The Reading / Listening - Bridges - Level 6

A record-breaking bridge opened to traffic on Sunday in China. The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge in mountainous Guizhou Province is now the world's tallest bridge. It stands at a lofty height of 625 metres above the Beipan River. The feat of engineering also has the longest span of any bridge that has been constructed in rugged terrain. The bridge is 2,890 metres long, with the main span stretching 1,420 metres. The crossing will have a significant impact on the economy, logistics, and travel times in the region. It will slash the travel time between the two sides of the Beipan River from two hours to just two minutes. A spokesperson said it would revitalize rural areas.

China is displaying an impressive level of prowess in bridge-building. The website highestbridges.com lists the 18 tallest bridges in the world, all of which have been constructed or are under construction in China. The top three are in Guizhou, which also boasts a further 32,000 spans. Nearly half of the 100 highest bridges in the world are located there. The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge is also full of cutting-edge engineering features in its wind-resistant design and high-altitude construction. The spokesperson expects the bridge will become a sightseeing spot and attract more than a million visitors a year. It has a cafe, a geological museum, and a bungee-jumping centre.

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Bridges - Level 4  or  Bridges - Level 5

Sources
  • https://english.news.cn/20250926/51fe64c1d49d4ecba7437ef2574f226a/c.html
  • https://www.newsweek.com/worlds-tallest-bridge-to-open-625-meters-above-canyon-10742606
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huajiang_Canyon_Bridge
  • https://www.highestbridges.com/wiki/index.php/List_of_Highest_International_Bridges/Page_1


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Warm-ups

1. BRIDGES: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about bridges. Change partners often and share your findings.
2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, talk about these topics or words from the article. What will the article say about them? What can you say about these words and your life?
       record / bridge / mountainous / height / feat / engineering / terrain / travel time /
       impressive / prowess / construction / cutting edge / high altitude / sightseeing / cafe
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. TUNNELS: Students A strongly believe tunnels are better than bridges; Students B strongly believe the opposite. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. FAMOUS BRIDGES: What do you know about these famous bridges? What do you think of them? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

What I Know

What I Think

Golden Gate Bridge

 

 

Ponte Vecchio

 

 

Tower Bridge

 

 

Sydney Harbour Bridge

 

 

Langkawi Sky Bridge

 

 

Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge

 

 
MY e-BOOK
ESL resource book with copiable worksheets and handouts - 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers / English teachers
See a sample

5. CHINA: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "China". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. INFRASTRUCTURE: Rank these with your partner. Put the most important infrastructure at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • Bridges
  • Dams
  • Tunnels
  • Rail networks
  • Airports
  • Hospitals
  • Sewage systems
  • Electricity grids

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. lofty a. The land in an area, especially how it looks or feels.
      2. feat b. The length or the time between two points.
      3. span (noun) c. Something difficult that someone does well.
      4. rugged d. Make something strong, active, or full of life again.
      5. terrain e. Very high or tall.
      6. logistics f. Rough and not smooth.
      7. revitalize g. The planning of how to move and organize things.

    Paragraph 2

      8. prowess h. Have something special or good.
      9. boast (verb) i. Not easily harmed or affected by something.
      10. cutting-edge j. About the rocks, earth, and land.
      11. feature (noun) k. Very new and modern.
      12. resistant l. Bring or pull something or someone closer.
      13. attract m. An important or useful part of something.
      14. geological n. Great skill or ability.

 

Before reading / listening

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if 1-8 below are true (T) or false (F).

  1. The record-breaking Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge is a footbridge.     T / F
  2. The main support of the bridge is 625 metres tall.     T / F
  3. The bridge has the longest span of any bridge in the world.     T / F
  4. The bridge cuts travel time across the river from 2 hours to 2 minutes.    T / F
  5. The world's 18 tallest bridges are in China.     T / F
  6. There is a total of 32,000 bridges in China.     T / F
  7. The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge is expected to be a tourist spot.     T / F
  8. People will be able to bungee jump from the Huajiang Canyon Bridge.     T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

  1. lofty
  2. feat
  3. slash
  4. revitalize
  5. rural
  6. prowess
  7. boasts
  8. cutting edge
  9. spot
  10. attract
  1. possesses
  2. countryside
  3. location
  4. tall
  5. cut
  6. entice
  7. skill
  8. achievement
  9. innovative
  10. reinvigorate

3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

  1. A record-breaking bridge opened
  2. The feat
  3. have a significant
  4. It will slash
  5. A spokesperson said it would
  6. China is displaying an impressive
  7. under
  8. full of cutting-
  9. its wind-
  10. a geological
  1. of engineering
  2. resistant design
  3. revitalize rural areas
  4. construction
  5. the travel time
  6. museum
  7. level of prowess
  8. to traffic on Sunday
  9. impact on the economy
  10. edge engineering features

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
lofty
stretching
rugged
rural
traffic
logistics
feat
slash

A record-breaking bridge opened to (1) _________________________________ on Sunday in China. The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge in mountainous Guizhou Province is now the world's tallest bridge. It stands at a (2) _________________________________ height of 625 metres above the Beipan River. The (3) _________________________________ of engineering also has the longest span of any bridge that has been constructed in (4) _________________________________ terrain. The bridge is 2,890 metres long, with the main span (5) _________________________________ 1,420 metres. The crossing will have a significant impact on the economy, (6) _________________________________, and travel times in the region. It will (7) _________________________________ the travel time between the two sides of the Beipan River from two hours to just two minutes. A spokesperson said it would revitalize (8) _________________________________ areas.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
under
attract
lists
prowess
geological
cutting
altitude
boasts

China is displaying an impressive level of (9) _________________________________ in bridge-building. The website highestbridges.com (10) _________________________________ the 18 tallest bridges in the world, all of which have been constructed or are (11) _________________________________ construction in China. The top three are in Guizhou, which also (12) _________________________________ a further 32,000 spans. Nearly half of the 100 highest bridges in the world are located there. The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge is also full of (13) _________________________________ -edge engineering features in its wind-resistant design and high- (14) _________________________________ construction. The spokesperson expects the bridge will become a sightseeing spot and (15) _________________________________ more than a million visitors a year. It has a cafe, a (16) _________________________________ museum, and a bungee-jumping centre.

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)  in mountainous Guizhou Province is now the world's tallest bridge. It stands at ______
     a.  a lofted height
     b.  a loft tie height
     c.  aloft tee height
     d.  a lofty height
2)  the longest span of any bridge that has been constructed ______
     a.  in rugged terrain
     b.  in rug id terrain
     c.  in ragged terrain
     d.  in rug kid terrain
3)  have a significant impact on the economy, logistics, and travel times ______
     a.  in the regional
     b.  in the region
     c.  in the legion
     d.  in the reason
4)  slash the travel time between the two sides of the Beipan River from two hours to _____
     a.  just too minutes
     b.  adjust two minutes
     c.  just two minutes
     d.  justly two minutes
5)  A spokesperson said it would ______
     a.  revitalize aural areas
     b.  revitalize rural areas
     c.  revitalize Ural areas
     d.  revitalize rare all areas

6)  China is displaying an impressive level of prowess ______
     a.  in bridge-building
     b.  on bridge-building
     c.  up bridge-building
     d.  so bridge-building
7)  all of which have been constructed or ______
     a.  are under construction
     b.  are over construction
     c.  are above construction
     d.  are asunder construction
8)  Nearly half of the 100 highest bridges in the world ______
     a.  are locales there
     b.  are low crated there
     c.  are lock rated there
     d.  are located there
9)  full of cutting-edge engineering features in its wind-resistant design and ______
     a.  high-attitude construction
     b.  high-alto tube construction
     c.  high-altitude construction
     d.  high-attribute construction
10)  The spokesperson expects the bridge will become a sightseeing spot ______
     a.  and extract more
     b.  and attack more
     c.  and attract more
     d.  and attraction more

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A record-breaking bridge (1) _______________________________________________ on Sunday in China. The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge in mountainous Guizhou Province is now the world's tallest bridge. It stands at (2) ______________________________________________ of 625 metres above the Beipan River. (3) _______________________________________________ engineering also has the longest span of any bridge that has been constructed (4) _______________________________________________. The bridge is 2,890 metres long, with the main span stretching 1,420 metres. The crossing will have a significant impact on the economy, (5) _______________________________________________ times in the region. It will slash the travel time between the two sides of the Beipan River from two hours to just two minutes. A spokesperson said it would (6) _______________________________________________.

China is displaying an impressive (7) _______________________________________________ in bridge-building. The website highestbridges.com lists the 18 tallest bridges in the world, all of which have been constructed (8) _______________________________________________ construction in China. The top three are in Guizhou, which also (9) _______________________________________________ 32,000 spans. Nearly half of the 100 highest bridges in the world are located there. The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge is also full of cutting-edge engineering features in (10) _______________________________________________ design and high-altitude construction. The spokesperson expects the bridge will become a sightseeing (11) _______________________________________________ more than a million visitors a year. It has a cafe, (12) _______________________________________________, and a bungee-jumping centre.

Comprehension questions

  1. What did the bridge open to in Sunday?
  2. How high above a river is the bridge?
  3. How long is the bridge's main span?
  4. How much time has the bridge saved to cross the Beipan River?
  5. What did a spokesperson say the bridge would revitalize?
  6. How many of the tallest bridges in the world are in China?
  7. How many of the tallest bridges in the world are in Guizhou Province?
  8. What is the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge full of?
  9. How many visitors are expected to visit the bridge each year?
  10. What kind of museum is there at the bridge?

Multiple choice quiz

1) What did the bridge open to in Sunday?
a) a parade
b) shoppers
c) traffic
d) speeches
2) How high above a river is the bridge?
a) 625 metres
b) 652 metres
c) 265 metres
d) 526 metres
3) How long is the bridge's main span?
a) 1,240 metres
b) 1,420 metres
c) 1,402 metres
d) 1,204 metres
4) How much time has the bridge saved to cross the Beipan River?
a) one hour
b) two hours
c) two minutes
d) one hour and 58 minutes
5) What did a spokesperson say the bridge would revitalize?
a) bridge-building
b) the ecosystem
c) rural areas
d) tourism

6) How many of the tallest bridges in the world are in China?
a) 19
b) 18
c) 17
d) 16
7) How many of the tallest bridges in the world are in Guizhou Province?
a) 18
b) 100
c) a dozen
d) 3
8) What is the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge full of?
a) concrete
b) cutting-edge engineering features
c) history
d) pictures made by schoolchildren
9) How many visitors are expected to visit the bridge each year?
a) a few thousand
b) more than a million
c) hundreds of thousands
d) millions
10) What kind of museum is there at the bridge?
a) a geological museum
b) a bridge museum
c) an ecological museum
d) a bungee-jumping museum

Role play

Role  A – Bridges
You think bridges are the most important parts of a country's infrastructure. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the least important of these (and why): airports, sewage systems or electricity grids.

Role  B – Airports
You think airports are the most important parts of a country's infrastructure. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the least important of these (and why): bridges, sewage systems or electricity grids.

Role  C – Sewage Systems
You think sewage systems are the most important parts of a country's infrastructure. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the least important of these (and why): airports, bridges or electricity grids.

Role  D – Electricity Grids
You think electricity grids are the most important parts of a country's infrastructure. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the least important of these (and why): airports, sewage systems or bridges.

After reading / listening

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words...

'bridge'

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________

    • and 'traffic'.

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________

    • • Share your findings with your partners.

    • Make questions using the words you found.

    • Ask your partner / group your questions.

    2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

    •Share your questions with other classmates / groups. •Ask your partner / group your questions.

    3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

    4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

    5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

    • traffic
    • stands
    • rugged
    • main
    • impact
    • slash
    • level
    • lists
    • boasts
    • full
    • expects
    • cafe

    Student survey

    Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

    (Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

    Discussion - Bridges

    STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

    1. What did you think when you read the headline?
    2. What images are in your mind when you hear the word 'bridge'?
    3. What do you think of bridges?
    4. What kinds of bridges are there in your country?
    5. Should there be bridges across oceans and seas?
    6. How great is it that engineers can create amazing bridges?
    7. What is the greatest ever feat of engineering?
    8. What impact do bridges have on local economies?
    9. Would you worry about being on a high bridge?
    10. Where would you like to see a bridge built?

    STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

    1. Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
    2. What do you think of when you hear the word 'traffic'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. Which country is best at building things?
    5. Why are all of the world's highest bridges in China?
    6. Are bridges or tunnels better?
    7. What are the most beautiful bridges in the world?
    8. What bridges in your country are sightseeing spots?
    9. What do you think of bungee jumping off the world's highest bridge?
    10. What questions would you like to ask bridge builders?

    Discussion — Write your own questions

    STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

    (a) ________________

    (b) ________________

    (c) ________________

    (d) ________________

    (e) ________________

    STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

    (f) ________________

    (g) ________________

    (h) ________________

    (i) ________________

    (j) ________________

    Language — Cloze (Gap-fill)

    A record-breaking bridge opened (1) ____ traffic on Sunday in China. The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge in mountainous Guizhou Province is now the world's tallest bridge. It stands at a (2) ____ height of 625 metres above the Beipan River. The (3) ____ of engineering also has the longest span of any bridge that has been constructed in (4) ____ terrain. The bridge is 2,890 metres long, with the main span stretching 1,420 metres. The crossing will make a (5) ____ impact on the economy, logistics, and travel times in the region. It will slash the travel time between the two sides of the Beipan River from two hours to just two minutes. A spokesperson said it would revitalize (6) ____ areas.

    China is displaying an impressive level of (7) ____ in bridge-building. The website highestbridges.com lists the 18 tallest bridges in the world, all of which have been constructed or are (8) ____ construction in China. The top three are in Guizhou, which also boasts a further 32,000 spans. Nearly half of the 100 highest bridges in the world are located there. The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge is also full of (9) ____-edge engineering features in its wind-(10) ____ design and high-altitude construction. The spokesperson expects the bridge will become a sightseeing (11) ____ and attract more than a million visitors a year. It has a cafe, a geological museum, and a bungee-jumping (12) ____.

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     to     (b)     in     (c)     on     (d)     at    
    2. (a)     lefty     (b)     loafer     (c)     lofty     (d)     liftoff    
    3. (a)     float     (b)     feet     (c)     feat     (d)     foot    
    4. (a)     blanketed     (b)     carpeted     (c)     matted     (d)     rugged    
    5. (a)     significant     (b)     signify     (c)     significance     (d)     significantly    
    6. (a)     aural     (b)     rural     (c)     ariel     (d)     rival    
    7. (a)     height     (b)     duress     (c)     proof     (d)     prowess    
    8. (a)     above     (b)     under     (c)     over     (d)     up    
    9. (a)     chopping     (b)     slicing     (c)     cutting     (d)     grating    
    10. (a)     resisting     (b)     resistance     (c)     resist     (d)     resistant    
    11. (a)     speck     (b)     patch     (c)     dot     (d)     spot    
    12. (a)     kernal     (b)     centre     (c)     hub     (d)     inner

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. It stands at a folty height of 625 metres
    2. teaf of engineering
    3. constructed in grdegu terrain
    4. The crossing will have a icsfiigntna impact
    5. ociglsits, and travel times
    6. it would tizveerial rural areas

    Paragraph 2

    1. an impressive level of srsoewp
    2. sbstoa a further 32,000 spans
    3. cutting-edge engineering urfeseat
    4. in its wind-raestntis design
    5. high-luetdiat construction
    6. a gagecooill museum

    Put the text back together

    (  1  )   A record-breaking bridge opened to traffic on Sunday in China. The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge in
    (    )     and travel times in the region. It will slash the travel time between the two sides
    (    )     China is displaying an impressive level of prowess in bridge-building. The website highestbridges.com
    (    )     construction in China. The top three are in Guizhou, which also boasts a further 32,000 spans. Nearly
    (    )     expects the bridge will become a sightseeing spot and attract more than a million
    (    )     half of the 100 highest bridges in the world are located there. The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge is also full
    (    )     height of 625 metres above the Beipan River. The feat of engineering also has the longest
    (    )     lists the 18 tallest bridges in the world, all of which have been constructed or are under
    (    )     mountainous Guizhou Province is now the world's tallest bridge. It stands at a lofty
    (    )     of cutting-edge engineering features in its wind-resistant design and high-altitude construction. The spokesperson
    (    )     of the Beipan River from two hours to just two minutes. A spokesperson said it would revitalize rural areas.
    (    )     span of any bridge that has been constructed in rugged terrain. The bridge is 2,890 metres long, with the main span
    (    )     stretching 1,420 metres. The crossing will have a significant impact on the economy, logistics,
    (    )     visitors a year. It has a cafe, a geological museum, and a bungee-jumping centre.

    Put the words in the right order

    1. record-breaking   A   opened   bridge   traffic   to   China   in   .
    2. The   of   feat   has   engineering   longest   the   span   .
    3. crossing   The   have   will   significant   a   impact   economic   .
    4. Slash   travel   the   between   time   two   the   sides   .
    5. spokesperson   A   it   said   revitalize   would   areas   rural   .
    6. China   displaying   is   impressive   an   of   level   prowess   .
    7. lists   It   world's   the   tallest   18   bridges   .
    8. of   Half   world's   the   highest   100   bridges   .
    9. bridge   The   full   is   cutting-edge   of   features   engineering   .
    10. He   it   expects   become   will   sightseeing   a   spot   .

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    A record-breaking bridge opened to traffic on Sunday in China. The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge in mountains / mountainous Guizhou Province is now the world's tallest bridge. It stands at a lofty / lefty height of 625 metres above the Beipan River. The feet / feat of engineering also has the longest span of any bridge that has been constructed in matted / rugged terrain. The bridge is 2,890 metres long, with the main / mainly span stretching 1,420 metres. The crossing / cross will have a significant impact at / on the economy, logistics, and travel times in / on the region. It will slash / stash the travel time between the two sides of the Beipan River from two hours to just two minutes. A spokesperson said it would revitalize rural area / areas.

    China is displaying the / an impressive level of prowess in / on bridge-building. The website highestbridges.com lists the 18 tallest bridges in the world, all of which have been constructing / constructed or are under construction in China. The top three are in Guizhou, which also boasts / boast a further 32,000 spans. Nearly half of the 100 highest bridges in the world are / be located there. The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge is also full of cutting-edge engineering futures / features in its wind-resistant design and high-altitude construction. The spokesperson expects / excepts the bridge will become a sightseeing spate / spot and attract more than a million visitors a year. It has a cafe, a geological / geologically museum, and a bungee-jumping centre / kernel.

    Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct. Look up the definition of new words.

    Insert the vowels (a, e, i, o, u)

    _  r_c_rd-br__k_ng  br_dg_  _p_n_d  t_  tr_ff_c  _n  S_nd_y  _n  Ch_n_.  Th_  H__j__ng  Gr_nd  C_ny_n  Br_dg_  _n  m__nt__n__s  G__zh__  Pr_v_nc_  _s  n_w  th_  w_rld's  t_ll_st  br_dg_.  _t  st_nds  _t  _  l_fty  h__ght  _f  625  m_tr_s  _b_v_  th_  B__p_n  R_v_r.  Th_  f__t  _f  _ng_n__r_ng  _ls_  h_s  th_  l_ng_st  sp_n  _f  _ny  br_dg_  th_t  h_s  b__n  c_nstr_ct_d  _n  r_gg_d  t_rr__n.  Th_  br_dg_  _s  2,890  m_tr_s  l_ng,  w_th  th_  m__n  sp_n  str_tch_ng  1,420  m_tr_s.  Th_  cr_ss_ng  w_ll  h_v_  _  s_gn_f_c_nt  _mp_ct  _n  th_  _c_n_my,  l_g_st_cs,  _nd  tr_v_l  t_m_s  _n  th_  r_g__n.  _t  w_ll  sl_sh  th_  tr_v_l  t_m_  b_tw__n  th_  tw_  s_d_s  _f  th_  B__p_n  R_v_r  fr_m  tw_  h__rs  t_  j_st  tw_  m_n_t_s.  _  sp_k_sp_rs_n  s__d  _t  w__ld  r_v_t_l_z_  r_r_l  _r__s.

    Ch_n_  _s  d_spl_y_ng  _n  _mpr_ss_v_  l_v_l  _f  pr_w_ss  _n  br_dg_-b__ld_ng.  Th_  w_bs_t_  h_gh_stbr_dg_s.c_m  l_sts  th_  18  t_ll_st  br_dg_s  _n  th_  w_rld,  _ll  _f  wh_ch  h_v_  b__n  c_nstr_ct_d  _r  _r_  _nd_r  c_nstr_ct__n  _n  Ch_n_.  Th_  t_p  thr__  _r_  _n  G__zh__,  wh_ch  _ls_  b__sts  _  f_rth_r  32,000  sp_ns.  N__rly  h_lf  _f  th_  100  h_gh_st  br_dg_s  _n  th_  w_rld  _r_  l_c_t_d  th_r_.  Th_  H__j__ng  Gr_nd  C_ny_n  Br_dg_  _s  _ls_  f_ll  _f  c_tt_ng-_dg_  _ng_n__r_ng  f__t_r_s  _n  _ts  w_nd-r_s_st_nt  d_s_gn  _nd  h_gh-_lt_t_d_  c_nstr_ct__n.  Th_  sp_k_sp_rs_n  _xp_cts  th_  br_dg_  w_ll  b_c_m_  _  s_ghts___ng  sp_t  _nd  _ttr_ct  m_r_  th_n  _  m_ll__n  v_s_t_rs  _  y__r.  _t  h_s  _  c_f_,  _  g__l_g_c_l  m_s__m,  _nd  _  b_ng__-j_mp_ng  c_ntr_.

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    a recordbreaking bridge opened to traffic on sunday in china the huajiang grand canyon bridge in mountainous guizhou province is now the worlds tallest bridge it stands at a lofty height of 625 metres above the beipan river the feat of engineering also has the longest span of any bridge that has been constructed in rugged terrain the bridge is 2890 metres long with the main span stretching 1420 metres the crossing will have a significant impact on the economy logistics and travel times in the region it will slash the travel time between the two sides of the beipan river from two hours to just two minutes a spokesperson said it would revitalize rural areas

    china is displaying an impressive level of prowess in bridgebuilding the website highestbridgescom lists the 18 tallest bridges in the world all of which have been constructed or are under construction in china the top three are in guizhou which also boasts a further 32000 spans nearly half of the 100 highest bridges in the world are located there the huajiang grand canyon bridge is also full of cuttingedge engineering features in its windresistant design and highaltitude construction the spokesperson expects the bridge will become a sightseeing spot and attract more than a million visitors a year it has a cafe a geological museum and a bungeejumping centre

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    Arecord-breakingbridgeopenedtotrafficonSundayinChina.TheHuaji
    angGrandCanyonBridgeinmountainousGuizhouProvinceisnowthew
    orld'stallestbridge.Itstandsataloftyheightof625metresabovetheBei
    panRiver.Thefeatofengineeringalsohasthelongestspanofanybridget
    hathasbeenconstructedinruggedterrain.Thebridgeis2,890metreslo
    ng,withthemainspanstretching1,420metres.Thecrossingwillhaveas
    ignificantimpactontheeconomy,logistics,andtraveltimesintheregion
    .ItwillslashthetraveltimebetweenthetwosidesoftheBeipanRiverfrom
    twohourstojusttwominutes.Aspokespersonsaiditwouldrevitalizerur
    alareas.Chinaisdisplayinganimpressivelevelofprowessinbridge-buil
    ding.Thewebsitehighestbridges.comliststhe18tallestbridgesinthew
    orld,allofwhichhavebeenconstructedorareunderconstructioninChin
    a.ThetopthreeareinGuizhou,whichalsoboastsafurther32,000spans.
    Nearlyhalfofthe100highestbridgesintheworldarelocatedthere.TheH
    uajiangGrandCanyonBridgeisalsofullofcutting-edgeengineeringfea
    turesinitswind-resistantdesignandhigh-altitudeconstruction.Thesp
    okespersonexpectsthebridgewillbecomeasightseeingspotandattrac
    tmorethanamillionvisitorsayear.Ithasacafe,ageologicalmuseum,an
    dabungee-jumpingcentre.

    Free writing

    Write about Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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    Academic writing

    We should look at building bridges across oceans.  Discuss.

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    Homework

    1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.
    2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about this news story. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
    3. BRIDGES: Make a poster about bridges. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. BUNGEE JUMPING: Write a magazine article about all bridges having a bungee-jumping facility. Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and against this.
    Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).
    5. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.
    6. LETTER: Write a letter to an expert on bridges. Ask him/her three questions about them. Give him/her three of your ideas on how to attract more visitors to bridges. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

    A Few Additional Activities for Students

    Ask your students what they have read, seen or heard about this news in their own language. Students are likely to / may have have encountered this news in their L1 and therefore bring a background knowledge to the classroom.

    Get students to role play different characters from this news story.

    Ask students to keep track of this news and revisit it to discuss in your next class.

    Ask students to male predictions of how this news might develop in the next few days or weeks, and then revisit and discuss in a future class.

    Ask students to write a follow-up story to this news.

    Students role play a journalist and someone who witnessed or was a part of this news. Perhaps they could make a video of the interview.

    Ask students to keep a news journal in English and add this story to their thoughts.

    Also...

    Buy my 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers eBook. It has hundreds of ideas, activity templates, reproducible activities for:

    • News
    • Warm ups
    • Pre-reading / Post-reading
    • Using headlines
    • Working with words
    • While-reading / While-listening
    • Moving from text to speech
    • Post-reading / Post-listening
    • Discussions
    • Using opinions
    • Plans
    • Language
    • Using lists
    • Using quotes
    • Task-based activities
    • Role plays
    • Using the central characters in the article
    • Using themes from the news
    • Homework

    Buy my book

    $US 9.99

    Answers

    (Please look at page 26 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

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