III. Reading comprehension

1. Answer the questions

1. What company does Helen work in?

2. How old is she?

3. What is Helen’s position in the company?

4. How many women in the position of a Tunnel Engineer are there in the company?

5. How long are the two sections of the line through London?

6. How many tunnel-boring machines did the company use?

7. How many metres did the machines cut a day?

8. What were the names of the machines?

9. Why did the company use pumps?

10. What was the ground like in some areas near the Thames?

11. What engineering challenge did the company have?

12. What two serious incidents did the company have while constructing tunnels in London?

13. How long does it take to get from London to Paris using the Channel Tunnel?

2. Read the statements and say whether they are true (T) or false (F). Correct the false ones

1. Helen has got a degree in engineering.

2. Helen has been working as a civil engineer for three years.

3. She always has problems being in the position of a Tunnel Engineer.

4. Helen wants to see men Engineers.

5. The company used huge tunnel-boring machines.

6. The laser-guided tunnel-boring machines ran 24 hours a day to drain the water away.

7. The machines had nicknames.

8. The company never faced any engineering challenge.

9. The company never had serious incidents while constructing tunnels in London.

10. It is not possible to get from London to Paris in two and quarter hours.

3. Choose the correct word or word combination

1. Helen …. a Tunnel Engineer.

a. works b. is c. becomes

2. She has got a ... in Engineering from Manchester University.

2. degree b. position c. job

3. Helen ... on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link for the last three years.

a. has got b. has been working c. has been

4. She’d like to see more ... Engineers.

a. woman b. tunnel c. women

4. We used six ... laser-guided tunnel-boring machines.

a. astonishing b. weakening c. huge

4. It was a real engineering ... .

a. danger b. challenge c. problem

4. There were pumps running 24 hours a day ... the water away.

a. to avoid b. to disappear c. to drain

8. It’s been a ... project.

a. serious b. possible c. fantastic

9. We had only two serious ... .

a. reasons b. incidents c. hours

10. It makes possible ... Paris in two and a quarter hours.

a. to link b. to dig c. to reach

11. There are always dangers in ... construction.

a. concrete b. tunnel c. foundation

12. This is the reason I ... an Engineer.

a. disappeared b. became c. was

4. Complete the sentences

1. I’ve been working ...

2. It’s a high-speed …

3. There aren’t many …

4. Two long sections ...

5. We used ...

6. They cut 100 metres …

7. They had names …

8. There are always ...

9. In some areas near …

10. Nearer the center we had to …

11. We had only two ....

12. It’s been ...