新概念英语3--（一天学一篇）---课文17 世界上最长的吊桥

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课文17  世界上最长的吊桥
$ [1 ^6 b0 y' h% z( G  X" x275. Verrazano, an Italian about whom little is known, sailed into New York Harbour in 1524 and named it Angouleme.
        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。
' T6 Y: [5 E8 e8 Z276. He described it as 'a very agreeable situation located within two small hills in the midst of which flowed a great river.'
        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”。
* v1 G8 ~, i2 S% g6 ?277. Though Verrazano is by no means considered to be a great explorer, his name will probably remain immortal,
        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，
% u5 n/ _6 a* P278. for on November 21st, 1964, the longest suspension bridge in the world was named after him.
        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。
4 d- X9 X' \" o9 C4 |# s279. The Verrazano Bridge, which was designed by Othmar Ammann, joins Brooklyn to Staten Island.
; b7 U2 U1 h: N4 z6 j        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，
280. It has a span of 4,260 feet.
  q8 e4 V/ q8 }0 t& a" k        桥长4,260英尺。
8 r/ D$ ?" t# i' T281. The bridge is so long that the shape of the earth had to be taken into account by its designer.
# {) S* B, ~5 E4 Z# h        由于桥身太长，设计者不得不考虑了地表的形状。
. a. `9 J& V  E282. Two great towers support four huge cables.
" T& N3 p2 l8 F+ u2 X        两座巨塔支撑着4根粗大的钢缆。
283. The towers are built on immense underwater platforms made of steel and concrete.
9 D5 l% u) q& e        塔身建在巨大的水下钢盘混凝土平台上。
284. The platforms extend to a depth of over 100 feet under the sea.
        平台深入海底100英尺。
4 F- m) H# U/ g1 p& z; B285. These alone took sixteen months to build.
        仅这两座塔就花了16个月才建成。
2 _- c- U% L  @0 {0 j286. Above the surface of the water, the towers rise to a height of nearly 700 feet.
7 F8 ^! `9 q2 }7 T* R0 v: F0 u        塔身高出水面将近700英尺。
' M: x# h4 R+ D; G3 }% W287. They support the cables from which the bridge has been suspended.
        高塔支撑着钢缆，而钢缆又悬吊着大桥，
288. Each of the four cables contains 26,108 lengths of wire.
        4根钢缆中的每根由26，108股钢绳组成。
3 F6 a. S* O$ z1 `289. It has been estimated that if the bridge were packed with cars, it would still only be carrying a third of its total capacity.
        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。
290. However, size and strength are not the only important things about this bridge.
7 Z4 |) d0 @' t. d        然而，这座桥重要特点不仅是它的规模与强度。
291. Despite its immensity, it is both simple and elegant,
! B8 T* q9 ^* V* \- ]        尽管此桥很大，但它的结构简单，造型优美，
292. fulfilling its designer's dream to create 'an enormous object drawn as faintly as possible'.
6 @" @# E. Q) t+ o  Z' f& T4 {        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。