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Syscrapers
The term ‘skyscraper’ has been used in a number of ways over the years: an ornament on the top of a building, a high-flying bird, a very tall man and a sail at the top of a mast.
At the end of the nineteenth century, the word was used to refer to buildings of ten storeys or more. Later, a lift was used to take people up to the higher floors, as in the most famous skyscraper, the Empire State Building.
In the nineteenth century, as cities grew more crowded with people looking for work the value of land rose.
New businesses were starting and in order to make room for offices on a small plot of land, it was necessary to build higher.
But the problem was that to put up a stone building of such height, the walls on the ground floor would have to be more than two metres thick to hold the weight of the building. So another material was required to make skyscrapers possible.
About this time, three buildings were put up that used iron or steel to support great weight with safety. They were the Crystal Palace in London, the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Brooklyn Bridge in New York. From then on, architects started to experiment with buildings that had steel frames. Today, the tallest skyscrapers are a hundred storeys or more, compared to the first 10 storeys skyscrapers, which seem tiny.
QUESTIONS
1) The text gives information about
a. the most famous skyscrapers in the world today.
b. the people who designed skyscrapers.
c. why skyscrapers were needed
2) In the past, the word ‘skyscraper’ had
a. only one meaning
b. different meanings
c. the same meaning as today
3) In the middle ages, they built tall churches because
a. they were more beautiful
b. it felt like approaching God
c. they took in more people
4) Why were taller buildings necessary in the nineteenth century? Because
a. they were cheaper
b. land was expensive
c. they made better offices
5) In the nineteenth century, skyscrapers were needed
a. for offices
b. as houses for the poors
c. for shops
6) What was the problem with making tall buildings with stone?
a. It was an expensive material
b. It was too heavy
c. It wasn’t strong enough
GRAMMATICA E LESSICO
7) "Over" nella prima riga significa:
a. Sopra
b. Mentre
c. Durante
8) "Lift" (riga 4) significa
9) Conosci l'equivalente americano della parola "lift"?
10) Analizza la parola "rose" alla riga 13 (indica che parte della frase è ed il suo significato in italiano)
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