Few buildings on earth can compete with the legendary beauty of the Taj Mahal. Towering over the ancient Indian city of Agra, the Taj Mahal is the grandest monument to love ever created.

The love story behind the Taj Mahal is a tragic one. Shah Jahan, the fifth Mughal emperor built the Taj Mahal in 1631 as a loving tribute to the memory of his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal. They had been married for 19 years when Mumtaz died in childbirth. The heartbroken emperor resolved to immortalize her memory by creating the finest monument ever seen, the Taj Mahal.

It was the custom for the emperor to build a mausoleum to ensure his own body's journey to heaven. But Shah's love for his wife was such that instead he built it for her. Construction of the Taj Mahal began in the same year as Mumtaz's death. It took a fleet on 1,000 elephants and a workforce of over 20,000 people to complete this majestic structure.

The Taj Mahal itself forms the centerpiece of a 42-acre complex. The cost? Five million rupees. That's a staggering 104 million dollars in today's money. But then perfection comes at a price. And today the Taj does look as perfect as it did 500 years ago. What most people don't get to see is the manpower that goes into its upkeep. The secret to its splendor is all down to traditional methods of marble inlaying, cleaning, and gardening which have been passed down through generations of local peoople.

In 1658, just five years after the completion of the Taj Mahal, Shah Jahan was thrown out of power. Unfortunately, his son, Aurangzeb imprisoned him, his own father. And the last seven years of his he spent in prison. And he was allowed to look at the Taj Mahal through a window. His life was in ruins, but when he died his ultimate wish was granted. He was buried beside his beloved wife in the Taj Mahal.

地球上几乎没有什么建筑能与泰姬陵的传奇之美同日而语。泰姬陵矗立于印度古都阿格拉城，是有史以来为爱情而建的最华丽的纪念物。

泰姬陵背后是一个爱情悲剧故事。沙.贾汗是（印度）莫卧儿帝国的第五任皇帝，于1631年兴建泰姬陵，将此作为纪念他对第二任妻子墨姆塔兹.马哈尔的爱情的见证。婚后的第19年，泰姬在分娩时不幸去世。于是悲痛欲绝的皇帝决定建造一座人间最华丽的陵墓——泰姬陵来永远怀念亡妻。

依照惯例，每位皇帝都要为自己建造一座陵墓，以确保通往天堂的道路畅通无阻。但沙.贾汗对皇后爱得如此深切，于是他决定为她修建陵墓。泰姬去世的那一年泰姬陵开始动工。完成这座宏伟的建筑动用了1000头大象和20，000多人的劳力。

泰姬陵的中心墓室错综复杂，占地42英亩。陵墓造价5，000，000卢比，折合到现在是104，000，000美元，真是令人咋舌。但是物有所值，今天的泰姬陵看起来仍和500年前那样完美。不过大多数人都不清楚陵墓修缮时所需的人力。泰姬陵之所以今天仍然这样富丽堂皇，秘密在于当地人代代相传的大理石镶嵌、清洁和园艺的传统工艺。

1658年，泰姬陵完工5年后，沙.贾汗的王位被人夺走。不幸的是，他的儿子奥朗则布囚禁了沙.贾汗，他自己的亲生父亲。生命中的最后7年他是在监狱中度过的，但允许透过一个窗户遥望泰姬陵。他的生活被彻底摧毁，但去世时，他最后的心愿得以实现——葬在泰姬陵中，他爱妻的身旁。

tribute n. 纪念

mausoleum n. 陵墓

upkeep n. 保养费

immortalize vt. 使不朽

centerpiece n. 中心

imprison vt. 拘禁

Gucci 和 May 刚从电影院看完电影《泰姬陵》。在回学校的路上她们对电影中的泰姬陵议论纷纷，兴趣盎然。

G = Gucci 古 = 古奇 M = May 美 = 阿美

G: What do you think of the film?

M: Marvelous. Never have I seen such a moving one. As the film says, the Taj Mahal is the finest monument ever seen.

G: Well, I wonder if I have the chance to go there some day next month.

M: Surely. I went there last October. And I can give you some detailed information.

G: Thank you. So give me an introduction?

M: The construction of the Taj Mahal was started in 1631 AD and completed in 1653 AD. Some feel the Taj Mahal is best seen on a full moon night, others find it ethereal at dawn while some insist that it is sensuous at sunset. And there is a miserable while beautiful history. It was the Queen's last wish to her husband to build a tomb in her memory such as the world had never seen before. Thus Emperor Shah Jahan set about building this fairytale-like marvel. When she extracted a promise from the Emperor to build the world's most beautiful mausoleum in her memory, to keep the story of their love alive, she died.

G: So romantic! I should visit the Taj Mahal on a full moon night.

M: Really a good idea!

古：你觉得这部电影怎么样？

美：很好看啊，从没看过这么感人的电影。就像电影描述的一样，泰姬陵是人间最华丽的陵墓。

古：哦，要是下个月有机会去看看就好了。

美：会有的。去年十月份的时候我去过那儿，可以跟你详细地说说泰姬陵。

古：谢谢。先给我介绍一下吧？

美：泰姬陵始建于1631年，到1653年年末才完工。有些人认为泰姬陵在满月的夜晚看起来最美。有些人认为黎明前看觉得它有灵气，日落时看觉得它感性。它还有一段凄美的爱情故事呢。王后的最后愿望是希望她的国王为她建造一个世界上前所未有的坟墓作为对她爱情的见证。于是，沙.贾汗——（印度）莫卧儿帝国的第五任皇帝计划为自己的王后建造泰姬陵。当她得到皇帝将为她兴建一座世界上最美丽的陵墓——以使他们的爱情故事永存的承诺后，她去世了。

古：多么浪漫啊！我应该在满月的夜晚去那里观光。

美：真是一个不错的想法！

detailed adj. 详细的

sensuous adj. 美感的

extract vt. 获得

ethereal adj. 飘渺的

marvel n. 奇异的事物

假设你送给外国朋友一张泰姬陵的邮票。他想要你介绍一下泰姬陵。试着完成下面的对话。

1. 外国朋友：When was the Taj Mahal constructed and completed?

你：_______________________________________________

2. 外国朋友：When is the best time to visit the Taj Mahal?

你：_______________________________________________

3. 外国朋友：What is it constructed for?

你：_______________________________________________

1. The construction of the Taj Mahal was started in 1631 AD and completed in 1653 AD.

2. Some feel the Taj Mahal is best seen on a full moon night, others find it ethereal at dawn while some insist that it is sensuous at sunset.

3. The Taj Mahal is the grandest monument to love ever created.

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