March 4, 1931.
1931年3月4日
The government gives the go-ahead to build the Hoover Dam.
聯邦政府一聲令下,開始修建胡佛水壩
The Hoover Dam, even before they started building it,it became a metaphor,
胡佛水壩尚未動工之時就被視為一種象征
people saw it as a statement of the American's fortitude,of our ingenuity, of our talent for hard work and for our willingness to transform the environment around us.
人們視之為美國精神的象征,不屈不撓、獨具匠心、迎難而上、勇往直前、改造世界
The Hoover Dam will cost nearly $1 billion in today's money.
這座水壩的造價相當于今天的10億美元
Frank Crowe is offered a 2.5% cut of the dam's profits if he gets the job done quickly.
弗蘭克·克羅如果能迅速完工便可得到水壩盈利的2.5%作為報酬
It should take 6 years to build,but Frank says it can be done in 4.
預計要花6年才能建成水壩,但弗蘭克說他只需4年即可完工
42,000 men come from across the country looking for jobs on the biggest construction site in America.
全國各地共有四萬兩千人來這個美國最大的工地找工作
Frank Crowe takes 5,000 men willing to work harder and faster than anyone else.
弗蘭克·克羅收了五千名,最能吃苦耐勞且干活麻利的
The survival of the fittest.
優勝劣汰
Men are ready to do anything for work.
人們為了得到工作 不惜一切代價
There's a large cando attitude in the United States
美國有著一種人定勝天的精神
and it come soon the fact that over the centuries,
幾個世紀以來的事實也表明
there has been a lot of adversity,
盡管前路有著許多艱難險阻
and we have usually triumphed.
我們終能凱旋而歸
First was the triumph of developing this whole vast continent,
首先是成功開發了這片遼闊的大陸
putting in railroad lines,putting in all the civil engineering to support it,putting in Hoover Dam.
然后又在大平原上鋪設了鐵路,還建成了所有這些宏大的工程,建設胡佛水壩
These were all incredible challenges.
全都是不可思議的巨大挑戰
There are two stages to building the dam.
建成水壩需要兩個步驟
First, divert the river around the worksite.
第一步 讓河水改道 繞過工地周圍
Second, build the colossal wall.
第二步 建起這座巨堤