-,;=u a*- .

F
E

ffixpmrimme e:
'a,:1
1; :: .,:,;
,.;.1,
. e reate:
w South Africa . technical diagrams e a presentation
e France ,:,, ar1 autobiography a an explanation for
e Russia I poetry a proverb

* Japan a a haiku poem

o journal entries

How do we cross rivers? In the quotation

Below are some usefultips for learning new
above, the poet remembers how on her way '
vocabularg.
home from school in South Africa she used to
Trgto use new words in gour writing and when
cross the river which had been swollen by
gou talk about the toPic.
rain. They would keep their school uniforms
Look for connections, magbe Uou can
and books dryby carrying them in a bundle
remember oPPosites, or word roots'
on top of their heads. That is certainly one way
Make a list of related technical terms'
+ of crossing a river. A bridge is another way'

I
I
 a

How do we build bridges? Word origins

ingenuitg and ingenious come
Building bridges requires ingenuity. Over the centuries, there
from the Latin noun ingenium
have been many innovations in bridge-building techniques. In
which means 'natural talent'. In
this unit you will get the opportunity to research some of them.
English ingenious means clever
Bridge building has been important to the growth of towns and at making or inventing things.
cities, and for crossing rivers, mountains and valleys. The technique is from the Greek word
Romans built bridges to help expand their empire across tekhne and refers to 'art, skill,
Europe. ! craft' in the mechanical arts.
Bridge-building, emploging highlg
Roman bridges are often in the form of a circular stone arch, specialized engineers, is a highlg
which allowed a bridge to cover a larger area than the older technicol skill.
style stone slab or wooden beam bridges. An amazing example
oqueduct from the Latin is made
of Roman bridge building using arches is the Pont du Gard up of two words, aqua lfor waterJ
aqueduct near Nimes, in southern France, built in 14 cs. and ductus from ducore which
means'to lead'. An aqueduct
moves water from one place to
another, and can be below or
above ground. @

@W
Discuss the meaning of the
following words.
to swell
innovations
to expand
empire
a rch
The Pont du Gard aqueduct in Southern France.
slab
beam
Make gour own word pool of
Point
ang other unfamiliar words.
1 Do gou know what this bridge was used for?
? What is remarkable about this bridge structure?
3 Do gou know of ang other above-ground aqueducts?

€

TSpes of bridge construction
Beam bridge
deck pile (pier)
This type of bridge is a good design when
trying to span a short gap that is also not
very high. A beam bridge is supported on
either end by land or tall columns. (A
column is also called a pier or a pile)
Arch bridge 2
hillside deck
This is another form of the arch bridge
used in valley or hillside locations to bridge
land masses. Some of the most spectacular
bridges have been buiit in remote mountain
locations using this difficult and adaptable
form of construction.
Truss bridge
truss triangle
beam
The truss bridge is like a beam bridge
except it is much stronger. These bridges use
a 'truss' pattern of triangles for structural
support. Truss bridges are often used for
qtFtq. railway bridges as they can support the
great weight and the vibrations of the trains.
I suspension bridges.
I
Arch bridge 1
span
pile deck
An arch supports weight because the bridge
is squeezed together. This squeezing force is
carried along the curve to the supports at
each end. Building an arch bridge is
difficult because it is completely unstable
until it meets in the middle.
Suspension brid$e
cable
pylon (tower)
deck
foundation
The suspension bridge is the best kind of
bridge to go over a large body of water. A
suspension bridge hangs from steel cables.
Because the deck is hung in the air, it must
be either heary or stiff or both to limit
movement.
Cable-stayed bridge
pylon suspension
pile
cables
A cable-stayed bridge is like a suspension
bridge, but the cables are tied directly from
the deck to the pylon towers instead of from
a hanging cable. The cables form an ',{
shape. Cable-stayed bridges use less cable
and can be built much faster than
''": -- 1.-u' '

X{ow rmexxy differex}t kinds of

hrf,dges &re there?
These days, most bridges make use of one or more of GLOSSARY
the five
basic bridge types: the beam, the arch, the truss, the suspension deck: the road of a bridge.
or the cable-stayed bridge. Bridge builders have to d.etermine pile: a verticalsupport driven
in
each case what the bridge will be used for (i.e. for road, rnto the ground that carries the
rail,
pedestrian use, or ail combined) as well as the best methods weight of the bridge

and materials for its construction. pglon: a tower-like verirca

support.
Building bridges is a serious business, and can put both bridge SPan: a section between ilr,o
builders and bridge users in danger if they are not built pglons.
properly. You dont want a bridge to collapse! suspension cable: braided wire
that supports a bridge.
Not all bridges use complicated construction methods. Think
of the simple log or rope bridge, for instance. How many
different kinds of bridges can you think of? Look at the
information on the previous page.
e Find examples of these different kinds of bridges
& How is the weight distributed in each kind of bridge?
o Can you identify what is wrong with this picture?

iq i*

:v.
\lc *{

v. It. .dr'
\
t
7
: 4? t
A\
./
*h- \ir
9

At ila, -.1- <

.t- \th .z- lr I
1
-
How many different kinds of
bridges are there?
These days, most bridges make use of one or more of the five
basic bridge types: the beam, the arch, the truss, the suspension
n
or the cable-stayed bridge. Bridge builders have to determine in
into the ground that carries the
each case what the bridge will be used for (i.e. for road, rail,
weight of the bridge.
pedestrian use, or all combined) as well as the best methods
pglon: a tower-like vertical
and materials for its construetion.
support.
Building bridges is a serious business, and can put both bridge span: a section between two
builders and bridge users in danger if they are not built pglons.

properly. You dont want a bridge to collapse! suspension cable: braided wire
that supports a bridge.
Not all bridges use complicated construction methods. Think
of the simple log or rope bridge, for instance. How many
different kinds of bridges can you think of? Look at the
information on the previous page.
o Find examples of these different kinds of bridges
a How is the weight distributed in each kind of bridge?
G Can you identify what is wrong with this picture?
g'
v),r/
J
sv 9,

-J
^ Lt n"' tv)
(o)v

:'7,

.-a-r.:

v. ll' lAi
,t
'?

4?
AI
--:x r/
**
*fu,, {ytf

"F: G,
\&,
ila
,t-- 2?. L
 r

What use is a keystone?

The keystone is the most important stone in
an arch bridge - without this stone the arch
would collapse. The keystone holds the arch
together.

Draw or find an image of a stone arch and

label the keystone. Explain how the Keystone
works.

:
di6tt@{GdqBi

10

I I
 'r' i. :r ',.
-t-.
i::':',.. i::.. i'l :.i: i .: l :, : :

Choose a bridge anywhere in the world to research.

Find out about its:
't geographical position (Where in the world is it?
What areas does it connect?)
* history (When was it built? Has it been rebuilt at
any time?)
* structure (What makes it strong? How is the weight
distributed?)
* importance. (Is it an important landmark? How
does it benefit local people?)

Discuss the significance of your bridge to the history

of bridge design and construction. Perhaps it is
famous because of a local legend or historical event.
Mnyb. you came across an image of it captured in a
photograph, film or artwork.

Provide an illustration or a 3D model to explain the

technical features. Look at the images of bridges on
the following pages and use the news article and fact
file on pages 14-15 as a model for your own research. Students in Quebec, Canada add more weight
Use your notes and visual support material to make a to their pasta bridge. How much more before
it breaks?
presentation in class. Alternativeiy, present your
findings as a news magazine article. ffi

' r,.l: 4

Er .z
 Can you identify these bridges?
Match the pictures to the notes below. r

I s wnb at d, Kt"ngsLon brunel

won w cr;mPehhnn ir, 183o for
hls d'esr4n of lhe
U1
Ctt'|*nn

Rlvex Avon un brlstnL, t/K' At

lhe Lune of cnnsfxwcl)an
(c.ampLet*A 1864), th hal- the l:: ---....-.
t"ongesL sPan ol ang briA4e t'n
lhe worl,L.

!: !y, Ls.SLe4s
tn SomexseL,
Lngt4-rd, ay olA stnne
clapper brd,4e, made
wilhouL
axg czmenL or morW. .ri
Htslnr'tnns are d,iviAel_
over
tts p.oss;hta d_a.Luq
bark tn
pre-hustara t)mes
and_ LLs
**) me.dJaeval orr4uas 7
:ir:.cucu
of 14OO CE

Bu*L cn 1913, the Bosphorus

roPe. brd4e
EnAge m Turke4 t)nks the fivs susPend'eA
two sLd.es of lstanbuL and. '^::;;* aL Sentnsu'
t'a4oon
rk,e anLixenLs at Ast;l- attd. ue onLg for
S*o*ott,
lt :wungr and
E:.,.rcpe.
i;;;^"'
'; SrNA-U5 &9 UoU r/'l&lx '

a
*
'Lt' LA.y) n
&
brt4rro*.loveq'
tLouLd
* d:" world,!) 7"ot-t*, o
- qU\here^o
L2
F
A pagoda is a Hindu or Buddhist
temple or sacred building,
tgpicallg having the form of a
t multi-storeg tower with an
e
orna mented projecting roof.
3
POW is a short version of
'prisoner of war.

ls* Eai ,:

ii TT: t:

bi.

What kind of bridges are theg?

What can go over them?
Do gou know where these bridges are?

I What is special about these bridges?

€
 i
{

A news article
Readthe fact file and answer questions on the Millau Viaduct built in
Southern Massif Central, France. Use this article and fact file as a
model for gour own research.

What is taller than the Eiffel Tower?

Millau, France
What is taller than the Eiffel
Tower in Paris and one of the
engineering wonders of the
twenty-first century? It is the
Millau Viaduct, the world's highest
road bridge over the River Tarn
at Millau in southern France.
The Millau bridge is so high in
the sky that it touches the edge
of the clouds. The bridge has been
widely admired for its elegant
and delicate structure as n'ell as
its sheer strength and lightness.
the highest
The Millau Viaduct, as
,i
and the heaviest bridge ever built,
I

Like Concorde and the Channel used construction and design

Tunnel, the bridge is Franco- techniques which did not exist
British. It was designed by the even ten years ago. An even bigger
bridge is planned to span the
British architect Norman Foster
and built by the French Straits of Messina between The Eiffel Tower in Paris

construction group Eiffage. southern Italy and Sicily.

ra

I
I
f

L4
i
The Millau Viaduct, built in Southern Massif Central, France
E.

UK f:|.:

*
E
w@t
LANT to admire dual carriagewag
elega nt elevated
Atlantic
Ocean ITALY
delicate road toll

Nice
Marsei
-l Word origins
SPAIN € viaduct is an elevated road or railwag. The word
comes from the Latin words vio which means a
Map of France, showing Paris and Millau. road, and ducore whlch-means'to lead'.

FACTFILE 4,

@ Millau is pronounced 'me-go'.
@ Construction was completed in 2004.
@ Height: 343 metres at its hlghest point
making it the most elevated roadwag in
the world.
1 How manu vehicles a dag will pass over the
Millau Viaduct from June to the beginning
of September?
2 How is France able to pag for the building
of the bridge?

@ Total length: 2.4 kilometres. 3 What is another word for high? Hint: check
the fact file.
@ Width: 25 metres. The dual carriagewag is
suspended nearlg 250 metres above the
River Tarn. The deck structure is light but a

verg strong.

@ Weight: 242,000tonnes [36,000 of steel 1 Whg is the Millau Viaduct different from ang
and 206,000 of concrete]. other bridge in the world?

@ The Millau Viaduct will carrg 10,000 2 What kind of bridge is the Millau Viaduct?
vehicles a dag, risingto 25,000 during
the summer.

@ lt took more than 500 people three gears The Millau Viaduct is the hrghest road
to construct. bridge in the world.

e The f 276 million cost will be repaid bg Highest is a superlative. The

road tolls. superlative is formed bg the suffix

@ The road slopes down at a 3% angle from -est, for example smallest, or bg the
north to south. word most before the adjective, for
example most beautifut. @
€
 {.wr

Autobiography
From Crossing the Rfuer by Sergei
Askanoff
The events in the following text took place in
Russia over two hundred Uears ago. lvan was
in charge of the familg servants who were
bringingthe writer, SergeiAskanoff, home from
school for the summer holidags. Theg have to
cross the River Kama bg ferrgboat. At the time
Sergeiwas just nine gears old.

*> Crossing the River crR

The mightg Kama River, one of
Russia's major rivers.

# In the afternoon we reached the bank of the Kama River.

Opposite us was the village to which we were going to cross
by ferrvboat. On the bank waiting to cross with us were
three loaded carts with their drivers, and a group of villagers.
5 The women were carrying baskets full of berries which they
were carrying home. The ferryboat was tied to the bank, but
there was no ferryman to row us across the river. After some
discussion, the villagers and my family servants decided to
take us across the river themselves. One of the villagers said
10 he had been a ferryman for some years so he would take the
steering oar and guide the ferryboat across.

The ferryboat was loaded. The three carts with their drivers,
my carrrage with its three horses and my famlly servants,
the villagers and the women with their baskets were all
15 loaded on board. The man who said he was a ferryman took
his place at the steering oar. My servant Ivan had the courage
and strength of ten men and he and some villagers took the
other oars. Although the village was directly opposite, we
had to row upstream for more than a verst before turning
20 across the river. This was to avoid the current of the angry
Kama River.

The boat was moving slowly upstream when a black cloud

{ffi@ suddenly appeared and covered the horizon. A violent summer
16 storm was approaching. To save time, the men rowed only
 t-
.aF

25 part of the necessary verst upstream. They then murmured

a prayer and started to row straight across the river. But Averst is an old Russian
before we reached the middle of the river, the sky and the measu rement of distance
water grew black, the wind blew like a hurricane, and thunder which is about one kilometre
and lightning broke over us. The man at the steering oar
30 dropped his oar in panic and confessed that he had never
been a ferryman and could not steer. The women shrieked
in terror. I was so frightened that I just shook with terror
and could not make a sound.
@W
ferrgboat Itine 3]
The current carried us down several versts to a sandbank steering oa r I rr )

35 in the river about a hundred yards from the bank, where we current [20]
came to a halt. Ivan sprang into the chest-high water. He horizon Iz:J
made the quietest of our horses j.r-p off the ferryboat. He
hurricane [28)
managed to put me on rt andtold me to hang onto the horse's
mane [39]
mane. Then he led the horse by its bridle as great waves of
bridle [3eJ
40 black water rushed past. Suddenly Ivan disappeared into
deep water and my horse began to swim. I have never
forgotten the terror which I felt at that moment.

I felt as though I was drowning in the great black waves,

but Ivan was a strong swimmer. He swam on to the
45 shallow water where he could stand without letting go of
the horse's bridle. Then he brought us safely to the bank. I
was taken off the horse almost unconscious with my
hands stiff from clinging to the horse's mane. Soon I
recovered and was very happy to find that everyone
50 was safe.

SBncBr AsreNorr

. t- ,u, \z ci .\Y qY -r u v t- * * + *) *r ro <* (' LD 4''8 &'@'

JonrnaL
kt4hLentng ev'Poir'nc'e
lhaL gou
Thirlk ahout, e YIAJ4
ho-ve hat".

WriLe o,x1 trr;lvnb of ih

€
 = re

1 What kind of boat took the people across the river? How was
it powered?
2 What is the opposite of downstream? [tine 19]
3 Which words and expressions suggest fear? [paragraph 3]
4 What do gou think a'sandbank'is? [tine 3+)
5 What's the difference between 'chest-high'water, deep water
and 'shallow water'?"

1 Whg did the ferrgboat have to go upstream before crossing

the river?
r What had the women who were returning to their village
been doing?
',, What do gou find out about the villager who said he had been
a ferrgman?
.: What caused the man who was steering the boat to drop
his oar?
5 What sort of man was lvan?
6 What lessons do gou think are learned in this storg?

An outobiographg is what a writer writes about his or her own life

The ancient Greek word auto means 'self'. Can gou think of some
words which begin with outo that means 'self,?
first cars were called outomobiles because theg
For example, the
moved bg themselves without horses pulling them.
@

18
 7,

W&eexx do br&dges
&x?d r&vers Word origins
literollg, or literolfrom the
e??e&x& s&&e&ee&x&xxg e&se? French, comes from the Latin
Sometimes when we use the terms'building bridges' or word /itterolis and means
trossing rivers', we mean something else. You are not meant to 'natural meaning', a straight
take it literally but, rather, metaphorically. interpretation of the facts as
written down or spoken.
Writers, poets and artists often build bridges in their minds,
metophor, from the latin
and use these images as a metaphor, that is, as a poetic idea or a metaphor, is a common wau
way of talking about things differently. of saging one thing to mean
another, often used in poetic
We may use an image of crossing a flooded river to talk about
writing, orto make a useful
another kind of challenge altogether. This challenge might be
comparison bg swapping one
just as daunting as a big rruer.@
word for another.

.l'.i ;.: a.,l:::.

.:
i:.i1,,i;:::. i..,!

What is a proverb? What do you think each of these three

proverbs means? (Sometimes we know their sources,
sometimes we dont!)

It s a big river indeed that cannot be crossed. Maori

proverb from New Zealand

Don't change horses while crossing a river.

We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Think of a situation that would fit each proverb. Can you think
of any more proverbs?

* Consider how you will explain the situation.

* Include a lot of detail on the circumstances and background.
*, Describe the feelings of those involved.

€
,{rir!'!ffif

The hridge in poetry

Poetrg often uses the metaphor of the bridge, or the crossing.
@@
See these examples below. highwag Iline 1]
chasm [3J
twilight Is]
s> The Bridge B,uilder cce sullen [6)

ffi An old man, going a lone highway

Came, at the evening, cold and gray,
tide IsJ
pilgrim Ie]
To a chasm, vast, and deep, and wide,
Through which was flowing a sullen tide.

5 The old man crossed in the twilight dim; Looking closelg

The sullen stream had no fears for him;
What words does the
But he turned, when safe on the other side,
poet use to create a
And built a bridge to span the tide. feeling of sadness?
'OId man,' said a fellow pilgrim, near, What word does the poet
10 'You are wasting strength with building here; use to describe a deep
Your journey will end with the ending day; va lleg ?

You never agatr must pass this way; What is a poetic word for

You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide, twilight? [line 14]
\fhy build you the bridge at the eventide?' What is a 'pitfall'?
15 The builder lifted his old gray head: Iine 20]
'Good friend, in the path I have come,'he said,

'There followeth after metoday

A youth, whose feet must pass this way.'
1 Whg does the old man
'Thiq chasm, that,has been naught,,to me, want to build a bridge?
20 To that fair-haired youth ma
2 Whg does the pilgrim tell
him he is wasting his
time?
3 What might the passing
of the dag sgmbolize?
4 Who is the'fair-haired
gouth'?

?o
 tlr

ffi

,o1 Br'dge <-ue %1 Sridge to You cDR

Clasped together Bridge to your house

intimate and tight Our friendship
Abundant love flows
we really don't know
nor care JoHN Trouc CuuNcnoo
who was the first
to extend
a hand.

\Trrueu Menn

€
t

'Bridge to you' is ahaiku. Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry

Word origins
that, like bridge building, is based on a knowledge of the
Atendrilis a part of a creeper
structure. Each complete haiku has just 3 lines and a total of 17
plant or vine. lt comes from
syllables in the pattern of:
the French word tendrillon
Line 1: 5 syllables which means a bud or a shoot.
Line2: 7 syllables
Line 3: 5 syilables

The lines do not rhyme.

The form was first used by the |apanese poet Basho in the
seventeenth century. His real name was Matsuo Munefusa. He
was called Basho because he used to withdraw from life and live
in his basho-un, a hut made of plantain leaves. In this hut he used
to meditate on the meaning of life and write his poetry.

Haikus give the reader an impression, in the same way that a

photograph or painting might capture a single image of the
world. Haikus were often about nature and the changing seasons.

In the following haiku, Basho is looking at a swing-bridge which

:.

i
is now covered by creepers that have stopped it from moving.
How could this poem relate to a person's life?

Now the swinging bridge

is quieted with creepers
like our tendrilled life.

s{

#@'-.\"
22

I
.il
r it it,i :t..ii
1

Now it's your turn! You can use the ideas from one of the image
or texts in this unit. For example, the story Crossing the River
could be:

Angry uaters toss

a ferryboat on the wdues
of the black riuer.

The syllables are counted like,this:

An-gry wat-ers /oss = 5 syllables

a fe-rry-boat on tbe waues = 7 syllables
on the black riu-er = 5 syllables Total 17 = syllables

When you have written your haiku, make sure the syllables
add up to the correct number. ffi

{?

E
.l
3 T
{',' )1
'
,] *
L
,' +
:
:, .,:l ,L