Mibesoft

Lesson Thirteen
MODERN SOLUTIONS TO AN 800 YEAR OLD PROBLEM
IN THIS LESSON YOU ARE GOING AN ARTICLE ABOUT A CIVIL ENGINEERING PROBLEM.
YOU WILL PRACTICE THESE THINGS:
* Skim reading a text quickly to see what the topic is.
* Scanning through a text to search for detailed information.
* Choosing the right meaning from a dictionary.
* Guessing the meaning of unfamiliar wordsfrom the context.
* Inferring information.
* Choosing the right word to complete a text.
* Word families-nouns and adjectives.
You will also learn a lot useful technical an general words.
ACTIVITY ONE: Before you read
1. Look at the picture and name of this tower?
2. In which country is it located?
3. Do you know how old it is?
4. Why is it famous?
ACTIVITY TWO:Vocabulary
These words (and their definitions) are from the text you read. Match them with their Spanish meaning on the right, then check your answers with a partner.
1. Masterpiece (n.) something made with very great skill. __a) caer, desmoronarse
2. To challenge (v.) to defy or resist successfully. __b) hundir
3. Tilt (n.)inclination, slope. __c) Diseñar, planear
4. Subsidence (n.) Settlement in a lower level. __d) inclinar
5. To haul (v.) to pull or draw with force. __e) vertical
6. Upright (adj.) standing in an erect position. __f) detener
7. To topple (v.)to fall forward to collapse. __g) asentamiento
8. To devise (v.) to design to invent or work out a solution. __h) obra maestra
9. To lean (v.) to bend over, to slant or incline. __i) equilibrar
10. To sink (v.) to go downwards to descend to the bottom. __j) halar con fuerza
11. To offsetto counterbalance to compensate. __k) desafiar
12. To halt (v.) to come to a stop. __l) inclinación
ACTIVITY THREE Scanning
Scan the text to find the following information.
a) How much the tower tilts.
b) The name of a famous medieval scientist.
c) How much it leans a year.
d) The names of theprobable designers.
e) The year the tower was finished.
f) Whose theory Galileo proved wrong.
ACTIVITY FOUR More detailed comprehension
Read the text again and answer these questions.
1. Which two things caused the tower to tilt?
2. The tower is part of a trio of a medieval constructions. What are the other two parts?
3. What initial solution did they apply to offset thetower’s lean?
4. According to tradition what did Galileo prove in this place?
5. How long did the construction of the tower take?
6. How is the Leaning tower of Pisa?
ACTIVITY FIVE: Identifying Cognates
Find 15 cognates on the text on the nest page an translate them. Example: stability estabilidad
1. Stability estabilidad
2.3.
4.
5.
6.
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8.9.
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13....