) each journey, by far the cheapest way to travel between Hong Kong island and bustling13 Kowloon, passenger numbers have dropped by 60 percent to 53,000 people a day from three decades ago when the city's first cross-harbour tunnel was opened.

 

Chan Ngai-kwong, who has taken the ferry to work every day for the last 10 years, said he will miss the old pier. But some are not so sorry to see it go.

 

"Compared to the rest of Hong Kong, the pier looks quite run-down," said Des de Moor14, a charity worker from London.

 

Although the clock face will be placed in a museum and its bell relocated to the new pier, architects and conservationists said the old pier and tower clock have important cultural value to Hong Kong and should be preserved.

 

分享到：


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 pier U22zk     
n.码头；桥墩，桥柱；[建]窗间壁，支柱
参考例句：
  • The pier of the bridge has been so badly damaged that experts worry it is unable to bear weight.这座桥的桥桩破损厉害，专家担心它已不能负重。
  • The ship was making towards the pier.船正驶向码头。
2 reclamation MkNzIa     
n.开垦；改造；（废料等的）回收
参考例句：
  • We should encourage reclamation and recycling.我们应当鼓励废物的回收和利用。
  • The area is needed for a land reclamation project.一个土地开垦项目要在这一地区进行。
3 reclaimed d131e8b354aef51857c9c380c825a4c9     
adj.再生的；翻造的；收复的；回收的v.开拓( reclaim的过去式和过去分词 )；要求收回；从废料中回收（有用的材料）；挽救
参考例句：
  • Many sufferers have been reclaimed from a dependence on alcohol. 许多嗜酒成癖的受害者已经被挽救过来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • They reclaimed him from his evil ways. 他们把他从邪恶中挽救出来。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
4 icons bd21190449b7e88db48fa0f580a8f666     
n.偶像( icon的名词复数 )；（计算机屏幕上表示命令、程序的）符号，图像
参考例句：
  • Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons. 用图标来区分重要的文本项。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
  • Daemonic icons should only be employed persistently if they provide continuous, useful status information. 只有会连续地提供有用状态信息的情况下，后台应用程序才应该一直使用图标。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
5 teeming 855ef2b5bd20950d32245ec965891e4a     
adj.丰富的v.充满( teem的现在分词 )；到处都是；（指水、雨等）暴降；倾注
参考例句：
  • The rain was teeming down. 大雨倾盆而下。
  • the teeming streets of the city 熙熙攘攘的城市街道
6 skyscrapers f4158331c4e067c9706b451516137890     
n.摩天大楼
参考例句：
  • A lot of skyscrapers in Manhattan are rising up to the skies. 曼哈顿有许多摩天大楼耸入云霄。
  • On all sides, skyscrapers rose like jagged teeth. 四周耸起的摩天大楼参差不齐。
7 adviser HznziU     
n.劝告者，顾问
参考例句：
  • They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
  • Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。
8 scraps 737e4017931b7285cdd1fa3eb9dd77a3     
油渣
参考例句：
  • Don't litter up the floor with scraps of paper. 不要在地板上乱扔纸屑。
  • A patchwork quilt is a good way of using up scraps of material. 做杂拼花布棉被是利用零碎布料的好办法。
9 pegged eb18fad4b804ac8ec6deaf528b06e18b     
v.用夹子或钉子固定( peg的过去式和过去分词 )；使固定在某水平
参考例句：
  • They pegged their tent down. 他们钉好了账篷。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • She pegged down the stairs. 她急忙下楼。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
10 wan np5yT     
(wide area network)广域网
参考例句：
  • The shared connection can be an Ethernet,wireless LAN,or wireless WAN connection.提供共享的网络连接可以是以太网、无线局域网或无线广域网。
11 scrapped c056f581043fe275b02d9e1269f11d62     
废弃(scrap的过去式与过去分词)； 打架
参考例句：
  • This machine is so old that it will soon have to be scrapped. 这架机器太旧，快报废了。
  • It had been thought that passport controls would be scrapped. 人们曾认为会放开护照管制。
12 geographic tgsxb     
adj.地理学的，地理的
参考例句：
  • The city's success owes much to its geographic position. 这座城市的成功很大程度上归功于它的地理位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Environmental problems pay no heed to these geographic lines. 环境问题并不理会这些地理界限。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
13 bustling LxgzEl     
adj.喧闹的
参考例句：
  • The market was bustling with life. 市场上生机勃勃。
  • This district is getting more and more prosperous and bustling. 这一带越来越繁华了。
14 moor T6yzd     
n.荒野，沼泽；vt.(使)停泊；vi.停泊
参考例句：
  • I decided to moor near some tourist boats.我决定在一些观光船附近停泊。
  • There were hundreds of the old huts on the moor.沼地上有成百上千的古老的石屋。

©2005-2010英文阅读网