Language focus. IV. Match the meanings of these terms with their definition: drawbridge suspension bridge pier obstacle steel bridge girder log

IV. Match the meanings of these terms with their definition:

drawbridge suspension bridge pier obstacle steel bridge girder log

1. unhewn piece of a felled tree; any large rough piece of wood

2. a structure providing a way across a river, road, railway, etc.

3. iron or steel beam or compound structure for bridge-building etc.

4. hinged retractable bridge, esp. over a moat.

5. bridge with a roadway suspended from cables supported by towers

6. strong malleable alloy of iron and carbon

7. a support of an arch or of the span of a bridge; pillar

8. thing that obstructs progress, stands in the way

V. Match the period with the description:

1. many large-scale steel suspension bridges were constructed over major waterways 2. drawbridges were built across the moats of many castles in Europe 3. arch bridges were built of bricks and stone as building materials. 4. bridge design and construction were aimed to carry these heavy vehicles over new obstacles 5. a practical process for converting cast iron into steel was developed 6. period of large-scale bridge building in Europe and Asia

1. the 20^th century 2. ancient Rome 3. between 1830 and 1880 4. the second half of the 19^th century 5. late 19^th 6. the Middle Ages

VI. Can you decipher the message?

L..s that extended across streams probably served as the first b…..s. That was a c……..r bridge. A simple bridge on the s……..n principle was made by early man by m…s of ropes. A platform of w…n mats was laid across ropes to make a secure c……g. The first bridge k…n to historians was an a..h b….e built in Babylon about …. Romans used b….s and s…e as building materials.

During the M….e Ages, m……e bridges called d………s were built. In the 1500’s t…s bridges were d…….d.

During the period of railroad e…….n iron trusses r……d stone a….s. In the late 1800s, s…l became the chief m……l used in bridge c……….n. This s….g and l…t material revolutionized bridge b……g.

In the 20^th c…..y the steel-and-c……e g….r bridge was one of the most commonly u..d bridge d…..s. New materials are being looked for to i…..e bridge design, construction, and m………e.

VII. Make the word combinations using the derivatives from the words in brackets:

(strong) of the material, bridge (construct), (suspend) bridges, (available) of steel, to be (embed) into the banks, (addition) support, ropes (suspend) from rocks, elaborate (scaffold), period of railroad (expand), to cost (consider), one of the most (common) used, concrete (reinforce) with steel bars.

VIII. Find the synonyms to the words in italics:

Wood beams were set into the banks on each side of the river. Moveable bridges called drawbridges were constructed across the ditches of many cas­tles in Europe. Truss bridges were made in the 1500’s. The basic girder bridge was made stronger by adding support piers underneath and by intensifying the structure with elaborate falsework called a truss. As railway building expanded all over the world, bridge design and building were aimed to carry these heavy vehicles over new obstructions.

IX. Find key-words in the text to give general information about the history of bridge construction. How many of them do you need?

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