IELTS Listening 9 - Section 2
x1~cities~x2~(a) palace~x3~(the) coat hanger
x1~....................~x2~....................~x3~....................
x4~government / state / state government~x5~1924~x6~800 houses~x7~9.5 million~x8~horse
x4~....................~x5~....................~x6~....................~x7~....................~x8~....................
x9~2.3 kms / 2.3 kilometres~x10~(a) ship / (an) earthquake
x9~....................~x10~....................
Announcer
The Sydney Harbour Bridge is nearly three-quarters of a century old and,
to help celebrate this important occasion, our reporter Sarah Chambers has
compiled this brief history of her favourite bridge.
Sarah
A bridge is more than just a crossing over a river or a waterway - it is
a landmark in its own right; a landmark which allows us to identify one
city from another. Think,
for instance, of the Bridge of Sighs in Venice, or the magnificent Charles
Bridge in Prague. Each of these
cities can be recognised by their famous bridges. The Golden Gate
Bridge in San Francisco is another example of a city known by its bridge.
But in addition to this, a bridge is a kind of ornament for a city, similar,
if you like, to a cathedral or a
palace.
Here in Sydney we may not have our own palace, but we do have our famous
and much loved bridge -The Sydney Harbour Bridge, which is sometimes affectionately
known as 'the coat hanger'
because of its arched shape. It was built back in the 1930s, and so the
bridge is coming up for a significant birthday. Let's have a little look
at its history.
[Pause]
Although the idea of building a crossing over Sydney harbour had been discussed
many years earlier, it wasn't until the year
1916 that the state government
agreed to allocate some money for the construction of a bridge.
The chief engineer for the bridge was a man tailed Dr John Bradfield, a
brilliant engineer who supervised the entire project from beginning to end.
First they had to decide on a design, so he organised an international competition
to choose a design, and ultimately got the one he wanted. The job went to
a British engineering firm and the
contract was sinned in 1924.
The design he chose was the single-arch bridge that you see today, made
of steel, with a tower at either end.
In 1926, construction finally began. The first thing they had to do was
demolish 800 houses around
the site where the towers were to be built. The poor families, however,
never received any compensation for this! But the project created thousands
of jobs - much needed in those difficult times. Of course, like all projects
of this size, it took much longer to build than originally planned - it
was supposed to have been finished by 1930 - but actually it wasn't completed
for another two years. It also cost twice as much as the original quote,
coming in at £9.5 million
instead of the agreed contract price of £4.2 million! But what's new?
The opening ceremony took place on 19 March 1932, and a large crowd gathered
for the occasion. The Premier of the State was just about to cut the ribbon
when suddenly a man rode through
the crowd mounted on a horse and slashed the ribbon with his sword.
He wanted to be the first to cut the ribbon. Anyway, they tied the ribbon
back together and the ceremony continued.
The man on the horse was
fined £5 for his offensive behaviour!
Since then, millions of cars have crossed the bridge, each paying a toll
to do so. By the early 1980s the government had paid off the loan #or the
money they'd borrowed al! those years before, but motorists continued to
pay to cross from north to south. This money was subsequently used to build
a tunnel under the harbour to reduce the amount of traffic on the bridge.
[Pause]
The tunnel was opened in 1992 and cost $544 million. It is
2.3 kilometres long and
is equipped with all the latest technology, including closed circuit television
to monitor any problems. And it has most definitely reduced the load on
the bridge, as it carries around 75,000 vehicles each day which would otherwise
have to use the bridge. And it's apparently strong enough to withstand the
impact of a ship or even the impact
of an earthquake.
The tunnel has been a welcome solution to Sydney's traffic problems, but,
of course, a tunnel could never compete with a bridge as a landmark for
any city. So let's wish the bridge a very happy birthday!
Questions 11-20
Section 2:
You will hear an extract from a radio programme about a famous bridge.
First look at questions 11 to 20.
Now Listen carefully and answer Questions 11 to 20:
Questions 11-13
Complete the sentences below. Write NO MORE THAN
THREE WORDS for each answer.
11) ....................
are often known by their famous bridges.
12) The speaker compares a bridge
to a cathedral or .....................
13) Sydney Harbour Bridge is nicknamed
.....................
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Questions 14-18
Complete the form below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Date |
Event |
1916 |
(14) ....................
agreed to finance bridge
|
(15) ....................
1926
|
Contract signed with engineering firm
Construction involved:
• knocking down (16) ....................
• creation of many jobs
|
1932 |
Bridge completed at a cost of (17) £....................
|
March 1932 |
Opening ceremony Ribbon cut by a man riding a (18)
....................
|
IELTS Listening Tip
No answer in the IELTS Listening test is more than three words. Sixty
percent of the answers are just one word. There are usually only three or
four three-word answers in any test. (Look at the proportion of answer types
in the Practice Tests.) Occasionally, two letters are needed for one answer.
Listening questions are all in order. That is, the answer to question
1 comes on the recording before the answer to question 2. Often answers
are repeated. Questions become more difficult as the test progresses.
Questions 19 and 20
Complete the questions below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
19 How long is the tunnel?
....................
20 Name ONE thing
the tunnel can withstand. ....................
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