欧美文化博览 超级城市纽约 (15)

 

This is like a machine that it's always something you need to fix, to oil, to repaint, to clean and possibly to replace.

这就像一台机器,总有些东西你需要修理,加油,重新粉刷，清洗及可能的进行更换部件。

The Manhattan Bridge needed major repairs at a relative early age. The threat came from the very trains it was built to carry. Held in place by steel cables, the Manhattan has the advantages and drawbacks of a suspension bridge. One advantage, it can flex¹; one drawback, it can flex. That drawback emerged when the first subway train crossed. As the heavy cars pass, the bridge sways. One side dips, the other rises a full meter. Steel isn't made to flex. The relentless² torsion snapped off beams, spanning the lower roadway.

在一个相对早期的年龄，曼哈顿桥就需要大修。威胁来自需要承载而建造的火车。钢架构的电缆使曼哈顿的的悬索桥有好有坏。好处是它可以弯曲;缺点也是它能弯曲。当第一次火车通过缺点就涌现了出来。当重型车辆经过,这座桥摇来摇去。一侧下降,另一侧升高。钢本身不是用来弯曲的，啪的一声无情的扭断横梁。

The Manhattan Bridge was so neglected, the tracks finally had to be closed for repairs. In the 1980s, the city invested 2.5 billion dollars in a 3-decade program to overhaul³ its bridges. On the Manhattan Bridge, engineers installed heavy steel braces⁴ to stop the swaying.

曼哈顿桥如此被忽视,铁轨最后不得不因为进行修理而关闭。在八十年代,这座城市在30年的审查桥梁的项目中投资25亿元。在曼哈顿桥,工程师安装了大型钢架构避免桥的摇摆。

The effect is surprising even to us. The rocking motion, really abated⁵.

效果甚至对我们而言也令人惊奇。摇摆运动真的减轻了。

1 flex   

n.皮线，花线；vt.弯曲或伸展

参考例句：

• We wound off a couple of yards of wire for a new lamp flex.我们解开几码电线作为新的电灯花线。
• He gave his biceps a flex to impress the ladies.他收缩他的肱二头肌以吸引那些女士们的目光。

2 relentless   

adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的

参考例句：

• The traffic noise is relentless.交通车辆的噪音一刻也不停止。
• Their training has to be relentless.他们的训练必须是无情的。

3 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。

4 braces   

n.吊带，背带；托架( brace的名词复数 )；箍子；括弧；（儿童）牙箍v.支住( brace的第三人称单数 )；撑牢；使自己站稳；振作起来

参考例句：

• The table is shaky because the braces are loose. 这张桌子摇摇晃晃，因为支架全松了。
• You don't need braces if you're wearing a belt! 要系腰带，就用不着吊带了。

5 abated   

减少( abate的过去式和过去分词 )； 减去； 降价； 撤消（诉讼）

参考例句：

• The worker's concern about cuts in the welfare funding has not abated. 工人们对削减福利基金的关心并没有减少。
• The heat has abated. 温度降低了。