The Golden Gate Bridge has been called one of the world's most beautiful bridges. It is also one of the most visited places in the world. Experts say about nine million people visit the bridge each year. They say more than one thousand million vehicles have used the bridge since it opened almost seventy years ago.
The bridge has always been painted the color called “International Orange.” The color was chosen because it went well with the natural surroundings. It also is easier to see in the heavy fog that often covers the area.
But the Golden Gate Bridge was not named for its orange color. It was named for the body of water that it crosses, the Golden Gate Strait1. The Golden Gate Strait is the entrance to the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean. The Golden Gate Bridge links the city of San Francisco with Marin County2, California.
Planning for the bridge began in the nineteen twenties when the area around San Francisco was growing. People living in the area needed another way to get to the city besides the small ferry boats3.
The chief engineer for the project was Joseph Strauss. Work began in 1933. Mister Strauss demanded the strongest safety protections in the history of bridge building. These protections included the first use of the hard hat and special glasses to protect the workers' eyes. A special safety net was suspended4 under the bridge. This net saved the lives of nineteen men during the construction. Still, eleven others were killed when they fell from the bridge through the net.
The Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937. It extends one thousand two hundred eighty meters across the water. It was the largest suspension bridge in the world until 1964. That is when the Verrazano Narrows Bridge5 opened in New York City.
Joseph Strauss wrote a poem called “The Mighty Task Is Done” after the Golden Gate bridge was completed. Here is how the poem begins:
At last the mighty task is done,
Resplendent6 in the western sun,
The Bridge looms7 mountain high;
Its titan8 piers9 grip ocean floor,
Its great steel arms link shore with shore,
Its towers pierce10 the sky.
1. the Golden Gate Strait 金门海峡
2. 马林郡（Marin County）是美国加利福尼亚州的一个城市
3. ferry boat 渡轮 ferry n. 摆渡
4. suspend v. 吊；悬挂
suspension n. 吊；悬浮
5. the Verrazano Narrows Bridge韦拉札诺海峡桥
6. resplendent adj. 辉煌的；灿烂的
7. loom v. 迫近
8. titan adj. 巨大的
9. pier n. 桥墩
10. pierce v. 刺穿；穿透