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1、READING1READINGPASSAGE1Youshouldspendabout20minutesonQuestions1-13whicharebasedonReadingPassage1below.AIRPORTSONWATERRiverdeltasaredifficultplacesformapmakers.Theirriverbuildthemup,theseaswearsthemdown;theiroutlinesarealwayschangingThechangesinChina'sPearlRiverdelta,howeve
2、r,aremoredramaticthanthesenaturalfluctuations.Anislandsixkilometreslongandwithatotalareaof1248hectaresisbeingcreatedthere.Andthecivilengineersareasinterestedinperformanceasinspeedandsize.Thisisabitofthedelatthantheywanttoendure.ThenewislandofChekLapKok,thesiteofHongKong'sm
3、ewairport,is83%complete.Thegiantdumpertrucksrumblingacrossitwillhavefinishedtheirjobbythemiddleofthisyearandtheairportitselfwillbebuiltatasimilarlybreakneckpace.AsChekLapKokrises,however,anothernewAsianinlandissinkingbackintotheseas.Thisisa520-hectareislandbuiltinOsakaBay,
4、Japan,thatservesastheplatformforthenewKansaiairport,ChekLapKokwasbuiltinadifferentway,andthushopestoavoidthesamesinkingfate.Theusualwaystoreclaimlandistopilesandrockontotheseabed.Whentheseabedoozeswithmud,thisisratherlikeplacingatextbookonawetsponge:theweightsqueezesthewat
5、erout,causingbothwaterandspongetosettlelower.Thesettlementisrarelyeven:differentpartssinkatdifferentrates.Sobuildings,pipes,roadsandsoontendtobuckleandcrack.Youcanengineeraroundtheseproblems,oryoucanengineerthemout.Kansaitookthefirstapproach;ChekLapKokistakingthesecond.The
6、differencesarebothpoliticalandgeological.Kansaiwassupposedtobebuiltjustonekilometreoffshore,wheretheseabedisquitesolid.Fishermenprotested,andthesitewasshiftedafurtherfivekilometres.Thatputitindeeperwater(around20metres)andaboveaseabedthatconsistedof20metresofsoftalluvialsi
7、ltandmuddeposits.Worse,belowitwasanot-very-firmglacialdeposithundredsofmetresthick.TheKansaibuildersrecognisedthatsettlementwasinevitable.Sanswasdrivenintotheseabedtostrengthenitbeforethelandfillwaspiledontop,inanattempttoslowtheprocess;butthishasnotbeenaseffectiveashadbee
8、nhoped.Tocopewithsettlement,Kansai'sgiantterminalissupportedon900pillars.Eachofthemcanbei
