Maintenance workers trapped on scaffold dangling near the top of New York skyscraper
(Level: Intermediate to Upper-Intermediate / B1 to B2 / ** to ***)


Before watching
Two window washers were left dangling on their maintenance platform outside the Hearst Tower (*) 44 storeys above the ground.

(*) The Hearst Tower is a skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, New York City and the world headquarters of the Hearst Corporation (multinational mass media group whose interests include 15 daily and 36 weekly newspapers and more than 300 magazines worldwide, television stations, cable networks...).

Hearst Tower
Picture from inhabitat.com

 

You are going to watch a BBC report focusing on the incident.
The following words could be useful:
to dangle: to hang or swing loosely   ((être suspendu (dans le vide ))
to buckle:  to become bent or curved        (gauchir / courber / (se) déformer)
to get under way: to have started to be done   (être en cours / être sur la bonne voie)
a scaffold / scaffolding: structure built next to a building to allow workers to stand on while they build, repair...  (échafaudage)
a paramedic: someone trained to do medical work but who is not a doctor or nurse    (auxiliaire médical / aide-soignant)
a ride: e.g. a ride on the roller-coaster or on a merry-go-round at a fair    (un tour de montagnes russes ou de manège)
to bargain for (usually in negatives): to expect  (s'attendre à)
a thrill:  excitement  (frisson / sensation forte)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22882289

 


While watching

Answer the following questions:

1. Are the following statements true or false? Correct the false ones (in French)!

1. Two maintenance workers were dangling off the top of the building because one of the cables of the scaffold they were on had snapped. 
2. The rescuers managed to save them thanks to the ropes they had lowered from the top of the building.
3. The two men were scared to death when the rescuers got them to safety.
4. They had to go to hospital because of their injuries.

2. What does the reporter mean when he says the workers got more thrills than they bargained for?



 When you are finished, check your answers!

 
1. 

1. Two maintenance workers were dangling off the top of the building because one of the cables of the scaffold they were on had snapped.  FALSE   Pas parce qu'un des câbles avait rompu / parce que l'échafaudage s'est courbé vers le bas en son centre.
2. The rescuers managed to save them thanks to the ropes they had lowered from the top of the building. FALSE    Ils les ont sauvés en les faisant passer par l'ouverture qu'ils avaient pratiquée dans un panneau en verre de la façade.
3. The two men were scared to death when the rescuers got them to safety. FALSE  Ils étaient tout sourire   (They were all smiles!)
4. They had to go to hospital because of their injuries.  FALSE    Ils étaient indemnes

 

2. 


Le fabricant de l'échafaudage disait que prendre pied sur la structure serait similaire à un tour dans une attraction à Disneyland  - il ne croyait pas si bien dire puisque les deux ouvriers ont eu plus de sensations fortes que ce qu'ils auraient pu espérer.