Reading

B1 French reading: building a cardboard bridge

Read a classroom bridge-building story in French, learn maquette and appui, and follow a repair with picture cards, glosses and four questions.

In short

Une maquette is a model, and un appui is a support. In this B1 reading, follow three classmates as they repair a cardboard bridge and prepare to explain it at their exhibition.

Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn

Le pont en carton

Vendredi après-midi, Zoé, Malik et Lucie préparaient une exposition sur leur quartier. Au milieu de la table, ils avaient posé une maquette1 du vieux pont. Le pont était en pierre, mais ils avaient construit leur modèle en carton. Une planche bleue représentait la rivière. Sur une photo placée à côté, on voyait les deux grands arbres près du pont.

Malik voulait ajouter les arbres à la maquette. En déplaçant la photo, il a heurté la table. La planche a glissé et un appui2 en carton est tombé. « Attends, je vais le fixer3 plus loin du bord », a proposé Zoé. Lucie a tenu le pont pendant que Zoé mettait de la colle sous l’appui.

Ils ont ensuite écrit une étiquette : « Le vieux pont, à échelle réduite4 ». Lucie a ajouté le nom des matériaux utilisés. « Demain, je présenterai la photo, a-t-elle dit. Vous expliquerez la construction. » Malik a finalement découpé deux arbres dans du papier vert. Ceux-ci tenaient debout grâce à un petit pli.

Avant de partir, Zoé a regardé leur travail. L’appui réparé était encore humide. Elle a laissé un message sur la table : « Ne déplacez pas la maquette ce soir ! »

Read it in English

On Friday afternoon, Zoé, Malik and Lucie were preparing an exhibition about their neighbourhood. In the middle of the table they had placed a model of the old bridge. The bridge was stone, but they had built their model from cardboard. A blue board represented the river. A photograph beside it showed the two large trees near the bridge.

Malik wanted to add the trees to the model. While moving the photograph, he knocked the table. The board slid and a cardboard support fell. “Wait, I’ll fasten it farther from the edge,” Zoé suggested. Lucie held the bridge while Zoé put glue under the support.

They then wrote a label: “The old bridge, on a smaller scale”. Lucie added the names of the materials used. “Tomorrow, I’ll present the photograph,” she said. “You’ll explain the construction.” Malik finally cut two trees out of green paper. They stood up thanks to a small fold.

Before leaving, Zoé looked at their work. The repaired support was still wet. She left a message on the table: “Don’t move the model this evening!”

Four things on the classroom table

One bridge, two sets of materials
FeatureBridge in the photographClassroom model
Bridge materialen pierreen carton
Waterla rivièreune planche bleue
Treesdeux grands arbresdeux arbres en papier

Ceux-ci refers back to the two paper trees. The masculine plural ending matches arbres. Read the action verbs as a chain: a heurté → a glissé → est tombé. The knock comes first; the repair follows.

Question 1No account needed
What fell when Malik knocked the table?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Un appui de la maquette.. The board slid, then a cardboard support fell. The photograph was being moved.

Question 2No account needed
Who holds the bridge during the repair?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Lucie. Lucie holds the bridge while Zoé puts glue underneath the support.

Question 3No account needed
What does ceux-ci replace?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Les arbres en papier.. The previous sentence introduces two paper trees; ceux-ci refers to those trees.

Question 4No account needed
Why does Zoé leave a message?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

The glue still needs time to dry.. The repaired support is still wet, so moving the model could disturb the repair.