Lesson 17 The longest suspension bridge in the world

　【New words and expressions】 生词和短语

　　◆suspension n. 悬，吊

　　◆agreeable adj. 宜人的

　　◆situation n. 地点，地方

　　◆locate v. 位于

　　◆immortal adj. 永生的，流芳百世的

　　◆Brooklyn n. 布鲁克林（纽约一区名）

　　◆Staten n. 斯塔顿（岛）

　　◆span n. 跨度

　　◆cable n 缆索

　　◆concrete n. 混泥土

　　◆suspend v. 悬挂

　　◆length n. 根，段

　　◆estimate v. 估计

　　◆immensity n. 巨大

　　◆capacity n. 承受量

　　◆elegant adj. 优美别致的

　　◆faintly adv. 微细地

　　

　　★suspension n. 悬，吊

　　suspension bridge 吊桥

　　suspend: 悬挂

　　Eg.: The light is suspended from the ceiling.

　　暂停

　　Eg.: The train was suspended because of the heavy rain.

　　suspense: n. 担心，挂念，悬念

　　Eg.: The wonderful film give me a deep impression because of its suspense.

　　He didn’t tell us the truth in cap to me in suspense all day.

　　suspenders 吊袜带

　　

　　★agreeable adj. 宜人的

　　Today is agreeable.

　　agreeable situation

　　His house is in a agreeable situation.

　　

　　★situation n. 地点，地方

　　location

　　situate v.

　　locate v.

　　Beijing is located in the North of China.

　　Japan is located to the East of China.

　　is located to...

　　★locate v. 位于

　　★immortal adj. 永生的，流芳百世的

　　★Brooklyn n. 布鲁克林（纽约一区名）

　　★Staten n. 斯塔顿（岛）

　　★span n. 跨度

　　★cable n 缆索

　　★concrete n. 混泥土

　　★suspend v. 悬挂

　　★length n. 根，段

　　★estimate v. 估计

　　underestimate 低估

　　overestimate 高估

　　Eg.: At a rough estimate, the car is worth 500 thousand RMB.

　　estimation n. 判断

　　in my estimation

　　

　　★immensity n. 巨大

　　★capacity n. 承受量

　　Are you clear about the capacity of the cinema?

　　做某事的能力

　　have a capacity for doing sth.

　　have a capacity to do

　　ability成功地做到了

　　We have ability to finish the work in two days.

　　capability内在的潜力

　　have capability to do

　　have capability of doing

　　Any chile has capability of learning a foreign launguge well.

　　Any chile has capability to learn a foreign launguge well.

　　faculty 侧重于“主观的能力”

　　the faculty of seeing

　　the faculty of hearing

　　competence 胜任工作的能力、资格

　　I have competence for the job.

　　

　　★elegant adj. 优美别致的

　　The lady is elegant.

　　graceful: 强调一个人的体型

　　elegant: 还表示人的举止很得体，大方

　　delicate: 精致的

　　

　　★faintly adv. 微细地

　　

　　【Text】

　　§Lesson 17 The longest suspension bridge in the world 世界上最长的吊桥

　　Q: 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 greatest 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 4260 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 made 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‘.

　　

　　参考译文

　　 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。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”。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，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。

　　 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，桥长4,260英尺。由于桥身太长，设计者不得不考虑了地表的形状。两座巨塔支撑着4根粗大的钢缆。塔身建在巨大的水下钢盘混凝土平台上。平台深入海底100英尺。仅这两座塔就花了16个月才建成。塔身高出水面将近700英尺。高塔支撑着钢缆，而钢缆又悬吊着大桥，4根钢缆中的每根由26，108股钢绳组成。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。然而，这座桥重要特点不仅是它的规模与强度。尽管此桥很大，但它的结构简单，造型优美，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。

　　【课文讲解】

　　

　　sailed into.. ----句子的主干

　　about whom----Italian

　　describe sth. as 把......描绘成......，认为 ......

　　常见的动词有：see, view, look upon, recoginze, regard, treat, accept

　　Eg.: I should describe the attempt as a failure.

　　His mother regards him as genius.

　　I accept his words as true.

　　

　　located within two small hills in the midst of which flowed a great river 位于两座小山之间，一条大河滔滔流过。

　　 located... 是过去分词短语作定语，修饰 situation;

　　 in the midst of which 引导一个定语从句，which指two small hills。句子结构要倒装（flowed 在a great river之前）

　　in the midst of, 在......之中。

　　 in the midst of two small hills flowed a great river

　　 A great river flowed in the middle of the two hills.

　　in the middle of the night == at midnight

　　in the middle of the winter

　　in the middle of the summer

　　I like the village located within two small hills.

　　Eg.: 我们来到了一个农庄，在这个农庄的前面有一座大山。

　　We arrived at a farm house. in front of which is a mountain. 动词位于主语之前

　　though / although / even though 引导让步状语从句

　　用了though, although 不能使用but, yet可以用——强调转折关系。

　　

　　by no means 决不，绝对不 （加强语气）

　　E.: It is by no means pleasant to take a crowded bus.乘坐一辆拥挤的公交车无论如何不是一件令人高兴的事。

　　not by any means

　　not at all

　　He isn’t satisfied with a job at all.

　　in no way

　　in no case

　　in no sense

　　in no circumstances

　　

　　remain immortal

　　

　　be named after

　　be named for

　　take one’s name from

　　

　　a span of: 跨度，桥长

　　

　　take into account / take into consideration / take account of 考虑到

　　Eg.: We have to take the date into account when we have the meeting.

　　

　　support : hold up 支撑

　　

　　extend 延伸，伸展

　　a railway extends to the next city

　　extend to a depth of 深度

　　extend to a length of 长度

　　extend to a width of 宽度

　　rise to 上升的高度

　　

　　which指代先行词 cables

　　

　　It has been estimated / expected that…据估计

　　It is said

　　It is reported

　　It has been estimated / expected

　　

　　be packed with... 作“挤满......; 装满 ......”解

　　were 虚拟语气

　　carry 承载

　　a third 三分之一

　　immensity----size

　　despite==in spite of

　　fulfilling: 分词做状语表结果

　　The bus was held up by the snowstorm, causing the delay.

　　her husband died in1970, leaving her with two children.

　　At last he passed his examination, fulfilling his dream to go abroad. 他终于通过了这次考试，实现了出国的梦想（现在分词做结果状语，表示一种主动的概念。）

　　

　　【Special difficulties】 P80

　　

　　He is by no means considered to be a great explorer.(ll.4-5) 动词不定式（compare ISD 84）(对比第二册第84课难点)

　　Instead of saying: I find that he is quite unsuitable for the job.

　　We can say: I find him to be quite unsuitable for the job.

　　find sb. to be 好多动词后面既可以跟宾语从句，又可以和动词不定式to 搭配连用，其意义无差别。常见的动词如下：

　　believe, consider, find, declare, feel, know, suppose, think, presume, estimate, understand

　　Eg.: I consider that he is the best candidate.

　　I consider him to be the best coadidate.

　　We estimated that this picture is worth at least 500 pounds.

　　We estimated this picture to be worth at least 500 pounds.