Famous Bridge In India Is In Danger Of Coming Down Because Of Spit (1070l) - Middle School Reading Article Worksheet

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Vale Middle School Reading Article
Famous Bridge in India is in Danger of Coming Down…Because of Spit (1070L)
Instructions: COMPLETE ALL QUESTIONS AND MARGIN NOTES
Read the following article carefully and make notes in the margin as you read.
Your notes should include:
o Comments that show that you understand the article. (A summary or statement of the main
idea of important sections may serve this purpose.)
o Questions you have that show what you are wondering about as you read.
o Notes that differentiate between fact and opinion.
o Observations about how the writer’s strategies (organization, word choice, perspective,
support) and choices affect the article.
Your margin notes are part of your score for this assessment.
Answer the questions carefully in complete sentences unless otherwise instructed.
Student ____________________________Class Period__________________
Notes on my thoughts,
Famous Bridge in India is in Danger of Coming Down ...
reactions and questions as I
Because of Spit
read:
Engineers say that Kolkata’s landmark Howrah Bridge is in danger because gutkha chewing
tobacco spit is corroding its pillars. Now activists are trying to ban the acidic tobacco.
It was first reported in 2010 that the pillars of Kolkata’s landmark Howrah
Bridge were being used as spittoons by pedestrians who chewed gutkha – a
tobacco product popular with millions in India. Engineers who surveyed the
cantilever structure then reported that the struts supporting the girders of the
bridge had already lost half of their metal casing. The corrosion was apparently
caused by acids in the gutkha.
Soon the Lions Club of Howrah launched a “Save Howrah Bridge from Spit”
campaign urging people not to spit on the bridge. The campaign spread across
the city of Kolkata, where reddish-brown gutkha stains are visible almost
everywhere — pavements, streets, office staircases, business houses, and
residential complexes. Prominent citizens of Kolkata joined the campaign in an
effort to rid the city of the ugly stains.
Gutkha is a commercially produced pre-packaged mixture of crushed betel nut,
tobacco, lime, paraffin, and other “secret” ingredients, many of which are
carcinogenic and addictive. Some brands of gutkha also contain lead, arsenic,
chromium, nickel, and cadmium, which are as bad as nicotine. To make its shelf
life longer, magnesium carbonate – which is used in fire extinguishers and is a
known carcinogen – is also added to gutkha.
Rahman, S.A. Famous bridge in India is in danger of coming down…because of spit. Christian Science Monitor. January
20, 2013. Available at

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