From the history of the London Underground

The underground railways as a kind of city transport appeared in the second half of the 19^th century. The first underground system was proposed by Charles Pearson in 1843. Twenty years later the first line of the London Underground was opened for traffic. Its length was almost four miles. On that first historic day 30.000 Londoners made the first underground railway travel in the world.

In the early days the trains were driven by steam locomotives which burnt coal, filling the tunnels with smoke. It is said that the train staff and porters asked for a permission to grow beards and moustaches – as an early form of smog mask. The tunnels of the first underground were made as small as possible in order to reduce the construction costs. The coaches themselves were small and narrow.

According to Pearson ’s project all lines were laid down close to the ground surface. The deep tunneling came later, in 1890. Constructing the tunnel through miles of clay, sand and gravel is no easy task, and it was James Henry Greathead who developed the method which made the construction of most London tunnels possible. One of the longest continuous tunnels in the world is the 17½ mile tunnel on the Northern line. The first escalator was also installed in the London Underground in 1911.

During the World War II the London Underground served as a shelter for thousands of Londoners. Many British Museum treasures spent the war in the tunnels of the underground. The railways were prepared for any emergency that might occur. They had duplicate control systems, repair groups, duplicate power supply and so on. To minimize the danger of flooding the underground near the Thames, isolating doors were built in the tunnels. All the trains were equipped with special reduced lighting for using on open sections of track.

Nowadays the London Underground is the most popular means of city transport. Its length is about 300 km and it has 273 stations.

Укажите, какие из следующих утверждений соответствуют содержанию текста. Используйте фразы: It is right. It is wrong. Исправьте неверные утверждения.

1. The underground railways appeared in the 20^th century. 2. The London Underground is the oldest Metro in the world. 3. The first line was constructed according to Pearson ’s project. 4. In the 19^th century all the trains were driven by electric locomotives. 5. The first line of the London Underground was laid down deep under the ground. 6. The method of deep tunneling was developed by James Greathead. 7. The first escalator in the world was installed in the Moscow Metro. 8. During the World War II the London Underground didn’t operate. 9. Different measures were taken to minimize the danger of flooding the tunnels near the Thames. 10. At present the length of the London Underground is over 400 km.

ВАРИАНТ 4

I. Перепишите и переведите предложения, обращая внимание на употребление оборота there + to be.

1. There was some engine trouble, and the driver asked the passengers to get off the bus. 2. There is so much traffic on this street during rush hours that it is faster to ride a bike. 3. At the railway station there are announcement boards that inform passengers when and to what track the train will arrive. 4. The bus pulled up at the stop but to the disappointment of the people there was no room for everybody in it. 5. In April 1998 there was a 300 km traffic jam on the N4 motorway (the main road from London to Wales) at the end of the Easter holidays.

II. Перепишите и переведите предложения, обращая внимание на употребление окончания -s.

1. Nowadays London’s transport moves only 4 km faster than in 1912. 2. He wanted to get the watchman’s job because he could not get any other. 3. The scientific and technological achievements brought great changes in people’s life and work. 4. For the passengers’ convenience the compartments of a sleeping car are equipped with mirrored sliding doors, loudspeakers, collapsible tables, ceiling lamps and wall lamps. 5. The passengers were informed of the flight’s delay.

III. Перепишите и переведите предложения, обращая внимание на употребление прилагательных в сравнительной и превосходной степенях. Подчеркните прилагательные в английских предложениях и укажите степень сравнения.

1. Railway transport is one of the cheapest ways of carrying freight over long distances. 2. The continuous rails provide a smoother movement of trains at higher speeds. 3. If you want to get somewhere as quickly as possible the best way is to travel by air. 4. For many centuries before the invention of the steam engine, transportation by water was much easier and cheaper than that by land.