The Architect

The castle that sank · 一座下沉的「城堡」

My family moved to a new home across the street from a grand building—the Museum of Nature. It's a national monument and a landmark in our city.

On the day we moved in, my parents' friend Andrew came to visit us. He looked out the window. "You can see the museum from here," he said, pointing to the building. "Do you know the story of the 'castle'?"

"I know nothing about it," I said frankly.

"The museum was originally designed to mirror the central tower of the Parliament building,"

Andrew went on to explain that the task of creating a design to showcase the natural treasures of the country fell to a well-known chief architect.

This architect had designed four other stone public buildings in the nation's capital between 1900 and 1914. His design called for a massive tower with turrets, a clock and a spire. It reflected the classic styles of Europe.

But, when the construction was half-completed, the building started to sink. It couldn't be believed!

Andrew said that the cause of the problem was the type of soil at the site. A builder needs to assess the soil of a site carefully. Some soil expands when it absorbs water. The design did not take into account the unstable ground at the site.

As a result, cracks appeared in the foundation. The design had to be modified. It posed a great engineering problem, and it could not be built as it was originally designed.

The central tower had to be removed. The building was shortened by 80 feet, and the main architectural features and strengths of the building were gone.

"It must have been hard for the architect," I said. "The architect was so frustrated that he jumped off the building," he said.

I sat there for a long time without saying a word. The story of the building and the architect stuck in my mind for many days.

The Architect — The castle that sank

My family moved to a new home across the street from a grand building—the Museum of Nature. It's a national m(1)__________ and a landmark in our city.

On the day we moved in, my parents' friend Andrew came to visit us. He looked out the window. "You can see the museum from here," he said, pointing to the building. "Do you know the story of the 'castle'?"

"I know nothing about it," I said frankly.

"The museum was o(2)__________ designed to mirror the central tower of the Parliament building,"

Andrew went on to e(3)__________ that the task of creating a design to showcase the natural treasures of the country fell to a well-known chief a(4)__________.

This architect had designed four other stone public buildings in the nation's capital between 1900 and 1914. His design called for a m(5)__________ tower with turrets, a clock and a spire. It reflected the classic styles of Europe.

But, when the c(6)__________ was half-completed, the building started to sink. It couldn't be believed!

Andrew said that the cause of the problem was the type of soil at the site. A builder needs to a(7)__________ the soil of a site carefully. Some soil e(8)__________ when it absorbs water. The design did not take into account the unstable ground at the site.

As a result, cracks appeared in the foundation. The design had to be m(9)__________. It posed a great engineering problem, and it could not be built as it was originally designed.

The central tower had to be removed. The building was shortened by 80 feet, and the main architectural features and strengths of the building were gone.

"It must have been hard for the architect," I said. "The architect was so f(10)__________ that he jumped off the building," he said.

I sat there for a long time without saying a word. The story of the building and the architect stuck in my mind for many days.

📌 重点单词 · Key Vocabulary

🔗 重点词组 · Key Phrases

💡 语法小贴士 · Grammar Tips

🏛️ 文化拓展 · A Castle on Unstable Ground

这个故事的原型是加拿大渥太华的维多利亚纪念博物馆（今加拿大自然博物馆）。它于 1906-1911 年间建造，设计师是当时的首席建筑师大卫·尤尔特（David Ewart）。楼盖到一半，人们发现地基下是莱布里平坦区的敏感黏土——吸水膨胀、失水收缩，楼体开始不均匀下沉，塔楼倾斜。文中的桥段，包括塔楼被整座拆除、建筑截短，都取材于这段真实工程史。

有趣的是，这座「命运多舛」的建筑后来又立了大功：1916 年加拿大国会大厦毁于大火，国会曾搬进这座博物馆办公四年。如今它被列为加拿大国家历史遗址，当年的「缺陷」反而成了它故事的一部分。工程上的教训也被写进了教科书：动工前，地质勘察（soil assessment）是不可省略的一步。

本文用「听故事」的框架讲建筑史：先写「我」对新家的日常观察，再借访客 Andrew 之口层层展开——设问（Do you know the story?）、转折（But...）、解释、结局，最后以「我」的沉默收尾。借他人之口叙事（frame story）既真实又省去作者说教的痕迹，是记叙文常用的手法。