英语听力：自然百科 廊桥遗梦

 Like dovetailed joints¹ connected to the past, covered bridges line in the rivers in Vermont. Originally they were developed in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland centuries ago, when all bridges were made of wood, and those without roofs rotted away in the weather. Today Jan Levandowski restores those that still survive, and builds new ones.

 

"This is one of the five new ones I've built, but I've restored probably thirty. I think everyone finds bridges appealing though. Um, they like the idea of standing² over water, gives them a romantic appeal that they’re nice to be in, they're cool, they're breezy and they're fun to be underneath³."

 

"Covered bridges are natural, I think, in Vermont, because of all the timber that the state had, and in most cases it's very easy to build, and local builders could construct these bridges. And that was important, because the towns didn’t have a lot of money, and they needed to do, be able to do everything pretty much themselves, which they did. You want something is going to last. The early bridges in Vermont were open-deck wooden structures, and they are fine, except they are going to rot. But the bridges are currently in its new as you know, but it replaced the bridges that are near 116 years. And as long as you keep it covered, and keep the rain and storms out of the, out of the truss work, it can last indefinitely."

 

They are remarkably⁴ strong. They can outlast⁵ even modern steel bridges which are susceptible⁶ to rust⁷, and their design remains⁸ unique. They are supported by wooden trusses that form interlocking systems of triangles that distribute the load and stiffen⁹ the bridge.

 

"To think of a truss, you must think of carrying a load from above rather than from underneath. It is a far more practical way of carrying the load, because you are able to control the exposure of those structural¹⁰ elements to the elements of the weather."

 

"Wooden bridges cost more initially¹¹ than steel or concrete bridges, but cheaper than stone bridges. The other hand, they probably last, on the average, three times as long. So I think they are a good buy."

 

The old covered bridges of the countryside are disappearing, falling to age, flooding, even the occasional act of arson¹². Here and there however, a few keep standing through the seasons in years, spanning rivers and oceans of time.

 

1 joints   

接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语）

参考例句：

• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on gas mains. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在煤气的总管道上了。
• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on steam pipes. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在蒸气管道上了。

2 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。

3 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

4 remarkably   

ad.不同寻常地，相当地

参考例句：

• I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. 我认为她在那种情况下非常克制。
• He made a remarkably swift recovery. 他康复得相当快。

5 outlast   

v.较…耐久

参考例句：

• The great use of life is to spend it doing something that will outlast it.人生的充分利用就是为争取比人生更长久的东西而度过一生。
• These naturally dried flowers will outlast a bouquet of fresh blooms.这些自然风干的花会比一束鲜花更加持久。

6 susceptible   

adj.过敏的，敏感的；易动感情的，易受感动的

参考例句：

• Children are more susceptible than adults.孩子比成人易受感动。
• We are all susceptible to advertising.我们都易受广告的影响。

7 rust   

n.锈；v.生锈；(脑子)衰退

参考例句：

• She scraped the rust off the kitchen knife.她擦掉了菜刀上的锈。
• The rain will rust the iron roof.雨水会使铁皮屋顶生锈。

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

9 stiffen   

v.(使)硬，(使)变挺，(使)变僵硬

参考例句：

• The blood supply to the skin is reduced when muscles stiffen.当肌肉变得僵硬时，皮肤的供血量就减少了。
• I was breathing hard,and my legs were beginning to stiffen.这时我却气吁喘喘地开始感到脚有点僵硬。

10 structural   

adj.构造的，组织的，建筑（用）的

参考例句：

• The storm caused no structural damage.风暴没有造成建筑结构方面的破坏。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities.北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

11 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

12 arson   

n.纵火，放火

参考例句：

• He was serving a ten spot for arson.他因纵火罪在服十年徒刑。
• He was arraigned on a charge of arson.他因被指控犯纵火罪而被传讯。