In 1883, a creative engineer named John Roebling was inspired by an idea to build a spectacular bridge connecting New York with the Long Island. However bridge building experts throughout the world thought that this was an impossible feat and told Roebling to forget the idea. It just could not be done. It was not practical. It had never been done before.

　　1883年，一个极富有创意的工程师，名叫约翰罗布林，他受到启发想要建造一所壮观宏伟的大桥能够连接纽约与长岛。然而全世界的建筑学家都任务这是不可能的壮举，劝罗布林打消这个主意。这是不可能完成的，这是不现实的，在此之前从没有过先例。

　　Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge. He thought about it all the time and he knew deep in his heart that it could be done. He just had to share the dream with someone else. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son, Washington, an up-coming engineer, that the bridge, in fact, could be built.

　　罗布林始终无法抹去他心中这座桥的样子。他每时每刻地思考并且在心中深深地相信这是可以被完成的。他不得不要与其他人分享他这个梦。经过多次的讨论和劝说，他终于使他的儿子华盛顿——一个未来的工程师确信，这座桥是可以完成的。

　　Working together for the first time, the father and son developed concepts of how it could be accomplished and how the obstacles could be overcome. With great excitement and inspiration, and the headiness of a wild challenge before them, they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge.

　　在合作的初期，父亲和儿子共同思考，它如何完成，如何才能克服重重障碍。在强烈的激动和兴奋，以及非凡的挑战面前，他们开始雇佣工作人员，开始建造梦想的桥梁。

　　The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway, a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage, which resulted in him not being able to walk, talk, or even move.

　　工程进行地很顺利，然而仅仅几个月后，一场悲惨的意外当场夺走了约翰罗布林的生命，华盛顿也受了重伤，大脑受损，导致他不能再走路、说话、甚至是移动。

　　"We told them so."

　　"我告诉过他们的"

　　"Crazy men and their crazy dreams."

　　"疯狂的人只会做疯狂的梦"

　　"It’s foolish to chase wild visions."

　　"这真是个愚蠢的幻想"

　　Everyone had a negative comment to make and felt that the project should be scrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap, Washington was never discouraged and still had a burning desire to complete the bridge, his mind as sharp as ever.

　　所有人都发表了消极评论并且一致感觉到既然只有死去的罗布林是唯一知道大桥该怎样建成的，那么这项工程一定会被废弃。然而，尽管残疾，但是华盛顿却从没有气馁，并且始终燃烧着强烈的渴望想要完成这座桥，他的头脑和从前一样敏锐。

　　He tried to inspire and pass on his enthusiasm to some of his friends, but they were too daunted by the task. As he lay on his bed in hospital, with the sunlight streaming through the windows, a gentle breeze blew the flimsy white curtains apart and he was able to see the sky and the tops of the trees outside for just a moment.

　　他试图激励并且把自己的热情传递给他的朋友们，但是他们都被这个任务吓到了。他躺在医院的床上，阳光透过窗户。微风吹拂着白白的窗帘，让他能够看一会外面的天空和树梢。

　　It seemed that there was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly an idea hit him. All he could do was to move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving this finger, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife.

　　似乎有一个信息向他传递着不要放弃。突然他想到了一个办法，他唯一能做的就是移动他的手指，他觉得尽可能地利用它，通过移动手指，他缓慢的把交流的代码传递给他的妻子。

　　He touched his wife’s arm with that finger, indicating to her that he wanted her to call the engineers again. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do. It seemed foolish but the project was underway again.

　　他轻拍着妻子的手臂，指示她他希望再次打电话给工程师们。然后他用同样的办法轻拍她的手臂高速工程师该怎么做。看上去很愚蠢，但是这个方法让工程得以继续进行。

　　For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife’s arm, until the bridge was finally completed. Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a tribute to the triumph of one man’s indomitable spirit and his determination not to be defeated by circumstances. It is also a tribute to the engineers and their team work, and to their faith in a man who was considered mad by half the world. It stands too as a tangible monument to the love and devotion of his wife who for 13 long years patiently decoded the messages of her husband and told the engineers what to do.

　　13年来华盛顿靠着轻拍妻子的手臂发出指示，直到大桥最终建成、现在，雄伟的布鲁克林桥屹立着，它的荣耀都在向着一个一个男人不屈不挠的精神和在任何情况都不被打败的决心致敬。它也同样是在向工程师们和整个团队致敬，以及他们对一个被半个世界认为是疯子的男人的忠心。同样，它也是向着一个充满爱和奉献的妻子致敬，13年来始终如一日地成为传递着丈夫和工程师们信息的纽带。

编辑:Liuxuepaper.Com