1 . After eight years of construction, the Padma Multipurpose Bridge in Bangladesh opened to the public on June 26, reducing travel time from parts of the southwest of the country to the capital Dhaka from seven to eight hours to as little as just 10 minutes.
The 21.5-meter-wide, 6.15-kilometer-long bridge built over the Padma River, the main branch of the Ganges, has two levels with the upper tier having a four-lane highway and the lower tier a single-track railway, according to Wuhan-based China Railway Major Bridge Engineering Group, or MBEC, one of China’s biggest bridge makers. Before that, travelers and goods were transported via boat or ship because of the vast width and fast-flowing nature of the river, and the tendency of the area to flood.
In 2014, the Bangladeshi government awarded MBEC a $1.54-billion contract to build the core structure of the bridge, making it the country’s largest infrastructure(基础建设) project as well as the largest foreign bridge project undertaken by Chinese companies in terms of total cost.
“The construction was much harder than expected as the complex geological conditions brought multiple challenges to us,” said Shen Tao, deputy general manager of the project. “The bridge is located above a river with banks on loose soil, and downpours in the rainy season often caused flooding, bringing us numerous difficulties we had never experienced before.” “During the construction, we had to adjust the design plan to adapt to environmental changes whenever necessary,” he added.
“However, through continuous learning and adaptation, construction teams have greatly improved their abilities including technology, communication and adaptability.” said Wen Wusong, chairman of MBEC. “They demonstrated the strength of China’s road bridge construction to the whole world and the bridge is a model of international cooperation.”
Over the past eight years, the project has created over 50,000 jobs for local residents, according to MBEC.
1. What do we know about the bridge?| A．It is over the Ganges. |
| B．It is across the Padma River. |
| C．The upper tier has a single-track railway. |
| D．The lower tier has a four-lane highway. |
| A．Costs of building the bridge. |
| B．Features of the newly-built bridge. |
| C．Benefits the bridge can bring about. |
| D．Difficulties in constructing the bridge. |
| A．Measured | B．Adapted. | C．Showed. | D．Preserved. |
| A．China-made bridge opens in Bangladesh |
| B．Eight years of China’s constructing a bridge in Bangladesh |
| C．Constructing a bridge creates over 50,000 jobs in Bangladesh |
| D．Bangladeshi government awards MBEC $1.54-billion contract |
