Table of Contents
BEST IELTS General Reading Test 198
IELTS GENERAL READING TEST 198 – PASSAGE – 3
IELTS GENERAL READING TEST – 198
READING PASSAGE – 3
The Golden Gate Bridge
Paragraph A: Nothing identifies a city more than the Golden Gate Bridge does San Francisco. Completed just six months after its neighbour, the San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge is painted a striking hue known as international orange, a reddish colour that was chosen to compliment the bridge’s natural surroundings. Spanning the San Francisco bay the Golden Gate is a suspension bridge, held up by massive steel cables strung between towers. Its central span, at 4,200 feet, remained the longest in the world until 1964. This bridge represents the city it serves probably more than any other bridge in the world and possibly more than any man- made structure.
Paragraph B: The idea of bridging the mile-wide Golden Gate channel was proposed as early as the 1870’s, but it was not until the San Francisco Call Bulletin began an editorial campaign in 1916 that the plan received popular backing. Rocky terrain and difficult weather conditions made the task appear impossible and the bridge’s detractors publicised this. However, following feasibility studies in 1923, the California legislature passed the Golden Gate Bridge and Highway District Act.
IELTS General Reading Test
The only problem was the funding, which was considerable, as the planning time was following the 1929 stock market crash. Then the Great Depression followed and of course money was hard to come by. It was decided to underwrite a major bond issue of $35,000,000 to fund the bridge. The idea was that tolls paid to cross the bridge would redeem the bond issue, pay the interest and maintenance, and probably make a profit.
Paragraph C: Aesthetes and environmentalists worried the bridge would mar the natural beauty of San Francisco’s world-famed harbour. A formidable group of civic leaders objected to the financing of the span through the proposed bond measure placed on the ballot for November 1930. Also opposing the bond measure were the Pacific American Steamship Association and the Ship Owners Association of the Pacific Coast who both charged that the Bridge would be a hazard to navigation and would handicap the shipping industry.
IELTS General Reading Test
A series of other accusations followed: an enemy fleet could demolish the bridge and bottle-up the US fleet. The bridge could not be built. It would not stand. It was vulnerable to earthquakes. The floor of the Golden Gate Strait would not support the weight of the bridge. The entire project was a hoax and sham. Only fools would buy bonds of a bridge certain to fall. Taxpayers would suffer and have to continue paying to finance the fiasco.
Paragraph D: Unions, and civic, trade and booster organisations stepped up their campaigns in support of the bond measure. The Redwood Empire Association maintained it would promote tourism in the northern California counties. The California State Automobile Association knew the bridge would encourage auto sales. San Francisco’s Chamber of Commerce agreed that the bridge could solve unemployment problems. Voters, despite the financial uncertainty that was used asfurther grounds to oppose the bridge, approved a $35 million construction bond in November1930.
IELTS General Reading Test
Paragraph E: Construction began on January 15, 1933 and was completed on May 27, 1937, ahead of schedule and under budget. The engineer overseeing the construction was Joseph Strauss. Strauss had originally wanted a different design for the bridge, but he was advised to accept advice from several consulting project experts. Finally, a suspension bridge was decided upon, due to various new developments in metallurgy. During the construction, Strauss instituted unprecedented protection measures including an early version of the hard hat and a fall net that stretched end-to-end under the bridge. While eleven workers died during the course of the project, nineteen others whose falls were broken by the net became known as the “Half-Way- to-Hell Club.”
Paragraph F: In 1989, the Loma Prieta earthquake shook the San Francisco area. Although the Golden Gate Bridge suffered no observed damage from it, since the epicentre was located some 60 miles to the south, the earthquake became a catalyst for an extensive renovation program.
IELTS General Reading Test
After determining that retrofitting the Bridge would be more cost-effective than replacing it, in 1992, the district hired engineering consultants to develop seismic retrofit design criteria. Because of financial constraints, the district proceeded with phasing the construction of the seismic retrofit in a manner that reflected the degrees of structural vulnerabilities. The work still goes on today and it is estimated that it will take another two or three years to make the bridge wholly safe from earthquakes.
Paragraph G: The Golden Gate Bridge currently serves as a vital transportation link between the City and County of San Francisco and Marin County to the north. The Bridge is a fixed six-lane roadway, is 1.7 miles long (the main span is 4,200 feet long), and carries about 112,000 vehicles per day. Tolls are assessed electronically in the southbound direction only – heading into San Francisco from Marin County. Pedestrians are allowed, but only on the East Sidewalk and at certain times. Bicycles are allowed, but electric bikes or animals are not.
IELTS General Reading Test
Questions 28 – 34
The text on the previous pages has 7 paragraphs (A – G).
Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below. Write the correct number, i – x, in boxes 28 – 34 on your answer sheet.
i. Scandal Intervenes
ii. To the Rescue
iii. The Shadow of War
iv. The Beginning of the Project
v. Opposition
vi. Recent Vulnerability
vii. Rising Costs and Worker Strikes
viii. Building and Safety
ix. An Iconic Symbol
x. Traffic Today
IELTS General Reading Test
28. Paragraph A
29. Paragraph B
30. Paragraph C
31. Paragraph D
32. Paragraph E
33. Paragraph F
34. Paragraph G
IELTS General Reading Test
Questions 35 – 39
Choose FIVE letters, A – I.
What five of the following reasons were used to oppose the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge?
Write the correct letter, A – I.
A. Unions would oppose the plan.
B. The weather would be too poor at the construction site.
C. The bridge would not look beautiful enough.
D. Tolls for crossing the bridge would not raise enough money to pay back the bonds and their interest.
E. The bridge would potentially threaten the operational capability of the US military forces in San Francisco Bay.
F. The bridge would be bad for tourism in the area of the bridge.
G. The seabed would not be strong enough to hold the bridge’s weight.
H. The financial uncertainty of the time would undermine the project.
I. The bridge’s construction would destroy the marine ecosystem at the construction site.
IELTS General Reading Test
Question 40
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
40. What is the writer’s purpose in the text in section 3?
A. To criticise construction methods of the Golden Gate Bridge.
B. To highlight the advantages of using the Golden Gate Bridge.
C. To provide an overview of the construction and use of the Golden Gate Bridge.
D. To describe the problems facing the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge.
ANSWERS ARE BELOW
IELTS General Reading Test
ANSWERS
28. ix
29. iv
30. v
31. ii
32. viii
33. vi
34. x
35. B*
36. C*
37. E*
38. G*
39. H*
40. C