Safety tips while travelling

A.          

The Channel Tunnel (or Chunnel) is a long tunnel between England and France under the English Channel. The Channel Tunnel is the longest undersea tunnel in the world. The section under the sea is 38km long and the entire length is 50.5km. At its lowest point it is 75 metres deep. The tunnel was recognised as one of the ‘Seven Wonders of the Modern World’ by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

B.           

For centuries, crossing the English Channel via boat had been considered a miserable task. The windy weather and choppy water made travellers seasick. So, in 1802, French engineer Albert Favier proposed to dig a tunnel under the water of the channel. Favier’s plan was adopted by French leader Napolean Bonaparte. But the British rejected the plan. They feared that Napoleon wanted to build the tunnel in order to invade England.

C.           

At the end of the 20th century the idea was revived. The digging of the Channel Tunnel began simultaneously from the British and the French coasts. The most difficult task was making sure that both the British side of the tunnel and the French side actually met up in the middle. Special lasers and surveying equipment were used. On December 1, 1990, the meeting of the two sides was officially celebrated. For the first time in history, Great Britain and France were connected.

D.          

Although the meeting of the two sides of the service tunnel was a cause for great celebration, it certainly wasn't the end of the Channel Tunnel building project. Crossover tunnels, land tunnels from the coast to the terminals, electrical systems, fireproof doors, the ventilation system, and train tracks all had to be added. Also, large train terminals had to be built at Folkestone in Great Britain and Coquelles in France.

E.           

It took 13,000 engineers and technicians to construct the tunnel. However, it is wrong to call it a tunnel, as there are actually three tunnels. There are two running tunnels, one each way. Additionally, there is a smaller service tunnel, with a crossover in the middle, in case there’s an emergency so the trains can actually change to either side. The tunnels themselves are about 50 meters below the seabed.

F.           

A fire erupted on November 18th, 1996 in the Channel Tunnel as the Eurostar train was racing through the southern tunnel. The corridor was filled with smoke and the majority of passengers were overwhelmed with fumes. Fortunately, they were all rescued after 20 minutes, but the fire continued to rage. It ended up damaging both the tunnel and the train before it was completely put out.

G.          

There are two options to travel through the tunnel. You can either go on a passenger train, the Eurostar, which departs from London, Paris and Brussels city centres. Or you can go on the drive-on service, called the Eurotunnel Shuttle, starting close to the tunnel entrance where you drive your car or truck onto special rail cars. The Eurostar takes about 2 hours and 15 minutes to travel from London to Paris.

 

 

Чтение 66.

Прочитайте тексты и установите соответствие между текстами и их заголовками: к каждому тексту, обозначенному буквами A–G, подберите соответствующий заголовок, обозначенный цифрами 1–8. Используйте каждую цифру только один раз. В задании есть один лишний заголовок.

 

The very start

Protection or a new danger

Champions in texting

Back to real-life communication  

Mobiles in the classroom

Needed in the next world

No benefits but glamour

Rescue Service function

A.          

The first call from a mobile phone was made in 1973. Motorola engineer Martin Cooper made the call from the pavement of Sixth Avenue in New York to show off to his competitor – engineer Joel Angel. He said, "I'm ringing you just to see if my call sounds good at your end." With the first mobile phones, only voice calls were available and there was no texting facility.

B.           

Recently the most expensive phone in the world was presented. It is the iPhone5 with a case made of 24 carat gold with 600 diamonds! The home button of the smartphone is made from a rare black diamond and the company logo is covered with small diamonds. The cost of this device is about $15 million. The technical characteristics of the iPhone 5 are no different from the regular models.

C.           

Mobile phones are permitted at school in the UK, but students are not allowed to use them in class. Teachers can take away phones if these rules are broken. School students can use their phones at breaktime and at lunchtime. However, some teachers in British schools complain that students don’t always follow the rules and that lessons are disrupted by people texting, receiving calls, looking at social networking sites, watching videos and even making videos in class.

D.          

The mobile phone is a way to warn people about disasters. Some countries have worked out the following system: phone companies automatically notify their population in advance about emergencies and disasters. Such warnings are very efficient and free of charge. Japan and Finland were among the first countries who understood the necessity of this system.

E.           

Parents want their kids to be safe. Are children safer with a mobile phone or without? Many parents want their children to have a phone so that they can be in contact at any time or in any place. On the other hand, for lots of parents a phone is a source of possible danger. Parents worry that their child may meet the wrong kind of ‘friends’ on social networking sites or that they might receive cruel messages from school bullies.

F.           

The idea of sending short text messages was originated in 1984. It was later brought to life by a group of engineers from different companies. Writing text messages became extremely popular in Asian countries, especially in Korea. Korean teenagers are certainly text message fans. They send over 200,000 text messages a year, that's about 60.1 texts per day. This hobby must have made their fingers really fast.

G.          

It’s becoming common practice in Ireland to bury people with their mobile phones. In the past, families often put photos or favourite things of the dead in the coffin. Now mobile phones have replaced these old-world customs. Mobiles have become an essential object for their owners during their time in this world, so logically they may want to keep them forever.

 

Чтение 67.

Прочитайте тексты и установите соответствие между текстами и их заголовками: к каждому тексту, обозначенному буквами A–G, подберите соответствующий заголовок, обозначенный цифрами 1–8. Используйте каждую цифру только один раз. В задании есть один лишний заголовок.

 

A great source of water

A famous Russian toy