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
9 v; ?* l! Z6 O8 N$ p275. Verrazano, an Italian about whom little is known, sailed into New York Harbour in 1524 and named it Angouleme.
8 X) N& K% M7 C6 B        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。
& b$ U8 U0 B& Y% X9 m276. 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”。
9 V# m' m* r  u277. 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，
278. 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。
+ Z+ [. Q. u. i7 W2 w279. The Verrazano Bridge, which was designed by Othmar Ammann, joins Brooklyn to Staten Island.
        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.
0 c% Q9 ~% E3 L2 ~/ P8 b* a        桥长4,260英尺。
281. The bridge is so long that the shape of the earth had to be taken into account by its designer.
        由于桥身太长，设计者不得不考虑了地表的形状。
282. Two great towers support four huge cables.
# G7 b& j6 [5 \- |3 D        两座巨塔支撑着4根粗大的钢缆。
- Z2 l6 }8 Z, J$ X. \283. The towers are built on immense underwater platforms made of steel and concrete.
        塔身建在巨大的水下钢盘混凝土平台上。
9 A( J3 ?7 y0 T1 S* v4 ]8 U1 V284. The platforms extend to a depth of over 100 feet under the sea.
        平台深入海底100英尺。
  J7 r. b( p2 s! ^285. These alone took sixteen months to build.
5 f' U; Y, u9 i6 v6 _' [- r, K        仅这两座塔就花了16个月才建成。
" L0 f2 @; n& W0 H; B286. Above the surface of the water, the towers rise to a height of nearly 700 feet.
        塔身高出水面将近700英尺。
287. They support the cables from which the bridge has been suspended.
4 E8 ?: @% H. v9 ?$ O6 Y0 ?        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。
; I7 Y8 g" l. ~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。
8 W0 u! L' C2 e# \  a290. However, size and strength are not the only important things about this bridge.
        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,
# e) u" U0 B2 E        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 w% ]- Y, }2 y+ l2 `0 u        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。