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San Francisco

The area had long been inhabited by native Americans, the Ohlone (meaning “people of the west”) before the first Spanish immigrants came to settle in this part of the country. After the Mexican-American War, the small town became American territory, and when the California gold rush started in 1848, the population increase = (zahlenmäßig) zunehmen, ansteigenincreased enormously. Nowadays San Francisco is famous especially for its cable car and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Golden Gate Bridge

Golden Gate Bridge

The Golden Gate Bridge connects the city of San Francisco and San Francisco HalbinselPeninsula. It spans the Golden Gate, a Meerengestrait between the Pacific Ocean and the San Francisco Bay–that’s where the name Golden Gate Bridge comes from.

Construction on the bridge began in 1933 and was completed in 1937. The bridge rises 230 m above the water. With its total length of 1970 meters it was the longest Hängebrückesuspension bridge in the world until 1964. The bridge is part of the United States Highway 101, has six Fahrspurenlanes and a footpath on each side.

Grammar Exercise on the Text

Relative Clauses

Relative clauses are formed with »who« or »that«. We use »who« for people and »that« for animals, things or events.

Exercise

Read the text again and complete the sentences according to the text.

  1. San Francisco was inhabited by the Ohlone .
  2. In the 19th century there were many people in San Francisco .
  3. There is a bridge .
  4. The bridge is used by people .
  5. There is a strait called Golden Gate .