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经历150年风雨的国会圆顶接受翻修

The U.S. Capitol Dome¹ in Washington, DC, is recognized world-wide as one of the most enduring symbols of the U.S. government and American democracy. Since last November, the dome has been wrapped in metal scaffolding and fabric² as part of a long-overdue renovation³ project.

位于华盛顿特区的美国国会大厦圆顶是世界公认的美国政府和美国民主政治的标志之一。去年11月开始，这个圆顶被金属脚手架和织网裹住了。它是工期缓慢的改造工程的一部分。

The last time the U.S. Capitol dome underwent a renovation was in 1960. Since then, the dome has become weathered and worn and, as the Architect of the Capitol reports, has more than 1,000 cracks and other defects.

美国国会大厦圆顶上一次翻修改造是在1960年。国会大厦建筑师（the Architect of the Capitol）机构报告说，从那以后，这个圆顶历经风雨冲刷，形成了超过1000个裂痕和其它瑕疵。

The dome was first completed around 1863. Its cast iron frame, said U.S. Senate Historian Don Ritchie, contributes to the weathering.

这个圆顶大约是在1863年第一次完工的。美国参议院历史学家唐?里奇说，它是铸铁结构，可以抵抗风雨。

“The capitol dome, being cast iron, has been hit by lightning countless⁴ times. And it has been weathering in that position for 150 years - since 1863. And it has been leaking lately and there is a lot of art work inside, including the big canopy⁵ in the center. And so the current construction is to repair the leaks, to fill the cracks, to take off excess layers of paint and to paint it again,” said Ritchie.

他说：“这个国会圆顶是铸铁的，被闪电击中无数次了。从1863年开始，它挺住了150年的风吹雨打。最近一直在漏水，而它里面有许多艺术作品，包括中央穹顶壁画。现在的工程是修补裂痕和缝隙，刮掉表层的漆，再漆一遍。”

As the work to remove old paint and apply primer continues, a large section of the building is covered by plastic and a special pink fabric designed to reduce wind and protect workers from the elements.

在刮掉旧漆、涂上底漆的过程中，为了防风和遮护工人，国会建筑的相当部分被塑料和特殊的粉色织物覆盖起来。

Much of the construction is done after dark to prevent the noise from disturbing lawmakers who continue to meet inside.  Some visitors to the Capitol, hoping for a souvenir picture of the usually gleaming dome, were let down by the current view.

施工大部分在天黑以后进行，以防噪音打扰仍在工作的议员们。一些想要拍照留念的游客，对国会大厦圆顶光泽不再未免有些失望。

“It was dramatic, and very fantastic, and all white, but when I come here today, it is under construction so my family cannot see it clearly, [it] is kind of a disappointment,” said Joyce, visiting from China.

乔伊斯是来自中国的游客。她说：“它非常棒，非常戏剧性，通体白色。但我今天来到这儿，它正在施工，我的家人就不能清楚地看到它，有些失望。”

Others took the construction in stride:

另一些人对施工想得很开。

“You have to take the long view.  I mean it is a little inconvenient⁶ for us not to see the dome, but you have to think about the future and the people will be coming to this place for centuries, and you know, there just needs to be preventive maintenance occasionally and I am not upset with that at all," said tourist Rick Jones.

来国会旅游的里克?琼斯说：“要从长远看。我的意思是说，可能现在参观它不太方便，但你要想想未来，人们在以后的几个世纪都会参观这里。而且你知道，它偶尔需要做一下预防性的维修，我并不感到遗憾。”

The project is expected to take more than two years total to complete.  It is scheduled to be ready for the inauguration⁷ of a new president in January of 2017.

这项工程预计需要超过两年时间完成。它将在2017年1月的新总统就职典礼时准备就绪。