17_The_Longest_Suspension_Bridge_in_the_World

17 The Longest Suspension Bridge in the World

原文译文

Verrazano, an Italian (about whom little is known), sailed into New York Harbour in 1524 and named it Angouleme. He described it as 'a very agreeable situation located within two small hills in the midst of which flowed a great river.' Though Verrazano is by no means considered to be a great explorer, his name will probably remain immortal, for on November 21st, 1964, the longest suspension bridge in the world was named after him.

The Verrazano Bridge, which was designed by Othmar Ammann, joins Brooklyn to Staten Island. It has a span of 4,260 feet. The bridge is so long that the shape of the earth had to be taken into account by its designer. Two great towers support four huge cables. The towers are built on immense underwater platforms made of steel and concrete. The platforms extend to a depth of over 100 feet under the sea. These alone took sixteen months to build. Above the surface of the water, the towers rise to a height of nearly 700 feet. They support the cables from which the bridge has been suspended. Each of the four cables contains 26,108 lengths of wire. It has been estimated that if the bridge were packed with cars, it would still only be carrying a third of its total capacity. However, size and strength are not the only important things about this bridge. Despite its immensity, it is both simple and elegant, fulfilling its designer's dream to create 'an enormous object drawn as faintly as possible'.

1524年，一位鲜为人知的意大利人维拉萨诺驾船驶进纽约港，并将该港名为安古拉姆。他对该港作了这样的描述："地理位置十分适宜，位于两座小山的中间，一条大河从中间流过。"虽然维拉萨诺绝对算不上一个伟大的探险家，但他的名字将流芳百世，因为1964年11月21日建成的一座世界上最长的吊桥是以他的名字命名。

维拉萨诺大桥由奥斯马·阿曼设计，连结着布鲁克林与斯塔顿岛，跨度达4,260英尺。由于桥身太长，设计者不得不考虑了地表的形状。两座巨塔支撑着4根粗大的钢缆。塔身建在巨大的水下钢盘混凝土平台上。平台深入海底100英尺。仅这两座塔就花了16个月才建成。塔身高出水面将近700英尺。高塔支撑着钢缆，而钢缆又悬吊着大桥，4根钢缆中的每根由26,108股钢绳组成。据估计，若桥上摆满了汽车，也只不过是桥的总承载力的1/3。然而，这座桥重要特点不仅是它的规模与强度。尽管此桥很大，但它的结构简单，造型优美，实现了设计者企图创造一个"尽量用细线条勾画出一个庞然大物"的梦想。

Words

• agreeable /əˈɡriəbəl/ adj. n. 令人愉快的
  1. You should have met her, for she is very agreeable.
  2. He is so much more handsome and agreeable than anyone I have ever met before.
  3. The house is in a charming situation.
• immortal /ˌɪˈmɔrtəl/ adj. 不朽的
  1. His name will probably remain immortal.
  2. It is disturbing to think that his name will remain immortal.
• bridge /brɪdʒ/ 吊桥
• span /spæn/ n. 跨度
  1. Leo discovered that the bridge has a span of 100 metres.
  2. He points out that an animal's life span is linked to its metabolic rate.
• cables /ˈkebəlz/ n. 电缆
  1. Be careful you don't cut the electric cable.
  2. Telephone cables were damaged in the storm.
  3. They tied him to a chair with cable.
• immense /ˌɪˈmɛns/ 巨大的
• concrete /ˈkɑnˌkrit/ n. 混凝土
  1. He fell and hit his head on the concrete floor.
  2. Concrete is a mixture of sand and cement.
  3. This suspension bridge is made of steel and concrete.
• wire /ˈwaɪɚ/ 金属丝
• estimated /ˈɛstəˌmetəd/ v. 估计
  1. I estimated that I should finish in ten days.
  2. It is estimated that four million viewers watched the programme.
• capacity /kəˈpæsəti/ n. 容量
  1. The fuel tank has a capacity of 40 litres.
  2. The stadium has a seating capacity of 50,000.
• immensity /ɪˈmɛnsəti/ n. 巨大
  1. I didn’t realize the immensity of the universe until I entered school.
  2. I only realized the immensity of the task when my boss gave it to me.
• elegant /ˈɛləɡənt/ adj. 优雅
  1. How can I have the privilege of meeting that elegant woman tonight?
• enormous /ɪˈnɔrməs/ 巨大的
• faintly /ˈfentli/ adv. 微弱地
  1. The sun shone faintly through the clouds.
  2. John smiled faintly and shook his head.

Expressions

• agreeable/pleasant + situation/man/day 令人愉快的处境/人/日子
• be located in/near 位于……里面/附近
• a span of 一段……的时间
• life span 寿命
• a length of / lengths of +rope/pipe/wire 一段
• It is estimated that + 句子 据估计……
• sb. estimate that + 句子 某人估计……
• Little / not much/ not everything is known about a. 对……知之甚少
  1. be suspended from a.
• describe a. as b. 把 A 描述为 B
• in the midst of 在……中间
  1. We were sitting in the midst of elegant young women.
  2. We were standing in the midst of thousands of people.
  3. Leo was astonished to find the hut was in the midst of the forest.
  4. It's by no means certain that she'll get the job.
  5. She’s not a bad kid, by any means.
  6. It's difficult, but by no means impossible.
• by no means 决不
  1. be considered to be adj./n.
• be considered to be adj./n. 被认为是……
  1. James T. Kirk
  2. You know, Caligari is considered
  3. She is considered to be one of the finest pianists of her generation.
• sth. be named after sb. 以…名字命名
• join a. to b. = connect a. to b. 把 A 与 B 连接起来
• be taken into account = take sth. into account 将被考虑在内
• a height of ……的高度
  1. be suspended from a.
• be suspended from a. 悬挂在……上
  1. be suspended from a.
• be packed with... 挤满了
  1. The road was packed with volunteers.
  2. The island was packed with tourists.
  3. It’s true that the place was packed with football fans, but+句子.
• a third of sth... 三分之⼀
  1. A third of accidental deaths occur in the home.
  2. Over a third of sales were made over the Internet.
  3. I'll keep a third of the money and the rest is for you.
• fulfill sb’s dream… 实现某人的梦想
  1. Little is known about a.
  2. Little is known about the author’s childhood.
  3. Little is known about the causes of the problem.
  4. Not much is known about the disease.
  5. describe a. as b.
  6. She describes herself as an artist.
  7. She described her childhood as a time of wonder and discovery.
  8. Would you describe