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Lesson 17 The longest suspension bridge in the world 世界上最长的吊桥
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'.
Language points
（Attention： The following points are not covered by the video. It is better for you to watch the video or listen to the MP3 first and try to take notes on your own. Then you may check here to get more details. ）
1, Verrazano, an Italian about whom little is known, sailed into New York Harbour in 1524 and named it Angouleme.
sailed into New York Harbor 驶进纽约港
2，He described it as 'a very agreeable situation located within two small hills in the midst of which flowed a great river.'
describe sth. as 把......描绘成......，认为......
e.g. I described the attempt as a failure. 我把这次尝试描述成一次失败。
后面可以加“as”的常见动词有：see, view, look upon, recognize, regard, treat, accept
e.g. I should describe the attempt as a failure. 我把这次尝试描述成失败。
e.g. His mother regards him as genius. 他妈妈认为他是一个天才。
e.g. I accept his words as true. 我对他的话信以为真。
located是过去分词短语作定语，修饰 situation;
e.g. I like the village located in two hills.= I like the village which is located in two hills.
in the midst of which 引导一个定语从句，介词短语位于which前，后面的分句要倒装。
e.g. We arrived at a farm house. in front of which is a mountain.我们来到了一个农庄，在这个农庄的前面有一座大山。
in the midst of= in the middle of 在......之中（不仅可以表示方位的“中间”，也可以表示时间的“中间”）
e.g. in the middle of the night == at midnight
e.g. in the middle of the winter\in the middle of the summer
3, 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.
though / although / even though 均引导让步状语从句，相当于中文中的“虽然…,但是…”
在让步状语从句中，如果用了though, although 就不能再使用but了, 但是可以用yet。这是中文和英文的一个小差异。
e.g. Though they managed to start the car in the beginning, yet they got in trouble soon. 虽然一开始他们成功地发动了车，但是很快他们就陷入麻烦了。
by no means 决不，绝对不 （加强语气）
e.g. 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。
by no means=not… by any means=not at all 一点也不
e.g. He isn’t satisfied with the job at all. = He is not satisfied with the job by any means.
总结表示“决不”的词组：
in no way\in no case\in no sense \in no circumstances\ on no account\ at no time\ by no means
表示“命名”的词组：be named after\be named for\take one’s name from
4，It has a span of 4260 feet.
a span of: 跨度，桥长
5，The bridge is so long that the shape of the earth had to be taken into account by its designer.
take sth. into account / take sth. into consideration / take account of sth. 考虑到
e.g. We have to take the date into account when we have the meeting.
6, Two great towers support four huge cables.
support : hold up 支撑
7, The platforms extend to a depth of over 100 feet under the sea.
feet 这里是“英尺”的意思。
extend = reach, stretch 延伸，伸展
e.g. A railway extends to the next city
结构相似的词组：
extend to a depth of 延伸的深度\ extend to a length of 延伸的长度\ extend to a width of 延伸的宽度
rise to the height of …上升的高度
e.g. The towers rise to a height of nearly 700 feet. (文中的句子)
8, It has been estimated that if the bridge were packed with cars, it would still only be carrying a third of its total capacity.
It has been estimated / expected that…据估计
同种结构的句型还有：It is said that…\It is reported that 据说\据报道
be packed with... = be full of 作“挤满......; 装满 ......”解
were 虚拟语气（桥上不可能摆满汽车的）
carry 承载
a third of ……的三分之一
9，Despite its immensity, it is both simple and elegant, fulfilling its designer's dream to create 'an enormous object drawn as faintly as possible'.
immensity: size
despite==in spite of
fulfilling: 现在分词做结果状语，表示一种主动的概念,即动作的实施者正是主语。
e.g. The bus was held up by the snowstorm, causing the delay.
e.g. Her husband died in1970, leaving her with two children.
Special difficulties
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。
打个比方：
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.
常见的动词如下：
believe, consider, find, declare, feel, know, suppose, think, presume, estimate, understand
e.g. I consider that he is the best candidate. = I consider him to be the best candidate.
e.g. We estimated that this picture is worth at least 500 pounds. = We estimated this picture to be worth at least 500 pounds.
Exercises
Translation
1, 比尔是以他祖父的名字命名的。
2, 他绝对不是一个坏小孩。
3, 只有她能决定做什么。
4, 哥伦布的名字会流芳百世，因为他被认为是最好的探险家之一。
5, 我认为他是这最好的老师。
6, 他终于通过了这次考试，实现了出国的梦想。
7, 人们很惊奇地发现那个鲜为人知的人竟创造了历史。
8, 全长64.4米的赵州桥是世界上建成最早，保存最完整的石拱桥。
9, Despite its immensity, it is both simple and elegant, fulfilling its designer's dream to create 'an enormous object drawn as faintly as possible'.
Answer the following question in English:
10, How is the bridge supported?
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