Page 69 - Reading Success B5

Although the Leaning Tower of Pisa has been leaning since early in its history,
no one is certain who designed the tower. Historians suggest three possible

designers: Bonanno, Diotisalvi, or Biduino; who were all famous Italian artists at
the time the tower was built. Construction of the tower began in 1173, but was

stopped after five years. In 1272, Giovanni Di Simone began work on the tower
again. Shortly after the construction was continued the tower began to lean. Over

time, the tower has continued to tilt more and more. Many different things have
been tried to stop this.

Benito Mussolini, an Italian prime minister and dictator, ordered that concrete
be poured into the tower’s foundation in order to return the tower to a vertical

position. However, this only caused the tower to sink further into the soil. On
February 27, 1964, the government of Italy requested aid in preventing the tower

from toppling. This is because the tower played a vital role in the tourism industry
of Pisa. A multinational task force of engineers, mathematicians and historians

was assembled to discuss different methods that could stabilize the tower. They
discovered that the tower’s stonework expanded and contracted each day due to

the heat of sunlight. This expansion and contraction caused the tower’s lean to
increase. They finally decided to only slightly straighten the tower to a safer

angle by removing soil from underneath the raised end. Now the tower should be
stable for at least another 300 years.

Main Idea

What is the main idea of this story?

a. designers of the Leaning Tower of Pisa

b. Benito Mussolini’s love for the Leaning Tower of Pisa
c. the history of the Leaning Tower of Pisa

d. the popularity of the Leaning Tower of Pisa

72_Reading Success B 5