It has been designed by Thomas Heatherwick and will provide a new route between north and south London and feature plants, trees, woodland and walkways to be used and enjoyed by all.
Its ground breaking design will integrate a new kind of public space into the fabric of the city, adding to London’s rich and diverse horticultural heritage.
Self-study activity:
Watch the short video by clicking on the image below or here and complete the blanks in the transcript with the missing words.
The activity is suitable for intermediate students.
We, who live in London, have always been (1) ... of our city. We’ve got used to it improving all the time. The Olympics is only one example of a city that is always changing, always growing, always reinventing itself. It’s lovely to (2) ... around the South Bank or join the (3) ... of Covent Garden and even now Docklands is bursting back into life. So London can be seen as a city with a tremendous history. But it’s also a city for a huge (4) ... for a great deal more. To Londoners, this wonderful place still offers the best quality of life in the world.
But more than that London is a city that is always getting better, always offering us more. The Garden Bridge is an incredibly (5) ... idea, the chance to walk through (6) ... over one of the greatest rivers in the world. For this Garden Bridge is a bridge that will improve the quality of life of everyone in London. For (7) ... , it will provide a quick and beautiful route to and from Waterloo Station. For (8) ... , a quiet place to linger among trees and grasses to look at the views. For tourists, an unforgettable (9) ... . It will link the North Bank to the South, the huge theatrical institutions of Covent Garden in the West End to the South Bank, with its film and television centers, the (10) ... ... and art galleries.
On that stretch of the river are the most ravishing (11) ... , celebrated in the song Waterloo Sunset. It will be a place to set (12) ... racing and to calm troubled minds. It will be free to all, open to all, changing with the seasons and (13) ... everyone who uses it. It’s like a tiara on the head of our fabulous city, known and loved throughout the world.
Key:
1 proud 2 stroll 3 bustle 4 appetite 5 daring 6 woodlands 7 commuters 8 dreamers 9 landmark 10 concert halls 11 views 12 hearts 13 enchanting
