VOA标准英语2014--Company Gets Up Close and Personal With Skyscrapers

 

Company Gets Up Close and Personal With Skyscrapers¹

NEW YORK—

Historic landmark² buildings, museums, the United States Capitol - all seen from top to bottom just inches from one’s face.   To get there you have to be an engineer, an archaeologist, and part-daredevil.   

It may look like fun, but this is serious business.  One team from the company “Vertical³ Access” is preparing to survey the exterior⁴ of a 37-story Wall Street building.

Literally⁵ climbing the walls is the cheapest way for engineers and architects to monitor a building’s rehabilitation⁶ and upkeep.

Evan Kopelson, a rope technician, partner and architectural conservator, says it takes a special person to do this work.

"[You need to] have the knowledge and interest in construction and in buildings as well as the general safety, demeanor⁷ and awareness⁸ for doing work at heights or being on a rope," said Kopelson.

New York City requires such an assessment⁹ at least every five years.

That’s why Berta de Miguel was hired. She is an architect and rock climber from Spain.  Like the nine other technicians, Berta is loaded with a computer, tools, and a camera to record trouble spots.  She’s looking for cracks, loose bricks or stone, sealant around windows, general wear and tear.  

“And, if I see any condition that needs to be upgraded, such as a crack, exposed or missing bricks or may need repairs or those kind of things, I will document that," she said.  

It's an enviable view, but when they're up, the technicians are all business.

“I don’t spend a lot of time looking around.  Although you do get some amazing views when you do look around," said Kopelson.

Founding partner Ken¹⁰ Diebolt says safety is number one.

“It looks scary, but the system is redundant¹¹ at every level.  We are trained by certified¹² third-party evaluators every three years, we practice rescues, self-rescues, rescues for other personnel," he said.  "We pay a lot of attention to public safety, which really a significant issue along with our own workers safety."

“A lot of work we do involves existing buildings and evaluating their condition.  We have to get to a lot of hard to reach places and Vertical Access is the best company to do that,”  said engineer Rebecca Buntrock, who is with Robert Silman Associates, a structural¹³ engineering company that uses Vertical Access.

“[We] hired them to come and to finish scoping out the entire building so we know exactly where, what work is needed, where we have to go, where should we focus on and helps with lead times for critical materials,” said Jennifer Murphy, with FS Project Management, that also has a contract with Vertical Access.

Vertical Access may someday turn to drones for work like this, but for now gauging¹⁴ the health of a building's outsides requires the human touch, and a love of heights.

1 skyscrapers   

n.摩天大楼

参考例句：

• A lot of skyscrapers in Manhattan are rising up to the skies. 曼哈顿有许多摩天大楼耸入云霄。
• On all sides, skyscrapers rose like jagged teeth. 四周耸起的摩天大楼参差不齐。

2 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

3 vertical   

adj.垂直的，顶点的，纵向的；n.垂直物，垂直的位置

参考例句：

• The northern side of the mountain is almost vertical.这座山的北坡几乎是垂直的。
• Vertical air motions are not measured by this system.垂直气流的运动不用这种系统来测量。

4 exterior   

adj.外部的，外在的；表面的

参考例句：

• The seed has a hard exterior covering.这种子外壳很硬。
• We are painting the exterior wall of the house.我们正在给房子的外墙涂漆。

5 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

6 rehabilitation   

n.康复，悔过自新，修复，复兴，复职，复位

参考例句：

• He's booked himself into a rehabilitation clinic.他自己联系了一家康复诊所。
• No one can really make me rehabilitation of injuries.已经没有人可以真正令我的伤康复了。

7 demeanor   

n.行为；风度

参考例句：

• She is quiet in her demeanor.她举止文静。
• The old soldier never lost his military demeanor.那个老军人从来没有失去军人风度。

8 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

9 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

10 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

11 redundant   

adj.多余的，过剩的；(食物)丰富的；被解雇的

参考例句：

• There are too many redundant words in this book.这本书里多余的词太多。
• Nearly all the redundant worker have been absorbed into other departments.几乎所有冗员，都已调往其他部门任职。

12 certified   

a.经证明合格的；具有证明文件的

参考例句：

• Doctors certified him as insane. 医生证明他精神失常。
• The planes were certified airworthy. 飞机被证明适于航行。

13 structural   

adj.构造的，组织的，建筑（用）的

参考例句：

• The storm caused no structural damage.风暴没有造成建筑结构方面的破坏。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities.北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

14 gauging   

n.测量[试]，测定，计量v.（用仪器）测量( gauge的现在分词 )；估计；计量；划分

参考例句：

• The method is especially attractive for gauging natural streams. 该方法对于测量天然的流注具有特殊的吸引力。 来自辞典例句
• Incommunicative as he was, some time elapsed before I had an opportunity of gauging his mind. 由于他不爱说话，我过了一些时候才有机会探测他的心灵。 来自辞典例句