《新概念英语》第3册 The longest suspension bridge in the world 朗读正文
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Welcome to our lesson on suspension bridges. Suspension bridges are remarkable engineering achievements that allow us to span great distances across water bodies and valleys. These structures consist of several key components: tall towers that support the main cables, the bridge deck where vehicles travel, suspender cables that hang from the main cables to support the deck, and anchorages that secure the cables to the ground. Today we will explore the world's longest suspension bridge through a New Concept English text.
Now let's read the passage about the Verrazano Bridge. 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 longest suspension bridge in the world was named after him. The Verrazano Bridge, which was designed by Othmar Ammann, spans the Narrows between Brooklyn and Staten Island. It has a span of 4,260 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 four cables, each of which contains 26,108 lengths of wire. It has been estimated that if the bridge were to be completely dismantled, it would take eight men with sledgehammers ten years to break up the concrete foundations.
Let's begin reading the first part of our text. 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 longest suspension bridge in the world was named after him.
Continuing with our reading: The Verrazano Bridge, which was designed by Othmar Ammann, spans the Narrows between Brooklyn and Staten Island. It has a span of 4,260 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.
Let's complete our reading with the final section: 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 four cables, each of which contains 26,108 lengths of wire. It has been estimated that if the bridge were to be completely dismantled, it would take eight men with sledgehammers ten years to break up the concrete foundations. This remarkable engineering achievement stands as the world's longest suspension bridge, demonstrating human ingenuity in overcoming natural obstacles.
Now let's analyze the key vocabulary and language structures from our text. Important words include 'suspension bridge' - a bridge supported by cables, 'span' - to extend across a distance, 'immortal' - lasting forever or never forgotten, 'immense' - extremely large, 'platform' - a flat raised structure, and 'dismantle' - to take apart. Key phrases include 'by no means' meaning 'not at all', 'take into account' meaning 'consider carefully', and the passive construction 'it has been estimated'. These advanced vocabulary items and grammatical structures are typical of formal English writing and help create sophisticated, descriptive prose.