保险公司通常愿意为任何东西承保。
Insurance companies are normally willing to insure anything.
为公共或私人财产投保是世界上大多数国家的标准做法。
Insuring public or private property is a standard practice in most countries in the world.
不过，如果你正在举办一场露天花园派对或游园会，你也完全可以为自己投保以防天气不好。
If, however, you were holding an open air garden party or a fete it would be equally possible to insure yourself in the event of bad weather.
不用说，保险公司承担的风险越大，你必须支付的保费就越高。
Needless to say, the bigger the risk an insurance company takes, the higher the premium you will have to pay.
时常听说有航运公司就打捞一艘沉船的费用提出了索赔，这并不罕见。
It is not uncommon to hear that a shipping company has made a claim for the cost of salvaging a sunken ship.
但是，一家地方政府机构为收回打捞一口沉底派盘的费用而提出的索赔，肯定是史无前例的。
But the claim made by a local authority to recover the cost of salvaging a sunken pie dish must surely be unique.
诚然，这是一口不寻常的派盘，因为它长达18英尺、宽6英尺。
Admittedly it was an unusual pie dish, for it was eighteen feet long and six feet wide.
它是由一家地方政府机构购置的，以便能为年度集市烘焙一个巨型馅饼。
It had been purchased by a local authority so that an enormous pie could be baked for an annual fair.
派馅饼委员会决定，运输派盘的最佳方式是走运河，于是他们为这次行程投了保。
The pie committee decided that the best way to transport the dish would be by canal so they insured it for the trip.
派盘下水后不久，派馅饼委员会便去了当地一家小旅馆庆祝。
Shortly after it was launched, the pie committee went to a local inn to celebrate.
与此同时，一群青少年爬上了派盘，自顾自地开起了小派对。
At the same time, a number of teenagers climbed on to the dish and held a little party of their own.
结果证明，跳舞让派盘难以承受，因为就在派对进行中，它翻覆并沉入七英尺深的水中。
Dancing proved to be more than the dish could bear, for during the party it capsized and sank in seven feet of water.
派馅饼委员会打电话给当地一位汽车修理厂老板，此人驾着一辆救援车赶来打捞派盘。
The pie committee telephoned a local garage owner who arrived in a recovery truck to salvage the pie dish.
青少年们穿着湿透的衣服瑟瑟发抖，眼睁睁地看着三名男子反复跳入水中寻找派盘。
Shivering in their wet clothes, the teenagers looked on while three men dived repeatedly into the water to locate the dish.
他们找到它没费多大力气，但把它从水中拖出来却被证明是一个严重的难题。
They had little difficulty in finding it, but hauling it out of the water proved to be a serious problem.
派盘的侧面非常光滑，几乎不可能将缆绳和铁链固定到盘沿上而不损坏它。
The sides of the dish were so smooth that it was almost impossible to attach hawsers and chains to the rim without damaging it.
最终，铁链被固定到派盘的一端，一台强力绞车被投入运转。
Eventually chains were fixed to one end of the dish and a powerful winch was put into operation.
派盘升到了水面，被轻轻地拖向运河岸边。
The dish rose to the surface and was gently drawn towards the canal bank.
有那么令人揪心的片刻，派盘摇摇欲坠地搁在运河岸边，但随即失去平衡，又滑落回水中。
For one agonizing moment, the dish was perched precariously on the bank of the canal, but it suddenly overbalanced and slid back into the water.
这些男子现在不得不再试一次。
The men were now obliged to try once more.
这一次，他们把重型金属夹具固定到派盘两侧，以便能将铁链拴牢。
This time they fixed heavy metal clamps to both sides of the dish so that they could fasten the chains.
派盘现在必须被垂直吊起，因为它的一侧边缘紧靠着运河的侧壁。
The dish now had to be lifted vertically because one edge was resting against the side of the canal.
绞车再次被投入运转，其中一人也发动了卡车。
The winch was again put into operation and one of the men started up the truck.
几分钟后，派盘被成功地拖出了水面。
Several minutes later, the dish was successfully hauled above the surface of the water.
水从派盘两侧倾泻而下，力道之大，在运河中掀起了一道巨浪。
Water streamed in torrents over its sides with such force that it set up a huge wave in the canal.
有一种危险是，那道波浪会从运河对岸反弹回来，把派盘送入水中再次沉没。
There was a danger that the wave would rebound off the other side of the bank and send the dish plunging into the water again.
通过以惊人的速度工作，这些男子终于设法在浪头返回之前，将派盘弄上了干燥的陆地。
By working at tremendous speed, the men managed to get the dish on to dry land before the wave returned.