The longest suspension bridge in the world世界上最长的悬索桥
How is the bridge supported?这座桥是如何被支撑起来的？
Verrazano, an Italian about whom little is known, sailed into New York Harbour in 1524 and named it Angouleme.维拉扎诺（Verrazano）是一位鲜为人知的意大利人。他在1524年航行至纽约港，并将其命名为“昂古莱姆”（Angouleme）。
He described it as 'a very agreeable situation located within two small hills in the midst of which flowed a great river.'他将其描述为“一个非常宜人的地方，位于两座小山之间；这两座小山中间流淌着一条大河。”
Though Verrazano is by no means considered to be a great explorer, his name will probably remain immortal, for on November 21st, 1964, the longest suspension bridge in the world was named after him.虽然维拉扎诺绝不能被视为一位伟大的探险家，但他的名字很可能会永垂不朽。因为在1964年11月21日，世界上最长的悬索桥被以他的名字命名。
The Verrazano Bridge, which was designed by Othmar Ammann, joins Brooklyn to Staten Island.维拉扎诺大桥（Verrazano Bridge）由奥特马尔·阿曼（Othmar Ammann）设计，它连接了布鲁克林（Brooklyn）和斯塔滕岛（Staten Island）。
It has a span of 4, 260 feet.它的跨度为 4,260 英尺。
The bridge is so long that the shape of the earth had to be taken into account by its designer.这座桥非常长，以至于设计者必须考虑到地球的曲率。
Two great towers support four huge cables.两座高大的塔架支撑着四根巨大的缆绳。
The towers are built on immense underwater platforms made of steel and concrete.这些塔架建在巨大的水下平台上，这些平台由钢铁和混凝土制成。
The platforms extend to a depth of over 100 feet under the sea.这些平台延伸至海面下100英尺以上的深度。
These alone took sixteen months to build.仅这些部分的建设就花费了十六个月的时间。
Above the surface of the water, the towers rise to a height of nearly 700 feet.在水面之上，这些塔楼的高度接近700英尺。
They support the cables from which the bridge has been suspended.它们支撑着悬挂着桥梁的缆绳。
Each of the four cables contains 26, 108 lengths of wire.这四根缆绳中的每一根都包含26,108股钢丝。
It has been estimated that if the bridge were packed with cars, it would still only be carrying a third of its total capacity.据估计，即使这座桥上挤满了汽车，它所承载的重量也仅相当于其总承载能力的三分之一。
However, size and strength are not the only important things about this bridge.然而，这座桥的重要性并不仅仅体现在它的规模和承重能力上。
Despite its immensity, it is both simple and elegant, fulfilling its designer's dream to creat 'an enormous object drawn as faintly as possible'.尽管它规模庞大，但它却既简洁又优雅。实现了设计师的梦想：创造出一个“尽可能轻描淡写地勾勒出的庞然大物”。