Текст 3 Travelling by Train

Travelling by train in Britain may seem specific to foreigners. One of the first things they notice about British railways is the platforms. They are higher than in most parts of the world. The platform is almost on a level with the floor of the carriages. That is very convenient for travellers because they do not have to climb up into a railway carriage. Besides, this makes it easier to get in and out of the carriage with one's luggage.

The trains that go to and from London are usually very crowded at the time when people are travelling to work. The matter is that about a million people go to London to work every day. The price of tickets de­pends on the time of the day. Thus, after 9.30 when everyone has gone to work tickets are usually cheaper. These are called cheap day return tickets. On the average, it is nearly 50% cheaper to travel to London after 9.30 than before this time.

On many fast trains to London there is a dining car in which one can buy lunch, dinner or coffee. On others there is a buffet where it is possible to buy snacks and drinks. Sometimes a waiter from the dining car brings cups of coffee to the passengers.

In Britain, there are only two classes of trains — first and second. A first-class ticket costs approximately twice as much as a second-class ticket. On long journeys, there is a ticket inspector, who visits every passenger to see if he has the right ticket and is not travelling in the wrong class.

For foreigners, it is quite essential to know that English train passengers seldom converse with their fellow-travellers even if the journey is very long. That is more a national custom than a matter of etiquette.

Another important thing to remember is that having reached the end of the journey and leaving the train the passenger has to give his ticket to the ticket collector at the exit before he can leave the station.

Thus the ticket is to be kept during the whole journey. If the pas­senger has luggage and wants someone to carry it for him to a waiting car or taxi, he must call a porter. The porter does not make a charge for his service, but he expects a tip.

Ответьте на вопросы:

1. What is specific about British platforms?

2. What is cheaper – to travel before or after 9.30?

3. How many classes of British trains do you know? What class is expensive?

4. Do people converse with their fellow-travellers in England?

5. Do you have to keep your ticket during the whole journey?

Текст 4 Trains

There are different kinds of trains: passenger trains, mail trains and goods trains. Mail trains carry mail, or post, that is letters, parcels, newspapers and magazines. Goods trains carry goods. Passenger trains carry passengers. Mail trains and passenger trains are usually combined: they have carriages for passengers and a special carriage or two for mail.

Passenger trains can be slow or fast. A slow train stops at every station. Fast trains have few stops: they stop only at very large stations. So we can call these trains respectively stopping trains and non- stopping trains.

There are local trains and long-distance trains.

Local trains connect points situated not far away from each other, say, a hundred or two-three hundred kilometres. By a long-distance train you can travel very far — for thousands of kilometres. If you live in a large city, like St. Petersburg or

Moscow or Kiev, you can go to the suburbs of the city by a suburban train.

Sometimes, when travelling a long distance, you have to change trains (or make a changing), that is get off one train and board another, if there is no through train to the place of your destination.

When you are travelling a long distance, it is very convenient to go by an overnight train. Overnight trains have sleeping accommodation: they usually have "corridor cars," i. e. carriages with separate compartments (they are called sleeping cars, or sleepers). In each compartment there are two lower and two upper berths, on which you can sleep like in bed. Trains which run by day are called day coaches. You cannot sleep in these trains: they have only sitting accommodation: very comfortable soft armchairs.

Ответьте на вопросы:

1. What are passenger trains, goods trains and mail trains?

2. What is a combined mail and passenger train?

3. What is the difference between slow and fast trains?

4. What is a non-stopping train? Does it mean that it never stops?

5. What places can you get to by a local train? by a long-distance train?

6. Where can you see suburban trains? Where can they take you? Why are they called suburban trains?

7. Why do you sometimes have to change trains (make a changing) while travelling?

8. Why is a through train convenient?

9. What is an overnight train?

10. What do you call a train which runs only by day?

11. What accommodation do you get on an overnight train?

12. What accommodation do you get on day coaches?

13. What is a corridor car?

14. How many people can travel in one compartment?

15. Which do you prefer: a lower berth or an upper berth? Why?