The Grand Canyon walkway

Take a stroll, 4,000ft above the Grand Canyon

Standing over a U-shaped glass walkway that juts 70ft over the edge of the Grand Canyon is a strange sensation. But that is the experience developers hope will lure visitors to a new attraction at the Grand Canyon.
David Jin, originally from Shanghai, is giving the walkway to the Indian tribe, the Hualapai, on whose land it has been built. He will share the profits with the tribe for the next 25 years.
The designers promise that with thick glass, shock absorbers to prevent wobbling and enough space to hold 120 people at a time, the new attraction is very safe. The walkway is said to be able to survive winds of more than 100mph, as well as an eight magnitude earthquake within 50 miles.
Mark Johnson, the architect, said the Skywalk could hold the weight of several hundred people.
The development was proposed in 1996 by Mr Jin and construction began in 2004. But the project has split the impoverished 2,200-strong Hualapai tribe.
Some members, who believe their ancestors emerged from the earth of the canyon, claim that it intrudes upon sacred land. "We have disturbed the ground," said Dolores Honga, a tribal elder who regularly performs traditional dances at the canyon edge. Workers on the walkway, which is surrounded by sacred archaeological and burial sites, often complained to her about nightmares. "Our people died right along the land there. They blend into the ground. It's spiritual ground. This is why they're awakened," she said. Don Havatone, 46, a tour guide and member of the tribe, said most of the Hualapai were opposed and that the walkway had "shaken up the community".
The tribe did not accept the "commercialisation" of their land and he at first rejected the idea.


Question 1 Indicate whether these sentences are true or false. Justify your answers with evidence from the text:
a) The walkway can resist severe weather conditions.
b) The walkway can’t hold more than 120 people.
c) The Hualapai are a wealthy tribe.
d) The majority of the tribe disliked the idea of the walkway being built.

Question 2 Answer these questions in your own words:
a) Why does Dolores Honga believe that the workers had nightmares?
b) Why is the walkway a safe place?

Question 3 Find a word or phrase in the text that means the same as:
a) tempt (par. 1)
b) divide (par. 5)
c) affirm (par. 6)

Question 4 Rewrite the following sentences without changing the meaning
a) David Jin is giving the walkway to the Indian tribe.
The Indian tribe...
b) They blend into the ground. Our people died along there.
They blend...
c) It’s spiritual ground; that’s why they are awakened.
If it weren’t...

Question 5 Write a short essay (120 to 150 words) on the following topic:
 What is your favourite way of travelling and why?


Self-Access Group. CEP Santander