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Read the following story by Kong Rithdee from the Bangkok Post. Then, answer the questions that follow.
On a recent visit to Bangkok, Baron Patrick Nothomb recalled his anxiety when the Thai-Belgian Bridge was about to be assembled 30 years ago.
WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA?
“It was a big challenge. At that time, I only hoped it would be a success. If it had been a failure, it would have been my failure,” he said.
Former Belgian Ambassador to Thailand Baron Nothomb arrived in Thailand in 1985. Not long after he took the post, his commercial attaché, Cory Croymans, came to him with an idea - Belgium should offer Bangkok a bridge that had been built for the World Expo in Brussels in 1958 and dismantled 25 years later, its parts locked away in a warehouse.
Attracted by the prospect, the ambassador got to work. What followed was a series of diplomatic exchanges and engineering feats involving Belgian and Thai experts to attempt something unprecedented on the already-crowded Bangkok roads - to put up a flyover across Witthayu-Sathon-Rama IV in less than 60 hours.
A SYMBOL OF FRIENDSHIP
The result - the Thai-Belgian Bridge - has since become a symbol of relations between the two countries.
Opened on April 25, 1988, the bridge celebrated its 30th anniversary this year. To many, it is more than just a bridge. For Bangkok motorists, it has become an essential piece of infrastructure on a strategic crossroads and evidence of the city’s march toward modernity. For many Belgians, the bridge brings back the memory of old Brussels and tells a story of urban development shared between the two cities.
FROM BRUSSELS TO BANGKOK
In 1958, Belgium hosted the first World Expo since World War II.
“Fifty million people would come to Brussels and we needed to transform the city,” said Baron Nothomb, now 82.
A bridge was built on Leopold II Avenue to connect the two sides of the city and to ease traffic flow. The structure would remain there until the early ‘80s, when a tunnel was constructed to replace it. The bridge, which was designed to be assembled quickly in order to meet the deadline for the World Expo, was disassembled and its parts stored away.
“I had to convince my government, but in the end it wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be. In 1987, they agreed to give the bridge to Bangkok. The parts were then shipped and stored along Witthayu Road,” Baron Nothomb said.
The entire load of 2,000 tonnes of steel was transported from Antwerp to Klong Toey Port in two shipments. The first ship brought 40 bridge elements and arrived in Bangkok in February 1988. The second ship docked in March and unloaded the remaining 83 elements, the substructure and other materials.
Section 1
Read through the story and answer the following multiple-choice questions.
1. What is the article about?
a. How to build a bridge.
b. Baron Nothomb’s visit to Thailand.
c. A bridge that Belgium gave to Thailand.
2. When was the Thai-Belgian Bridge open to the public?
a. In 1988.
b. In 1985.
c. In 1958.
3. The bridge was originally built for ______________________ in Belgium.
a. a sports competition
b. an exposition
c. a religious ceremony
4. How old is Patrick Nothomb?
a. 72 years old.
b. 82 years old.
c. 90 years old.
5. How many ships were used to transport the bridge parts from Brussels to Bangkok?
a. Two.
b. Three.
c. Four.
6. Which of the following statements is TRUE, according to the article?
a. The Thai-Belgian Bridge celebrated its 40th anniversary this year.
b. Baron Nothomb is the former Belgian Ambassador to Thailand.
c. Belgium hosted the World Expo in 1985.
7. Which of the following statements is NOT true, according to the article?
a. The bridge is considered a symbol of relations between Thailand and Belgium.
b. The bridge was designed to be quickly assembled.
c. The Belgian government decided to give the bridge to Thailand in 1985.
Section 2
Match each of the following words used in the story with the correct definitions from the choices given.
| 8. post | a. the basic systems and services that are necessary for a country or an organisation to run smoothly |
| 9. dismantle | b. a job, especially an important one in a large organisation |
| 10.infrastructure | c. connected with managing relations between countries |
| 11. substructure | d. to take apart a machine or structure so that it is in separate pieces |
| 12. diplomatic | e. a base or structure that is below another structure and that supports it |
| 13. strategic |
f. done as part of a plan that is meant to achieve a particular purpose |
Section 3
Read the following passage. Then, fill in the blanks with the correct words from the choices given.
Baron Nothomb left his post in Bangkok in 1988 and …..14….. on to serve in Japan until 1997. On his first visit …..15….. Bangkok after a long absence, he knew where he would go first.
“I have to thank Ms Croymans again for …..16….. up with the idea,” he says. “…..17….. my three-and-a-half years in Bangkok, the bridge was …..18….. main preoccupation. It’s like my baby. When I came to Bangkok this time, I knew …..19….. we’d go first. I went to look at my baby.”
14.
a. goes
b. go
c. went
15.
a. to
b. at
c. on
16.
a. come
b. coming
c. came
17.
a. With
b. During
c. On
18.
a. me
b. mine
c. my
19.
a. who
b. what
c. where
Section 4
Write down the verb forms of the following words used in the story.
20. development
…………………………
21. modernity
…………………………
22. relations
…………………………
23. success
…………………………
24. government
…………………………
Answers
Section 1
1. c.
2. a.
3. b.
4. b.
5. a.
6. b.
7. c.
Section 2
8. b.
9. d.
10. a.
11. e.
12. c.
13. f.
Section 3
14. c.
15. a.
16. b.
17. b.
18. c.
19. c.
Section 4
20. Develop.
21. Modernise.
22. Relate.
23. Succeed.
24. Govern.
SCORE
21-24: Excellent!
17-20: Good.
13-16: Fair.
12 or fewer: You'll do better next time!
