Super Structures
Read Β· Listen Β· Vocabulary Β· Activities Β· Project Β· Picture Dictionary
Tunnels
1 Read the book page
2 Read & Listen
Tunnels go underwater, underground, or through the ground. We use tunnels for mines, trains, and road traffic, or to carry things like gas or water. Tunnels are usually made of metal and concrete.
One of the longest tunnels in the world is the Seikan Tunnel in Japan. It's nearly 54 kilometers long. It goes between two islands.
It was built because it's too dangerous to travel by boat. The tunnel is for trains, but now many people prefer to travel by plane.
One of the longest road tunnels is the Laerdal Tunnel in Norway. The tunnel is nearly 25 kilometers long and it goes through a mountain.
It was built because there's too much snow on the mountain roads in winter.
In the tunnel there are three big caves where drivers can stop and rest.
Vocabulary
3 Look at the activity page
4 Interactive Activities
1. Match each statement to the correct tunnel.
2. Tunnels can carry water.
3. The Seikan Tunnel is longer than the Laerdal Tunnel.
4. The Laerdal Tunnel is shorter than the Seikan Tunnel.
5. The Seikan Tunnel goes through water.
6. It's quicker to use the Seikan Tunnel than to travel by plane.
7. Tunnels go _____ water or ground.
8. Tunnels are made of metal and _____.
9. The Seikan Tunnel is in _____.
10. The Laerdal Tunnel is in _____.
11. Tunnels are usually made of _____ and concrete.
12. The Seikan Tunnel is one of the _____ tunnels.
13. The Laerdal Tunnel is nearly _____ long.
14. The Seikan Tunnel goes _____ the water.
15. The Laerdal Tunnel goes _____ a mountain.
16. Which is the longest tunnel?
17. Which tunnel goes underground?
18. Which tunnel is for trains?
19. Which is the shortest tunnel?
20. Which tunnel goes underwater?
21. Which tunnel is for cars?
Bridges
1 Read the book page
2 Read & Listen
Bridges go over water or overground.
On a beam bridge, the pillars carry the deck.
One of the longest beam bridges is the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in the USA. This bridge is about 38 kilometers long and it has over 9,000 concrete pillars. It goes over water and carries road traffic.
On a suspension bridge, the cables and towers carry the deck. The anchorages hold the cables.
Suspension bridges move a little when it's windy. This isn't usually a problem, but in 1940 the Tacoma Bridge in the USA collapsed in light winds.
It was only four months old.
Vocabulary
3 Look at the activity page
4 Interactive Activities
1. Bridges go _____.
2. One of the _____ beam bridges is in the USA.
3. Beam bridges and suspension bridges both have a _____.
4. The Tacoma Bridge is a _____ bridge.
5. Label the beam bridge and suspension bridge diagrams.
6. Find eight bridge words.
7. What carries the deck on a beam bridge?
8. What carries the deck on a suspension bridge?
9. What is a problem for suspension bridges?
10. Which bridge collapsed when it was windy?
11. Write about a bridge in your country.
Personal/open response – not included in the score.Skyscrapers
1 Read the book page
2 Read & Listen
When there isn't much ground, we can build tall buildings. Very tall buildings are called skyscrapers.
The first skyscraper was the Home Insurance Building. It was built in Chicago in the USA in 1885. It was 42 meters tall. The tallest skyscrapers are now much taller than this.
The Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia are the tallest twin buildings. There is a bridge between the two towers called a skybridge.
One of the tallest skyscrapers is the Burj Dubai. It's in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. It's 818 meters tall – that's nearly a kilometer.
It's made of a special, strong concrete called reinforced concrete.
The Burj Dubai has apartments, shops, swimming pools, hotels, restaurants, and a library. It's like a very tall town.
The concrete in the Burj Dubai weighs the same as about 100,000 elephants.
Vocabulary
3 Look at the activity page
4 Interactive Activities
1. Match the five skyscraper pictures to their names.
2. About a centimeter is _____.
3. About a meter is _____.
4. About a kilometer is _____.
5. The same as a centimeter is _____.
6. The same as a meter is _____.
7. The same as a kilometer is _____.
8. The Taipei 101 is _____ than the Sears Tower.
9. The Shanghai Financial Center is _____ than the Petronas Twin Towers.
10. The Burj Dubai is the _____ skyscraper.
11. The Sears Tower is _____ than the Taipei 101.
12. The Sears Tower is _____ than the Burj Dubai.
13. Where was the world's first skyscraper built?
14. How tall is the Burj Dubai?
15. What are the tallest twin buildings called?
16. What is your favorite skyscraper? Why?
Personal/open response – not included in the score.Dams
1 Read the book page
2 Read & Listen
Some of the biggest structures are dams. They hold back water and make a lake called a reservoir.
Dams supply water, stop floods, and they also make electricity.
Gravity dams are made of a lot of concrete. They are very big and heavy, and this weight holds back the water.
The Itaipu Dam is a gravity dam. It's in South America between Paraguay and Brazil. It's 196 meters tall and nearly 8 kilometers long.
Arch dams are also made of concrete. They are usually smaller than gravity dams and they are curved. The curve holds back the water.
The Moiry Dam in Switzerland is an arch dam. It's 148 meters tall and 610 meters long.
The first dam was built more than 4,000 years ago in Egypt. It never worked because it fell down in heavy rain.
Vocabulary
3 Look at the activity page
4 Interactive Activities
1. Label the gravity dam and arch dam diagrams.
2. Dams make water.
3. A reservoir is like a lake.
4. Dams supply food.
5. Dams stop floods.
6. The Itaipu Dam is taller than the Moiry Dam.
7. Complete the dam puzzle.
- 1 Across: The first dam built fell down in heavy ___.
- 2 Across: The Moiry Dam is in ___.
- 3 Across: Gravity dams are very ___.
- 4 Across: Gravity dams are made of ___.
- 5 Across: Arch dams are ___.
- 6 Across: Dams hold back ___.
8. What type of dam is the Itaipu Dam?
9. Where is the Moiry Dam?
10. With an arch dam, what holds back the water?
11. With a gravity dam, what holds back the water?
12. Write about a dam in your country.
Personal/open response – not included in the score.Olympic Structures
1 Read the book page
2 Read & Listen
There are many super structures in Beijing in China. Some of them were built for the Olympics in 2008.
Terminal 3 of Beijing Capital International Airport is one of the biggest airport terminals in the world.
The floor area is more than a square kilometer. There are seven floors, and two of the floors are underground.
The Beijing National Stadium is one of the biggest metal buildings. It's red and gold. It has 80,000 seats.
There were 11,000 extra seats for the Olympics. It also has underground pipes to make it warm in winter and cool in summer.
Sometimes it's called the Bird's Nest.
Red and gold are traditional colors for Chinese buildings. Red is the Chinese color for good luck.
Vocabulary
3 Look at the activity page
4 Interactive Activities
1. Match the descriptions to the structure.
2. Terminal 3 is in _____.
3. Terminal 3 is for _____.
4. The Beijing National Stadium is like a bird's _____.
5. The Beijing National Stadium is made of _____.
6. It has underground _____.
7. Red is the Chinese _____ for good luck.
8. Many buildings were built for the _____ in 2008.
9. Beijing has many _____ structures.
10. Terminal 3 of Beijing Capital International Airport is one of the biggest _____.
11. The Beijing National Stadium is one of the biggest _____ buildings.
12. When were the Beijing Olympics?
13. Beijing is the capital of what country?
14. What is the Chinese color for good luck?
15. What is the Beijing National Stadium made of?
16. Write about a sports stadium in your country.
Personal/open response – not included in the score.Different Shapes
1 Read the book page
2 Read & Listen
With new building materials, people can build structures in many different shapes.
The O2 in London in the United Kingdom is a dome. It was built for the millennium, the year 2000.
The roof is made of a special plastic and glass material. It's 365 meters wide – one meter for every day of the year.
It also has 12 support towers – one tower for every month of the year.
In 2008, David Fisher designed the first rotating skyscraper. It uses energy from the wind.
People want to build these rotating skyscrapers in Dubai and in Moscow.
Each floor can rotate a full circle. People can decide when to rotate their floor. The skyscraper can be a different shape every day.
Vocabulary
3 Look at the activity page
4 Interactive Activities
1. The O2 was built for the _____.
2. There are 365 _____ in a year.
3. There are 12 _____ in a year.
4. The rotating skyscraper can rotate a full _____.
5. It uses energy from the _____.
6. It can be a different _____ every day.
7. Write month 1.
8. Write month 2.
9. Write month 3.
10. Write month 4.
11. Write month 5.
12. Write month 6.
13. Write month 7.
14. Write month 8.
15. Write month 9.
16. Write month 10.
17. Write month 11.
18. Write month 12.
19. With new building _____, people can build structures in different _____.
20. The O2 is in _____. It's a _____.
21. The rotating _____ can change shape every _____.
22. Match the beginnings and endings.
Glass and Ice
1 Read the book page
2 Read & Listen
Most buildings are made of concrete, bricks, metal, or wood. Some buildings use different materials.
Biosphere 2 in Arizona in the USA is made of glass and metal. It's nearly as big as two and a half American football fields.
Inside, there's a rainforest, an ocean, a desert, a farm, and places for people to live and work. It's a research center.
In a village in Sweden, near the Arctic, there is a hotel made of ice called Ice Hotel.
The hotel is open from December to April. It has 80 rooms. There are ice sculptures in the rooms.
The beds, chairs, and tables are also made of ice. Even the drinking glasses are made of ice.
Every year, Ice Hotel is built again with new ice.
Vocabulary
3 Look at the activity page
4 Interactive Activities
1. Write the six building-material words.
2. Ice Hotel is open in January.
3. Ice Hotel is not open in March.
4. Biosphere 2 is a small town.
5. Biosphere 2 is made of glass and wood.
6. There is an ocean in Biosphere 2.
7. There is an ice hotel in Biosphere 2.
8. Match the descriptions to Ice Hotel or Biosphere 2.
9. Which place would you like to visit: Ice Hotel or Biosphere 2?
Personal/open response – not included in the score.10. Put the words in the correct order.
- Ice
- Hotel
- made
- is
- ice.
- of
11. Put the words in the correct order.
- again.
- year
- Hotel
- is
- Every
- Ice
- built
12. Put the words in the correct order.
- open
- It
- from
- is
- April.
- December
- to
13. Put the words in the correct order.
- drinking
- glasses
- ice.
- The
- made
- of
- are
14. Put the words in the correct order.
- glass
- made
- Biosphere 2
- of
- is
- metal.
- and
15. Put the words in the correct order.
- a
- is
- rainforest
- There
- in
- Biosphere 2.
Amazing Places
1 Read the book page
2 Read & Listen
Did you know that people also build structures under the ocean and on ice?
The Poseidon Undersea Resort in Fiji is a hotel 12 meters under the ocean. It's made of very strong metal and plastic.
The windows are made of special, clear plastic, so people can see fish and other ocean animals from the hotel. To get to the hotel, you travel by submarine.
Halley 6 is a research station in the Antarctic. It's built on ice.
The ice moves 400 meters every year and the structure moves with it. Halley 6 is on skis so people can move it back to the right place.
Building in the Antarctic is very difficult because of the very, very cold weather.
In the Antarctic, the wind speed can be 150 kilometers per hour. The temperature can be less than -50 degrees centigrade.
Vocabulary
3 Look at the activity page
4 Interactive Activities
1. Match the descriptions to the place.
2. Classify the words by place.
3. The Poseidon Undersea Resort is _____ the ocean.
4. The windows are made of a special _____.
5. Halley 6 is built _____ ice.
6. The ice _____ 400 meters every year.
7. Building in the Antarctic is very difficult because of the _____.
8. Where is the Poseidon Undersea Resort?
9. Where is Halley 6?
10. How do you get to the Poseidon Undersea Resort?
11. How cold can it be in the Antarctic?
12. What is your favorite structure? Why?
Personal/open response – not included in the score.Structures in Space
1 Read the book page
2 Read & Listen
There are also structures in space. The International Space Station (ISS) is a research station.
It's about 350 kilometers above Earth. It goes around Earth about 16 times every day.
It travels at 27,700 kilometers per hour – that's nearly 8 kilometers per second.
The ISS is made of metal. It uses energy from the sun.
The first part of the ISS went into space in a rocket in 1998. No astronauts went with it.
Most other parts went with astronauts. Sometimes, astronauts do a spacewalk outside the ISS to attach new parts.
You can see the ISS from Earth without a telescope.
Vocabulary
3 Look at the activity page
4 Interactive Activities
1. Find six space words.
2. The ISS is _____ kilometers above Earth.
3. It goes around Earth about _____ times every day.
4. It travels at _____ kilometers per hour.
5. It travels at _____ kilometers per second.
6. The first part of the ISS went into space in _____.
7. Write the three space words shown in Activity 3.
8. Where is the ISS?
9. What is the ISS?
10. When did the first part of the ISS go into space?
11. How many astronauts went into space with the first part of the ISS?
12. Where do astronauts do spacewalks?
13. Can you see the ISS from Earth?
Animal Structures
1 Read the book page
2 Read & Listen
Animals can build super structures, too.
Termites build their homes with mud. These homes are tall towers called termite mounds. The tallest termite mounds are about 13 meters high. They are termite skyscrapers.
Termites are insects. The tallest termite mounds are thousands of termites tall.
Wombats build underground tunnels called burrows. They dig with their front paws and bite through things with their teeth.
A wombat can dig about 2 meters per hour.
Beavers build dams on the water to protect themselves from other wild animals like bears.
They build the dams with small trees, stones, and mud. Their dams can be a kilometer long.
Vocabulary
3 Look at the activity page
4 Interactive Activities
1. Termites build their homes with concrete.
2. Wombats build burrows underground.
3. Wombats bite through things with their teeth.
4. Beavers build dams under the water.
5. Beaver dams can be a kilometer long.
6. There is a termite mound in my home.
7. Put the words in the correct order.
- too.
- Animals
- build
- can
- structures
- super
8. Put the words in the correct order.
- mounds
- Termite
- skyscrapers.
- are
- termite
9. Put the words in the correct order.
- Wombats
- about
- meters
- dig
- hour.
- per
- 2
10. Put the words in the correct order.
- build
- Termites
- with
- their
- mud.
- homes
11. Put the words in the correct order.
- dams
- Beaver
- be
- long.
- a
- can
- kilometer
12. Complete the Super Structures review puzzle.
- 1 Across: It's the name of this book.
- 2 Across: Very tall buildings are called ___.
- 3 Across: An arch dam has a ___.
- 4 Across: A tunnel goes here.
- 5 Across: Beam and suspension are types of ___.
- 6 Across: It's a strong building material.
- 7 Across: Laerdal and Seikan are ___.
- 8 Across: In Norway, there is a ___ through a mountain.
- 9 Across: The Beijing National Stadium is made of ___.
- 10 Across: It holds back water.
- 11 Across: Bridges go ___ water.
- 12 Across: The Pontchartrain Causeway is very ___.
- 13 Across: Biosphere 2 is made of metal and ___.
Projects
Project page
Project 1: Super Structures in My Country – complete a chart about structures in your country, make a poster with pictures and descriptions, and display it. Project 2: Design a Super Structure – choose a structure, write notes about materials, type, name, shape, size and location, draw it, describe it, and display the design.
Picture Dictionary
Picture Dictionary
Example: