Then and now of bridges
Bridges are like magic roads over water, valleys and roads. They help us go from one place to another easily. Let's look at how bridges change over time!
Bridges in the past
A long time ago, bridges were very simple. People used stones and wood to make small bridges. Some bridges were just large wooden planks over rivers. They were not strong. People walked carefully, afraid of falling into the water. There were no long bridges. People used boats to cross wide rivers.
Bridges now
Today, bridges are amazing! We use strong materials like steel and concrete.
The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco is about 1981 metres long. It's built to be long and strong. Its two tall towers stand firmly on the hard rock under the water. Long, thick steel cables hang over the two towers. They stretch from one end of the bridge to the other. On land, the cables are fixed into the heavy concrete so they do not move.
The Golden Gate Bridge is called a suspension bridge. If you drape a rope with a weight hanging from it over two chairs and pull, you can see how the main cables hold up the roadway.
The New River Gorge Bridge stretches gracefully across a river gorge. It stands about 267 metres above the gorge. It may look like nothing is holding this bridge up in the middle. But it is made in a rounded shape called an arch. The ends of the arch rest on land on each side of the gorge. Each half of the bridge leans against the other when they meet in the middle. They hold each other up!
Some bridges are really long, but not very high. This is the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge in China. It is more than 42 kilometres long! Really long bridges need to have many supports underneath to hold them up.
Why bridges changed
We need better bridges because we have more cars and buses now.
We want to cross wider rivers and bigger seas. New materials like steel and concrete make bridges stronger and safer.
New words 新词注释
plank 木板
steel 钢
concrete 混凝土
firmly 坚固地
cable 钢索
stretch 延伸
suspension bridge 悬索桥；吊桥
drape 将(衣服、织物等)悬挂
gracefully 优雅地
gorge 峡谷
arch 拱(支撑桥梁的弧形结构)
underneath 在下面
A Read and match（读一读，将序号写在相应图片之前）
() 1.
() 2.
() 3.
A. Golden Gate Bridge
B. New River Gorge Bridge
C. Jiaozhou Bay Bridge
B Read and judge (读一读，判断正误，用T或F表示)
() 1. Wooden planks across a small river make a strong bridge.
() 2. The Jiaozhou Bay Bridge is a suspension bridge.
() 3. The New River Gorge Bridge is more than 42 kilometres long.
() 4. Long bridges need many supports to hold them up.
C Think and write（想一想，写一写）
Please design a bridge and describe it.
My bridge is named .
It is located in .
It is built to be (long/short/high).
It is (strong/safe/nice).

A Read and match
1. A
2. C
3. B
B Read and judge
1. F
2. F
3. F
4. T
C Think and write
My bridge is named *Star Sea Bridge*.
It is located in the wide bay near my hometown.
It is built to be long.
It is safe.

【分析】
本题包含三个题型，A部分为信息匹配，需从原文定位三座桥的特征完成对应；B部分为正误判断，需核对每小题与原文细节是否一致；C部分为开放性写作，按要求填写合理内容即可。解题时需先通读全文，找到各题目对应的原文信息，再逐一解答。
【解析】
A Read and match：
1. 原文明确Golden Gate Bridge是悬索桥，对应选项A，故填A；
2. 原文提到Jiaozhou Bay Bridge是超42公里长的长桥，对应选项C，故填C；
3. 原文指出New River Gorge Bridge是拱形桥，对应选项B，故填B。
B Read and judge：
1. 原文说明过去的木板桥不坚固，故该题错误，填F；
2. 金门大桥是悬索桥，新河峡谷桥为拱桥，故该题错误，填F；
3. 超42公里长的是胶州湾大桥，不是新河峡谷桥，故该题错误，填F；
4. 原文提到长桥需要大量支撑，故该题正确，填T。
C Think and write：
结合题目要求，填写符合逻辑的内容，示例答案为：My bridge is named Star Sea Bridge. It is located in the wide bay near my hometown. It is built to be long. It is safe.
【答案】
A. 1.A 2.C 3.B
B. 1.F 2.F 3.F 4.T
C. My bridge is named Star Sea Bridge. It is located in the wide bay near my hometown. It is built to be long. It is safe.
【知识点】
英语阅读理解 信息匹配 正误判断
【点评】
本题考查学生对英语阅读文本的细节理解能力，涵盖信息匹配、正误判断和开放性写作，难度适中，只要认真阅读原文即可完成。
【难度系数】
0.5