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‘Sky Pool’ Opens over London Streets

1. Discuss
Discuss the following with a partner.

1. Read the title of this Handout. How high do you think the pool is?

2. Do houses have swimming pools in your country?

3. Are there any buildings with interesting architectural features in your

city?

2. Reading and Listening headphones

Fill gaps 1-8 as you read or listen to the article.

a. bustling b. adjacent c. transparent d. lack

1 Embassy Gardens, a London development, has opened what is being called the world’s first Sky Pool. The completely
2 1. swimming pool has been built between the roofs of two 2. buildings, making
3 swimmers appear as if they are floating in the air. The pool was designed because of the 3. of room
4 to build a large enough pool atop either one of the buildings. It stretches across the 14-meter gap between the two
5 apartment buildings and is 25 meters long and 3.2 meters deep. Floating 35 meters above the ground, swimmers will be
6 able to see through the pool’s transparent bottom to the 4. city streets below.

a. open to b. one of c. in the d. at you

1 The pool was produced 5. USA, then sent on an 8,000-kilometer journey to its new home in London.
2 Brian Eckersley, the director of 6. the companies that designed and built the pool says that,
3 “swimmers can look right down. It will be like flying.” The pool will only be 7. residents of Embassy
4 Gardens and their guests, who can also enjoy other amenities, like bars, lounges, a gym, and even a cinema. Apartments
5 in the development start at $1.2 million. So, the next time you visit London, why not look up at the sky to see if someone
6 is looking down 8. ?

3. True or False
Are the statements true or false? Reference the article to correct false statements.

1. The swimming pool is partially transparent. true / false

2. There wasn’t enough room to build a pool on the roof of either building. true / false

3. The pool is suspended 25 meters above the street below. true / false

4. The London public can swim in the pool. true / false

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 4. Complete the Sentences
Complete sentences 1-6 with endings a-f. Identify grammar patterns to help.

1. ______ The completely transparent swimming a. bars, lounges, a gym, and even a cinema.
pool has been
b. on an 8,000-kilometer journey to its new home in
2. ______ It stretches across London.

3. ______ Swimmers will be able to see c. up at the sky to see if someone is looking down at you?

4. ______ The pool was produced in the USA, then d. through the pool’s transparent bottom to the bustling
sent city streets below.

5. ______ Residents can enjoy other amenities, like e. the 14-meter gap between the two apartment buildings.

6. ______ The next time you visit London, why not f. built between the roofs of two adjacent buildings.
look

5. Vocabulary Match
Match words 1-6 to synonyms or meanings a-f. Check the article for context clues.

1. ______ transparent <adj> a. Full of activity.

2. ______ lack of <noun> b. Traveling from one place to another.

3. ______ gap <noun> c. The fact that there is not enough of something.

4. ______ bustling <adj>
5. ______ journey <noun>
6. ______ amenities <noun>
d. Allowing light to pass through so that objects behind can be easily
seen.
e. A desirable or useful feature or facility of a building or place.
f. An empty space between two things.

6. Word Choice
Fill the gaps in the sentences by choosing the best option a-c.

1. ______ The pool was designed because of the lack of room to build a a. too large
b. larger
pool atop either one of the buildings.
c. large enough

2. ______ It stretches across the 14-meter gap between the two apartment a. but is
b. and is
buildings 25 meters long and 3.2 meters deep.
c. and are

3. ______ Residents can enjoy other amenities, like bars, a. as well

b. too
lounges, a gym, and even a private cinema.
c. also

4. ______ The next time you visit London, why not at the a. look
b. look at
sky to see if someone is looking down at you?
c. look up

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