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Poushouldspendabout20minutesonQuestions1-13whicharebasedonReadingPass age1below.

AIRPORTSONWATER Riverdeltasaredifficultplacesformapmakers.Theirriverbuildthemup,theseaswearst hemdown;theiroutlinesarealwaPschangingThechangesinChina'sPearlRiverdelta, however,aremoredramaticthanthesenaturalfluctuations.AnislandsiGkilometreslo ngandwithatotalareaof1248hectaresisbeingcreatedthere.Andthecivilengineersare asinterestedinperformanceasinspeedandsize.ThisisabitofthedelatthanthePwantto endure.

ThenewislandofChekLapKok,thesiteofHongKong'smewairport,is83%complete. ThegiantdumpertrucksrumblingacrossitwillhavefinishedtheirjobbPthemiddleofth isPearandtheairportitselfwillbebuiltatasimilarlPbreakneckpace. AsChekLapKokrises,however,anothernewAsianinlandissinkingbackintotheseas.T hisisa520-hectareislandbuiltinOsakaBaP,Japan,thatservesastheplatformforthene wKansaiairport,ChekLapKokwasbuiltinadifferentwaP,andthushopestoavoidthes amesinkingfate. TheusualwaPstoreclaimlandistopilesandrockontotheseabed.Whentheseabedooz eswithmud,thisisratherlikeplacingateGtbookonawetsponge:theweightsqueezesth ewaterout,causingbothwaterandspongetosettlelower.ThesettlementisrarelPeven :differentpartssinkatdifferentrates.Sobuildings,pipes,roadsandsoontendtobuckle andcrack.Poucanengineeraroundtheseproblems,orPoucanengineerthemout.Kans aitookthefirstapproach;ChekLapKokistakingthesecond.

Thedifferencesarebothpoliticalandgeological.Kansaiwassupposedtobebuiltjuston ekilometreoffshore,wheretheseabedisquitesolid.Fishermenprotested,andthesite wasshiftedafurtherfivekilometres.Thatputitindeeperwater(around20metres)and aboveaseabedthatconsistedof20metresofsoftalluvialsiltandmuddeposits.Worse,b elowitwasanot-verP-firmglacialdeposithundredsofmetresthick. TheKansaibuildersrecognisedthatsettlementwasinevitable.Sanswasdrivenintothes eabedtostrengthenitbeforethelandfillwaspiledontop,inanattempttoslowtheproc ess;butthishasnotbeenaseffectiveashadbeenhoped.Tocopewithsettlement,Kansai' sgiantterminalissupportedon900pillars.EachofthemcanbeindividuallPjackedup.al lowingwedgestobeaddedunderneath.Thatismeanttokeepthebuildinglevel.Butitc ouldbeatrickPtask.

ConditionsaredifferentatChekLapKok.Therewassomelandtheretobeginwith,theo riginallittleislandofChekLapKokandsmalleroutcropcalledLamChau.Betweenthem ,thesetwooutcropsofhard,weatheredgranitemakeupaquarterofthenewisland'ssur facearea.UnfortunatelP,betweentheislandstherewasalaPerofsoftmud,27metresth ickinplaces.

AccordingtoFransUiterwijk,aDutchmanwhoistheproject'sreclamationdirector,it wouldhavebeenpossibletoleavethismudbelowthereclaimedland,andtodealwitht heresultingsettlementbPtheKansaimethod.Buttheconsortiumthatwonthecontract fortheislandoptedforamoreaggressiveapproach.Itassembledtheworld'slargestflee tofdredges,whichsuckedup150mcubicmetresofclaPandmudanddumpeditindeepe rwaters.Atthesametime,sandwasdredgedfromthewatersandpiledontopofthelaPe rofstiffclaPthatthemassivedredginghadlaidbare. NorwasthesandtheonlPthingused.Theoriginalgraniteislandwhichhandhillsupto12

0metreshighwasdrilledandblastedintobouldersnobiggerthantwometresindiamet er.Thisprovided70mcubicmetresofgranitetoaddtotheisland'sfoundations.Becaus etheheapofbouldersdoesnotfillthespaceperfectlP,thisrepresentstheequivalentof1 05mcubicmetresoflandfill.Mostoftherockwillbecomethefoundationsfortheairpor t'srunwaPsanditstaGiwaPs.Thesanddredgedfromthewaterswillalsobeusedtoprovi deatwo-metrecappinglaPeroverthegraniteplatform.Thismakesiteasierforutilitiest odigtrenches-graniteisunPieldingstuff.Mostoftheterminalbuildingswillbeplacedab ovethesiteoftheeGistingisland.OnlPalimitedamountofpile-drivingisneededtosup portbuildingfoundationsabovesofterareas. ThecompletedislandwillbesiGtosevenmetresabovesealevel.Inall,350mcubicmetr esofmaterialwillhavebeenmoved.Andmuchofit,liketheoverloads,hastobemoveds everaltimesbeforereachingitsfinalrestingplace.ForeGample,therewastobeamotor waPcapableofcarrPing150-tonnedump-trucks;andtherehastobearaisedareaforthe 15,000constructionworkers.ThesearetemporarP;thePwillberemovedwhentheair portisfinished.

Theairport,though,isheretostaP.Toprotectit,thenewcoastlineisbeingbolsteredwit haformidabletwelvekilometresofseadefences.ThebruntofatPphoonwillbedeflect edbPtheneighbouringislandofLantau;theseawallsshouldguardagainsttherest.Gent lerbutmorepersistentbadweather-thedownpoursofthesummermonsoon-isalsobei ngtakenintoaccount.Amat-likematerialcalledgeoteGtileisbeinglaidacrosstheisland toseparatetherockandsandlaPers.Thatwillstopsandparticlesfrombeingwashedint otherockvoids,andsocausingfurthersettlement.Thisislandisbeingbuiltnevertobesu nk.

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