A) Skim the text to understand what it is about. Time your reading. It is good if you can read it for seven minutes (110 words per minute).

TEXT 11 B THE TRIUMPH OF HUMAN SPIRIT

The Brooklyn Bridge was built in the year 1883. It is still one of the most popular places of interest in New York

The plan for the Brooklyn Bridge was made by a man named John Roebling. This was in the year 1867

Roebling was a German. He emigrated to the United States when he was twenty-five. In 1867 Roebiling was already quite famous. Years before he had invented the steel cable (трос). Using this steel cable he built several bridges, one at Niagara Falls (Ниагарский водопад) and a second across the Monogahela River at Pittsburgh. He was sure he could build this new bridge.

It was decided to give Roebling a chance. A company was organized. Roebling was head engineer. He began to work making the plans for the bridge. He sent his son Washington to Europe to study some new bridges there. Some experiments had been made with working in a large box under water.

And then the accident happened. Roebling was working near the river. A boat struck the dock on which he \yas standing. Two weeks later he died. Before he died he asked that his son Washington should continue his work.

W Roebling began to work with the same interest and energy as his father. The bridge was begun. There were many problems. According to the plans, there were to be two large towers (башни). One of these towers was to be on the Brooklyn side of the river and the other was to be on the Manhattan side. From the towers hung (свешиваться) a system of steel cables These steel cables were to hold (удерживать) the bridge.

Today engineers know how to do these things. They have had experience. They have special machines But at that time no one knew exactly how to do this work. The Brooklyn Bridge was the first bridge of its kind in the world. They used the new box that Washington Roebling had studied m Europe. The box was made of wood and was about the size of a house. In this box men could work under water. Air was forced into the box and the water was forced out of it. It was very dangerous. No one understood the problems of this kind of work. Men became sick. There were many accidents Roebling himself worked with the men in the box. He tried to encourage the men.

One day a worker went down into the box He felt perfectly well. Within half an hour he began to feel strong pains (боль). Five minutes later he was dead. The same thing happened to other men One day Roebling himself had a similar attack He could not talk. He could not hear. He became paralysed. After a week or two he felt better. He went back agam to work in the box. He had a second attack, more serious than the first. He could not work again. In fact he was unable to work again during the rest of his life He remained a cripple (калека). Yet the work had to continue. And Washington Roebling continued to direct the construction of the bridge. His home was near the bridge. He used a telescope. He watched the work every day. His wife helped him. Each day she went to the bridge. She carried her husband's orders to the men. She worked with the men. At night she returned to her husband. She told him about the work of the day. In this way, year after year, the work continued.

In 1876 the first cable was placed from one tower to the other. In 1883 about fifteen years after it was first begun, the bridge was officially opened. Many important people, including the President of the US, took part in the ceremony. Washington Roebling watched the ceremony through his telescope.

The bridge was one of the wonders of the nineteenth century. It is still today. There is more traffic on it today than ever before The bridge remains very strong. It also remains a monument to the two men who built it, John Roebling and his son Washington.

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Crystal; wood, plastics; steel, stone; paper, limestone, glass, sand, clay; reinforced concrete; concrete, china	\|	B) Complete the statements choosing the variant corresponding to the contents of the text.

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