Twin sisters Mara and Nia rented a studio in the northeast corner of the eastern wing of a converted brick mill.
查看中文与词汇对应
双胞胎姐妹玛拉和妮娅在一座由砖砌磨坊改建的建筑里租了一套单间，位置在东翼的东北角。
Reading 12：Repairing an Old Apartment
修复一套老公寓
淡黄色表示本篇首次学习单元。无论中文是否展开，任何英文单词都可以随时点击，查看有道释义和发音；展开中文后，英文生词与下方词义标签还会联动高亮。
第1段
The architecture looked fantastic: a tall column framed the entrance, a narrow balcony faced the canal, and a covered corridor crossed an inner courtyard.
查看中文与词汇对应
建筑外观看起来非常漂亮：高大的立柱围住入口，狭窄的阳台面向运河，一条有顶走廊横穿内院。
Their accommodation was cheap for the district, yet the landlord admitted that the old factory required a thorough preliminary inspection.
查看中文与词汇对应
以这个地区的标准来说，她们的住处租金很便宜，不过房东承认，这座旧工厂需要进行全面的初步检查。
The sisters were excited by the space but aware that charm could conceal disorder.
查看中文与词汇对应
姐妹俩对这个空间感到兴奋，但也知道迷人的外表可能掩盖混乱的问题。
第2段
On the first wet morning, an engineer arrived with a bucket, rope, drill, tape, pad, and a compact measuring device.
查看中文与词汇对应
在第一个潮湿的早晨，一名工程师带着水桶、绳索、电钻、胶带、垫片和一台小型测量设备到来。
He examined the basement, attic, staircase, terrace, and chimney, where a nest blocked a ventilation baffle.
查看中文与词汇对应
他检查了地下室、阁楼、楼梯、露台和烟囱；烟囱里有一个鸟巢堵住了通风挡板。
A particularly dark yellow stain above the balcony implied a deep leak.
查看中文与词汇对应
阳台上方有一块颜色特别深的黄色污迹，暗示内部存在严重渗漏。
Water had crossed a cracked slab, passed a loose pane, and gathered behind a partition.
查看中文与词汇对应
水穿过开裂的楼板，经过松动的玻璃窗格，积聚在隔墙后面。
The engineer pulled away a fragment of plaster and found a damp brick.
查看中文与词汇对应
工程师拉下一块石膏碎片，发现里面有一块受潮的砖。
He did not hesitate: if moisture reached the wooden beam, it would inevitably undermine the structure.
查看中文与词汇对应
他没有犹豫：如果水分到达木梁，就必然会削弱建筑结构。
第3段
The plumbing created a second hurdle.
查看中文与词汇对应
管道系统构成了第二道障碍。
A rust ring surrounded a kitchen tap that would not close, and a bath plug no longer fitted.
查看中文与词汇对应
厨房水龙头已经无法关紧，周围形成一圈锈迹；浴缸塞子也不再合适。
Water escaped through a corroded hinge and its pivot, then fell into a service pit below the building.
查看中文与词汇对应
水从腐蚀的铰链及其转轴处漏出，随后落入建筑下方的维修坑。
The engineer used a small pump mechanism to discharge it through a sluice into a safe drain.
查看中文与词汇对应
工程师使用一个小型泵送装置，让积水通过水闸排入安全的排水管。
He checked whether the pipe was plumb, wiped the surface, and wrapped one joint with temporary tape.
查看中文与词汇对应
他检查管道是否垂直，擦拭表面，并用临时胶带缠住一个接头。
This was applicable only as an emergency measure; a subsequent visit would replace the whole segment.
查看中文与词汇对应
这种做法只适用于紧急处理；后续上门时需要更换整段管道。
第4段
The electrical system was equally weird.
查看中文与词汇对应
电气系统同样异常。
When Mara connected her hearing device, a wall socket gave a sharp pulse and the lights began to flicker.
查看中文与词汇对应
玛拉接上助听设备时，墙壁插座发出一次强烈的电流脉冲，灯光也开始闪烁。
Because she was partly deaf, she had not heard the faint electrical hum that preceded it.
查看中文与词汇对应
因为她有部分听力障碍，所以没有听见此前微弱的电流嗡鸣声。
In the basement, an ageing motor drove a ventilation fan through an axle and coil.
查看中文与词汇对应
地下室里，一台老化的电机通过轴和线圈驱动通风扇。
Its momentum made a loose metal shield vibrate against a rivet.
查看中文与词汇对应
电机的运转动量使松动的金属护罩撞着铆钉振动。
The engineer cut the electricity, attached an insulated pad, and warned that nobody should dare restore power until an electrician had thoroughly tested the circuit.
查看中文与词汇对应
工程师切断电源，装上绝缘垫，并警告说，在电工彻底测试电路之前，任何人都不能贸然恢复供电。
第5段
Air quality became the main concern.
查看中文与词汇对应
空气质量成为主要问题。
The cellar contained a sack of cement, a carton of chemical cleaner, and drums once used for kerosene, petroleum, and diesel.
查看中文与词汇对应
地窖里放着一袋水泥、一箱化学清洁剂，以及一些曾经装过煤油、石油和柴油的桶。
One drum still released fumes, while soot from the fireplace had entered the corridor through a broken grate.
查看中文与词汇对应
其中一个桶仍在释放烟气，而壁炉产生的烟灰已经穿过破损的炉栅进入走廊。
A burner in the kitchen had also blackened the wall after spicy soup boiled over.
查看中文与词汇对应
厨房炉头还曾因辛辣汤汁沸腾溢出而熏黑墙壁。
The engineer took an empirical air sample, tested a saline residue, and found no dangerous nitrogen level, but he ordered the cellar cleared.
查看中文与词汇对应
工程师采集空气样本进行实证检测，又检查了一处含盐残留物；虽然没有发现危险的氮气浓度，他仍要求清空地窖。
The apartment could not be judged safe solely because the smell was weak.
查看中文与词汇对应
不能仅仅因为气味不强，就认定这套公寓是安全的。
第6段
Next, the engineer assessed materials and dynamic loads.
查看中文与词汇对应
接下来，工程师评估了建筑材料和动态荷载。
The balcony rested on a concrete slab made from commonly used cement and sand; an alloy frame reinforced it, bronze bolts held a decorative rail, and fiber panels provided shade.
查看中文与词汇对应
阳台由使用常见水泥和沙制成的混凝土板承托；合金框架负责加固，青铜螺栓固定装饰栏杆，纤维板则用于遮阳。
Some parts were contemporary, whereas others came from the original mill.
查看中文与词汇对应
一些部分采用现代设计，另一些则来自原来的磨坊。
A crystal door handle and a round stained-glass pane looked nice but had little structural value.
查看中文与词汇对应
水晶门把手和圆形彩色玻璃窗格看起来很漂亮，却几乎没有结构价值。
The engineer compiled a chart showing which brick, timber, varnish, and metal components could remain.
查看中文与词汇对应
工程师整理出一张图表，说明哪些砖材、木材、清漆层和金属构件可以保留。
He divided the scope into urgent work versus later improvements.
查看中文与词汇对应
他把工程范围分为紧急维修和后续改进两部分。
第7段
Nia asked why the repair seemed more complicated than work on a cottage or bungalow.
查看中文与词汇对应
妮娅问，为什么这里的维修似乎比维修乡间小屋或平房更加复杂。
The engineer opened his architecture notebook.
查看中文与词汇对应
工程师打开了他的建筑学笔记本。
A cabin, farmhouse, hut, tent, greenhouse, guesthouse, dormitory, lighthouse on a reef, skyscraper, stadium, planetarium, and seaside resort all faced different loads.
查看中文与词汇对应
木屋、农舍、简陋小屋、帐篷、温室、旅馆、宿舍、礁石上的灯塔、摩天大楼、体育场、天文馆和海滨度假村，各自承受的荷载都不相同。
A porch or colonnade might offer shade; a tower needed a strong superstructure; an embankment resisted water; and a cruise ship depended on balance and aerodynamics.
查看中文与词汇对应
门廊或柱廊可以提供遮阳；高塔需要坚固的上部结构；堤坝用来抵挡水流；邮轮则依赖平衡和空气动力学。
The comparison was basically a teaching device, not a claim that every rule applied to their studio.
查看中文与词汇对应
这种比较基本上只是一种教学手段，并不是说每条规则都适用于她们的单间公寓。
第8段
The landlord then arrived carrying a roundabout collection of papers.
查看中文与词汇对应
房东随后带着一批整理得很迂回、杂乱的文件来到现场。
During a property boom, a previous owner had modified the building rapidly and left several plans incomplete.
查看中文与词汇对应
在房地产繁荣时期，前任业主曾快速改造这座建筑，留下了几份不完整的图纸。
One plan showed a fountain in the courtyard; another showed a greenhouse on the roof.
查看中文与词汇对应
一份图纸显示庭院中应有喷泉；另一份则显示屋顶上应有温室。
Neither had been built.
查看中文与词汇对应
但两者实际上都没有建成。
A corrupt digital file even placed a cabin where the basement stood.
查看中文与词汇对应
一份损坏的数字文件甚至把地下室的位置标成了木屋。
The engineer asked the landlord to compile the surviving records and mobilize qualified workers.
查看中文与词汇对应
工程师要求房东汇编仍然有效的记录，并调集合格的工人。
Without accurate plans, a small error could open a serious rift between the legal design and the physical building.
查看中文与词汇对应
如果没有准确图纸，一个小错误就可能使合法设计与实际建筑之间出现严重裂痕。
第9段
Mara's hobby was collecting souvenirs, so the room contained a cute umbrella, a bronze model of a royal lighthouse, and a postcard written in gold ink.
查看中文与词汇对应
玛拉的爱好是收集纪念品，因此房间里有一把可爱的雨伞、一座皇家灯塔的青铜模型，以及一张用金色墨水书写的明信片。
She sadly packed them beside a quilt while workers covered the furniture.
查看中文与词汇对应
工人遮盖家具时，她难过地把这些物品收进被子旁边的箱子里。
Nia, an intellectual-property student, protected her books and laptop.
查看中文与词汇对应
学习知识产权的妮娅则保护好自己的书籍和笔记本电脑。
The disruption caused mental fatigue, but the sisters did not feel exiled from their home.
查看中文与词汇对应
维修造成的干扰带来了精神疲劳，但姐妹俩并没有觉得自己被逐出了家门。
They moved temporarily into the building's guest room and treated the inconvenience as part of the repair rather than a personal defeat.
查看中文与词汇对应
她们暂时搬进楼里的客房，把这些不便视为维修过程的一部分，而不是个人失败。
第10段
Work proceeded in a strict sequence, sometimes till evening.
查看中文与词汇对应
工程按照严格顺序进行，有时一直持续到晚上。
First, the team sealed the roof and chimney and fitted a temporary timber splint.
查看中文与词汇对应
首先，团队密封屋顶和烟囱，并装上一块临时木质夹板进行加固。
Secondly, they replaced the pipe, tap, plug, socket, hinge, and damaged pane.
查看中文与词汇对应
第二步，他们更换了管道、水龙头、塞子、插座、铰链和受损的玻璃窗格。
They modified the ventilation mechanism, fixed the motor, and added a shield around the coil.
查看中文与词汇对应
他们改造通风装置，修好电机，并在线圈周围加装防护罩。
Finally, they repaired the slab, varnished the rail, and painted the wall.
查看中文与词汇对应
最后，他们修复楼板，为栏杆上清漆，并重新粉刷墙面。
An inspector checked the work against local and federal rules.
查看中文与词汇对应
一名检查员根据地方和联邦规定核查了工程。
He also preserved an indigenous geometric motif on one column because it belonged to the building's documented history.
查看中文与词汇对应
他还保留了一根立柱上的原住民几何图案，因为它属于这座建筑已有记录的历史组成部分。
第11段
Approximately three weeks later, the apartment passed inspection successfully.
查看中文与词汇对应
大约三周后，这套公寓顺利通过检查。
The landlord said he was sorry, installed a new appliance, reduced one month's rent, and promised maintenance typical of a modern rental building; otherwise its value could plummet.
查看中文与词汇对应
房东表示歉意，安装了一台新电器，减免一个月租金，并承诺提供现代出租建筑通常应有的维护；否则房产价值可能急剧下跌。
Mara called the restored balcony “absolutely divine,” while Nia said the result was simply practical.
查看中文与词汇对应
玛拉称修复后的阳台“简直美妙极了”，妮娅则说结果只是很实用。
The victory did not turn an old mill into a perfect palace, but it made the studio safe, dry, and comfortable.
查看中文与词汇对应
这次成功并没有把旧磨坊变成完美宫殿，却让这套单间变得安全、干燥而舒适。
A future leak was not impossible, yet a sudden structural failure was now unlikely.
查看中文与词汇对应
未来再次漏水并非不可能，但突然发生结构性故障的可能性已经很低。