PART I:
I. 原文(Source Text)
水桥
在巴拿马，有一座世界闻名的“水桥”，那就是巴拿马运河。去年暑假，我跟着爸爸妈妈去巴拿马运河游览观光，至今还记忆犹新。
我们乘机抵达巴拿马城，然后搭上了一艘游轮，从巴尔博亚港进入运河。船行13公里后，便到了运河的第一组水闸1。巴拿马运河就是通过水闸的关与开，让船舰跨越陆地的一座“水桥” 2。
我们开始“上桥”了。船驶进闸池之后，厚2米，高、宽各20米，重数百吨的钢闸门便缓缓地关闭，闸池里开始注水。几分钟后，水涨船高3。游轮在两岸电力机车的牵引下缓缓前进。这样连升两级之后，船已经升高了16米。出闸后，再驶过一个小湖，又到了第二组水闸。经过这座水闸，船又升高了9.5米。这样，船已高出海平面26米，进入“桥顶” 4。我们的游船驶进了长达13公里的主航道，只见5两岸山6如刀削，绿树红花，景色十分秀丽7。
游船出了峡谷，驶入了宽阔的加通湖。湖水倒映着远山白云，美丽的小岛时隐时现8。在湖中悠悠航行38公里之后，船来到了加通水闸，从此进入了“下桥”段。这座水闸共有三级，犹如三个巨大的台阶。游船经过加通水闸后，已经降到了与大西洋水面相同的高度。当船驶入利蒙湾时，美丽的加勒比海便出现在眼前9。
我们从太平洋来到大西洋10，彼此隔离的大洋因为有了巴拿马运河而相通。运河全长公里，宽度由150米到304米不等。5万吨级的巨轮，日夜畅通无阻。它无愧于“世界桥梁”的称誉。我由衷地赞美人类改造自然的智慧和勇气!我敬佩你，巴拿马人民!
导游告诉我们，巴拿马人民是有志气的。他们一方面正在改造现在这条运河；另一方面，还准备新建一条更长的运河，预计工程需要10年才能完成，它将成为人类有史以来最大的工程11。我们期待着它早日完成。
II. 理解难点提示(Suggestions for Comprehension)
1. 这里的“水闸”指什么参考下文的“进闸池”、“出闸”。
2. 为什么称巴拿马运河为“水桥”
3.“涨、高”指“开始涨、高”，还是“涨、高”到了足够的高度考虑上文的“几分钟后”。
4. 这里两个分句是否平起平坐考虑上文已经说过船“升高了16米，又升高了9.5米”。
5. “只见”是不是真的在描写“我们”在干什么考虑上文的主语是“我们的游船”，不是“我们”；上文的宾语是“主航道”，下文接着是“两岸”。
6. “山”指hills还是指mountains考虑1)上文说“桥顶”只高出海平面26米; 2)地理知识：巴拿马地峡很窄。
7. (我们的游船驶进了)“长达13公里的主航道，只见两岸山如刀削，绿树红花，景色十分秀丽”中各部分的层次关系如何考虑“主航道”与“山”的空间关系，“山”与“绿树红花”的空间关系，“山”与“景色十分秀丽”的物与属性的关系。
8. 这里的“时隐时现”什么意思参考1)上文的“驶入”，下文的“悠悠航行”；2)常识：“隐、现”可由光线明暗造成，遮拦物的有无造成，也可由观察者移动造成。
9. “驶入”与“出现”同时，还是先后利用常识“运动是相对的”。
10.“我们从太平洋来到大西洋”发生了，正在发生，还是将发生考虑1)上文说“加勒比海便出现在眼前”；2)地理知识：加勒比海是大西洋的一部分。
11. 这些话是不是作者的话1)上文说“导游告诉我们”; 2)作文知识：“巴拿马人民是有志气的”是论点，而论点需要论据。
III. 译文(Target Text)
A Water Bridge
Across1 Panama runs2 a world-famous “water bridge”, and3 that is the Panama Canal. Last summer vacation I went with my parents on a sightseeing tour along it, which4 is still fresh in my memory.
Having got5 to Panama City by air, we boarded a pleasure boat in the port of Balboa and sailed into the canal. The boat traveled 13 km and reached the first group of water locks. The Panama Canal is thus a “water bridge” that allows ships to cross land by the opening and closing of water locks.
We began “getting onto the bridge”. When the boat had sailed into the lock
chamber, the steel gate, 2 meters thick, 20 meters high and wide and hundreds of tons in weight, slowly closed, and water began running into the chamber, which continued for a few minutes6. The boat rose with the water and advanced slowly, pulled along by power cars along both banks. Two lifts like that raised the boat 16 meters7. It sailed out of the lock across a small lake and came to the second group of locks, which raised the boat another8 meters. In this way, the boat, now 26 meters above sea level, had got onto the “top of the bridge”. It sailed along the main channel, which stretched 13 km between beautiful hills as steep as if cut apart with a sword and covered with green trees and colorful flowers9.
The boat sailed out of the gorge and into the wide Gatún Lake, with10 white clouds and distant hills reflected in it and pretty isles passing into and out of sight11. After a leisurely journey of 38 km on the lake12, the boat came to the Gatún Locks, and there began its “descent down the bridge”.The Gatún Locks, three in number, looked like so many13 gigantic steps. After getting14 through the locks, the boat had descended to the same level as the surface of the Atlantic Ocean. The beautiful Caribbean Sea came into view as it15sailed into the Limón Bay.
We had come16 from the Pacific to the Atlantic, two great oceans separated by land but linked by the Panama Canal. The canal is 81.8 km in length and 150 to 304 m in width. Ships of 50,000 tons can pass it unimpeded all around the clock17. It is truly worthy of the name of “the Bridge of t he World”. Full of hearty praises18 am I for man’s wisdom and courage in transforming nature! I admire you, the people of Panama!
The guide told us that the Panamanian people had high aspirations. On the one hand, they were19working to improve the existent canal, and on the other hand, they were planning for an even longer one, which20, it was estimated, would take 10 years to complete, and which21 would be the greatest project in man’s history. We look forward to its early completion22.
