An Indian man builds his own Titanic-shaped house泰坦尼克號別墅：印度男子的奇幻建筑之夢

孫朝嵐

來自印度西孟加拉邦大吉嶺地區的明圖·羅伊從小就夢想著住在一座形狀像泰坦尼克號的房子里，最后他會實現這一夢想嗎？

主題語境：房屋設計 篇幅：356詞 建議用時：7分鐘

1 A farmer in India＇s West Bengal state has beenworking on an unusuallookinghouse modeled thefamous Titanic ship that sank after colliding with aniceberg.

2 Mintu Roy， a man from West Bengal＇sDarjeeling District， has been dreaming of living in a house shaped like the Titanicsince he was a small child growing up in Kolkata. Today， at 53， Roy still hasnt given uphis dream and he is working hard to finish his already impressive Titanic house inDarjeeling.

3 After moving to various parts of India in search of employment and a better life， Roysettled in West Bengal and began making plans to begin the construction of his dreamhouse. But finding someone to help him build a Titanicshapedhouse proved easier saidthan done. Most construction engineers didn＇t believe in his vision and those who didrequested more money than the farmer had to pay. So he ultimately decided to design andbuild it himself.

4 After going to Nepal for three years to study masonry （磚石建筑）， Mintu Roy startedworking on his unique 3storeyhouse. He has been at it for 14 years now， because helacked the funds to complete it sooner， but he hopes to one day live inside it with his family.“

5 Though we have not kept the record of how much money has been spent so far， Iguess it should not be less than $182，000，” Mintu＇s wife， Iti， said.“ We were very poor andafter the birth of our daughter， we started hiring land on lease from others and startedcultivating vegetables.”

6 The Titanic fan hopes to finish the house in the next two years and hopefully open asmall restaurant or a tea shop on the top floor， as an extra source of income. Even in itscurrent unfinished state， the 39footlong，13footwide，and 30foothighhouse has becomea major tourist attraction in the area， with reporters coming by regularly to snap photos andinterview Mintu about it.

7 The 53yearoldfarmer wants to make the Titanic house as impressive on the insideas it is on the outside by installing a grand staircase as well as complex woodwork， a maindeck and a special control room.

Reading Check

1. How long has Mintu Roy been working on his Titanicshaped house？

A. Ten years. B. Five years.

C. Three years. D. Fourteen years.

2. Why did Mintu Roy decide to build the house alone？

A. He couldnt afford anyone to help him build it.

B. He wanted to showcase his own masonry skills.

C. He had previous experience in house construction.

D. He wanted to use specific materials that he could get.

3. What is the top floor of the Titanic house intended for？

A. A private residence for his family.

B. A museum dedicated to the Titanic.

C. A small restaurant or a tea shop.

D. A major tourist attraction.

4. How can we describe Mintu Roy according to the text？

A.Wise and determined. B. Optimistic and brave.

C. Humorous and caring. D. Ambitious and diligent.

Language Study

Ⅰ. Difficult sentence in the text

Mintu Roy， a man from West Bengals Darjeeling District， has been dreaming of livingin a house shaped like the Titanic since he was a small child growing up in Kolkata. 明圖·羅伊是西孟加拉邦大吉嶺地區的一名男子，他從小在加爾各答長大，一直夢想著能住進一棟像泰坦尼克號一樣的房子里。

【點石成金】本句中，a man from West Bengal＇s Darjeeling District是Mintu Roy的同位語；since引導時間狀語從句；shaped like the Titanic是過去分詞作后置定語，修飾ahouse。

Ⅱ. Fill in the blanks.

Mintu Roy， a farmer from Darjeeling District in West Bengal， India， has spent 14years 1. ________（construct） a house modeled the famous Titanic ship. Since childhood，he 2. ________（dream） of living in such a house， but most construction engineers didn＇t believe in his vision and those 3.________did requested more money than the farmer hadto pay. So he ultimately decided to design and build it himself. He 4.________（educate）himself in masonry in Nepal and pursued the project.

His threestoreyTitanic house 5. ________（measure） 39 feet in length， 13 feet inwidth， and 30 feet in height. Although 6. ________（complete）， it has already attractedtourists and media＇s attention. Roy＇s wife， Iti， estimated that they spent no less than$182，000， 7.________（raise） by leasing land and cultivating vegetables after theirdaughter＇s birth. The 53yearold8. ________（plan） to complete his dream home withintwo years， with hopes 9. ________（feature） a grand staircase， complex woodwork， a maindeck， a control room， and 10. ________（potential） a restaurant or a tea shop on the topfloor.