精美英文欣赏:灯塔

Lighthouses

The first navigational lights in the New World were probably lanterns hung at harbor entrances. The first lighthouse was put up by the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1716 on Little Brewster Island at the entrance to Boston Harbor. Paid for and maintained by "light dues" levied¹ on ships, the original beacon² was blown up in 1776. By then there were only a dozen or so true lighthouses in the colonies. Little over a century later, there were 700 lighthouses.

The first light erected³ on the West Coast in the 1850's featured the same basic New England design: a Cape⁴ Cod⁵ dwelling⁶ with the tower rising from the center or standing⁷ close by. In New England and elsewhere, though, lighthouses reflected a variety of architectural styles. Since most stations in the Northeast were built on rocky eminences⁸, enormous towers were not the rule. Some were made of stone and brick, others of wood or metal. Some stood on pilings or stilts⁹; some were fastened to rock with iron rods. Farther south, from Maryland through the Florida Keys, the coast was low and sandy. It was often necessary to build tall towers there - massive structures like the majestic¹⁰ Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, lighthouse, which was lit in 1870. At 190 feet, it is the tallest brick lighthouse in the country.

Notwithstanding differences in appearance and construction, most American lighthouses shared several features: a light, living quarters and sometimes a bell (or later, a foghorn).They also had something else in common: a keeper and, usually, the keeper's family. The keeper's essential task was trimming the lantern wick in order to maintain a steady,bright flame. The earliest keepers came from every walk of life -they were seamen,farmers, mechanics, rough mill hands - and appointments were often handed out by local customs commissioners¹¹ as political plums. After the administration of lighthouses was taken over in 1852 by the United States Lighthouse Board, an agency of the Treasury¹² Department,the keeper corps¹³ gradually became highly professional.

灯塔

在新大陆上，最初的航标灯要算那些挂在港湾入口的提灯了吧。 最初的灯塔是1716 年由马萨诸塞湾殖民地在波士顿港入口一个叫小布罗斯特的岛上建起的。 这最初的灯塔是通过向船只征收"买光钱"来维持运作的，于 1776 年被炸毁。 那时，在各殖民地，真正的灯塔仅有十几个。 但过了一个世纪多一点，灯塔就增至七百多个了。 1850年，在西部沿海建起的首座灯塔基本上沿袭了新英格兰灯塔的设计方案，即那种中心或周围升起塔楼的典型的哥德角式房子。 新英格兰与其它一些地方的灯塔在建筑风格上是多样化的。 在东北部，灯塔大都建在石质的高地上，因此塔身不需要太高。 它们有砖石结构的； 也有木材或金属结构的，有的灯塔建在支架上，有的则用铁条固定在岩石上。 在更南方的地区，从马里兰到弗罗里达礁群的海岸地势低平且多为沙质，因此高大的塔身就很必要了。 例如 1870年在北卡罗来纳的哈特拉角建的宏伟的大灯塔，高达 190 英尺，是全美最高的砖结构灯塔。

虽然美国的灯塔在外观和结构上存在一些差异，但它们确有些共同之处，比如都有灯标、有住房、有时还有钟(后来改用雾角)。 此外，还有一个相同之处，那就是都有守塔人，通常是守塔人全家。 守塔人的基本工作就是修剪灯蕊，以便火焰明亮而稳定。 最早的守塔人来 自各种行业：海员、农民、技工和干粗活的。 这个职位通常是作为政治回报由地方海关官员决定任命。 但在 1852 年后，财政部下属的美国灯塔管理委员会接管了所有灯塔，守塔人这支队伍也逐渐趋向专业化了。

1 levied   

征（兵）( levy的过去式和过去分词 )； 索取； 发动（战争）； 征税

参考例句：

• Taxes should be levied more on the rich than on the poor. 向富人征收的税应该比穷人的多。
• Heavy fines were levied on motoring offenders. 违规驾车者会遭到重罚。

2 beacon   

n.烽火，（警告用的）闪火灯，灯塔

参考例句：

• The blink of beacon could be seen for miles.灯塔的光亮在数英里之外都能看见。
• The only light over the deep black sea was the blink shone from the beacon.黑黢黢的海面上唯一的光明就只有灯塔上闪现的亮光了。

3 ERECTED   

adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立

参考例句：

• A monument to him was erected in St Paul's Cathedral. 在圣保罗大教堂为他修了一座纪念碑。
• A monument was erected to the memory of that great scientist. 树立了一块纪念碑纪念那位伟大的科学家。

4 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

5 cod   

n.鳕鱼；v.愚弄；哄骗

参考例句：

• They salt down cod for winter use.他们腌鳕鱼留着冬天吃。
• Cod are found in the North Atlantic and the North Sea.北大西洋和北海有鳕鱼。

6 dwelling   

n.住宅，住所，寓所

参考例句：

• Those two men are dwelling with us.那两个人跟我们住在一起。
• He occupies a three-story dwelling place on the Park Street.他在派克街上有一幢3层楼的寓所。

7 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

8 eminences   

卓越( eminence的名词复数 )； 著名； 高地； 山丘

参考例句：

• Both are truly grey eminences who have become accustomed to the exercise of influence. 两个人都是真正的幕后操纵者，他们已习惯于用其影响进行幕后操纵。

9 stilts   

n.（支撑建筑物高出地面或水面的）桩子，支柱( stilt的名词复数 )；高跷

参考例句：

• a circus performer on stilts 马戏团里踩高跷的演员
• The bamboo huts here are all built on stilts. 这里的竹楼都是架空的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 majestic   

adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的

参考例句：

• In the distance rose the majestic Alps.远处耸立着雄伟的阿尔卑斯山。
• He looks majestic in uniform.他穿上军装显得很威风。

11 commissioners   

n.专员( commissioner的名词复数 )；长官；委员；政府部门的长官

参考例句：

• The Commissioners of Inland Revenue control British national taxes. 国家税收委员管理英国全国的税收。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The SEC has five commissioners who are appointed by the president. 证券交易委员会有５名委员，是由总统任命的。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

12 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

13 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。