Text 课文
How is the bridge supported?
Verrazano, an Italian about whom little is known, sailed into New York Harbour in 1524 and
named it Angouleme.
sailed into... 是句子的主干
about whom（whom指代Italian）
He described it as 'a very agreeable situation located within two small hills in the midst of
which flowed a great river.'
describe something as… 把某物描述成…
-- I should describe the attempt as a failure. 我把这次尝试描述成失败。
后面可以加as的动词：see, view, look upon, recognize, regard, treat, accept
-- His mother regards him as genius. （genius n.天才, 天赋）
-- I accepted his words as truth. 我对他的话信以为真。
Located过去分词做定语修饰situation
-- I like the village located within two small hills.
= I like the village which is located within two small hills.
in the midst of which...
-- A great river flowed in the middle of the two hills.
In the midst of = in the middle of
In the middle of不仅可以表示方位上的中间, 还可以表示时间上的中间。
-- in the middle of the river / in the middle of the night / in the middle of the winter
介词短语在which前, which引导的从句要倒装。
-- We arrived at a farmhouse in front of which was a mountain.
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.
Though / although / even though 引导让步状语从句
用了though, although 不能使用but
但可以用yet来强调转折关系
-- Though they manage to take photographs, yet they got into trouble soon.
by no means（= not by any means = not at all）
-- It is by no means pleasant to take a crowded bus.
乘坐一辆拥挤的公共汽车绝对不是一件让人高兴的事。
-- He isn't satisfied with a job at all. = He isn't satisfied with a job by any means.
in no way, in no case, in no sense, in no circumstances（circumstance n.环境,详情,境况）
on no account, at no time 都表示’决不’
be named after…, be named for…, take one's name from… 都表示用…来命名
The Verrazano Bridge, which was designed by Othmar Ammann, joins Brooklyn to Staten
Island. It has a span of 4,260 feet.
a span of 跨度、桥长
The bridge is so long that the shape of the earth had to be taken into account by its designer.
take into account = take into consideration = take account of 考虑到
-- We have to take the date into account when we have the meeting.
Two great towers support four huge cables.
Support = hold up 举起, 支撑
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.
Extend（延伸, 伸展）= reach, stretch
-- a railway extends to the next city.
These alone took sixteen months to build.
= It took the workers sixteen months to build the platforms.
Above the surface of the water, the towers rise to a height of nearly 700 feet.
extend to a depth of… 伸展的深度
extend to a length of… 伸展的长度
extend to a width of… 伸展的宽度 （width n.宽度, 宽广 ）
rise to a height of… 伸展的高度
They support the cables from which the bridge has been suspended.
which指代先行词cables
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.
It has been estimated that...（It is said that… It is reported that…）
It has been estimated, It has been expected
were 虚拟语气（桥上不可能摆满汽车）
carry v.承载
a third of… …的1/3
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'.
Immensity指代size
Despite = in spite of
Fulfill vt.履行, 实现, 完成(计划等)
Fulfilling 分词做状语表示结果
-- The bus was held up by the snowstorm, causing the delay.（hold up 阻挡, 拦截）
-- Her husband died in 1970, leaving her with her children.
-- At last he passed his examination, fulfilling his dream to go abroad.
