The Palace Museum, historically and artistically one of the most comprehensive Chinese museums, was established on the foundation of the palace that was the ritual center of two dynasties, the Ming and the Qing, and their collections of treasures. Designated by the State Council as one of China's foremost protected monuments in 1961, the Palace Museum was also made an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

Situated at the heart of Beijing, it is the largest and most complete imperial palace and ancient building complex in China, and the world at large. Its construction began in 1406 and was completed 14 years later, having a history so far of some 580 years. Twenty-four emperors from the Ming and Qing Dynasties lived and ruled China from there. Most of the buildings in the Forbidden City were rebuilt many times, although they maintained the original architectural style.

The building arrangement within the Forbidden City is symmetrical. The Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony and the Hall of Preserving Harmony, which comprise the outer palace, and the Hall of Heavenly Purity, the Hall of Union and the Hall of Earthly Tranquility, comprising the inner palace, stand in a line from south to north on the central axis. The 8-km central axis runs through the entire old Beijing city to Yongdingmen in the south and the Bell and Drum Towers in the north. The throne symbolizing imperial power is positioned at the center of this central axis.

The buildings of the Forbidden City fully embody the artistic features and style of ancient Chinese palace architecture, and can be called a masterpiece in Chinese, even world, architectural history.

故宫博物馆是在明清两个朝代的皇宫及对明清两个朝代的珍宝进行收藏的基础上建立起来的中国综合性博物馆之一，具有很高的历史和艺术价值。1961年国务院宣布故宫为第一批全国重点文物保护单位之一，1987 年联合国教科文组织也将故宫列为世界文化遗产。

故宫位于北京市中心，是中国乃至世界现存规模最大、最完整的古代皇家建筑群。1406年动工兴建，耗时14年建成，距今已有580 多年的历史。 从明清两代开始， 共有24 位皇帝曾在这里生活居住和管理国家大事。尽管故宫的大部分建筑都经过了数次整修， 但是它们仍然保持着原有的建筑风格。

故宫建筑布局对称分布， 外朝由太和门、中和殿和保和殿构成，内廷则包括乾清宫、交泰殿和坤宁宫。三大殿与后三宫都位于紫禁城的中轴线上，向南延伸到永定门，往北到钟鼓楼，贯穿整个老北京城，全长约8公里。代表封建统治权利的皇宫就位于这条中轴线上。

故宫建筑群极好地体现了中国古代建筑艺术的特点和风格，当之无愧为中国甚至世界建筑历史上的经典。

comprehensive adj. 综合的

treasure n. 宝物

arrangement n. 安排

embody vt. 使具体化

dynasty n. 朝代

imperial adj. 帝国的

axis n. 轴

May 在一本历史课本上看到了北京故宫的介绍，觉得那是一个神秘地方，于是迫不及待地 向朋友Wendy介绍起来。

M = May 美 = 阿美 W = Wendy 温 = 温迪

M: Do you know the Forbidden City in China?

W: I just have heard the name. What is it on earth?

M: The Forbidden City, also called the Palace Museum, is the world's largest palace complex, originally planned and constructed from 1406 to 1420 by the third Ming emperor Yongle who, upon usurping the throne, determined to move his capital north from Nanjing to Beijing.

W: You mean it was the palace where Chinese emperors lived and ruled the country?

M: Yes. It was home to twenty-four Chinese emperors over 491 years between 1420 and 1911, as the ritual center of two dynasties of Ming and Qing. It was the scene of many significant events affecting the course of Chinese history.

W: Who is the last emperor living in it?

M: The youngest and last Qing emperor, Pu Yi. After the Republican Revolution in 1911, Pu Yi, then still a child, was abdicated the next year. But he, his family and their entire entourage were allowed to stay in the palace. They were finally expelled by republican troops in 1924.

美：你知道中国的故宫吗？

温：只听过这个名字。它到底是什么？

美：故宫也被称为故宫博物馆，是世界上最大的皇宫建筑群。它最初是在1406至1420 年间由明朝的第三个皇帝——永乐皇帝计划和建造的。在他夺取皇位，决定把都城从南京北迁到北京以后，他就建造了这座故宫。

温：你的意思是这个宫殿是中国皇帝居住和统治国家的地方吗？

美：是啊。它是1420 年到1911年这491 年间的24位中国皇帝的居住地，是明清两代各种典礼的中心，是许多影响中国历史进程的重大事件发生的地方。

温：谁是住在里面的最后一个皇帝？

美：清朝最后的， 也是最年幼的皇帝——溥仪。 1911年共和革命以后，还是个孩子的溥仪第二年就宣布退位。但他和他的家人及他们的所有随从还被允许住在里面。最后在1924年的时候，他们被共和军队驱逐了出来。

usurp vt. 篡夺

abdicate vt. 放弃

expel vt. 驱逐

ritual adj. 仪式的

entourage n. 随从

假如你在英语俱乐部里遇到了一位外国朋友， 他对我国的故宫很感兴趣。希望你给他介绍一下。试着完成下面的对话。

1. 外国朋友：When was the Forbidden City constructed?

你：________________________________________

2. 外国朋友：How many emperors had ever lived in it?

你：________________________________________

3. 外国朋友：Who is the last emperor living in it?

你：________________________________________

4. 外国朋友： When did he move out of it ?

你：________________________________________

1. It was planned and constructed from 1406 to 1420.

2. Twenty-four Chinese emperors of two dynasties of Ming and Qing.

3. Pu Yi, the youngest and last Qing emperor.

4. In the year of 1924.

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