Asking your way

Excuse me, could you tell me

where Poltavsky Shlyakh Street is, please? if I’m anywhere near the T. G. Shevchenko Garden? how to get to the State Industry Building?

or simply,

• Excuse me, I’m looking for the T. G. Shevchenko monument, please.

B. Now work in pairs. Ask your partner

1. where Sums’ka Street is?

2. the way to the nearest metro station.

3. how to get to the town centre.

4. where the nearest Currency Exchange is.

5. how far the Barber’s/Dry cleaner’s is.

6. if you can find the way to the Chemist’s.

7. if you can walk to the coach station.

Unit six. Trains

Pre-reading Activity

• Do you enjoy being a passenger in a train?

• What is your favourite country (place) for a holiday and why?

• You are going on a business trip by train. You may take only ten items with you. What are they?

Make sure you know these words:

fall into disuse – вийти із застосування

dismember – розділяти, розчленовувати

remnant – залишок

franchising out – надавати права на діяльність у певному районі

1. Read Part 1 of the text ‘History’ and answer the following questions. History

Britain was the site of the first passenger railway line, the Stockton and Darlington, which opened in 1825 and was called ‘the starting point of the vast network of lines which covered a considerable portion of the globe’. By the mid-19th century railways were being built throughout Britain and the network reached its peak around the turn of the century. Subsequently, many smaller lines fell into disuse, and in the 1960s and 1970s there was a major series of closures.

The railways were built by private enterprise, but became nationalized in 1948 as British Railways. However, in the mid-1990s, British Rail was dismembered and now the whole system, including the track and stations, the trains, the maintenance companies and both passenger and freight services are privately owned, having been sold off following the introduction of the Railways Act 1993. Britain was the first country in the world to privatize its entire rail network and it did so using a unique system of franchising out services.

1. When did the first passenger railway line open? Where?

2. When did the railway network reach its peak?

3. What is the name of the British nationalized railways?

Read Part 2 of the text and respond by putting a plus (+) if the statement is true or a minus (-) if the statement is false.

The focus of network is London, with the majority of the country’s main lines radiating from the capital. London has a dozen main line stations which provide direct services from the capital to all major cities and many towns across Britain.

There is a very large suburban network serving the London area, and several other cities, including Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow and Liverpool which all have extensive local services. There are basically four types of rail link: main line, suburban, inter-regional and rural. The principal flows on the national network are concentrated on the main line network and the intensively used south London suburban rail network. Although a high proportion of journeys start or end in London, there are some high regional flows, such as between Liverpool and Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow, and Swansea and Cardiff. While Britain does not have a separate high speed network as in France and several other European countries, trains can travel along the main lines at speeds of 125 mph (200 kmph). Trains are either diesel powered or electric. There are two types of electrification, either with a third rail, used principally for the south London suburban routes and overhead wires used by the two main routes linking London with the North, the East and West Coast Main Lines. The other main line routes rely principally on diesel powered high speed trains.

1. The country’s main lines radiate from the central part of Great Britain. ( )

2. The suburban railway network serves the main industrial cities of Great Britain. ( )

3. The railway network comprises four main types of rail lines. ( )

4. Britain’s trains travel along the main lines at the highest speed in Europe. ( )

5. All the line routes in Britain are both diesel powered and electric. ( )

Read Part 3 of the text and choose the one best answer A, B or C to the statements.

The suburban lines which radiate from the large population centres are very heavily used at peak times. These links carry high flows during the peak periods. On average 435,000 people travel by suburban rail to central London during the morning peak period.

There is also an extensive network of inter-regional lines connecting major towns and cities, principally not going through London. These services have operating speed of between 80 mph and 105 mph (130 kmph – 170 kmph) and are normally diesel powered for increased flexibility of rolling stock.

Rural railways, often the remnants of the extensive branch line system that was mostly closed in the 1960s and 1970s, tend to have seasonal flows as they cater for holiday traffic and low service frequencies. Because they are used by relatively few passengers, these services are the most heavily subsidised part of the network. This is justified on social grounds, in terms of providing mobility, stabilizing the network, and allowing access to the main network from local areas.

1. The suburban lines are heavily used

A. in the daytimes.

B. at night.

C. at peak hours.

2. Interregional lines

A. go through London.

B. do not go through suburbs.

C. do not go through London.

3. Rural lines

A. have seasonal uses.

B. are also extensively used.

C. do not provide access to the main railways.