词汇文本

Transcript:
Everyone knows this leaning tower but how about this one? Experts say the famous London landmark could go the same way as the iconic Italian monument. Cracks have been spotted in the walls of the Parliament building; recent construction work may have caused subsidence. But time is on its side as the tower won't tilt as much as Pisa's for at least 10,000 years.

Vocabulary:

landmark: well-known building or structure

cracks: partial breaks

subsidence: movement of earth

time is on (its) side: it won't happen quickly

tilt: lean to one side

Exercise:

Use one of the words or phrases below to complete each of these sentences from BBC news reports. Note that you may have to change the form of a word to complete the sentence correctly.

landmark / cracks / subsidence / time is on (its) side / tilt

1. The structure - dubbed the blinking eye bridge because of its ability to _______ to allow ships pass under it - opened to the public on 17 September 2001.

2. There were fears that the east end of the building would collapse, after centuries of ____________. Deep-sea diver, William Walker, worked under water in total darkness for six years placing bags of concrete to stabilise the building.

3. The 14m (45ft) high letters in the Hollywood Hills above Los Angeles have been a Californian ______________ since 1923.

4. For the Royal Family's most high profile new recruit, a role continues to be carved out. She is, like Prince William, still tiptoeing towards her destiny.______________. She has four patronages, not 400.

5. Nimet, a mother of three, told Reuters she was tempted to return to her damaged home. "It looks fine from the outside, but inside it looks very unstable with all the ___________ in the walls. What other choice do we have but to go back to our houses?" she said.

词汇答案

Answers:

1. The structure - dubbed the blinking eye bridge because of its ability to tilt to allow ships pass under it - opened to the public on 17 September 2001.

2. There were fears that the east end of the building would collapse, after centuries of subsidence. Deep-sea diver, William Walker, worked under water in total darkness for six years placing bags of concrete to stabilise the building.

3. The 14m (45ft) high letters in the Hollywood Hills above Los Angeles have been a Californian landmark since 1923.

4. For the Royal Family's most high profile new recruit, a role continues to be carved out. She is, like Prince William, still tiptoeing towards her destiny. Time is on her side. She has four patronages, not 400.

5. Nimet, a mother of three, told Reuters she was tempted to return to her damaged home. "It looks fine from the outside, but inside it looks very unstable with all the cracks in the walls. What other choice do we have but to go back to our houses?" she said.