the Modern World
美音、自然拼读、分级阅读与词汇复习
Table of Contents Picking Wonders.
内容取奇表.
4 Channel Tunnel.
4频道隧道.
5 Netherlands North Sea Protection Works.
5 荷兰北海保护工程.
7 Canadian National Tower.
7 加拿大国家塔.
9 Empire State Building.
9 帝国大厦.
11 Golden Gate Bridge.
11号金门桥.
12 Panama Canal.
12 巴拿马运河。
14 Itaipú Dam.
14 伊泰普坝.
16 Conclusion.
16 结论。
18 Glossary.
18 词汇。
19 Index.
19 指数。
20 Picking Wonders Long ago, scholars selected the seven greatest works built by human beings—the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
20 选取奇迹 很久以前,学者们选择了人类所建造的七大作品——"古代世界的七大奇迹".
These wonders honored the courage and power to do things people thought couldn’t be done.
这些奇事使人们感到勇气和力量,
The Great Pyramid of Egypt is the only Ancient Wonder still standing.
埃及大金字塔是唯一仍在站立的古代奇迹.
Hundreds of years later, a group of engineers asked experts around the world to select seven new wonders.
数百年后,一批工程师要求世界各地的专家挑选出七个新的奇迹.
Their list of Modern Wonders honored the same ideas as the Ancient Wonders.
他们的"现代奇才"榜单 尊崇与"古代奇才"相同的理念.
Channel T unnel Let’s start in England and France.
频道 T unnel 让我们从英格兰和法国开始。
Imagine traveling 31 miles (50 km) through an underwater tunnel at close to 100 miles (161 km) per hour.
想象一下在近每小时100英里(161公里)的地道上行走31英里(50公里).
The Channel Tunnel, or Chunnel, provides speedy travel between England and France.
海峡隧道(英語:Channel Tunnel),即春内尔隧道,提供英法之间的快速出行.
The trip takes about 20 minutes.
行程约需要20分钟.
People had dreamed of this tunnel for years.
人们梦想这个隧道多年。
The work was hard and risky.
这项工作既艰巨又有风险。
It took about 13,000 people from 1987 to 1994 to build three tunnels a total of 95 miles (153 km) long.
从1987年到1994年,大约花费了13,000人建造了3个隧道,全长95英里(153公里).
First, workers dug huge chunks of chalk and clay from the bottom of the English Channel.
首先,工人从英吉利海峡底部挖出一大笔粉笔和粘土.
Then they built the tunnels under the water!
然后他们在水下建造了地道!
Passengers can now ride through the Chunnel in buses and cars that are loaded onto the widest trains ever built.
乘客现在可以乘坐被装上有史以来最宽的列车的公交车和汽车通过Chunnel.
One tunnel allows train travel from England to France, while a second allows travel in the opposite direction.
一个隧道允许从英国到法国的列车出行,而第二个隧道则允许向相反方向出行.
The third tunnel is a service tunnel used for repairs and emergencies.
第三道地道是用于维修和紧急情况的服务地道.
Safety: A Top Priority A couple of years after the Chunnel opened, a fire started in one of the tunnels.
安全:最高优先事项 春内尔号开通后数年,其中一个地道起火.
A fire could have killed many, but the Channel Tunnel had plans for emergencies.
一场大火本可以杀死许多人,但海峡隧道有紧急情况的计划.
People were taken off the train and led to the tunnel used for repairs and emergencies.
人们被从火车上带走,并被带入用于修理和紧急情况的地道.
Some people became sick from the smoke and were taken to the hospital.
一些人从烟雾中病倒后被送往医院.
However, no one died or was seriously hurt.
然而,没有人死亡或受重伤。
The safety plans saved the day.
安全计划挽救了这一天。
Cars drive off a Channel Tunnel train.
车开出海峡隧道列车.
Netherlands North Sea Protection Works Now let’s travel north from France to the Netherlands, where much of the land is below sea level.
荷兰北海保护 工程 让我们从法国向北去荷兰,
During storms, floods destroyed homes and farmland.
在风暴期间,洪水摧毁了房屋和农田。
In the early 1900s, the Dutch suffered the effects of war and terrible storms.
1900年代初,荷兰人遭受了战争和可怕风暴的影响.
Food shortages were a problem.
粮食短缺是一个问题。
They decided to find new ways to protect the land and people from the sea.
他们决定寻找新的方法来保护陆地和人民免受海难.
In 1927, the people started to build the North Sea Protection Works.
1927年,人民开始兴建"北海保护工程".
They dammed areas along the coast to create lakes and farmland.
他们给沿海地区筑坝,以建立湖泊和农田。
But other areas couldn’t be dammed.
但其他地区却无法解决。
More dams would hurt the country’s shipping industry and wildlife habitats.
更多水坝会损害国家的航运业和野生动物栖息地。
So they built a floodwall unlike any other.
所以他们建造了一座与其它建筑不同的防洪墙.
The wall was built with giant gates that stay open when the sea is calm.
城墙由海平面平平时保持开阔的巨门所建.
This allows ships to come and go, and keeps the wildlife safe.
这样可以让船只来去去 保护野生动物的安全
During storms, the gates can be closed to prevent flooding.
在风暴期间,可以关闭闸门来防止洪灾.
The North Sea Protection Works gave the Dutch over one-half million acres of land for farming, livestock, and homes.
北海保护 工程给了荷兰超过150万英亩的土地用于耕作,牲畜和住宅.
The people also gained protection from floods.
人民还得到了免受洪水的防护。
Floodwalls keep surges of water during storms from flooding the land.
洪水墙使风暴期间的水潮不会淹没土地。
Canadian National T ower Next we cross the Atlantic Ocean from the Netherlands to Toronto, Canada, where visitors can stand on an observation deck of the Canadian National, or CN, Tower and see Niagara Falls, about 85 miles (137 km) away.
接下来我们从荷兰穿越大西洋到加拿大多伦多, 游客可以站在加拿大国民的观察甲板上, 或者说CN,塔, 看到尼亚加拉瀑布, 大约85英里(137公里)外。
Over 1,800 feet (548 m) high, the tower is one of the tallest freestanding structures in the world.
该塔高1800多英尺(548米),是世界上最高的独立结构之一.
In the 1960s, Toronto had built many tall buildings.
20世纪60年代多伦多已经建造了多座高楼.
Many were so tall they blocked radio and television signals.
许多人很高,他们封锁了广播和电视信号。
The city needed a tower tall enough so that no building could block signals coming from it.
这座城市需要一个高得足够高的塔楼,这样任何建筑物都无法阻挡从它发出的信号.
Plans were drawn up for the CN Tower.
为CN塔制定了计划。
Building something so tall was not easy.
建造这么高的东西不容易
Workers used instruments on planes flown over the CN Tower to make sure it was straight.
工人在飞过CN塔的飞机上使用仪器,以确保它直通.
Builders used a helicopter to place the antenna at the tower’s top.
建造者使用直升机将天线放入塔顶.
Around the tower’s base, they constructed a four-level observation deck that was lifted into place high above the ground when it was finished.
在塔基周围,他们建造了一座四级的观察甲板,完工后升入地上高地上.
The top level, Skypod, is one of the highest public observation decks in the world.
顶层"天花"是世界最高的公共观测甲板之一.
The Tower is a popular tourist attraction.
该塔是受欢迎的旅游景点.
On the bottom observation level, the Glass Floor, visitors walk on a see-through surface and look down at the city below.
在底部观测层,玻璃地层,游客走入透视地表并俯瞰下方的城市.
Empire State Building We move southeast of the CN Tower to the Empire State Building in the United States.
帝国大厦 我们从CN塔东南移到美国帝国大厦.
Started in 1930, it was the tallest building of its time and rose in the New York City skyline in one year and forty-five days.
始建于1930年,是其时代最高的建筑,并在一年零四十五天后在纽约市天际线上兴起.
Construction began during the Great Depression.
大萧条时期开始建设.
Many people were looking for jobs, so they didn’t mind the danger and hard work of building it so quickly.
许多人都在寻找工作,
They built four and one-half floors a week, and put together the 58,000-ton frame in less than a month.
他们每周建造四层半,并用不到一月的时间将5.8万吨级的相框组合在一起.
The 1,250-foot (381 m) tall, 102-story building became a New York City landmark.
高1,250英尺(381米),102层的建筑成为了纽约市地标.
It has 73 elevators, 1,860 steps, and 6,500 windows.
它有73个电梯,1,860个台阶和6,500个窗户.
People come from around the world to see the city from the observation deck.
人们来自世界各地,从观察甲板上看到城市.
Golden Gate Bridge Traveling to the west coast of the United States, we find the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
金门大桥出行于美国西海岸,在旧金山找到金门大桥.
Local residents wanted a bridge across the narrow waterway between San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean.
当地居民想要一座跨越旧金山湾和太平洋之间狭窄水道的桥梁.
After 65 years of planning, construction started in 1933, providing jobs during the Great Depression.
经过65年的规划,1933年开工建设,在大萧条期间提供工作.
Men worked on towers 746 feet (227 m) above the water.
男子在水上746英尺(227米)高地上工作.
That’s a little more than half the height of the Empire State Building.
这是帝国大厦高度的一半多一点。
The men worked with thick cables in bundles a yard wide.
这些人用厚厚的电缆 捆绑在院子里
They worked in the cold, fog, and wind, and with the constant danger of falling.
他们在寒冷,雾和风中工作,并不断面临倒下的危险.
In fact, 11 men fell to their deaths while working on the bridge.
事实上,有11人在桥上工作时倒下而死.
On the day the Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937, people walked its 4,200-foot (1,280 m) length—that’s almost a mile.
在1937年金门大桥开通的当天,人们走出4200英尺(1,280米)长的路程——这几乎是一英里.
The first cars traveled across the next day.
第一批车次日通车.
Since then, over a billion and a half vehicles have used the bridge.
此后有十多亿半车辆使用该桥.
Once the longest and tallest suspension bridge in the world, it is still one of the biggest and most spectacular.
曾经是世界上最长和最高的吊桥,它仍然是最大和最壮观的一座.
It has even survived a major earthquake.
它甚至从一次大地震中幸存下来。
Panama Canal Our next stop is south of the United States in the country of Panama, where a lake almost connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
巴拿马运河 我们的下一站位于美国以南的巴拿马,一个湖泊几乎连接大西洋和太平洋。
As early as 1534, people talked about digging through the land to extend the lake to the oceans.
早在1534年,人们就谈论了从陆地上挖出来将湖延伸到海洋的问题.
Work started on the Panama Canal in 1904 and took 10 years to finish.
1904年巴拿马运河开工,历时十年才完工.
Before the canal, people had to sail around South America to get from one ocean to the other.
在运河通通之前,人们不得不在南美洲一带航行,从一大洋到一大洋.
During digging, disease, landslides, and mudslides caused problems.
在挖掘过程中,疾病,山体滑坡和泥石流造成了问题.
After they finished digging, they built a system of chambers to raise and lower ships from the oceans to the lake.
在他们完成挖掘后,他们建立起了从海洋到湖边起降船只的船舱系统.
Ships enter chambers on one side of the canal that take them to the lake.
船只进入运河一侧的船舱,带它们去湖边.
The ships make their way across the lake to chambers that take them down to the ocean on the other side.
飞船们通过湖面 到达将它们带到另一边的海洋的船室
Today, the canal can handle about 50 ships a day; it averages about 14,000 ships a year.
如今,运河每天能处理约50艘船只;年平均可处理约14000艘船只.
You can see the thousands of wires inside the cable being walked on (top) in the cross-section above.
可以看到上面横截面上(上)有上千条电缆被行走.
Suspension Bridge To build this type of bridge, workers first had to construct tall towers.
吊桥 为了建造这种类型的桥梁,工人首先必须建造高高的塔.
Then they strung strong and thick cables between the towers.
然后在塔之间架起坚固而厚的电缆.
The floor, or deck, of the bridge was hung from the cables.
桥的地上或甲板被吊在电缆上。
The cables were secured, or held in place, at each end of the bridge.
电缆在桥的两端均得到保障或固定。
A ship prepares to enter the Panama Canal.
一艘船准备进入巴拿马运河
it is raised from sea level to lake level.
它从海平面升至湖平面.
height on both sides of the gate.
山门两侧的高度
into the lake.
进入了湖里
There are three chambers on each side of the lake.
湖边各有三间.
This means that water flows from one chamber to the next three times to raise and lower the ships on each side.
这意味着水从一舱流到后三舱来提高并降低两侧的船只.
How the Panama Canal Works Itaipu Dam Now we head south from Panama to the countries of Brazil and Paraguay.
巴拿马运河如何运作伊泰普水坝 现在我们从巴拿马向南去巴西和巴拉圭。
In 1975, the two countries teamed up to build a hydroelectric plant to produce more electricity for their people.
1975年,两国联合兴建水电站,为人民多发电.
They would build it on the Paraná River, on the border between the two countries, because a hydroelectric plant needs water and a dam to create electricity.
他们将在巴拉那河上,在两国边界上建造,因为水电站需要水和水坝来发电。
Builders overcame big challenges.
建设者克服了巨大的挑战。
They changed the course of the Paraná, the seventh largest river in the world.
他们改变了世界第七大河流巴拉那河的航道.
They dug up and removed more than 50 million tons of dirt and rocks.
他们挖出并取出超过5000万吨的泥土和岩石.
They used enough concrete to build a city for four million people and enough iron and steel to build 380 Eiffel Towers.
他们使用足够的混凝土来为400万人建造一座城市,并用足够的钢铁来建造380座埃菲尔铁塔.
The result was a series of dams as well as a power plant one-half mile (.
结果是一系列水坝和半英里长的发电厂(A.
8 km) long.
8公里)长.
The power plant has broken records for the amount of power it produces.
发电厂生产的电力量打破了记录。
It now supplies most of the power for Paraguay and about a quarter of the power for Brazil.
它现在为巴拉圭提供大部分电力,为巴西提供大约四分之一的电力.
Conclusion Someday, new lists of wonders will be made.
某日,将提出新的奇迹清单。
Works greater than these are already being built.
比这些工程更大的工程正在建造中。
However, these Seven Wonders of the Modern World are proof of the power and courage of human beings in the 1900s.
然而,现代世界的这些"七奇记"证明了人类在1900年代的力量和勇气.
How Does a Hydroelectric Plant Work?
水力发电如何 工厂工作?
The Itaipú Dam is a giant wall with gates that hold back water from the Paraná River.
伊泰普大坝是一堵巨大的城墙,有从巴拉那河取出水的闸门.
When the gates of the dam are opened, water goes through a pipe to a turbine.
当大坝的闸门被打开后,水会从一管通到一涡轮.
The turbine has blades— like a fan, only much larger.
涡轮机有叶片——像风扇一样,只有大得多.
The water makes the blades turn.
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The blades cause powerful magnets in the generator (something like a motor) to turn.
叶片使发电机中的强力磁铁(类似马达等)转向.
When the magnets pass copper coils inside the generator, electrons get moved around.
当磁铁在发电机内部通过铜圈后,电子就会被移动.
Electrons are tiny bits of energy.
电是微小的能量
These electrons are turned into electricity.
这些电子被转化为电力.
Tourists visit the Itaipú Dam.
游客参观了伊泰普大坝.