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
275. Verrazano, an Italian about whom little is known, sailed into New York Harbour in 1524 and named it Angouleme.
1 X/ k8 F7 @! T; h        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。
276. 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”。
% G6 t4 i( e3 _( t, Y2 p7 w277. 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，
7 g" G9 _' b. \+ G278. for on November 21st, 1964, the longest suspension bridge in the world was named after him.
7 D3 E0 I" A6 ], z! k  k5 N6 l        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。
279. The Verrazano Bridge, which was designed by Othmar Ammann, joins Brooklyn to Staten Island.
+ s% ~7 R5 y2 b1 w! O8 ^        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，
' I) M- ^4 L- Y9 A3 y/ z280. 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.
; X+ @* q; R$ |# g0 G1 w        由于桥身太长，设计者不得不考虑了地表的形状。
- N8 O: ]1 @' [1 t282. Two great towers support four huge cables.
# F% _7 S$ q: n0 J4 @        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.
        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。
, J( T" ]8 v. z; [6 l+ e+ ]& N285. These alone took sixteen months to build.
. x; G% i7 J5 |" F0 q, \        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.
8 C+ V7 A6 c$ \1 Q0 L        塔身高出水面将近700英尺。
287. 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，
; @8 Q7 o) f) O/ ]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.
. u. B+ \* F7 h2 R1 l3 Z. y( C( j3 l& g        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。
# A1 d- v) |3 b( `1 J290. 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,
        尽管此桥很大，但它的结构简单，造型优美，
. M$ g  |1 q% B' \7 ]; i6 D292. 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。