Lesson 17 The longest suspension bridge in the world 内容鉴赏

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.

相信有不少读者对红色部分有着疑惑, 将whom引导的定语从句还原回简单句为 Little is known about the Italian, Verrazano. 

由于the Italian(在定语从句中是 an Italian)在简单句About the Italian, Verrazano, little is known.中作宾语成分(about the Italian为介宾短语), 则要用whom引导定语从句. 

如果从翻译的角度去理解: 我们在表达上面句子的意思时, 应该表达为"Verrazano, 一名意大利人, 关于他的事迹很少有人知道, 他于1524年驾船驶进纽约港, 并将其命名为Angouleme". 则对应英语应为 Verrazano, an Italian about whom little is known, sailed into New York Harbour in 1524 and named it Angouleme.

2. He described it as ‘a very agreeable situation located within two small hills in the midst of which flowed a great river’.

在这句话中, 或许很多朋友都会觉得句子比较复杂, 若加以分析, 则会化繁为简. 

显然, as后的成分在此是一个很长的名词, 我们就对这个很长的名词(句子的核心成分)进行分析. 

a very agreeable situation located within two small hills in the midst of which flowed a great river

located within two small hills为修饰a very agreeable situation的定语, in the midst of which中的which指代的是two small hills.

有了上面的分析, 这句话可以理解为"他对该港做了这样的描述: 地址位置十分适宜, 坐落于两座小山之间, 在两座小山之间有一条大河流过". 

从这句话的表达中我们可以学到英国人的思维当时, 此后应该多多仿照这种思维方式表达想法, 以提升文章原汁原味的程度.

3. Though Verrazano is ①by no means considered to be a great explorer, his name will probably ②remain immortal, for on November 21st, 1964, the longest suspension bridge in the world ③was named after him.

①: by no means意为"无论如何, 决不", ②: immortal意为"永生的, 流芳百世", ③... was named after him意为"以他的名字命名......".

那么, 这句话应该理解为"虽然Verrazano绝对算不上是一位伟大的探险家, 但他的名字将流芳百世, 因为在1964年11月21日, 世界上最长的吊桥是用他的名字来命名的".

4. The Verrazano Bridge, which was designed by Othmar Ammann, joins Brooklyn and Staten Island.

红色部分表达为简单句: The Verrazano Bridge was designed by Othmar Amman.

当用定语从句的形式表达, 即为 The Verrazano Bridge which was designed by Othmar Amman ... .

那么, 这句话应理解为"Verrazano大桥是由Othmar Ammann设计的, 它连接Brooklyn和Staten岛".

5. It has a span of 4,260 feet.

span意为"跨度", 这里综合语境后, 翻译为长度. 

这句话的意思是, Verrazano大桥长4260英尺.

6. The bridge is so long that the shape of the earth had to be taken into account by its designer.

be taken into account by... 意为"被......考虑到".

这句话的意思是这样的: 桥身太长了, 以至于设计者不得不考虑到地球的形状. 

若翻译的更地道些, 那么可以这样讲: 由于桥身太长, 设计者不得不考虑了地表的形状.

7. Two great towers support four huge cables.

两座巨塔支撑着四根粗大的钢缆.

8. The towers are built on immense underwater platforms made of steel and concrete.

made of steel and concrete为platforms的定语.

immense underwater platforms意为巨大的水下平台.

这句话的意思是, 塔身建在巨大的水下钢筋混凝土平台上.

9. The platforms extend to a depth of over 100 feet under the sea.

extend一词用的漂亮, 完美提升句子档次且将表达变得更加生动. 由于extend本意为"扩展, 延伸", 结合着这层意思, 会感觉对一项浩大的水下工程介绍的动态画面映入眼帘.

这句话意为"平台深入海底100英尺".

10. These alone took sixteen months to build.

alone一词突出了上述工程的浩大, 配合着sixteen months to build, 描述了工程的浩大.

这句话意为"仅是这些就花费了16个月才建成".

11. Above the surface of the water, the towers rise to a height of nearly 700 feet.

这句话和第9句有异曲同工之妙, 作者用rise一词描绘了一幅从下而上观赏高塔的画面.

这句话意为"塔身高出水面将近700英尺".

12. They support the cables from which the bridge has been suspended.

很多朋友from which后面很难理解, 其实不然. 在分析英文时, 不要带着那么多语法的条条框框, 只需要按着英国人的思维进行分析即可. 

from which 中的which指代the cables, 主句表达的意思是"高塔支撑着钢缆", 由前面的分析, 将后面的部分变为简单句"The bridge has been suspended from the cables. ", 意为"吊桥从钢缆处获得支撑", 也即"钢缆支撑着吊桥". 

此处用has been suspended, 而不是is suspended, 作者的意图是?

如此一分析, 这句话的意思就是"高塔支撑着钢缆, 而钢缆支撑着吊桥".

13. Each of the four cables contains 26,108 lengths of wire.

wire一词可作物质名词, 意为"金属线", 这里结合语境, 意为"钢绳", 26,108 lengths of wire意为"26108股钢绳".

这句话意为"四根钢缆中的每根都是由26108股钢绳组成的".

14. It has been estimated that if the bridge were packed with cars, it would still only be carrying a third of its total capacity.

这里的were体现了作者说话的语气为虚拟语气, 则后面就用would而不是will.

这句话意为"据估计, 就算桥上停满车, 也只达到桥承载力的1/3".

15. However, size and strength are not the only important things about this bridge.

however一词使得话锋一转, 将本来讨论的规模、强度等问题先搁置到一边, 进而讨论桥其它的特点. 

size and strength 在此意为"桥的规模和强度".

这句话的意思是, 然而, 这座桥重要的特点不仅仅为规模和强度.

16. Despite its immensity, it is both simple and elegant, fulfilling its designers’ dream to create ‘an enormous object drawn as faintly as possible’.

despite its immensity 可以和 In spite of its immensity相互替换, 意为"尽管......".

elegant意为"优美的, 优雅别致的", faintly意为"细致地, 模糊地".

fulfilling及其后面的部分为句子的伴随状语. 

这句话意为"尽管桥身巨大, 但它即简单又优雅, 实现了设计者企图创造一个"尽可能细致地勾画出一个庞然大物"的梦想".