英语_阅读_water supply travels

 

 

 

About half of New York City's yearly water supply travels through a system of underground tunnels. Once through these tunnels, the water becomes drinking water. However, one of these tunnels, the Delaware Aqueduct is leaking.
纽约市年度供水的大约一半通过一个地下隧道系统输送。一旦通过这些隧道，水就变成了饮用水。然而，其中一条隧道——特拉华输水道——正在发生泄漏。

The Delaware Aqueduct stretches 85 miles (136.8 kilometres ) long. It is the world's largest tunnel. Hundreds of millions of gallons flow through the enormous , aging tunnel every day. But there are cracks in the tunnel's walls, A large amount of water escapes through those cracks every day. This leaking is not only a waste of water but also creating problems above ground.
特拉华输水道全长85英里（136.8公里），是世界最长的隧道。这条巨型老化隧道每日输送数亿加仑水量，但隧道壁存在裂缝，每天有大量水体从裂缝渗出。泄漏不仅造成水资源浪费，还引发了地表问题。

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection ( NYDEP ) oversees the water supply. It has been aware of the leaks for decades. Until now, however, city officials have been hesitant to repair the tunnel. Repair work would mean closing parts of the tunnel. lf the tunnel were closed, New York City would not have enough water.
纽约市环境保护局（NYDEP）负责监管供水系统。该机构数十年前就已意识到泄漏问题，但市政官员至今对维修隧道犹豫不决。修复工作意味着需要关闭部分隧道段，而隧道关闭将导致纽约市供水不足。

The city, therefore , did not want to take the tunnel out of service. A new tunnel is presently being built, which will provide more water. However , that project is not expected to be completed until a decade later.
因此市政府不愿使隧道停运。目前正在建设的新隧道将提供更多水源，但该项目预计十年后才能完工。

Until that time, the city has begun dive work. This work is the first part of an early stage of testing. The testing will determine the best way to repair the tunnel.
在此期间，市政府已启动潜水作业。这项工作是早期测试阶段的第一部分。测试将确定修复隧道的最佳方式。

In mid-February, the city began sending divers 700 feet down to the tunnel to gather data. The data will be used to develop a repair plan, The project costs about $240 million. It will take five years to complete.
二月中旬，市政府开始派遣潜水员下潜700英尺至隧道收集数据。这些数据将用于制定修复计划。该项目耗资约2.4亿美元，将耗时五年完成。

This first part of the project requires a team of six divers to live in a special chamber for three weeks. The divers spend one week getting used to the change in pressure at the 700-foot-below (213.4-metre-below)depth.
该项目的第一部分要求六人潜水团队在特制舱室生活三周。潜水员用一周时间适应700英尺（地下213.4米）深度的压力变化。

They spend one week doing the necessary work and another week getting used to the pressure at ground level again. At that depth, the divers cannot breathe regular air. The air pressure has changed. Regular air is four-fifths nitrogen and one-fifth oxygen. However, divers are descending 700 feet below ground level.
他们用一周时间完成必要工作，再用一周重新适应地表压力。在该深度，潜水员无法呼吸普通空气。空气压力已改变。普通空气是五分之四氮气和五分之一氧气。然而，潜水员下潜至地下700英尺深度时，

At that depth, nitrogen is too heavy for the lungs to breathe. So the divers are supplied with a mixture of oxygen and helium, a lighter gas.
在该深度，氮气过于沉重而无法通过肺部呼吸。因此为潜水员提供氧气和氦气（一种更轻的气体）的混合气体。

The divers work in crews of three divers at a time. They work 12-hour shifts. Wearing wet suits and breathing tanks that contain the oxygen-helium blend, divers descend down a shaft that leads into the tunnel.
潜水员以三人小组形式轮班作业。他们工作12小时轮班制。穿着湿式潜水服并配备含有氧氦混合气体的呼吸罐，潜水员沿通向隧道的竖井下潜。

Besides gathering data , they are measuring the space for machines that will later perform the much-needed repairs. New York City officials said that after the divers finish this part of the project, the next part will be to send the machines down the shaft.
除收集数据外，他们还在为后续执行急需维修任务的机器测量空间。纽约市政官员表示，潜水员完成项目的这部分工作后，下一步将把机器送入竖井。

==

About half of New York City's yearly water supply travels through a system of underground tunnels. Once through these tunnels, the water becomes drinking water. However, one of these tunnels, the Delaware Aqueduct is leaking.

The Delaware Aqueduct stretches 85 miles (136.8 kilometres ) long. It is the world's largest tunnel. Hundreds of millions of gallons flow through the enormous , aging tunnel every day. But there are cracks in the tunnel's walls, A large amount of water escapes through those cracks every day. This leaking is not only a waste of water but also creating problems above ground.

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection ( NYDEP ) oversees the water supply. It has been aware of the leaks for decades. Until now, however, city officials have been hesitant to repair the tunnel. Repair work would mean closing parts of the tunnel. lf the tunnel were closed, New York City would not have enough water.

The city, therefore , did not want to take the tunnel out of service. A new tunnel is presently being built, which will provide more water. However , that project is not expected to be completed until a decade later.

Until that time, the city has begun dive work. This work is the first part of an early stage of testing. The testing will determine the best way to repair the tunnel.

In mid-February, the city began sending divers 700 feet down to the tunnel to gather data. The data will be used to develop a repair plan, The project costs about $240 million. It will take five years to complete.

This first part of the project requires a team of six divers to live in a special chamber for three weeks. The divers spend one week getting used to the change in pressure at the 700-foot-below (213.4-metre-below)depth.

They spend one week doing the necessary work and another week getting used to the pressure at ground level again. At that depth, the divers cannot breathe regular air. The air pressure has changed. Regular air is four-fifths nitrogen and one-fifth oxygen. However, divers are descending 700 feet below ground level.

At that depth, nitrogen is too heavy for the lungs to breathe. So the divers are supplied with a mixture of oxygen and helium, a lighter gas.

The divers work in crews of three divers at a time. They work 12-hour shifts. Wearing wet suits and breathing tanks that contain the oxygen-helium blend, divers descend down a shaft that leads into the tunnel.

Besides gathering data , they are measuring the space for machines that will later perform the much-needed repairs. New York City officials said that after the divers finish this part of the project, the next part will be to send the machines down the shaft.