Simon
128
IELTS
reading exercises
Compiled by
Ulugbek Yusupov
Created by
Proper English School
+998 90 770-99-77
Page 9
Exercise 14
IELTS Reading: matching exercise
Read the following passage and try the matching exercise below.
London Bridge
Many historical bridges named London Bridge have spanned the River Thames in central
London. The current crossing, which was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1973, was built
using concrete and steel. This replaced a 19th-century stone-arched bridge, which in turn
superseded a 600-year-old medieval structure. This was preceded by a succession of
timber bridges, the first built by the Roman founders of London.
“Old” London Bridge was built between 1176 and 1209, during the reign of King John. The
bridge was around 8 metres wide and 250 metres long, and it had a drawbridge for the
passage of tall ships up-river, and defensive gatehouses at both ends. By the fifteenth
century there were some 200 buildings on the bridge. Some stood up to seven stories high,
some overhung the river by seven feet, and some overhung the road, to form a dark tunnel
through which all traffic had to pass. By the end of the 18th century, it was apparent that
“Old” London Bridge, which was by then over 600 years old, needed to be replaced.
The “New” London Bridge was designed by John Rennie and opened in 1831. It was
283 metres long and 15 metres wide, and in 1896 it was the busiest point in London, with
8,000 pedestrians and 900 vehicles crossing it every hour. By 1962, “New” London Bridge
was not sound enough to support the increased load of modern traffic, and it was sold by
the City of London. The purchaser, an American entrepreneur called Robert P. McCulloch,
bought the bridge as a tourist attraction for Lake Havasu in Arizona, USA. The bridge was
taken apart, each piece was meticulously numbered, and the blocks were then shipped to
Arizona, where the bridge was reconstructed.
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