走进剑桥大学 第7期:没有铆钉的数学轿

 The Mathematical Bridge

没有铆钉的数学轿

The Mathematical Bridge was built in 1749 by James Essex the Younger to the design of William Etheridge. It had subsequently been rebuilt to the same design in 1866 and 1905.

数学桥是1749年詹姆斯小埃塞克斯根据威廉埃斯里奇的设计建造的，随后人们又在1866年和1905年根据同样的设计重建了这座桥。

The Queen’s College still possesses an old model of the bridge, and we assume that this is Etheridge’s model of 1748. It is to be noted¹ that even the model has screws at the joints³.

女王学院还保留着这座桥的一个旧模型，我们假设这就是埃斯里奇1748年设计的模型，值得注意的是这座模型的联结处也有螺丝钉。

The design of the Mathematical Bridge resembles Etheridge’s much greater Old Walton Bridge, a three-arch bridge over the Thames at Walton, built from 1748 to 1750.

数学桥的设计和埃斯里奇设计的老沃尔顿桥相似，但是老沃尔顿桥比数学桥大得多，是一座建于1748-1750年间的横跨泰晤士河、位于沃尔顿的三门拱桥。

William Etheridge was one of a very long family line of carpenters. His birth was not recorded, but his baptism took place on 3rd January 1708 at St Margaret’s parish church. His career as a master carpenter first came to light in 1738-1749 when he worked under James King in the building of the first bridge to cross the Thames at Westminster. From 1747-1750 he worked on the Walton Bridge and in 1748 produced the design and model for the Mathematical Bridge.

威廉埃斯里奇的家族是历史悠久的木匠家族中的分支。埃斯里奇出生日期不详，但他是在1708年1月3号于玛格丽特教区教堂接受洗礼的。他作为职业木匠首次为大家所熟知是在1738-1749年间，当时他在 詹姆斯国王指导下建造位于威斯敏斯特的第一座横跨泰晤士河的桥。从1747-1750年，他建造了沃尔顿桥，1748年他做出了数学桥的设计和模型。

The Mathematical Bridge was the earliest recorded work of James Essex the Younger. He later constructed the Essex Building, which was intended to be part of a new building along the river, replacing the 1460s part of the President’s Lodge⁴.

数学桥是詹姆斯小埃塞克斯有记载的最早作品。他后来建造了埃塞克斯大楼，想替代15世纪60年代建立的部分校长住所，让其成为剑河岸边一座新建筑的一部分。

By the 1860s，the original bridge of 1749 was badly decayed. Photographs showed many timbers patched, and the sides of the bridge apparently⁵ leaning inwards. It was repaired in 1866.

到了19世纪60年代，1749年建的数学桥已经被严重腐蚀了。照片显示了很多修葺过的木材，而且桥栏很明益地向内倾斜。1866年，人们修复了这座桥。

There was one change of the design: the pedestrian decking was sloped instead of stepped on each side，making it possible today for wheeled trolleys⁶ to be used over the bridge. The use of the word repairing suggests that this was not a complete rebuilding, however, and maybe parts of the original bridge were retained and continued to decay, explaining why this version lasted less than 40 years.

在修复的过程中，人们对原设计做了一个改动：人行道铺板改成斜面的，而不是在桥的两侧都铺设，这样轮椅就能在整座桥上使用。但是“修复”这个词说明这并不是完全的重建，可能部分原桥被保留了下来并继续被腐蚀，这就是为什么修复后的桥维持不到40年就又要重修了的原因吧。

In 1905 the bridge was completely rebuilt by local builder William Sindall. In this version of the bridge, the joints were fastened by nuts and bolts passing right through the joint², the bolt heads being on the internal elevations⁸ of the side arches, and therefore visible to people passing over the bridge.

1905年，该桥由当地建筑师威廉辛德尔整体重建，在这座重建的桥中，联接处由螺母和螺栓拴住，并穿过了联接处。螺栓头突出于侧拱门的内侧，所以走过桥的人都能看得到。

Previous versions of the bridge had the joints fastened by iron pins or screws driven in from the outer elevation⁷, which were therefore not visible to the casual passer-by on the bridge, as the screws did not penetrate⁹ as far as the inner elevation.

前几个版本的数学桥的铁针或螺丝钉是从外部钉进联接处的，而螺丝钉并没有穿透到桥的内部，所以对于不仔细观察的过桥者来说是看不到的。

1 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

2 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

3 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。

4 lodge   

v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆

参考例句：

• Is there anywhere that I can lodge in the village tonight?村里有我今晚过夜的地方吗？
• I shall lodge at the inn for two nights.我要在这家小店住两个晚上。

5 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

6 trolleys   

n.（两轮或四轮的）手推车( trolley的名词复数 )；装有脚轮的小台车；电车

参考例句：

• Cars and trolleys filled the street. 小汽车和有轨电车挤满了街道。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Garbage from all sources was deposited in bins on trolleys. 来自各方的垃圾是装在手推车上的垃圾箱里的。 来自辞典例句

7 elevation   

n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高

参考例句：

• The house is at an elevation of 2,000 metres.那幢房子位于海拔两千米的高处。
• His elevation to the position of General Manager was announced yesterday.昨天宣布他晋升总经理职位。

8 elevations   

（水平或数量）提高( elevation的名词复数 )； 高地； 海拔； 提升

参考例句：

• Weight of the crust changes as elevations are eroded and materials are deposited elsewhere. 当高地受到侵蚀，物质沉积到别的地方时，地壳的重量就改变。
• All deck elevations are on the top of structural beams. 所有甲板标高线均指结构梁顶线。

9 penetrate   

v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解

参考例句：

• Western ideas penetrate slowly through the East.西方观念逐渐传入东方。
• The sunshine could not penetrate where the trees were thickest.阳光不能透入树木最浓密的地方。