A. THE IDEA IS BORN

B. PREPARATIONS FOR THE WALK

C. THE WRONG MAN ARRESTED

D. PUNISHED BUT RESPECTED

E. INSPIRATION FROM FRIENDS

F. MORNING WALK ABOVE THE CITY

A DREAM COMES TRUE

4.1.F|f() On August 7, 1974, when Wall Street was waking up after a quiet night, a Frenchman called Philippe Petit put into practice the idea he had had for years. At sunrise, he stepped onto a steel cable and walked a few times between the twin towers of the World Trade Center. On the street below, thousands of people couldn’t believe their eyes watching the tiny figure up in the air.

4.2. A|a() The Frenchman was an acrobat from Paris. In 1968, while waiting at the dentist’s, Petit read an article about the construction of the twin towers in New York. He looked at the design of the towers and imagined himself on a cable, walking the 61-metre distance between them. He knew he would do it one day.

4.3. B|b() For the next few years, Petit worked hard on his skills to make his dream come true. In 1974, he flew to New York to put his plan into action. First, he observed the towers. Then, on the evening of August 6, Petit took a lift to the 110th floor of the South Tower. At the same time, his friends went up to the top of the North Tower. To make the morning walk on the cable  possible, they worked together all night to set everything up.

4.4. D|d() The New York police arrested Petit after he had finished his walk. For breaking the law, Philippe had to give a charity performance for children in Central Park. However, for New Yorkers he became a hero who had done something incredible. The city authorities rewarded Petit by giving him a free lifetime pass to the observation deck on the South Tower. He was also asked to sign his name there..

adapted from www.pbs.org