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BRIDGES OF THE WORLD

Match four of these bridges to their descriptions below. And fill in the blanks.

Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge Freixo Bridge Øresund or Öresund Bridge El Alamillo Bridge La Barqueta Bridge Langeland Bridge 25th April Bridge

1. ______It is a combined twin-track r______and dual carriageway bridge-tunnel across a strait. The crossing is actually composed of a bridge, one artificial island, and a t______. The bridge connects Sweden and Denmark, and it is the longest road and rail bridge in Europe. It also connects two major Metropolitan Areas: Copenhagen and the Swedish city of Malmö. The construction began in 1995, and was finished in 1999. In spite of two schedule setbacks – the discovery of 16 unexploded World War II b______lying on the seafloor and an inadvertently skewed tunnel segment – the bridge-tunnel was finished three months ahead of schedule. The structure has a mass of 82,000 tonnes and supports two railway t______beneath four road l______in a horizontal beam extending along the entire length of the bridge. On both approaches to the three cable-stayed bridge sections, the beam is supported every 140 m by concrete p______. The two pairs of free-standing cable supporting t______are 204 m high allowing shipping 57 m of head room under the main s______.

2. ______This c______-stayed bridge in Seville is a landmark job in its conception. The principle on which it works is a balance in which equilibrium is attained by i______the 132- metre-tall mast at an angle of 58º to the horizontal. The design is by Santiago Calatrava. In its execution the following objectives were reached: To cross the basin without any support whatsoever in the middle, so as to integrate the right b______more fully in Seville and leave a vast surface of water undisturbed by any obstacle of any kind. The bridge's s______is 200 metres. And to build a bridge that would be a s______of Expo Seville and a new monument worthy of the city. The m______to which the cables are anchored is a compound structure made of concrete and s______. Its c______section varies, from four metres in d______from the ground to a height of 76 metres, to two metres in diameter from 76 to 132 metres. The deck is anchored to the mast by 13 pairs of parallel c______that spring from the edges of the central metal casing.

3. ______This bridge is a s______bridge connecting the city of ______, capital of Portugal, to the municipality of Almada on the left (south) bank of the Tejo river. It was in 1966 and a train platform was added in 1999. Because of its similar coloring, it is often c______to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, USA. In fact, it was built by the same company (American Bridge Company) that constructed the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and not the Golden Gate, also explaining its similarity in d______. With a total ______of 2,277 m, it is the 21st largest s______bridge in the world. The upper platform carries six car l______, and the lower platform carries two train t______.

4. ______The bridge is located between Shanghai and Nanjing in East China’s Jiangsu province. It includes a 9 kilometre long section over water that c______Yangcheng Lake in Suzhou. It was completed in 2010 and opened in 2011. Employing 10,000 people, construction took four years and cost about $8.5 billion. This bridge currently h______the Guinness World Record for the longest bridge in the world in any category as of June 2011.

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ANSWERS - BRIDGES OF THE WORLD

Match four of these bridges to their descriptions below. And fill in the blanks.

Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge Freixo Bridge Øresund or Öresund Bridge El Alamillo Bridge La Barqueta Bridge Langeland Bridge 25th April Bridge

1. Øresund or Öresund Bridge It is a combined twin-track RAILWAY and dual carriageway bridge- tunnel across a strait. The crossing is actually composed of a bridge, one artificial island, and a tUNNEL. The bridge connects Sweden and Denmark, and it is the longest road and rail bridge in Europe. It also connects two major Metropolitan Areas: Copenhagen and the Swedish city of Malmö. The construction began in 1995, and was finished in 1999. In spite of two schedule setbacks – the discovery of 16 unexploded World War II bOMBS lying on the seafloor and an inadvertently skewed tunnel segment – the bridge-tunnel was finished three months ahead of schedule. The structure has a mass of 82,000 tonnes and supports two railway tRACKS beneath four road lANES in a horizontal beam extending along the entire length of the bridge. On both approaches to the three cable-stayed bridge sections, the beam is supported every 140 m by concrete pIERS. The two pairs of free-standing cable supporting tOWERS are 204 m high allowing shipping 57 m of head room under the main sPAN.

2. El Alamillo Bridge This cABLE-stayed bridge in Seville is a landmark job in its conception. The principle on which it works is a balance in which equilibrium is attained by iNCLINING the 132-metre-tall mast at an angle of 58º to the horizontal. The design is by Santiago Calatrava. In its execution the following objectives were reached: To cross the basin without any support whatsoever in the middle, so as to integrate the right bANK more fully in Seville and leave a vast surface of water undisturbed by any obstacle of any kind. The bridge's sPAN is 200 metres. And to build a bridge that would be a sYMBOL of Expo Seville and a new monument worthy of the city. The mAST to which the cables are anchored is a compound structure made of concrete and sTEEL. Its cROSS section varies, from four metres in dIAMETER from the ground to a height of 76 metres, to two metres in diameter from 76 to 132 metres. The deck is anchored to the mast by 13 pairs of parallel cABLES that spring from the edges of the central metal casing.

3. 25th April Bridge This bridge is a sUSPENSION bridge connecting the city of LISBON, capital of Portugal, to the municipality of Almada on the left (south) bank of the Tejo river. It was in 1966 and a train platform was added in 1999. Because of its similar coloring, it is often cOMPARED to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, USA. In fact, it was built by the same company (American Bridge Company) that constructed the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and not the Golden Gate, also explaining its similarity in dESIGN. With a total LENGHT of 2,277 m, it is the 21st largest sUSPENSION bridge in the world. The upper platform carries six car lANES, and the lower platform carries two train tRACKS.

4. Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge The bridge is located between Shanghai and Nanjing in East China’s Jiangsu province. It includes a 9 kilometre long section over water that cROSSES Yangcheng Lake in Suzhou. It was completed in 2010 and opened in 2011. Employing 10,000 people, construction took four years and cost about $8.5 billion. This bridge currently hOLDS the Guinness World Record for the longest bridge in the world in any category as of June 2011.

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