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
. a% }; j- b6 Z+ \! L275. Verrazano, an Italian about whom little is known, sailed into New York Harbour in 1524 and named it Angouleme.
8 @6 Y6 X7 y. J- A/ Y0 w2 u1 j        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。
8 u* |% O& b. O1 p# a276. He described it as 'a very agreeable situation located within two small hills in the midst of which flowed a great river.'
/ p1 v3 Y' e* }9 [        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”。
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，
. `+ c1 {/ }, h278. 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。
# s; G  [/ z+ r( u; S. M279. The Verrazano Bridge, which was designed by Othmar Ammann, joins Brooklyn to Staten Island.
) c. y) B4 @  n% S/ R" \        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.
        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.
: P6 |& K1 H- w6 r& y        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.
        两座巨塔支撑着4根粗大的钢缆。
# _9 L4 x; n; t, T283. 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。
4 h0 Q: q$ C' {( i# o284. The platforms extend to a depth of over 100 feet under the sea.
        平台深入海底100英尺。
' g) @, }0 z9 G: R) }285. These alone took sixteen months to build.
        仅这两座塔就花了16个月才建成。
286. Above the surface of the water, the towers rise to a height of nearly 700 feet.
% w! i9 B/ }/ L3 D2 b        塔身高出水面将近700英尺。
287. They support the cables from which the bridge has been suspended.
/ m* i% i5 b3 W* s8 F        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。
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.
9 Z+ F" u3 D) ~+ y        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。
& _& Y2 L5 L. U/ _7 z290. However, size and strength are not the only important things about this bridge.
$ M6 ^# N% \0 i& v0 c& k        然而，这座桥重要特点不仅是它的规模与强度。
; C/ ?: W0 A6 b291. Despite its immensity, it is both simple and elegant,
( C7 @/ D  s. R4 @& c9 d1 Y) x4 T1 d$ z        尽管此桥很大，但它的结构简单，造型优美，
; t  b0 I7 @3 a7 t292. fulfilling its designer's dream to create 'an enormous object drawn as faintly as possible'.
        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。