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,the world's longest bridge will weigh nearly 300000 tons―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 tower'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 1 39000 tons―equivalent to the weight of about 100，000 cars.Those anchors are essential.____(5)____
词汇：
legendary adj. 传说中的 gorge n.峡谷
monster n怪物，妖怪 mammoth v.巨大的
lurk v. 潜伏 hefty adj.高强度的
Sicily 西西里岛(意大利南部) sling v. 用悬带吊挂(slung,slung)
Tyrrhenian Sea 第勒尼安海 beefy adj. 结实的
Messina Strait 墨西拿海峡 yank v.拽
注释：
1. Rumor has it that ：传说中的…… Rumor has it that 这是一种固定结构。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(呼啸而过)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 mass.
答案与题解：
1.C 选项C中有一个关键词beast，与第一句中的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。填在第二段段首，意思连贯。
3.E “空3”前面的句子中有 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具体地介绍了它们的重量，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。
