威尼斯的疯狂工程奇迹：英语精读讲义

The year is 452.

时间是公元452年。

The Roman Empire is on the brink of collapse 短語搭配

罗马帝国正处于崩溃的边缘，

and the Huns have just launched their attack on Northern Italy.

而匈奴人刚刚对意大利北部发起了攻击。

Several cities are completely destroyed,

几座城市被彻底摧毁，

forcing the locals to go on the run. 習語

迫使当地人四处逃亡。

They head for a lagoon just off the coast

他们逃向了海岸外的一个潟湖，

and take refuge on several small islands, 短語搭配

并在几个小岛上避难，

a decision that would no doubt save their lives.

这个决定无疑拯救了他们的性命。

Against all odds, 習語

尽管困难重重，

this small civilization eventually went on to build 短語動詞

这个小小的文明最终建设出了

one of the most impressive feats of engineering 語法

世界上前所未见的最令人惊叹的

the world has ever seen.

工程奇迹之一。

Venice.

那就是威尼斯。

Despite having no roads, no land, 語法

尽管没有道路、没有土地，

and no fresh water,

也没有淡水，

the Venetians managed to turn a muddy swamp 語法

威尼斯人却成功地将一片泥泞的沼泽

into the most powerful

变成了当时最强大

and wealthiest city of its time.

且最富有的城市。

This unique layout of canals and bridges

这种运河与桥梁穿插其间的独特布局

woven through hundreds of islands made Venice 語法

交织在数百个岛屿中，使得威尼斯

incredibly accessible

交通异常便利，

and it became the epicenter of all business.

它也因此成为了所有商业活动的中心。

We modeled the entire thing to show you

我们为整个城市建了模型来向你展示

what's going on beneath the surface 短語動詞

在地表之下到底发生了什么，

and how its clever design and medieval engineering

以及它巧妙的设计和中世纪的工程技术

allowed it to take over the world.

是如何让它主导世界的。

When the first refugees arrived to start their new lives

当第一批难民抵达小岛

on the islands,

开始他们的新生活时，

they had the worst possible surface to build on.

他们所面临的是最糟糕的建筑地基。

The small marshy islands

这些小小的沼泽岛屿

were made of an incredibly soft clay,

是由极其柔软的黏土构成的，

which would barely hold the weight of a human,

这甚至难以承受一个人的重量，

let alone an entire city. 短語搭配

更不用说一整座城市了。

To create stable foundations for buildings,

为了给建筑物打造稳定的基础，

the Venetians collected large timber piles 用詞

威尼斯人收集了大量的巨大原木桩

from the forests of Croatia

——这些木材来自克罗地亚的森林，

and started hammering them into the ground.

并开始将它们打入地下。

They drove them about 5 m deep

他们把木桩打入约5米深，

until they reached a much harder layer of clay.

直到触及一层更坚硬的黏土层。

Not only did this stabilize the piles, 語法

这不仅使木桩变得稳固，

but by packing them really close together,

而且通过将它们极其密集地排列，

it compressed the surrounding clay,

周围的黏土被压缩，

pushing out the water and making it much stronger. 語法

水被挤出，使得地基坚固得多。

Once the piles were firmly in the ground,

一旦木桩牢牢地打入地下，

the tops were cut off

顶部就会被锯平，

and wooden planks were laid on top to spread the load. 短語搭配

并在上面铺上木板以分散重量。

Special blocks of Istrian stone were then placed

随后会放置特制的伊斯特拉石块，

to raise the foundations above the water.

将地基抬高至水面之上。

This design was a stroke of genius, 習語

这一设计堪称天才之举，

as the wooden piles were sealed away from the air, 短語搭配

因为木桩与空气隔绝，

making it impossible for them to rot. 語法

使得它们根本不可能腐烂。

To this day, almost all of the original piles 短語搭配

直到今天，几乎所有最初的木桩

are in great condition

都处于极佳的状况，

and are still holding up the city. 短語動詞

并且依然在支撑着这座城市。

Once the foundation had been properly laid down, 語法

在地基妥善铺设好之后，

the buildings themselves were built.

建筑物本身便开始建造了。

Venetians started off using wood for their houses, 短語動詞

威尼斯人一开始用木头建造房屋，

but after numerous fires, they switched to brick. 短語搭配

但在经历了多次火灾后，他们改用了砖块。

To keep the buildings as lightweight as possible, 語法

为了尽可能减轻建筑物的重量，

they had to be no more than three stories high. 短語搭配

房子的高度不能超过三层。

Lime mortar had to be used instead of cement

必须使用石灰砂浆代替水泥，

because it was flexible

因为它是柔性的，

and would allow the entire building to flex 語法

能让整座建筑随着

as the ground beneath slowly moved.

地下土层的缓慢移动而发生形变。

The inner walls were built in a criss-cross pattern

内墙被建成交错的网格状，

that would also flex like a trellis.

这也能像格架一样具备柔韧性。

The facade walls, which had large windows

而带有大窗户

and elegant stone designs, made them much heavier.

以及优雅石头雕刻的立面墙，则要重得多。

And so, in order to stop them from falling over, 語法

因此，为了防止墙体倒塌，

they were pinned into the floor using iron rods,

它们被用铁条固定在地板上，

keeping the entire building together.

将整座建筑物连结在一起。

This method of building worked well for the Venetians

这种建筑方法对威尼斯人来说非常有效，

and soon several islands around the lagoon

很快，潟湖周围的几个岛屿

were established in this way.

就以这种方式建起了房屋。

Instead of expanding outwards like most cities, 表達脈絡

这些岛屿并没有像大多数城市那样向外扩展，

these islands expanded into each other.

而是彼此相向扩展。

At first, 表達脈絡

起初，

boats were the only way to cross between the islands,

小船是岛屿之间唯一的通行方式，

but eventually the islands grew closer together

但最终，岛与岛之间的距离变得越来越近，

and many could be crossed by simply wading

其中很多地方只需骑马

through the shallow water on a horse.

涉过浅水就能穿过。

The next step in Venice's evolution

威尼斯演变的下一步，

would of course be connecting the islands.

自然就是将这些岛屿连接起来。

Surprisingly,

令人惊讶的是，

there were no bridges

在威尼斯存在的前500年里，

for the first 500 years of Venice's existence.

这里并没有桥梁。

But as the population increased

但随着人口的增加

and business started to ramp up, 短語動詞

以及商业活动开始激增，

there needed to be an easier way to reach Rialto,

人们需要一种更便捷的方式到达里亚托

the financial center of Venice.

——威尼斯的金融中心。

And so, the Doge of Venice set up a prize 講解

因此，威尼斯总督设立了一项奖金，

for the engineer that could design the best bridge.

奖励给能设计出最好桥梁的工程师。

He announced this by putting up Displate 短語動詞

他通过在全城张贴 Displate

posters all around the city.

海报来宣布这一消息。

Just kidding. 語氣意圖

开个玩笑。

Displate, today's sponsor,

本期赞助商 Displate

makes awesome metal posters

制作了超酷的金属海报，

that can be easily mounted using their custom

使用他们定制的磁吸安装系统

magnet mounting system.

就可以轻松悬挂。

They have over 2 million pieces of artwork available,

他们有超过200万件艺术作品可供选择，

whether it's a beautiful Venice painting

无论是美丽的威尼斯画作，

or an official poster

还是官方海报，

from collaborators like NASA,

来自 NASA、

Star Wars, Call of Duty, or Netflix.

《星球大战》、《使命召唤》或 Netflix 等合作方。

My personal favorites are this Venice poster

我个人的最爱是这张威尼斯海报，

and this awesome James Webb design.

以及这款超棒的詹姆斯·韦伯望远镜设计。

With their magnet mounting system,

借助他们的磁吸安装系统，

you can mount a Displate in just 20 seconds,

你只需20秒就能装好一幅 Displate 海报，

without power tools 語法

不需要电动工具，

and without damaging your walls.

也不会损坏你的墙壁。

Displate now offers these new Textra posters,

Displate 现在提供全新的 Textra 海报，

which bring the artwork to life 習語

让艺术作品栩栩如生。

with awesome 3D textures

它们采用超酷的3D纹理，

shaped into the metal itself.

直接塑造在金属本身之中。

This premium finish is already available

这种高级工艺已经应用在

on hundreds of top-selling Displates.

数百款畅销的 Displate 海报上了。

Displate offers ultra-fast shipping

Displate 提供极速配送服务，

and your metal poster should be at your door

你的金属海报应该在4到5天内

in just 4 to 5 days.

就能送到你家门口。

Start your collection today

今天就开始你的收藏吧，

and visit displate.com/primalspace

请访问 displate.com/primalspace，

or use code primalspace.

或者使用优惠码 primalspace。

In order to turn Venice from a collection of islands 語法

为了让威尼斯从一群岛屿

into a bustling city,

变成一座熙熙攘攘的城市，

bridges had to be built.

必须建造桥梁。

The first attempt was a simple pontoon bridge

最初的尝试是一座简单的浮桥，

that joined the two largest sections of Venice together

它将威尼斯最大的两个区域连接在一起，

and, crucially,

并且，至关重要的是，

provided quick access to the Rialto area. 短語搭配

它提供了前往里亚托地区的快速通道。

The bridge was later upgraded to a wooden bridge,

后来这座桥被升级为木桥，

which eventually burned down and collapsed

但它最终被烧毁并坍塌了，

before it was finally replaced

直到后来被一座

by a much stronger stone bridge.

坚固得多的石桥所取代。

To build it, over 12,000 timber piles

为了建造它，有超过12,000根木桩

were driven into the banks of the canal

被打入运河的两岸，

and 10,000 tons of stone

接着在上面建起了10,000吨重的石头

were built on top to form the bridge.

以形成桥身。

To this day, the bridge still stands

直到今天，这座桥依然矗立着，

and it serves as the main artery 習語

并作为威尼斯市中心的

in the center of Venice.

主要交通动脉而发挥作用。

After this, stone bridges started to pop up everywhere, 短語動詞

在此之后，石桥开始如雨后春笋般随处可见，

turning Venice into a compact city

将威尼斯变成了一个完全由运河而非道路

made up entirely of canals instead of roads. 短語動詞

组成的紧凑型城市。

This gave Venice a unique advantage,

这赋予了威尼斯得天独厚的优势，

since the canals allowed goods and traffic to flow

因为运河使得货物和交通

quickly through every part of the city.

能够快速流经城市的每个角落。

The messy overlap of pedestrians

行人与马车交通

and horse-drawn traffic

杂乱无章交织在一起的情况

didn't exist in Venice,

在威尼斯并不存在，

since the walkways and canals

因为人行道和运河

were completely separated.

是完全分开的。

Yet people could transition between the two effortlessly,

不过人们可以毫不费力地在两者之间切换，

without slowing down.

不需要减慢速度。

By now, the city had become

到了这个时候，这座城市已经成为了

the most powerful and richest city in Europe.

欧洲最强大和最富有的城市。

Everything being bought and sold went through Venice 語法

几乎所有买卖的东西都要经过威尼斯，

and the Venetians were making enormous amounts of money.

威尼斯人因此赚取了巨额财富。

But as business increased, 語法

但随着商业活动的增加，

so did the population

人口也在增长，

and the demand for fresh water was out of control. 習語

对淡水的需求已经失控。

Despite being surrounded by water,

尽管四周都被水包围，

Venice couldn't use any of it,

威尼斯却无法利用其中的任何一滴水，

since it was extremely salty and undrinkable.

因为那是极咸且无法饮用的海水。

Without natural springs or rivers

由于没有天然泉水或河流

to collect fresh water,

来收集淡水，

Venice relied upon boats 短語搭配

威尼斯只能依靠船只

to deliver water from the mainland.

从大陆运送淡水过来。

But with 170,000 people,

但在有17万人居住的情况下，

the demand became too much

这种需求变得难以承受，

and the Venetian engineers had to get creative. 短語搭配

威尼斯的工程师们必须发挥创造力。

From the beginning, Venetian islands

从一开始，威尼斯的岛屿

were built around squares,

就是围绕广场建造的，

which were initially just empty fields

这些广场最初只是一片空地，

for animals to graze upon.

供动物吃草。

The idea was to use these squares 語法

后来的想法是利用这些广场

to collect rainwater.

来收集雨水。

They started by digging out large areas 語法

他们首先在整个广场下方挖出大片区域，

under the entire square and lining the walls

并在四壁涂上

with a thick layer of clay to make it waterproof.

一层厚厚的黏土以起到防水作用。

The space was then filled in with sand and stones 短語動詞

然后用沙子和石头填满这个空间，

and the surface was redone with tiles

并在表面重新铺设瓷砖，

that would lead the water

这些瓷砖会把水

towards each corner of the square.

导向广场的各个角落。

From here, rainwater would flow into the basin

雨水从这里流入水池中，

and gradually filter through the sand and stones

然后逐渐过滤流经沙子和石头，

until it reached the main well at the center of the square.

直到流入位于广场中心的这口主井。

To maximize the surface area for water collection,

为了最大限度地增加集水表面积，

the roofs of the nearby buildings were fitted with gutters 短語搭配

附近建筑物的屋顶都安装了排水沟，

that would direct the water onto the square

它们会将水直接导流到广场上

and into the drains.

并流进排水口。

Venice then became an enormous funnel, 習語

这样一来，威尼斯就变成了一个巨大的漏斗，

which filled more than 600 wells around the city.

为城市各处600多口水井蓄水。

The Venetians had once again engineered a masterpiece

威尼斯人再次设计出了一项杰作

to save its city.

来拯救他们的城市。

But there was still one huge problem: 表達脈絡

但当时依然还有一个巨大的问题：

waste.

废物处理。

Until this point, people threw all of their waste

在此之前，人们总是把所有的垃圾

out of the window, some of it landing in the canal. 語法

扔出窗外，其中一部分落进了运河里。

But for those who didn't live

但对于那些住处不够靠近，

within throwing distance of a canal, 短語搭配

无法把垃圾扔进运河里的人来说，

urine, feces, and rotten food

尿液、粪便和腐烂的食物

all ended up in the streets. 短語動詞

全都被丢弃在街上了。

And so, in the 16th century,

因此，在16世纪，

the Venetians started building

威尼斯人开始建造

a network of underground tunnels

一个地下隧道网络，

that would collect the waste from every building

用来收集每栋建筑的排泄物

and flush it into the canal.

并将其冲入运河。

When the tide of the lagoon was down,

当潟湖退潮时，

solid waste would collect at the bottom

固体废物会积聚在底部，

and the liquids would naturally flow into the canals.

而液体则会自然流入运河中。

Then, when the tide rose,

接着，当潮水上涨时，

it would flood the tunnels

它会淹没隧道，

and pull the solid waste into the canal.

并将固体废物拉入运河中。

The motion of the tide coming in

潮水每天两次

and out twice a day

进进出出的运动

would exchange the dirty water 短語搭配

会将污浊的水

for fresh water from the sea,

换成来自海洋的清澈海水，

flushing Venice from all of its waste.

冲走威尼斯所有的废物垃圾。

The extremely salty water

极度咸涩的海水

worked as a strong disinfectant

起到了强效消毒剂的作用，

and, thanks to this system, the streets became clean.

多亏了这个系统，街道变得干净了。

Amazingly, almost all of the incredible

令人惊奇的是，成就了威尼斯的

engineering that made Venice

所有这些不可思议的工程中，几乎全部

is still around today.

一直存留到今天。

The bridges, the canals,

那些桥梁、运河、

the buildings are all ancient relics 習語

建筑全都是古老的遗迹，

sitting on a forest

它们坐落在一片地下的森林之上，

that has held up the entire city

而这片森林支撑起这整座城市

for over a thousand years.

已有一千多年的历史。

And now, time for the Primal Space giveaway.

现在，到了 Primal Space 抽奖环节。

The winner of the previous giveaway is Leon.

上期抽奖的获胜者是 Leon。

Congrats.

恭喜你。

In the next video,

在下期视频中，

we'll be giving away

我们将送出

this Primal Space designed Venice poster.

由 Primal Space 设计的这张威尼斯海报。

All you need to do is sign up at the link below,

你只需要通过下方的链接注册，

like the video,

为视频点赞，

and leave a comment saying what you think about Venice.

并留下一条评论说说你对威尼斯的看法。

Thank you very much for watching

非常感谢你们的收看，

and I'll see you in the next video.

我们下期视频再见。