EZCNN 易英网

Building The Biggest 超限建筑

課文朗讀

課文中英文講解

繁體中文譯本

What do the International Space Station, the Voyage Holiday World Indiana, the London-Glasgow railway line and the northern Canadian diamond mines have in common? They’re all the world’s biggest. This month, The Discovery Channel’s Building the Biggest takes you on a tour of human achievements almost too colossal to imagine.

国际太空站、「印第安纳度假世界之旅」、伦敦格拉斯哥铁路线和加拿大北部钻石矿坑，这些地方有什么共同点呢？它们都是全球最大。这个月Discovery频道的《超限建筑》将带您一睹巨大到无法想象的人类成就。

Many scientists have dedicated their entire careers to creating the International Space Station, a project involving 16 countries. Once it’s completed, the station’s 4,000-square-meter solar panels and weight of 45 tons will make it the biggest man-made object in the solar system! After the major structural components have lifted off into space by space shuttles, Canadarm2, a 1,800-kilogram, 17.5-meter-long robotic arm, will help put the whole 60-billion-dollar jigsaw puzzle together.

为了打造16国参与的国际太空站，许多科学家已投入毕生精力。一旦建造完成，该站4,000平方公尺的太阳能板，还有一百万磅的重量，将使它成为太阳系最大的人造物！用航天飞机将主要构造零件送入太空后，重1,800公斤、长17.5公尺的机械臂「加拿大臂二号」，将协助组合总造价600亿美元的拼图。

Meanwhile, back on earth, the Voyage Holiday World Indiana is building the biggest wooden rollercoaster ride in the world. Combining the latest computer technology with sheer ingenuity, the designers are pushing the physical boundaries of what a rollercoaster can do. It will include one track that twists and turns 32 times on itself. Wooden coasters shake and bend in ways that steel ones never will, which adds to the excitement. Competition is ferocious, though, and theme parks often spy upon their rivals to see what they’re up to. So it’s hush-hush, with the design plans kept secret. In the end, their creation will certainly attract hoards of excited thrill-seekers!

在此同时，地球上的「印第安纳度假世界之旅」正在兴建全球最大的木造云霄飞车。设计师结合最新计算机科技与纯粹的创意，正在扩展云霄飞车的极限。它将包括一条自身扭转32次的轨道。木造飞车震动和转弯的方式，迥异于钢制飞车，提高了刺激感。然而世界之最的竞争非常激烈，主题乐园经常窥探对手，以了解对方的计划。所以，天机不可泄露，打造计划因此被列为机密。最后，这云霄飞车的问世铁定能吸引大批追求刺激的游客。

Vocabulary

structural [ˋstrʌktʃərəl] adj. 结构的，构造上的

sheer [ʃɪr] adj. 全然的；纯粹的

ingenuity [͵ɪndʒəˋnuətɪ] n. 心灵手巧；独创性; 创造力，想象力

push the boundaries  突破通常限制或约束; 推向极致  to exceed the existing limits in a certain field; be innovative

rival [ˋraɪv!] n. 对手，敌手

More Information

colossal [kəˋlɑs!] adj. 巨大的；庞大的

dedicate [ˋdɛdə͵ket] v. 献（身）；把（时间，精力等）用于

jigsaw [ˋdʒɪg͵sɔ] n. 拼图玩具

ferocious [fəˋroʃəs] adj. 凶猛的；残忍的

spy upon  窥探

up to: 忙于  able to do or deal with

hush-hush :[ˋhʌʃˋhʌʃ] adj. 极秘密的  secret; confidential.

hoard [hord] n. 积聚

課文中英文講解

Across the Atlantic, the biggest European engineering project ever is underway. Piece by piece, engineers are replacing the 2,672-kilometer-long railway line that connects London to Glasgow. A century-and-a-half-old, the track is in dire need of repair. But there’s a problem. Every week, more than one million people commute on this line. So the only time to do the fixing is on weekends. Friday night, after commuters have returned home, the line is shut down and an army of 10,000 workers steps in. Coordination is crucial: one minute of delay at one point could result in 50 hours of delay island-wide! After the job is finished, the workers hand the line back to the operators for the Monday traffic. At a cost of eight billion British pounds (NT$464 billion), this project is as expensive as it is to fly a man to the moon!

在大西洋对岸，欧洲史上最大的工程正在进行。一段接着一段，工程师正在更换伦敦与格拉斯哥之间2,672公里长的铁道。由于已有150年的历史，这条铁路极需修理。但是有一个问题，每星期超过100万人使用这条线路通勤，所以维修时间只有周末。星期五晚上，通勤族返家之后，该铁道关闭，一万名工人进驻。协调任务非常重要：只要某一点的工程延迟一分钟，可能导致全岛落后50小时、在做完工作后，工人将铁道交回给铁路公司，以便为周一交通作准备。该计划经费达80亿英镑（新台币4,640亿元），等于是把人送到月球的价钱。

People rarely associate diamonds with Canada, but that’s about to change. In fact, about 50 percent of the world’s exploration budget for diamonds now goes there. In its inhospitable northern wasteland, billions of dollars’ worth of diamonds are waiting to be mined. Companies are racing each other and facing -50 ^oC temperatures to find the precious gems. But diamond mining is a huge operation. The Ekati mine, for example, has a 2,000-meter runway and its own Boeing 737 jet to ferry its 1,000 employees to work. And it’s also a costly business. Drilling a single meter costs about 100,000 dollars (NT$3,300,000)! In such a high-stakes game, fortunes will be made, or lost, depending on what lies under the ground.

人们很少把钻石和加拿大联想在一块，但这情形即将改变。事实上，全球约五成的探勘预算流向那里。在加拿大环境恶劣的北部荒原，价值数十亿美元的钻石等着被开采。企业面临摄氏零下50度的低温，正在互相竞争以找到钻石。不过开采钻石是很庞大的工程。举例来说，「艾卡蒂」矿区有一条2,000公尺长的跑道，还有它自己的波音737客机，可乘载1,000名员工上班。而且该事业也很昂贵。单单一公尺就耗资10万美元（新台币330万元）！这种高赌注的冒险，可能创造财富，但也可能血本无归，完全仰赖地下蕴藏什么。

However big these projects are, they’re still small compared to man’s capacity to dream. From high above to deep underground, we can always trust that human ingenuity will accomplish the impossible!

无论这些计划有多么大，与人类梦想的能力比起来，仍然很小。从空中到地底深处，我们总是能够深信，人类创意将完成不可能的任务。

−by J. Michael Cole

Vocabulary

commute [kəˋmjut] v.（购用月票或季票）通勤

crucial [ˋkruʃəl] adj. 重要的

exploration [͵ɛkspləˋreʃən] n. 探索; 勘查；探测

accomplish [əˋkɑmplɪʃ] v. 完成，实现

More Information

underway [ˋʌndɚwe] adj. 在进行中的

dire [daɪr] adj. 极度的；紧迫的

coordination [koˋɔrdn͵eʃən] n. 协调﹐调和

inhospitable [ɪnˋhɑspɪtəb!] adj.〔地方〕荒凉的; 不适宜居住的〔由于天气恶劣或缺乏遮蔽处〕

worth [wɝθ] n. 价值

mine [maɪn] v. 开采（矿物）

runway [ˋrʌn͵we] n.（机场的）跑道

ferry [ˋfɛrɪ] v. 运送; （越海）空运

stake [stek] n. 赌金，赌注

Reading Questions

1. Which of the following is NOT an appropriate description of the ISS?

A. A lot of scientists have made it the focus of their entire professional lives.

B. It is an extremely costly multinational endeavor.

C. Because of Canadarm2, it is mostly a Canadian project.

D. After its completion, it will be the largest human creation in space.

2. Why is Voyage Holiday World keeping its plans secret?

A. Because the United States is filled with thrill-seekers.

B. Because the competitors try to see what they’re working on.

C. Because they only designed wooden roller coasters.

D. Because the government disclosed their plans.

3. Why is coordination of the London-Glasgow project so important?

A. Because there is a very big sum of money involved.

B. Because the railway system is extremely fragile.

C. Because a large amount of workers could get angry.

D. Because any delay could have a serious impact on the system.

4. Why is diamond mining in the Canadian North such a financially risky business?

A. Success depends on actually discovering the gems.

B. Many employees could die from exposure to the cold temperature.

C. Airplanes often get lost in the Great Canadian North.

D. The explosives used in diamond mining are unstable.

The Voyage Roller Coaster POV Holiday World

The Ekati Diamond Mine - Part 1

Answer