新概念英語第三冊
Lesson 17 The longest suspension bridge in the world
1 . Verrazano, an Italian about whom little is known, sailed into New York Harbour in 1524 and named it Angouleme.1524年，一位鮮為人知的意大利人維拉薩諾駕船駛進紐約港，並將該港名為安古拉姆。
2 . However, size and strength are not the only important things about this bridge.然而，這座橋重要特點不僅是它的規模與強度。
3 . These alone took sixteen months to build.僅這兩座塔就花了16個月才建成。
4 . The platforms extend to a depth of over 100 feet under the sea.平台深入海底100英尺。
5 . Above the surface of the water, the towers rise to a height of nearly 700 feet.塔身高出水面將近700英尺。
6 . The Verrazano Bridge, which was designed by Othmar Ammann, joins Brooklyn to Staten Island.維拉薩諾大橋由奧斯馬。阿曼設計，連結著布魯克林與斯塔頓島，
7 . his name will probably remain immortal, for on November 21st, 1964, the longest suspension bridge in the world was named after him.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。
8 . He described it as 'a very agreeable situation located within two small hills in the midst of which flowed a great river.「地理位置十分適宜，位於兩座小山的中間，一條大河從中間流過」。
9 . The bridge is so long that the shape of the earth had to be taken into account by its designer.由於橋身太長，設計者不得不考慮了地表的形狀。
10 . Two great towers support four huge cables.兩座巨塔支撐著4根粗大的鋼纜。
11 . Each of the four cables contains 26,108 lengths of wire.4根鋼纜中的每根由26，108股鋼繩組成。
12 . It has been estimated that if the bridge were packed with cars, it would still only be carrying a third of its total capacity.據估計，若橋上擺滿了汽車，也只不過是橋的總承載力的1/3。
13 . They support the cables from which the bridge has been suspended.高塔支撐著鋼纜，而鋼纜又懸吊著大橋，
14 . 'Though Verrazano is by no means considered to be a great explorer,雖然維拉薩諾絕對算不上一個偉大的探險家，
15 . Despite its immensity,儘管此橋很大，
16 . it is both simple and elegant, fulfilling its designer's dream to create 'an enormous object drawn as faintly as possible'.但它的結構簡單，造型優美，實現了設計者企圖創造一個「盡量用細線條勾畫出一個龐然大物」的夢想。
17 . The towers are built on immense underwater platforms make of steel and concrete.塔身建在巨大的水下鋼盤混凝土平台上。