5.Rialto Bridge

4.Ponte Vecchio

The bridge, in the beautiful city of Florence in Italy, was constructed with shop premises as part of the building work. Originally home to butchers, the bridge shops now house jewellers, art dealers and souvenir shops. The Ponte Vecchio is believed to stand on the site of an ancient Roman bridge, constructed of sandstone and wood as far back as 996. Several bridges stood on the spot, but all were destroyed or swept away over time until 1345 when the present edifice was constructed. It is believed that the whole principle (and the very word itself) of bankruptcy comes from the Ponte Vecchio! Money changers would sell their wares from a table (banco). If they could not pay their debts, soldiers or rotto would break their table, deeming them banco-rotto or broken tabled. Without a table, they could no longer work. During the Second World War, the bridge was not broken or damaged by the Nazis, supposedly on the express orders of Hitler. If you wander along the bridge you will see many 'lovers locks' fastened around the railings of the bridge. The idea is that as a couple you buy and fasten the padlock in place (often with your names written or engraved on the lock) then throw the keys into the water, so that you are 'locked' together for eternity. More prosaically though, many of these locks have to be removed every year to prevent damage to the bridge and there are several signs declaring the practise to be taboo.

3.Brooklyn Bridge

Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States, connecting Manhattan to Brooklyn. The bridging of the East River was a lengthy and complicated business which saw many men suffering from compression sickness and getting injured in the dangerous working conditions of the time. The injuries and deaths were by no means confined to the working men with both of the men in charge of the project, John Roebling and then his son Washington Roebling, suffering crippling and painful injuries on the task. At the time of its construction it was the longest suspension bridge in the world, a title it held for many years thereafter. The bridge is now a much known and much-loved feature of New York and can be seen in many television shows and movies, especially those set in and around New York.

2.Golden Gate Bridge

Perhaps the most iconic bridge in the USA, the Golden Gate Bridge connects the San Francisco peninsula to Marin County. It has also been named one of the Wonders of the Modern World. The bridge replaced a long-running ferry service, enabling travellers to remain in their vehicle as they crossed the strait. The bridge was designed to avoid the demolition of Fort Point, which dates from before the Civil War and was deemed, even in 1933 (when construction began), to be worth preserving for posterity. Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937 and the festivities lasted a whole week, with some citizens becoming so over-excited that police had to quell a small riot that broke out. Sadly, the bridge has become popular with suicides (jumping or falling off the bridge will almost certainly kill you) with one death reported every two or three weeks.

1.Tower Bridge

Opened on the 30th June 1894, Tower Bridge is London's most iconic bridge and something of a symbol for the city. It is often confused with London Bridge, which is a much more nondescript bridge a short way up the river! Allegedly the most famous incidence of this was the purchase of London Bridge by an American gentleman who had the bridge shipped to Arizona and painstakingly rebuilt – however, the buyer in question later debunked this rumour. The upper levels of the bridge, formerly the rather unsavoury hang-out of prostitutes and thieves, were closed for many years, only reopening to the public in 1982 as part of the Tower Bridge Exhibition. Between 2008 and 2012 the bridge underwent a lengthy face-lift, leaving it sparkling clean and freshly painted ahead of the Summer Olympics. One of the most famous happy incidents on the bridge was in 1952 when a double-decker bus ventured onto the bridge while it was opening. With no time to retreat the plucky driver accelerated, jumping the bus over a three-foot gap onto the other side. He was awarded the princely sum of ten pounds by way of a reward!

翻译:李闻昱 审校：Aileen 来源:前十网