НАЙТИ В ТЕКСТЕ ГЕРУНДИЙ In the 20th century cities grew more than ever before. During the early 20th century the construction of tall buildings became very popular in big cities. Tall buildings were also seen as a symbol of power and greatness. Architects discovered a new way to get more space in the city. They built skyscrapers.
(2) Skyscrapers are the world’s tallest buildings. They first appeared in New York and Chicago at the end of the 19th century. Skyscrapers are often like small cities. They offer space for offices, apartments, shops, hotels, restaurants and other services. Tens of thousands of people live and work there.
(3) Skyscrapers have two parts: the foundation is the part below the ground and the superstructure is the part above the ground. Both sections hold the weight of the building. A skyscraper needs careful planning before it can be built. First a big hole a few storeys deep is dug into the earth. Sometimes this foundation reaches into solid rock. Then steel and concrete beams and columns are placed into it. They carry the weight of the superstructure.
(4) When the foundation is finished cranes are used to raise a steel frame up into the sky. As it moves upward other workers lay floors and hang in the outside walls. The complete structure of the skyscraper must be finished before the inside systems can be installed.
(5) Corridors, staircases, elevators, heating systems, air conditioning and electrical systems belong to the most important inner elements of a skyscraper. Although the outside structure can be completed in a few weeks it may take years to finish the whole building.
(6) As time goes on more and more people move away from the inner parts of the city and settle down in the suburbs, which are places where it is quieter and where the quality of life is better. These suburbs become small towns with their own office buildings and shopping centres. Residents can work and live there without having to travel long distances to the centre. Poorer people, however, stay in the centres and form ghettos. They lack the money to buy houses or flats in more expensive suburbs. Today’s cities are much larger than cities in previous times. With the help of cars and public transport people can get to all parts of a city very quickly.

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