同步拓展阅读：新概念英语第3册第17课
一、往期回顾
【参考答案】
1. Five.
2. The check verification companies.
3. Change the number.
4. Cancel the account and open a new one.
5. Supporting documents with the complaint form.
二、本期内容
【课文主题】
第17课讲的是有关当时世界上最长的“维拉扎诺吊桥（Verrazano）”的介绍，所以我选择了一篇有关上海“杨浦大桥（Yangpu Bridge）”的主题文章。
【拓展阅读】
一、文章内容
All modern suspension bridges are made to facilitate expansion and contraction due to daily temperature swings, especially during summer heat, and Yangpu Bridge is no exception: its center section rises by some 10 centimeters and the bridge stretches by about 6 centimeters during the most intense midday heat.
Though the length of the bridge proper (i.e., the part that spans the river itself) is only 1172 meters, the total length of the bridge, including the end abutments that anchor the bridge on land, is 7654 meters. The bridge is more than 30 meters wide and accomodates a 3-lane highway in either direction. Its clearance height - the distance between the river below, at normal water levels, and the underside of the bridge above - is 48 meters. Moreover, the large, roomy span of the bridge proper means that with fewer abutments/pylons, there is more space for shipping traffic. Yangpu Bridge can thus accomodate the passage of upwards of 45,000 watercraft up and down the Huangpu River daily.
The bridge proper's two main abutments support high, upside-down Y-shaped towers, or pylons, from which are strung supporting cables, a design that is both efficient and extremely elegant, imparting a graciousness to Yangpu Bridge that sets the bridge apart among its peers. Another detail that sets Yangpu Bridge apart is the fact the bridge's name - handwritten by the much-admired former Chinese leader, Deng Xiaoping is inlaid on a special plaque on each of the bridge's two pylons.
Yangpu Bridge was not originally painted, but as part of the worldwide Millennium celebrations in the year 2000, it was painted an attractive red. On either side of the bridge is a 2-meter-wide walkway for pedestrians, bridge aficionados, and curious tourists seeking an alternative experience of this remarkably beautiful bridge.
【词汇注释】
1. suspension bridge：吊桥；悬索桥
2. facilitate：促进；使便利
3. expansion：膨胀
4. contraction：收缩
5. intesne：强烈的
6. abutment：桥台
7. pylon：塔台
8. impart：传达
9. graciousness：优雅
10. inlaid：镶嵌
11. plaque：匾牌
12. pedestrian：行人
13. aficionado：爱好者
14. alternative：另类的
二、阅读题目
根据短文内容，回答下列问题：
1. How much does Yangpu Bridge stretch during the most intense heat of the day?
2. What is the bridge proper?
3. What’s the width of Yangpu Bridge?
4. Where is the bridge’s name?
5. Why was the bridge painted red later?
三、参考答案