Natural conditions and engineering decisions

Facing underground horrors

Effective in spite of lots of passengers     

Special safety rules

Everything for passengers’ comfort

The underground art gallery

The most expensive transport system

A.          

The St. Petersburg Metro has been open since 1955 and carries almost 2.5 million passengers daily. Because of the river Neva and the city’s interesting relief, the Metro is one of the deepest subway systems in the world. The system’s deepest station, Admiralteyskaya, is 105 meters below ground because it is situated under the river.

 

B.           

The London Underground is the world's oldest underground system. It has lots of dark tunnels and passages where you can get lost. They say that some stations are visited by ghosts. On the Piccadilly Line there appears a man dressed in an evening suit. Some staff members have refused to work at the station because of him. They’re just too afraid.

 

C.           

In Paris no building is more than 500 meters away from a subway station. In the past the Paris metro offered a choice between 1st and 2nd class tickets. A 1st class ticket was more expensive. There were no other differences between the two classes. The result was that the first class trains were just less crowded. The difference existed till 1991.

 

D.          

The Tokyo underground system is extremely clean and unusually modern. It’s also very punctual: trains are always on time. At rush hour the metro is always overcrowded. The Tokyo subway has about 8.7 million passengers every day. The carriages are always packed. There are even special platform assistants who push people inside so that the doors can close.

 

E.           

The Metro in Washington DC has its own police. At each station police officers patrol to see if there is any trouble or danger around. Eating, drinking and smoking is not permitted in trains or stations. Anyone who enters the underground may be asked to open their bags for inspection. All this is done to protect the passengers as the metro is usually quite crowded.

 

F.           

The Stockholm Metro is one of the most picturesque underground systems in the world. Artists, painters and sculptors have turned 90 subways into displays of their art. As a result, the subways are decorated with pictures, frescos, and graffiti. For example, at one station there's a whole wall showing the history of different human civilizations.

 

G.          

The Dubai Metro is a well-planned automatic metro system in the United Arab Emirates. All trains and stations have air conditioning and are extremely clean. Every station has links with bus stops, taxi stands and places to lock bicycles. What's more, stations are like mini shopping centres, because there are food shops, travel offices, and even banks there.

 

Чтение 19.

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

 

The song of the winners

An annual music festival

Music of the future

Two sides of the same coin

An impressive show

Music in the classroom

The old music hit

Music for advert

A.          

Edinburgh Tattoo takes place every year in August in the capital of Scotland. It is an event when military music is played by different bands from all over the world. It also includes traditional dances, bagpipe melodies, songs and a horse parade. All this is accompanied by the sounds of national Scottish music.

 

B.           

Using music can make the learning process more enjoyable and effective. You can introduce a new topic with music. It may be a great way to improve vocabulary and make students start thinking in the right direction. If students are doing a grammar exercise, you may play some music in the background, and this will help them concentrate.

 

C.           

The performance Lady Gaga gave at Manchester was called “The Monster Ball”. It was a really strong and loud concert, consisting of four parts. The singer changed costumes 15 times. The “special” effects included a big sea monster and a grand piano which was burnt to pieces. The audience was just going crazy with every new song, it was no doubt a thrilling performance.

 

D.          

Are words important in a song? Some people say they don't matter much. A song is music and you enjoy listening to the melody and don't pay attention to words. On the other hand, a musician expresses himself through words, so they also matter. The words give meaning to a song and touch people’s feelings.

 

E.           

The most common song for English speakers on New Year's eve is “Auld Lang Syne”. When the clock strikes midnight, people join their hands and start singing. However, few of them remember that it's an old Scottish song first published by the poet Robert Burns. The Scots also sing it on January 25th when they celebrate Burns' birthday.

 

F.           

It’s typical to use music in advertising on radio and television. A lot of companies have jingles. They are short songs or tunes that attract customers. A jingle is quick to remember and usually has very simple words. The melody should be easy to sing and cheerful. The jingle must give a positive image of the company. A good example of it is McDonalds' “I'm lovin' it”.

 

G.          

“We Are the Champions” is a ballad performed by the British group “Queen”. It has become one of the most famous and widely used songs. It is also regularly played to celebrate sports victories. The song can be heard in many films, video games, cartoons, TV programmes. It was named the world's favourite song in 2005.

 

Чтение 20.

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

 

Why worry about trees?

Choose: what goes where?

Cruel business

Dead or endangered

A green society

6. Don’t leave rubbish behind!

A green present

8. Become green and get the prize!

A.          

How many rubbish bins do you have where you live? In our area there are about 6 of them, each bin for a different kind of rubbish. There are separate containers for glass, cans, paper, textiles, plastic bottles and food products. I'm sure it's really good because lots of things which we throw away can easily be recycled. It's time to start caring for our environment.

 

B.           

“Please, keep this place clean”. This is often written on picnic sites and camping areas in forests. Do we follow the recommendation? We have fun and enjoy the views and then throw away unwanted food, glass, plastic bottles, cans, wrappers and paper. Is that your “thanks” to nature? Make your site or travel route look like nobody was there. Leave no sign of human influence.

 

C.           

Before people started destroying the rainforests, they covered 15% of the Earth's land area. Today, they cover only 6%. In just the last 50 years, one third of the tropical rainforests have been destroyed. If people don't stop, global warming will become more severe, rare ecosystems will be destroyed, we'll breathe polluted air and the climate will be changed forever.

 

D.          

In the first years of the 21st century there were lots of discoveries in the animal world. But in the past 10 years some animals have completely disappeared from earth. You can no longer see a golden toad, a baiji dolphin or a black rhino. It is frightening that today the process is going faster and faster. These days about 5000 animals could disappear at any time.

 

E.           

More than 100 million animals every year suffer and die from inhuman drug, food or cosmetic tests, biology lessons, medical training exercises and other experiments. It seems that we have no pity for them. Have you ever thought that we hurt them? If there isn’t testing on people there shouldn't be testing on animals either.

 

F.           

For my birthday this year I got an unusual and unexpected invitation from a friend to plant a tree. It was a thrilling experience. On the day of the event I chose a tree myself, got some professional advice and did the job. I have never felt such joy. I know my “personal” tree will be part of a small park in the district, a place of beauty for people of all ages to enjoy.

G.        

The Green School Awards are for quality in environmental education. You can enter the competition as a whole school, a class, a team or an individual. The main task is to make a report on any topic mentioned on our website. You can present it in any form: a scrapbook, a DVD, a website, and so on. Each winner will get a cheque for £700.

 

Чтение 21.

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

 

A reason for change

Souvenirs for coffee-lovers

Setting up the business

A traditional taste

A perfect start to the day