地球上最著名的十座橋樑(下)

to Bridge

5.雷雅託橋

Instantly recognisable from both action adventures and romantic movies, the Rialto Bridge stretches across Venice's beautiful Grand Canal. The original bridge was a pontoon, built in 1181. This was replaced in 1255 by a fixed wooden bridge, which was damaged by fire in 1310. It was quickly found that wooden bridges need painstaking maintenance and even so, tended to degrade fairly quickly – as evidence by the bridge collapsing in 1444 and 1524 respectively. Finally, the decision was made to rebuild the bridge in stone and work was completed in 1591, after three years of construction. At the time the design of the bridge was so novel and unusual that critics predicted that the architect would be utterly ruined. Happily, this did not happen and the bridge quickly became an iconic sight, beloved by all.

雷雅託橋坐落於威尼斯美麗的大運河上，在動作冒險和愛情片中都可立即辨認出它的身影。這座橋建於1181年，最初是個浮筒，1255年被改造成固定的木橋，1310年毀於戰火。人們很快發現，木橋需要辛勤的維修，且即便如此，損壞程度也相對較快——有證據表明，這座橋在1444年和1524年都發生過坍塌。最終，人們決定用石頭重建這座橋，經過三年的修建，於1591年完工。在那個時候，這座橋的設計顯得如此新奇、不同尋常，因此批判者們紛紛斷言，建築師們會因這座橋身敗名裂。幸運的是，他們的預言並沒有成真，這座橋很快成了一道標誌性的風景，受衆人愛戴。

e Vecchio

4.維琪奧橋

The bridge, in the beautiful city of Florence in Italy, was constructed with shop premises as part of the building work. Originally home to butchers, the bridge shops now house jewellers, art dealers and souvenir shops. The Ponte Vecchio is believed to stand on the site of an ancient Roman bridge, constructed of sandstone and wood as far back as 996. Several bridges stood on the spot, but all were destroyed or swept away over time until 1345 when the present edifice was constructed. It is believed that the whole principle (and the very word itself) of bankruptcy comes from the Ponte Vecchio! Money changers would sell their wares from a table (banco). If they could not pay their debts, soldiers or rotto would break their table, deeming them banco-rotto or broken tabled. Without a table, they could no longer work. During the Second World War, the bridge was not broken or damaged by the Nazis, supposedly on the express orders of Hitler. If you wander along the bridge you will see many 'lovers locks' fastened around the railings of the bridge. The idea is that as a couple you buy and fasten the padlock in place (often with your names written or engraved on the lock) then throw the keys into the water, so that you are 'locked' together for eternity. More prosaically though, many of these locks have to be removed every year to prevent damage to the bridge and there are several signs declaring the practise to be taboo.

維琪奧橋位於意大利美麗的城市佛羅倫薩，與精品店共建而成。最初只有房屋、肉鋪，如今橋周圍已遍佈珠寶店，藝術品和紀念品店。維琪奧橋是一座古羅馬橋的遺址，其建造的砂岩和木材遠及996年。在這個地方還有許多其他的古橋，但全部都遭到破壞或者被洪水沖走，直到1345年維琪奧橋建成。據說“破產”的定義（以及詞本身）就是來自於維琪奧橋！貨幣兌換商會通過銀行出售他們的商品。如果他們不能償還債務，士兵就會砸爛銀行，意爲銀行破產。沒有銀行，他們就無法繼續工作。在第二次世界大戰期間，可能按照希特勒的指示，這座橋並沒有被納粹破壞。如果你漫步於橋上，你會發現欄杆上鎖有許多“同心鎖”。這個想法來源於相愛的戀人將同心鎖鎖在一個地方（通常鎖上會寫有或者刻有你們的名字）然後將鑰匙扔進水裏，你們就會被緊緊地“鎖”在一起，相愛到老。然而更現實的情況是，這種鎖需要每年都進行清除以免對橋造成損壞，因此有明確標語禁止這種行爲。

klyn Bridge

3.布魯克林大橋

Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States, connecting Manhattan to Brooklyn. The bridging of the East River was a lengthy and complicated business which saw many men suffering from compression sickness and getting injured in the dangerous working conditions of the time. The injuries and deaths were by no means confined to the working men with both of the men in charge of the project, John Roebling and then his son Washington Roebling, suffering crippling and painful injuries on the task. At the time of its construction it was the longest suspension bridge in the world, a title it held for many years thereafter. The bridge is now a much known and much-loved feature of New York and can be seen in many television shows and movies, especially those set in and around New York.

布魯克林大橋是美國最老的懸索橋之一，連接着美國紐約州紐約市的曼哈頓與布魯克林。東河段建橋過程是一段漫長並且複雜的工程，在當時極其危險的工作條件下，許多工人都飽受潛水病的折磨並且因此而受傷。病痛和死亡並沒有限制工人和項目負責人，約翰•羅布林和他兒子華盛頓•羅布林，長期遭受這項工作造成的極端病痛的折磨。布魯克林大橋是當時世界上最長的懸索橋，並且該稱號保持多年。現在這座橋是紐約最著名最受歡迎的特色標誌，在許多電視節目和電影中都會看到它的身影，尤其是那些在紐約周圍取景的節目。

en Gate Bridge

2.金門大橋

Perhaps the most iconic bridge in the USA, the Golden Gate Bridge connects the San Francisco peninsula to Marin County. It has also been named one of the Wonders of the Modern World. The bridge replaced a long-running ferry service, enabling travellers to remain in their vehicle as they crossed the strait. The bridge was designed to avoid the demolition of Fort Point, which dates from before the Civil War and was deemed, even in 1933 (when construction began), to be worth preserving for posterity. Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937 and the festivities lasted a whole week, with some citizens becoming so over-excited that police had to quell a small riot that broke out. Sadly, the bridge has become popular with suicides (jumping or falling off the bridge will almost certainly kill you) with one death reported every two or three weeks.

金門大橋是美國最具標誌性的橋，連接了舊金山半島和馬林縣，被稱爲現代世界奇蹟之一。這座橋取代了長期的渡輪服務，旅客能開車穿過直布羅陀海峽。這座橋保護要賽點而設計，這要追溯到內戰前，金門橋在1933年（開始建設）就被認爲值得保留給後代。金門大橋於1937年通車，慶祝活動持續了整整一個星期。一些公民變得非常興奮，因此警察平息了一個小小的騷亂。可悲的是，橋樑因每兩週或三週就有一次的自殺（跳橋或者墜橋都會導致死亡）死亡報道而聞名遐邇。

r Bridge

1.倫敦塔橋

Opened on the 30th June 1894, Tower Bridge is London's most iconic bridge and something of a symbol for the city. It is often confused with London Bridge, which is a much more nondescript bridge a short way up the river! Allegedly the most famous incidence of this was the purchase of London Bridge by an American gentleman who had the bridge shipped to Arizona and painstakingly rebuilt – however, the buyer in question later debunked this rumour. The upper levels of the bridge, formerly the rather unsavoury hang-out of prostitutes and thieves, were closed for many years, only reopening to the public in 1982 as part of the Tower Bridge Exhibition. Between 2008 and 2012 the bridge underwent a lengthy face-lift, leaving it sparkling clean and freshly painted ahead of the Summer Olympics. One of the most famous happy incidents on the bridge was in 1952 when a double-decker bus ventured onto the bridge while it was opening. With no time to retreat the plucky driver accelerated, jumping the bus over a three-foot gap onto the other side. He was awarded the princely sum of ten pounds by way of a reward!

倫敦塔橋是倫敦最具標誌性的橋樑，也是倫敦的象徵，於1894年6月30日對公衆開放。經常有人把它與毫不起眼的倫敦橋混爲一談。據說最著名的誤解事件是一位美國紳士購買了倫敦橋，誤以爲自己買了塔橋，把橋運到亞利桑那州，煞費苦心地重建。然而，買方後來才澄清了事實。該橋上層以前是妓女和小偷常光顧的地方，已關閉多年。只在1982年作爲倫敦塔橋展覽會的一部分向公衆重新開放。在2008和2012之間，倫敦塔橋得以大變身，在夏季奧運會前粉刷一新、潔淨如初。1952年發生了橋上最幸運的事件之一，當時一輛雙層巴士在橋打開時冒險開到橋上，沒有時間撤退，勇敢的司機立即加速，公共汽車跳躍三英尺的間隙，飛到橋的另一端。他因此獲得十英鎊的嘉獎！

翻譯:李聞昱 審校：Aileen 來源:前十網