Lean Odds for Pisa’s Tower
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the most intensely observed building in the world.
Prof. John Burland (Imperial College of Science and Technology): When you come in through the west gate, and see this 1)glistening white structure 2)looming over the 3)Cathedral, with its lovely 4)symmetry, it is, it is beautiful. But it’s breathtaking, the fact that it hasn’t fallen over, that
it’s just 5)shimmering on the edge.
Amongest the impressive buildings of Medieval Italy, the Leaning Tower of Pisa stands out as 6)strikingly original. But what makes this building so special may now destroy it. The tower isfalling over. Already the top bends four and a half meters south of the base. Some engineerscalculate that this collapse should have happened years ago. In fact, why it’s still standing is one of the mysteries surrounding the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
The Structure of the tower
The tower is a hollow 7)cylinder, twelve meters wide. In most places, the walls are almost threemeters thick. But 8)corkscrewing through the walls is a staircase wide enough for two Pisans toclimb side by side. An 9)extravagant design, which means that in some places the walls are underone meter thick. This would be just 10)adequate if the walls were solid marble. The 11)infill of stones and lime is not consistent. There are several large holes in this 12)conglomerate, created
by the medieval builder’s wooden 13)scaffold. The marble is more than a facade. It provides most of the support for the fourteen thousand ton tower and bears the stress created by the lean. That’s why many of these bricks are breaking up. Although some of these cracks are 14)superficial, one may be the start of total collapse. Because of the tower’s immense importance to Pisa, it has always been well maintained. For centuries, whenever a marble block has become damaged, a new one has been 15)chiseled out and fitted into the tower. So far, this has prevented collapse. But traditional 16)maintenance will no longer contain the extreme stress on the second storey.
The building of the tower
Medieval Italy was tower-mad. Skylines, like this one at San Gimignano, just south of Pisa, were commonplace. For the princes and merchants, the bigger your tower, the more wealth and power you 17)projected. Today Pisa is a quiet university town. But Medieval Pisa was an aggressive trading power and one of the richest cities in the world. Work began in 1172, and after about six years, the 18)masons had reached the fourth level. Then they stopped. The tower was abandoned for almost a century. This was probably due to political and economic 19)strife. But perhaps the delay was a brilliant building strategy. Thanks to the delays and corrections over generations of masons, the tower is shaped like a question mark. By the early nineties, years of scientific research have produced a painful conclusion. The more the leaning tower is studied, the more questions it poses. But, 20)infused by the determination of the Medieval masons, the engineers do not give up. They’re 21)on the verge of 22)startling discoveries.
注釋：
1) glistening [5^li:sniN] a. 閃耀的，反光的
2) loom [lu:m] v. 隱約地出現(xiàn)；赫然聳現(xiàn)
3) cathedral [kE5Wi:drEl] n. 大教堂
4) symmetry [5simitri] n. 對稱，勻稱
5) shimmer [5FimE] v. 微微發(fā)光或閃光，發(fā)光
6) strikingly [5straikiNli] ad. 醒目地，引人側(cè)目地
7) cylinder [5silindE] n. 圓筒，汽缸
8) corkscrew [5kC:kskru:] v. 作螺旋狀前進(jìn)
9) extravagant [iks5trAvE^Ent] a. 奢侈的，過度的
10) adequate [5Adikwit] a. 適當(dāng)?shù)?，足夠?BR> 11) infill [5infil] n. 填實(shí)（空隙等）
12) conglomerate [kCn5^lCmErit] n. 聚集物，混合體
13) scaffold [5skAfEld] n. 絞刑臺，腳手架
14) superficial [sju:pE5fiFEl] a. 表面的，膚淺的
15) chisel [5tFizl] v. 砍鑿
16) maintenance [5meintinEns] n. 維護(hù)
17) project [prE5dVekt] v. 使突出、顯現(xiàn)出
18) mason [5meisn] n. 泥瓦匠
19) strife [straif] n. 斗爭，沖突
20) infuse [in5fju:z] v. 使充滿；鼓舞
21) on the verge of 接近于，瀕臨于
22) startling [5stB:tliN] a. 令人吃驚的
比薩斜塔不倒之謎
比薩斜塔是世界上關(guān)注的建筑。
約翰·伯蘭教授（倫敦大學(xué)帝國理工學(xué)院）：當(dāng)你從（比薩城的）西門進(jìn)來，看到這座耀眼的白色建筑在教堂的后方高高地聳立著，塔身對稱迷人、美麗非凡。它一直沒有倒塌，而只是在倒塌的邊緣閃耀著美麗的光芒，這種景象真是觸目驚心。
意大利中世紀(jì)的那些令人印象深刻的建筑當(dāng)中，比薩斜塔以其鮮明的獨(dú)創(chuàng)性獨(dú)樹一幟。但是，如今，這座建筑的特別之處可能也將毀了它。塔在不斷傾斜。塔頂已經(jīng)向南偏離座基達(dá)4.5米。據(jù)一些工程師測算，塔樓本該數(shù)年前就倒塌了。事實(shí)上，比薩斜塔何以一直屹立不倒，這是斜塔的其中一個(gè)不解之謎。
斜塔的結(jié)構(gòu)
斜塔是一個(gè)中空的圓柱體，寬12米。多數(shù)地方的墻壁接近3米厚。在內(nèi)墻壁和外墻壁之間的螺旋型樓梯寬度足以讓兩個(gè)比薩人并排攀登。這是一個(gè)超乎尋常的設(shè)計(jì)，它意味著在某些地方，墻體的厚度不足1米。如果墻體是用堅(jiān)固的大理石所造，那樣的厚度倒也勉強(qiáng)足夠。石塊與石灰這樣的填充料并不堅(jiān)實(shí)，由于中世紀(jì)工匠所用的是木制的腳手架，墻體里留下了好幾個(gè)大洞。大理石遠(yuǎn)非用來裝飾門面，它為重達(dá)14000噸的塔樓提供了最主要的支撐作用，承擔(dān)了由傾斜所導(dǎo)致的壓力。這就是許多磚石現(xiàn)在會破碎的原因。盡管其中一些碎裂無關(guān)緊要，但僅僅一處就可能成為全盤崩塌的開始。由于塔樓對比薩城具有不可估量的重要性，它一直得到很好的維護(hù)。數(shù)百年來，只要有一處大理石塊損壞，新的大理石就會被鑿刻出來填進(jìn)塔身。迄今為止，這項(xiàng)措施止住了塔樓的倒塌。但是，傳統(tǒng)的維護(hù)手段再也不能緩解塔樓的第二層上所承受的強(qiáng)大壓力。
斜塔的修建
中世紀(jì)的意大利人癡迷于塔樓。類似這座位于比薩城之南的圣·吉米尼亞諾的高塔建筑比比皆是。對王公商賈們來說，塔樓越大，顯示出的財(cái)富和權(quán)力就越顯赫。今天的比薩是一個(gè)寧靜的大學(xué)城，但中世紀(jì)時(shí)的比薩則是一個(gè)活躍的商貿(mào)重地，也是世界上最富裕的城市之一。斜塔的建造工程開始于1172年。大約六年后，工匠們修到了第四層，然后他們停了下來。塔樓被閑置了將近一個(gè)世紀(jì)，這次延緩可能是由于政治和經(jīng)濟(jì)紛爭所致，但這興許也是最卓越的一個(gè)建筑策略。多虧了中間的耽擱，以及幾代工匠們的矯正，塔樓被修筑得像一個(gè)問號。二十世紀(jì)九十年代的早期，經(jīng)過數(shù)年科學(xué)研究，人們得出一個(gè)痛苦的結(jié)論。對斜塔的研究越深入，它顯示出來的問題也越多。但是，受到中世紀(jì)工匠們堅(jiān)定決心的鼓舞，工程師們并沒有放棄。他們即將得出一些令人震驚的發(fā)現(xiàn)。
注:本資料來源互聯(lián)網(wǎng)，由網(wǎng)友提供,僅供學(xué)習(xí)愛好者參考，版權(quán)屬于作者本人，如本網(wǎng)轉(zhuǎn)載稿涉及版權(quán)等問題，請作者在兩周內(nèi)速來電與本站聯(lián)系，我們將馬上刪除。本網(wǎng)轉(zhuǎn)載的文/圖等稿出于傳遞更多信息之目的，并不意味著贊同其觀點(diǎn)或證實(shí)其內(nèi)容的真實(shí)性!
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the most intensely observed building in the world.
Prof. John Burland (Imperial College of Science and Technology): When you come in through the west gate, and see this 1)glistening white structure 2)looming over the 3)Cathedral, with its lovely 4)symmetry, it is, it is beautiful. But it’s breathtaking, the fact that it hasn’t fallen over, that
it’s just 5)shimmering on the edge.
Amongest the impressive buildings of Medieval Italy, the Leaning Tower of Pisa stands out as 6)strikingly original. But what makes this building so special may now destroy it. The tower isfalling over. Already the top bends four and a half meters south of the base. Some engineerscalculate that this collapse should have happened years ago. In fact, why it’s still standing is one of the mysteries surrounding the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
The Structure of the tower
The tower is a hollow 7)cylinder, twelve meters wide. In most places, the walls are almost threemeters thick. But 8)corkscrewing through the walls is a staircase wide enough for two Pisans toclimb side by side. An 9)extravagant design, which means that in some places the walls are underone meter thick. This would be just 10)adequate if the walls were solid marble. The 11)infill of stones and lime is not consistent. There are several large holes in this 12)conglomerate, created
by the medieval builder’s wooden 13)scaffold. The marble is more than a facade. It provides most of the support for the fourteen thousand ton tower and bears the stress created by the lean. That’s why many of these bricks are breaking up. Although some of these cracks are 14)superficial, one may be the start of total collapse. Because of the tower’s immense importance to Pisa, it has always been well maintained. For centuries, whenever a marble block has become damaged, a new one has been 15)chiseled out and fitted into the tower. So far, this has prevented collapse. But traditional 16)maintenance will no longer contain the extreme stress on the second storey.
The building of the tower
Medieval Italy was tower-mad. Skylines, like this one at San Gimignano, just south of Pisa, were commonplace. For the princes and merchants, the bigger your tower, the more wealth and power you 17)projected. Today Pisa is a quiet university town. But Medieval Pisa was an aggressive trading power and one of the richest cities in the world. Work began in 1172, and after about six years, the 18)masons had reached the fourth level. Then they stopped. The tower was abandoned for almost a century. This was probably due to political and economic 19)strife. But perhaps the delay was a brilliant building strategy. Thanks to the delays and corrections over generations of masons, the tower is shaped like a question mark. By the early nineties, years of scientific research have produced a painful conclusion. The more the leaning tower is studied, the more questions it poses. But, 20)infused by the determination of the Medieval masons, the engineers do not give up. They’re 21)on the verge of 22)startling discoveries.
注釋：
1) glistening [5^li:sniN] a. 閃耀的，反光的
2) loom [lu:m] v. 隱約地出現(xiàn)；赫然聳現(xiàn)
3) cathedral [kE5Wi:drEl] n. 大教堂
4) symmetry [5simitri] n. 對稱，勻稱
5) shimmer [5FimE] v. 微微發(fā)光或閃光，發(fā)光
6) strikingly [5straikiNli] ad. 醒目地，引人側(cè)目地
7) cylinder [5silindE] n. 圓筒，汽缸
8) corkscrew [5kC:kskru:] v. 作螺旋狀前進(jìn)
9) extravagant [iks5trAvE^Ent] a. 奢侈的，過度的
10) adequate [5Adikwit] a. 適當(dāng)?shù)?，足夠?BR> 11) infill [5infil] n. 填實(shí)（空隙等）
12) conglomerate [kCn5^lCmErit] n. 聚集物，混合體
13) scaffold [5skAfEld] n. 絞刑臺，腳手架
14) superficial [sju:pE5fiFEl] a. 表面的，膚淺的
15) chisel [5tFizl] v. 砍鑿
16) maintenance [5meintinEns] n. 維護(hù)
17) project [prE5dVekt] v. 使突出、顯現(xiàn)出
18) mason [5meisn] n. 泥瓦匠
19) strife [straif] n. 斗爭，沖突
20) infuse [in5fju:z] v. 使充滿；鼓舞
21) on the verge of 接近于，瀕臨于
22) startling [5stB:tliN] a. 令人吃驚的
比薩斜塔不倒之謎
比薩斜塔是世界上關(guān)注的建筑。
約翰·伯蘭教授（倫敦大學(xué)帝國理工學(xué)院）：當(dāng)你從（比薩城的）西門進(jìn)來，看到這座耀眼的白色建筑在教堂的后方高高地聳立著，塔身對稱迷人、美麗非凡。它一直沒有倒塌，而只是在倒塌的邊緣閃耀著美麗的光芒，這種景象真是觸目驚心。
意大利中世紀(jì)的那些令人印象深刻的建筑當(dāng)中，比薩斜塔以其鮮明的獨(dú)創(chuàng)性獨(dú)樹一幟。但是，如今，這座建筑的特別之處可能也將毀了它。塔在不斷傾斜。塔頂已經(jīng)向南偏離座基達(dá)4.5米。據(jù)一些工程師測算，塔樓本該數(shù)年前就倒塌了。事實(shí)上，比薩斜塔何以一直屹立不倒，這是斜塔的其中一個(gè)不解之謎。
斜塔的結(jié)構(gòu)
斜塔是一個(gè)中空的圓柱體，寬12米。多數(shù)地方的墻壁接近3米厚。在內(nèi)墻壁和外墻壁之間的螺旋型樓梯寬度足以讓兩個(gè)比薩人并排攀登。這是一個(gè)超乎尋常的設(shè)計(jì)，它意味著在某些地方，墻體的厚度不足1米。如果墻體是用堅(jiān)固的大理石所造，那樣的厚度倒也勉強(qiáng)足夠。石塊與石灰這樣的填充料并不堅(jiān)實(shí)，由于中世紀(jì)工匠所用的是木制的腳手架，墻體里留下了好幾個(gè)大洞。大理石遠(yuǎn)非用來裝飾門面，它為重達(dá)14000噸的塔樓提供了最主要的支撐作用，承擔(dān)了由傾斜所導(dǎo)致的壓力。這就是許多磚石現(xiàn)在會破碎的原因。盡管其中一些碎裂無關(guān)緊要，但僅僅一處就可能成為全盤崩塌的開始。由于塔樓對比薩城具有不可估量的重要性，它一直得到很好的維護(hù)。數(shù)百年來，只要有一處大理石塊損壞，新的大理石就會被鑿刻出來填進(jìn)塔身。迄今為止，這項(xiàng)措施止住了塔樓的倒塌。但是，傳統(tǒng)的維護(hù)手段再也不能緩解塔樓的第二層上所承受的強(qiáng)大壓力。
斜塔的修建
中世紀(jì)的意大利人癡迷于塔樓。類似這座位于比薩城之南的圣·吉米尼亞諾的高塔建筑比比皆是。對王公商賈們來說，塔樓越大，顯示出的財(cái)富和權(quán)力就越顯赫。今天的比薩是一個(gè)寧靜的大學(xué)城，但中世紀(jì)時(shí)的比薩則是一個(gè)活躍的商貿(mào)重地，也是世界上最富裕的城市之一。斜塔的建造工程開始于1172年。大約六年后，工匠們修到了第四層，然后他們停了下來。塔樓被閑置了將近一個(gè)世紀(jì)，這次延緩可能是由于政治和經(jīng)濟(jì)紛爭所致，但這興許也是最卓越的一個(gè)建筑策略。多虧了中間的耽擱，以及幾代工匠們的矯正，塔樓被修筑得像一個(gè)問號。二十世紀(jì)九十年代的早期，經(jīng)過數(shù)年科學(xué)研究，人們得出一個(gè)痛苦的結(jié)論。對斜塔的研究越深入，它顯示出來的問題也越多。但是，受到中世紀(jì)工匠們堅(jiān)定決心的鼓舞，工程師們并沒有放棄。他們即將得出一些令人震驚的發(fā)現(xiàn)。
注:本資料來源互聯(lián)網(wǎng)，由網(wǎng)友提供,僅供學(xué)習(xí)愛好者參考，版權(quán)屬于作者本人，如本網(wǎng)轉(zhuǎn)載稿涉及版權(quán)等問題，請作者在兩周內(nèi)速來電與本站聯(lián)系，我們將馬上刪除。本網(wǎng)轉(zhuǎn)載的文/圖等稿出于傳遞更多信息之目的，并不意味著贊同其觀點(diǎn)或證實(shí)其內(nèi)容的真實(shí)性!