VOA · As It Is
Intermediate · B1–B2learner speed3:442025-03-05public domain
As It Is is VOA Learning English's daily news magazine. Each report covers a current story in clear, learner-speed English with a controlled vocabulary — the closest thing to real news broadcasts that intermediate learners can fully digest, and ideal raw material for dictation.
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01Every day, more than 110,000 automobiles cross a historic and beautiful bridge in Northern California.
02The span is called the Golden Gate Bridge.
03It is named after the body of water below it.
04The Golden Gate Strait connects the Pacific Ocean with San Francisco Bay.
05The bridge links the city of San Francisco with Marin County to the north.
06Joseph Strauss was the chief engineer of the Golden Gate Bridge.
07Building began in 1933.
08The bridge was opened for use in 1937.
09The distance between the main towers is almost 1,300 meters long.
10That was the longest suspension bridge span in the world for almost 30 years.
11Then, in 1964, the larger Verrazano Narrows Bridge opened in New York City.
12Today, the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Japan has the longest span.
13Strauss used newly developed protective equipment for the men who worked on the bridge.
14These included a special safety net under the bridge.
15But still, 11 workers fell to their deaths during the building project.
16The color of the bridge, international orange, is very important.
17It was chosen partly because it is easier to see through the heavy fog that often covers San Francisco.
18Many people consider the Golden Gate Bridge the most beautiful bridge of its kind in the world.
19More than 2 billion vehicles have crossed the bridge since its opening.
20But wheels are not the only way to cross the bridge.
21The Golden Gate is also open to walkers.
22Many people walk across each year, and there is no cost to do so.
23On clear days, the bridge provides excellent views of San Francisco, ships down below, and birds all around.
24Strauss wrote a poem about his bridge when the work was completed.
25Here is part of The Mighty Task is Done.
26At last, the mighty task is done, resplendent in the western sun.
27The bridge looms mountain high.
28Its titan piers grip ocean floor.
29Its great steel arms link shore with shore.
30Its towers pierce the sky.
31I'm Katie Weaver.
// transcribed with Whisper AI — reading it is easy; catching it by ear is the skill
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