新概念第三册自学导读 Lessons17

Notes on the text课文注释

1  describe…as…作“把……描绘成……”、“认为……”讲。

2  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。in the midst of, 在……之中。

3  by no means, 无论如何，决不。

4  be named after sb. , 以某人的名字命名。

5  be taken into account, 被考虑到。

6  It has been estimated…, 据估计，……。

7  be packed with…作“挤满……”、“装满……”解。

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，并将该港命名为安古拉姆。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的。

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筋混凝土平台上。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，这座桥的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。

Summary writing摘要写作

Describe the Verrazano Bridge in not more than 80 words. Do not include anything that is not in the last paragraph.

Answer these questions in note form to get your points:

1  What is the name of the bridge which joins Brooklyn to Staten Island?

2  What is its span?

3  How many towers has it got?

4  What do these towers support?

5  What are the towers built on?

6  How far under the sea do the platforms go?

7  How far above the surface do the towers rise?

8  What is the bridge suspended from?

9  How many lengths of wire does each of these cables contain?

10  Is the bridge very strong or not?

11  Is it simple and elegant or not?

Vocabulary词汇

Give another word or phrase to replace the following words as they are used in the passage: agreeable situa

tion （1．3）; in the midst （11．3-4）; considered （1．5）; remain immortal （1．6）; span （1．9）; taken into account （1．9）; support （1．10）.

Composition作文

Describe any bridge you know well. Expand the following into a paragraph of about 150 words.

The bridge I know best is called …It joins …to …From far away it looks …but when you get near …It is made of …and supported by …which …If you stand on the bridge early in the morning, you can see…At this time everything is quiet. During the day, however, …I enjoy standing on the bridge at night when …In the darkness, you can see …In the stillness …are the only sounds that can be heard.  (77  words)

Letter writing书信写作

A friend who is coming to visit you has written to you asking for detailed information on how to get to your house. Write a reply in about 80 words. Supply a suitable Introduction and Conclusion. Use the following information to write the Purpose: which train to catch----where to get off----which bus to catch and where----any familiar landmark----where to get off----which road to take----where your house is.

Key structures关键句型

The Verrazano bridge was designed by Othmar Ammann. 被动语态(IKS 93)（参见第2册第93课关键句型）

Exercise练习

Change the form of the verbs in these sentences. Omit the words in italics. Do not refer to the passage until you finish the exercise: