VOA慢速英語: 經(jīng)歷150年風(fēng)雨的國會大廈圓屋頂目前正在修葺中

The United States Capitol Dome in Washington, DC, is recognized around theworld as a symbol of the U.S. government. Since last November, the dome has been surrounded by metal poles, or scaffolding, and heavy cloth as part of a repair project.

The last major repair work on the U.S. Capitol took place in 1960. Since then, the dome has become weathered and worn. The Architect of the Capitolgroup reports the dome has more than 1,000 narrow breaks on its surfaceand other damage.

The dome was completed around 1863. U.S. Senate Historian Don Ritchie says the dome’s cast iron frame is at special risk of weathering.

“The capitol dome, being cast iron, has been hit by lightning countless times. And so the current construction is to repair the leaks, to fill the cracks, to takeoff excess layers of paint.”

Workers are removing old paint. They covered a large part of the building inplastic and a special cloth to protect workers from the wind and otherelements.

Much of the work is done at night, when lawmakers are not in the building.Some recent visitors to the Capitol were unhappy about its currentappearance. They had hoped to get a picture of the usually shining dome.

Joyce, a visitor from China, said the sight of the Capitol building left herdisappointed.

“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 adisappointment.”

Others were more understanding of the repairs. Rick Jones, another visitor,said he was not upset to see the repairs, because it will be better in thefuture.

“It's a little inconvenient 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 youknow, there just needs to be preventive maintenance. I am not upset with that at all."

The project is expected to take more than two years to complete. The domeshould be ready for the inauguration of a new president in January 2017.

I’m Caty Weaver.

VOA’s Jeff Custer reported this story. Caty Weaver wrote it for LearningEnglish. ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Ashley Thompson was the editor.

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Words in This Story

dome – n. a large rounded roof or ceiling that is shaped like half of a ball

weathered – adj. worn by long exposure to the air

construction – n. the act or process of building something (such as a house or road)

maintenance – n. the act of keeping property or equipment in good condition by making repairs, correcting problems, etc.

occasionally – adv. sometimes but not often

upset – adj. angry or unhappy

Have you ever seen the U.S. Capitol Dome? What is your favorite building in the United States? Tell us about it in the comment section.

The United States Capitol Dome in Washington, DC, is recognized around the world as a symbol of the U.S. government. Since last November, the dome has been surrounded by metal poles, or scaffolding, and heavy cloth as part of a repair project.

位于華盛頓的美國國會大廈圓屋頂被公認(rèn)為美國政府的標(biāo)志。自去年11月起，圓屋頂就被各種的金屬桿，腳手架和厚重的布圍繞著，這是修復(fù)工程的一部分。

The last major repair work on the U.S. Capitol took place in 1960. Since then, the dome has become weathered and worn. The Architect of the Capitol group reports the dome has more than 1,000 narrow breaks on its surface and other damage.

上次美國國會大廈的修復(fù)工作發(fā)生在1960年。從那時起，圓屋頂繼續(xù)經(jīng)歷風(fēng)吹雨打。大廈的建筑師們稱圓屋頂?shù)谋砻嬗?000多處小磨損或者其它的問題。

The dome was completed around 1863. U.S. Senate Historian Don Ritchie says the dome’s cast iron frame is at special risk of weathering.

圓頂是在1863年完成。美國參議院歷史學(xué)家里奇說圓頂?shù)蔫T鐵框架存在風(fēng)化作用的風(fēng)險。

“The capitol dome, being cast iron, has been hit by lightning countless times. And so the current construction is to repair the leaks, to fill the cracks, to take off excess layers of paint.”

“圓頂被鑄鐵后，被雷擊中好多次，因此目前的主要建筑作業(yè)就是修復(fù)泄漏，填補裂縫，脫去多余的漆層”

Workers are removing old paint. They covered a large part of the building in plastic and a special cloth to protect workers from the wind and other elements.

工人們在去掉舊漆，換上一種塑料和特殊材料的布制成的東西覆蓋大部分的建筑，以保護工人不受大風(fēng)和其它因素的影響。

Much of the work is done at night, when lawmakers are not in the building. Some recent visitors to the Capitol were unhappy about its current appearance. They had hoped to get a picture of the usually shining dome.

大部分的工作是晚上進(jìn)行也就是在工作人員都不在大廈里面的時候。近來一些參觀者對于大廈的外表不太滿意，他們希望能拍到像原來一樣閃亮屋頂?shù)恼掌?/p>

Joyce, a visitor from China, said the sight of the Capitol building left her disappointed.

Joyce是來自中國的一名游客，她表示國會大廈的景象讓她失望。

“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.”

“它曾經(jīng)那么引人注目，那么神奇，周身是白色的，但現(xiàn)在在施工，所以我們看不清楚，是有點失望。”

Others were more understanding of the repairs. Rick Jones, another visitor,said he was not upset to see the repairs, because it will be better in the future.

還有一些人對修復(fù)工作表示理解。Rick Jones是另一名游客，他說看到修復(fù)的工作，他并不失落，因為它有一天會變得更漂亮。

“It's a little inconvenient 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. I am not upset with that at all."

“沒看到以往圓屋頂?shù)木跋笫怯幸稽c不適應(yīng)，但你可以想象一下將來的幾個世紀(jì)人們都會來到這里參觀，只不過現(xiàn)在需要一些小維護，我對此一點也不失望。”

The project is expected to take more than two years to complete. The dome should be ready for the inauguration of a new president in January 2017.

預(yù)計工程會在2年后完成。應(yīng)該能趕上2017年一月的新總統(tǒng)的就職典禮。

I’m Caty Weaver.

我是Caty Weaver 。