17_The_Longest_Suspension_Bridge_in_the_World
17 The Longest Suspension Bridge in the World¶
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'.
Words¶
- agreeable /əˈɡriəbəl/ 令人愉快的
- immortal /ˌɪˈmɔrtəl/ 不朽的
- bridge /brɪdʒ/ 吊桥
- span /spæn/ 跨度
- cables /ˈkebəlz/ 电缆
- immense /ˌɪˈmɛns/ 巨大的
- concrete /ˈkɑnˌkrit/ 混凝土
- wire /ˈwaɪɚ/ 金属丝
- estimated /ˈɛstəˌmetəd/ 估计
- capacity /kəˈpæsəti/ 容量
- immensity /ɪˈmɛnsɪtɪ/ 巨大
- elegant /ˈɛləɡənt/ 优雅
- enormous /ɪˈnɔrməs/ 巨大的
- faintly /ˈfentli/ 微弱地
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
- describe a. as b. 把 A 描述为 B
- in the midst of 在……中间
- by no means 决不
- be considered to be adj./n. 被认为是……
- 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
- be suspended from a. 悬挂在……上
- be packed with... 挤满了
- a third of sth... 三分之⼀
- fulfill sb’s dream… 实现某人的梦想