新托福考试必备：新托福TPO（1-24）听力原文文本TPO11

　　Professor
　　Today, we are taking a little detour from the grand styles of public architecture
　　we’ve been studying to look at residential architectures in the United States.
　　Since this is something we can all identify with, I think it will help us see the
　　relationship between the function of a structure and its style or form. This has
　　been an ongoing theme in our discussion, and we will be getting back to it just
　　a moment. But before we get started, I want you to take a moment to think:
　　does anyone know what the single most popular style for a house in the United
　　States is today? Bob?

　　Student 1
　　“I bet it is the ranch-style house.”

　　Professor
　　“Well, in this area, probably. But aren’t we typical? Yes, Sue.”

　　Student 2
　　“How about the kind of house my grandparents live in? They call it a Cape
　　Cod.

　　Professor
　　That’s the one. Here is a drawing of what we consider of a classic Cape Cod
　　house. These days, you see this style all over the United States. But it first
　　showed up in U.S. northeast, in the New England region, around the late
　　1600s. For those of you who don't know the northeast costal region, Cape Cod
　　is a peninsula, a narrow strip of land that jets out into the Atlantic, and so many
　　houses in this particular style were built on Cape Cod, that the name of the
　　place became the name of the style. Now why did the Cape Cod style house
　　become so popular in the northeast? Well, one reason is that it's a great
　　example of form following function. We’ve talked about this design principle a
　　lot about form following function. And what did we say it’s meant? Someone
　　give me an application of this principle. What did this concept that form should
　　follow function? How would it be applied to housing design?

　　Student 2
　　Well, if it means the design of the building, it should be based on the needs of
　　people who use it. Then, well, the architect has to be very practical to think
　　about the people who actually be living in the house or working in the office
　　building, whatever, so for the architect, it’s all about users not about showing
　　off how creative you can be.

　　Professor
　　Good, of course, for a Cape Cod house, it might be even more accurate to say
　　that form also follows climate. Who knows what the climate like on Cape Cod?

　　Student 1
　　Cold in the winter…

　　Student 2
　　And whenever I visit my grandparents, it’s really wet. It’s usually either raining
　　or snowing or foggy and windy, too. I guess because it’s so exposed to the
　　ocean?

　　Professor
　　That’s right. So take another look at this drawing, and you can image how this
　　design might be particularly helpful in that kind of climate. Notice how the
　　house is fairly low to the ground. This relatively low compact structure helps
　　the house withstand the strong winds blowing off the ocean. And look at the
　　slope of the roof, the steep angle helps keep off all that rain and snow that
　　accumulates in the winter. Another thing, Cape Cod houses usually face south
　　to take advantage of the sun’s warm through the windows. That’s helpful in
　　winter. Now what can you tell me about the chimney, about its location.

　　Student 2
　　Well, it’s in the middle. Because, does that have something to do with heating
　　the houses? I mean since the heat never has to travel very far.

　　Student 1
　　That means you can heat the house more efficiently, right?

　　Professor
　　Exactly, now see how the house has very little exterior decoration, that’s also
　　typical of early Cape Cod houses. The wind was one reason, nothing sticking
　　out might blow away in the harsh weather, but there was probably another
　　reason, not related to the climate, more reflection of a rural New England
　　society back then, you see Cape Cod houses were not built in the big cities,
　　where all the rich people lived back then. These were the modest dwellings the
　　people who built them simply couldn’t afford lots of expensive decorated
　　details. But that was more than just matter of money. In these rural areas,
　　people depended on each other for survival. Neighbors had to help and
　　supported each other in the difficult environment, so you didn't want to appear
　　to be showing off. You wanted to avoid anything that might set you apart from
　　your neighbors, the same people you might need to help you someday. So all
　　these help to create an attitude of conformity in the community, and you can
　　see why a modest, a very plain style would become so widely imitated through
　　out rural New England.

　　Student 2
　　It is plain, but you know its nice looking.

　　Professor
　　Good point, and in fact it’s precisely that as aesthetic appeal, the…the purity,
　　the nearly perfect proportion of the houses…that’s another reason for the cape
　　cod enduring popularity even in the places where the climate was so mild, it’s
　　functional design doesn't matter.