When you see a slim tower topping out at 14 feet 6 inches (4.4m) and made up of 208 decks of cards, you may exclaim it’s so incredible!
The tower’s architect, Bryan Berg, is an expert card builder, holding the world’s record for the tallest structure built entirely of paper cards. He’s built houses, stadiums, capitols, and castles. There’s no glue, tape or clips (别针). How can he make them stand firm? He begins by balancing four cards to form a box with arms sticking out, which forms a grid (网格). Then he repeats the grid over and over, expanding outward, to build a solid base. After that, Bryan lays cards around the edge and then across the top to make the floor for the next story of the building.
Interestingly enough, Bryan did not get the idea from any of the physical books. Instead, he discovered the unique way to build solid structures using a trick from nature. The secret is plant cells. Plant cells have hard walls and fit together tightly to form a grid that helps leaves and stems to keep their shape. Bees use the same kind of pattern to create honeycombs. Bryan borrowed this idea to invent repeating grids of card cells.
Out of curiosity, people who come to see the card buildings sometimes push and poke (戳刺) to see if they have clips inside, but find they don’t! Once, when Bryan built a card castle at Disney World, birds kept trying to land on it. A squirrel managed to take down one wall and did plenty of damage inside. But, amazingly, the castle didn’t collapse.
When it’s time to take down a card house, Bryan likes to blow them apart with a leaf blower. Is he ever sad to do it? Bryan admits it’s sometimes painful to see his structures fall. But he always knows one thing: “What goes up must come down — even card houses. They wouldn’t be so special if they were permanent. I also learn a lot from taking them apart — the destruction shows me where the weak points are. That is what my next stronger buildings really need.”
4. What makes Bryan’s card buildings stand firm?
A.Fixed clips. | B.Repeating grids. |
C.Light-weight cards. | D.Multiple stories. |
5. What is the third paragraph mainly about?
A.The source of Bryan’s inspiration. |
B.Bryan’s specific building process. |
C.Bryan’s comprehensive knowledge of biology. |
D.The similarity between plant cells and honeycombs. |
6. Why is the Disney card castle mentioned in paragraph 4?
A.To arouse people’s interest in visiting. |
B.To prove the strength of Bryan’s card works. |
C.To indicate Bryan’s popularity among children. |
D.To show the harmony between man and nature. |
7. What life philosophy does Bryan convey in the last paragraph?
A.Pride comes before a fall. |
B.It’s unrealistic to achieve perfection. |
C.One can better himself by going beyond himself. |
D.Nothing is difficult for one who sets his mind to it. |