Exercise 1.Use the information of the text to answer the questions.
1. What architectural features of East and West do the Petronas Towers reflect?
2. Why was the construction site of the Petronas Towers relocated?
3. What foundation was designed for the towers?
4. What are the structural frames of the buildings?
5. What were the reasons for choosing concrete as the main material
for construction?
6. Why was the construction of the Petronas Towers fast paced?
7. Was the skybridge construction a part of a primary project?
8. What is the function of the skybridge?
9. Why was the structural design for the bridge difficult?
10. What was the final design of the skybridge?
Exercise 2.Match these statements against the appropriate ones in the text.
1. The towers, which were designed by architect César Pelli, were completed in 1998.
2. The 88-floor towers constructed of largely reinforced concrete with a steel and glass facade were designed to resemble motifs found in Islamic art, a reflection of Malaysia's Muslim heritage.
3. Because of the depth of the bedrock the buildings were built on the world's deepest foundation going down some 120 meters and requiring massive amounts of concrete.
4. In an unusual move, a different construction company was hired for each of the towers, and they were made to compete against each other.
5. Due to a lack of steel and the huge cost of importing steel, the towers were constructed on a cheaper radical design of super high strength reinforced concrete.
6. High-strength concrete is a material familiar to Asian contractors and twice as effective as steel in sway reduction.
7. Supported by 23-by-23-metre concrete cores and an outer ring of widely-spaced super columns, the towers showcase a sophisticated structural system.
Exercise 3. Make up a short summary of the text.