Urban Transport around the World

Great cities need good transport systems.

Moscow needs a good transport system because it is the largest city in Europe. The metro is the busiest system in the world (3.2 billion passengers per year) and the stations are perhaps the most beautiful. Another Russian city, St Petersburg, is called a “City of Trams” because it has the world’s largest tram system – over 720 km long.

New York is a city that is famous for size – the population is larger, the buildings are taller than in many other cities. It has the world’s largest metro system (with 468 stations), and the biggest bus system in the world (more than 4,300 buses).

London has perhaps the most famous buses in the world – the red double-deckers. It also has a good metro or underground system, and it is the oldest in the world. Unfortunately, it is also the most expensive in the world.

Many people think that public transport in Tokyo is the best in the world. It is certainly very busy and always crowded. In fact, the busiest train station in the world is Shinjuku Station, Central Tokyo, with 3.2 million passengers a day.

WRITING TASK

Write about urban transport. What means of transport do you have in your city?

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Winds from the East: Chinese Inventions

The Chinese invented many things that we use today, long before they appeared in the West.

The Chinese invented paper in the 2nd century BC. Over a thousand years later, in the 12th century AD, Europeans first made paper. Another example is matches: the Chinese had matches in the 6th century, but Europeans did not use them until the 19th century. Paper money is another Chinese invention: Europeans first made it in Sweden in 1661, but the Chinese invented it 800 years earlier, in the 9th century.

Knowledge of other inventions came along the “Silk Road”, linking East and West, and more information came by sea. Sailors brought Chinese ideas to the Arabian Gulf and northern Africa and, from there, they spread north to Europe.

WRITING TASK

Write about your favourite everyday invention. What is the oldest invention in the world?

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Moscow

Moscow is the capital of the Russian Federation, located on the banks of the Moskva River in the west of the country. Moscow is one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Moscow was founded in 1147 by the prince Yury Dolgoruky. After 1237-1238, when the Mongols burned the city to the ground and killed its inhabitants, Moscow recovered and became the capital of an independent principality (княжество). In 1480, Ivan III had finally broken the Russians free from Tatar control and Moscow became the capital of an empire.

The Kremlin and the Red Square are in the centre of Moscow. The Kremlin is the oldest part of the city. It was built under the tzar Ivan III in the fifteenth century. The Kremlin has a red brick wall, up to 21 metres in height with 19 towers that surrounds palaces, cathedrals and other monuments. St. Basil’s Cathedral, a masterpiece of Russian architecture was built in 1561 to celebrate Russian victory over Kazan khanate (ханство).

Now, Moscow is one of the largest cities in Europe. Its total area is 9 hundred square kilometers and still is growing up. The population of the city is about 10 million people. Moscow is the economic, political and cultural centre of Russia.

Moscow is a city of students. There are over 80 higher educational institutions, including several universities; the most famous of them is the Moscow State University.

Moscow is famous for its theatres and museums. The Bolshoy Theatre, the Pushkin Museum of the Fine Arts, the Tretyakov Gallery and others are well known all over the world.

Moscow has a modern underground system (Metro) famous for its beautiful marble-walled stations. The first line of the Metro was built in 1935.

WRITING TASK

Write a description of one of the places of interest in Moscow. What places of interest would you like to see?

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London

London is the capital city of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of England. It lies on both banks of the Thames.

London is the largest city in Western Europe. It is the most populous city in the European Union, 8 million people live there. London’s population includes an extremely diverse range of peoples, cultures, and religions, making it to be a cosmopolitan city.

The history of London goes back to Roman times. London is traditionally divided into several parts: the City of London, which is the financial centre of the United Kingdom and Europe; the West End, which is the area of museums, art galleries, largest department stores, cinemas, and hotels; Westminster, which is the political and religious centre; and the East End, which is the industrial part of London and is very important for commerce.

The City is the oldest and historical part of London, which includes the Bank of England, the Royal Exchange and the Stock Exchange. There are banks everywhere: small and big banks, old and new banks, British, Chinese, American, Indian banks. The expression that describes the City is “Money makes the world go round”. The permanent residential population of the City is now less than 6000, but about 350,000 come here daily to work. The most prominent landmark of the City is Saint Paul’s Cathedral, designed by the English architect Christopher Wren. It took the architect 35 years to build the Cathedral. It has a huge golden dome and its interior is very beautiful.

The West End is London’s shopping and entertainment centre. Trafalgar Square is in the centre of the West End. It was named in the memory of Admiral Nelson’s victory in the battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The tall Nelson’s Column stands in the middle of the square. The British Museum is one of the most famous museums in the world. It was founded in 1753.

Another important district of London is Westminster, where most of Government buildings are situated. The Palace of Westminster also called the Houses of Parliament is the place where the English Government sits. Big Ben is the name of the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament and the largest clock in the country which is known to the whole world.

The official London residence of the Queen is the Buckingham Palace. It was built in the 18th century. At the heart of Westminster is Westminster Abbey built in the 11th century and rebuilt in the 13th century. Westminster Abbey is the place where the coronation of kings and queens has taken place. Many of them are buried there as well as 3000 notable people of the country.

The East End of London is the industrial area and it grew with the growth of the port of London. The East End is famous as the centre of the clothing industry in London. There are many factories, workshops and docks there.

There is the Tube (an underground) in London. The underground, constructed in London, was the first underground in the World.

WRITING TASK

Write a description of one of the places of interest in London. What places of interest would you like to see?

TRANSLATION