新概念英語第三冊第17課:The longest suspension bridge in the world

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Lesson 17 The longest suspension bridge in the world世界上最長的吊橋

Listen to the tape then answer the question below.
聽錄音，然后回答以下問題。
How is the bridge supported?
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 make 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'.
參考譯文
1524年，一位鮮為人知的意大利人維拉薩諾駕船駛進紐約港，并將該港名為安古拉姆。他對該港作了這樣的描述：“地理位置十分適宜，位于兩座小山的中間，一條大河從中間流過”。雖然維拉薩諾絕對算不上一個偉大的探險家，但他的名字將流芳百世，因為1964年11月21日建成的一座世界上最長的吊橋是以他的名字命名。
維拉薩諾大橋由奧斯馬.阿曼設計，連結(jié)著布魯克林與斯塔頓島，橋長4,260英尺。由于橋身太長，設計者不得不考慮了地表的形狀。兩座巨塔支撐著4根粗大的鋼纜。塔身建在巨大的水下鋼盤混凝土平臺上。平臺深入海底100英尺。僅這兩座塔就花了16個月才建成。塔身高出水面將近700英尺。高塔支撐著鋼纜，而鋼纜又懸吊著大橋，4根鋼纜中的每根由26，108股鋼繩組成。據(jù)估計，若橋上擺滿了汽車，也只不過是橋的總承載力的1/3。然而，這座橋重要特點不僅是它的規(guī)模與強度。盡管此橋很大，但它的結(jié)構(gòu)簡單，造型優(yōu)美，實現(xiàn)了設計者企圖創(chuàng)造一個“盡量用細線條勾畫出一個龐然大物”的夢想。

New words and expressions 生詞和短語
suspension
n. 懸，吊

agreeable
adj. 宜人的

situation
n. 地點，地方

locate
v. 位于

immortal
adj. 永生的，流芳百世的

Brooklyn
n. 布魯克林（紐約一區(qū)名）

Staten
n. 斯塔頓（島）

span
n. 跨度

cable
n. 纜索

concrete
n. 混凝土

suspend
v. 懸掛

length
n. 根，段

estimate
v. 估計

capacity
n. 承受量

immensity
n. 巨大

elegant
adj. 優(yōu)美別致的

faintly
adv. 微細地

Notes on the text課文注釋
1 describe...as... 作"把...描繪成..." 、"認為..."講。
2 located within two small hills in the midst of which flowed a great river，位于兩座小山之間，一條大河滔滔流過。
located…是過去分詞短語作定語，修飾situation; in the midst of which引導一個定語從句，which指two small hills。 in the midst of 在...之中。
3 by no means,無論如何，決不。
4 be named after sb，以某人的名字命名。
5 be taken into account。被考慮到。
6 It has been estimated…，據(jù)估計...。
7 be packed with... 作“擠滿...”、“裝滿…”解釋。