B
The Golden Gate Bridge was the longest bridge in the world from 1937 when it was completed until the Verrazano Narrows Bridge was built in New York in 1964. Today, it is still the ninth longest bridge in the world.
For many years before the Golden Gate Bridge was built, the only way to get across San Francisco Bay was by ship. And by the early twentieth century the Bay was crowded because of them. In the 1920s, engineer and bridgebuilder Joseph Strauss believed that a bridge should be built across the Golden Gate to solve the problem.
Many groups went against him, each for their own selfish reasons. Besides, the engineering challenge was also huge — the Golden Gate Bridge area often has winds of up to 60 miles per hour, and strong ocean currents(洋流) sweep below the surface. If all that weren't enough, it was the middle of the Great Depression, and funds were hard to find.
Strauss didn't give up, and the Golden Gate Bridge history began when San Francisco officials approved (批准) $35 million to build the Golden Gate Bridge. After the artistic design and red color were chosen, construction (建造) work began in 1933. The Golden Gate Bridge project was completed in 1937, an important date in San Francisco history.
Strauss was a pioneer in building safety. The Bay Bridge, which was being built at the same time cost 24 lives while the Golden Gate Bridge cost only 12, a great achievement in a period of time when one man was killed on most construction projects for every million spent.
【语篇解读】 本文是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了美国的金门大桥在建桥时面临重重困难，但是Joseph Strauss并没有放弃，最终于1937年建成这座大桥。
24．What do we know about the Golden Gate Bridge?
A．It remained the world's longest bridge for 30 years.
B．It was the widest bridge worldwide when completed.
C．It is of the same age as the Verrazano Narrows Bridge.
D．There are only 8 bridges worldwide longer than it now.
答案与解析：D 细节理解题。根据第一段中的“Today, it is still the ninth longest bridge in the world”．可知，现在世界上只有八座桥比金门大桥长。
25．Why did Strauss want to build the Golden Gate Bridge?
A．To prove his artistic ability.
B．To build the world's longest bridge.
C．To solve traffic jams at San Francisco Bay.
D．To make crossing San Francisco Bay possible.
答案与解析：C 推理判断题。根据第二段中的“the Bay was crowded because of them”可知，Strauss建桥的原因是旧金山湾交通拥堵。
