He World's Longest Bridge
Rumor has it that1 a legendary six-headed monster lurks in the deep waters of the Tyrrhenian
Sea between Italy and the island of Sicily.(1) When completed in 2010,theworld's longest bridge will weigh nearly 300,000 tons 一 equivalent to the iceberg that sank the Titanic — and stretch 5 kilometers long." That's nearly 50 percent longer than any other bridge ever built.’，says structural engineer Shane Rixon.
(2) They're suspension bridges,massive structures built to span vast water channels or gorges.A suspension bridge needs just two towers to shoulder the structure's mammoth weight,thanks to hefty supporting cables slung between the towers and anchored firmly in deep pools of cement at each end of the bridge.The Messina Strait Bridge will have two 54，100-ton towers,which will support most of the bridge's load.The beefy cables of the bridge,each 1.2 meter in diameter,will hold up the longest and widest bridge deck ever built.
When construction begins on the Messina Strait Bridge in 2005,the first job will be to erect two 370 meter-tall steel towers.(3 ) Getting these cables up will be something2.It's not just their length — totally 5.3 kilometers — but their weight.—— (4)
After lowering vertical"suspender"，cables from the main cables,builders will erect a 60 meter-wide 54,630-ton steel roadway,or deck— wide enough to accommodate 12 lanes of traffic.The deck's weight will pull down on the cables with a force of 70,500 tons.In return,the cables yank up against their firmly rooted anchors with a force of 139，000 tons — equivalent to the weight of about 100,000 cars.Those anchors are essential.(5)
词汇：
legendary 传说中的 gorge 峡谷
monster 怪物，妖怪 mammoth 巨大的
lurk 潜伏 hefty 高强度的
Sicily 西西里岛(意大利南部) sling 用悬带吊挂
Tyrrhenian Sea 第勒尼安海 beefy 结实的
Messina Strait 墨西拿海峡 yank 拽
注释：
1.Rumor has it that:有传言说…………rumor has it that是一种固定结构。it是宾语，that引导的从句具体说明it的内容。
2.something:值得重视的人或事
练习：
A.Some environmentalists are against the project on biological grounds.
B.What do the world's longest bridges have in common?
C.If true,one day you might spy the beast while zipping (呼晡而过)across the Messina Strait Bridge.
D.They're what will keep the bridge from going anywhere.
E.The second job will be to pull two sets of steel cables across the strait,each set being a bundle of 44,352 individual steel wires.
F.They will tip up the scales at 166,500 tons — more than half the bridge's total
答案与题解：
1.C选项C中有一个关键词beast,与第一句的monster相呼应。所以，C是答案。
2.B第二段第二.句的主语是They。由于表语是suspension bridges,They替代的一定是 前面句子出现过的bridges。六个选项中，只有B含有bridges，且填在第二段段首意思 连贯。
3.E"空3”前面的句子有the first job这几个词。有first,必有second/then。六个选项中，只 有E含有The second job。所以，E是答案。
4.F"空4”前面的句子说的是，把这些吊索吊高定位是有难度的，不仅仅由于它们很长，还 由于它们很重。F介绍了它们的重量，应该是“空4”前面的句子的后续句。
5.D"空5”前面的句子说的是，桥桩很重要。为什么很重要呢? D解释了桥桩的作用，意思 连贯，所以是答案。
译文：世界上最长的桥
据传说，在意大利和西西里岛间的第勒尼安海的深处，潜伏着一头神奇的六头怪兽。如果这是真的，你有可能在飞驶过墨西拿海峡桥时窥视到这怪物。到2010年该桥竣工的时候，它将是一座世界上最长且重达30万吨的大桥，这个重量近似于撞沉泰坦尼克号巨轮的冰山的重量。这座桥长约5千米，桥的结构工程师雪恩·里克森说：“|它比有史以来最长的桥还长出约50%。”
那么，世界上最长的这些桥之间有什么共同点呢?它们都是吊桥，有着巨大的桥的构架，横跨航道或峡谷间的巨大水域。一座吊桥只需要两个塔身来支撑绳索。墨西拿海峡桥的两座塔将分别重54100吨，它们将支撑住桥的大部分重量。桥的绳索很结实，每条直径1.2米，它们将支起建桥史上最长最宽的桥板。
墨西拿海峡桥的建造将于2005年开始，那时要做的第一项工作将是树立起两座370米高的铁塔。第二项工作将是在海峡两端支起两套钢索，每一套绳索由44352根单独的钢缆组成。把这些钢缆举起来是很不容易地。这不仅仅体现在钢缆很长(共有5.3千米)，而且也由于它们的重量，它们将重达166500吨，这个重量已超过类桥总重量的一半。
在从主绳索上降下垂直的悬索后，建造者将造起一条60米宽、54630吨重的公路，或者说是桥板，这个宽度的路将可容纳12条交通车道。桥板的重量将使两端的钢索负重70500吨。反过来，相应的钢索将以139000吨的力度拽着牢牢扎根了的固定物，这个力度近似于10万辆轿车的总重量。这些桥桩是很必要的，正是这些桥桩防止了桥的随便移动。
