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There are thirty-four bridges on the Thames River in London，the following are among the most famous ones.
Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge has stood over the River Thames in London since 1894 and is one of the finest, most recognizable bridges in the world. It is the bridge in London you may see in movies and on advertising writing for London. Tower Bridge is the only Thames Bridge that can be raised. It used to be raised about 50 times a day, but nowadays it is only raised 4 to 5 times a week.
London Bridge
The construction of the first stone London Bridge started in 1176 and finished years later. Houses and shops were once built on the bridge, which made the road so narrow that it was often jammed with people, horses and carts. A 'keep left' rule was made in 1733 to keep the traffic moving. This became the rule of the road in Britain. In 1757 the old bridge was pulled down and a new one was built in 1831. Interestingly, that one was pulled down again in 1967 but rebuilt in Lake Havasu City，USA，as a tourist attraction. The present London Bridge was opened in 1973.
Millennium Bridge
The Millennium Bridge is a bridge for walkers. It was built to connect the Tate Modern Art Gallery to the City and St Paul's Cathedral (圣保罗大教堂) in 2000. Thousands of people rushed to see the new bridge. Almost immediately after opening, the bridge had to be shut because of the dangerous waving caused by too many visitors. It has now been reopened. The bridge is about 320 meters, costs 16 million pounds to build and only takes walkers.
Westminster Bridge
Westminster Bridge is a road and foot traffic bridge over the River Thames between Westminster and Lambeth. The present bridge，opened in 1862，is the second on the site and took the place of an earlier bridge opened in 1750.The British romantic poet, William Wordsworth, wrote a famous poem "Composed Upon Westminster Bridge" in the autumn of 1802.
Want to know more about the bridges on the Thames River? Click here www.bridgesinbritain.com.
1. Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
A．The 1831 London Bridge is now in the USA.
B．Tower Bridge is much less frequently lifted today than before.
C．Cars and buses are not allowed to cross Millennium Bridge.
D．Westminster Bridge is for walkers only.
2. The passage is most probably taken from a __________.
A．school report B．website article
C．teenage magazine D．science fiction
3. What can we learn from the passage?
A. William Wordsworth wrote many poems of the bridges on the Thames River.
B. Millennium Bridge wasn't built strong enough so that it had to be pulled down and rebuilt.
C. That all the traffic is kept left in Britain was from a rule of an old London Bridge.
D. Tower Bridge is the symbol of London because it is the first bridge on the Thames River.
