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29-31 (30/10-3/11)

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The development of the London underground railway

In the first half of the 1800s, London’s population grew at an astonishing rate, and the central area became increasingly congested. In addition, the expansion of the overground railway network resulted in more and more passengers arriving in the capital. However, in 1846, a Royal Commission decided that the railways should not be allowed to enter the City, the capital’s historic and business centre. The result was that the overground railway stations formed a ring around the City. The area within consisted of poorly built, overcrowded slums and the streets were full of horse-drawn traffic. Crossing the City became a nightmare. It could take an hour and a half to travel 8 km by horse-drawn carriage or bus. Numerous schemes were proposed to resolve these problems, but few succeeded.

Amongst the most vocal advocates for a solution to London’s traffic problems was Charles Pearson, who worked as a solicitor for the City of London. He saw both social and economic advantages in building an underground railway that would link the overground railway stations together and clear London slums at the same time. His idea was to relocate the poor workers who lived in the inner-city slums to newly constructed suburbs, and to provide cheap rail travel for them to get to work. Pearson’s ideas gained support amongst some businessmen and in 1851 he submitted a plan to Parliament. It was rejected, but coincided with a proposal from another group for an underground connecting line, which Parliament passed.

The two groups merged and established the Metropolitan Railway Company in August 1854. The company’s plan was to construct an underground railway line from the Great Western Railway’s (GWR) station at Paddington to the edge of the City at Farringdon Street - a distance of almost 5 km. The organisation had difficulty in raising the funding for such a radical and expensive scheme, not least because of the critical articles printed by the press. Objectors argued that the tunnels would collapse under the weight of traffic overhead, buildings would be shaken and passengers would be poisoned by the emissions from the train engines. However, Pearson and his partners persisted.

The GWR, aware that the new line would finally enable them to run trains into the heart of the City, invested almost £250,000 in the scheme. Eventually, over a five-year period, £1m was raised. The chosen route ran beneath existing main roads to minimise the expense of demolishing buildings. Originally scheduled to be completed in 21 months, the construction of the underground line took three years. It was built just below street level using a technique known as ‘cut and cover’. A trench about ten metres wide and six metres deep was dug, and the sides temporarily held up with timber beams. Brick walls were then constructed, and finally a brick arch was added to create a tunnel. A two-metre-deep layer of soil was laid on top of the tunnel and the road above rebuilt.

The Metropolitan line, which opened on 10 January 1863, was the world’s first underground railway. On its first day, almost 40,000 passengers were carried between Paddington and Farringdon, the journey taking about 18 minutes. By the end of the Metropolitan’s first year of operation, 9.5 million journeys had been made.

Even as the Metropolitan began operation, the first extensions to the line were being authorised; these were built over the next five years, reaching Moorgate in the east of London and Hammersmith in the west. The original plan was to pull the trains with steam locomotives, using firebricks in the boilers to provide steam, but these engines were never introduced. Instead, the line used specially designed locomotives that were fitted with water tanks in which steam could be condensed. However, smoke and fumes remained a problem, even though ventilation shafts were added to the tunnels.

Despite the extension of the underground railway, by the 1880s, congestion on London’s streets had become worse. The problem was partly that the existing underground lines formed a circuit around the centre of London and extended to the suburbs, but did not cross the capital’s centre. The ‘cut and cover’ method of construction was not an option in this part of the capital. The only alternative was to tunnel deep underground.

Although the technology to create these tunnels existed, steam locomotives could not be used in such a confined space. It wasn’t until the development of a reliable electric motor, and a means of transferring power from the generator to a moving train, that the world’s first deep-level electric railway, the City & South London, became possible. The line opened in 1890, and ran from the City to Stockwell, south of the River Thames. The trains were made up of three carriages and driven by electric engines. The carriages were narrow and had tiny windows just below the roof because it was thought that passengers would not want to look out at the tunnel walls. The line was not without its problems, mainly caused by an unreliable power supply. Although the City & South London Railway was a great technical achievement, it did not make a profit. Then, in 1900, the Central London Railway, known as the ‘Tuppenny Tube’, began operation using new electric locomotives. It was very popular and soon afterwards new railways and extensions were added to the growing tube network. By 1907, the heart of today’s Underground system was in place.

The London underground railway

The problem

• The 1..........................................of London increased rapidly between 1800 and 1850

• The streets were full of horse-drawn vehicles

The proposed solution

• Charles Pearson, a solicitor, suggested building an underground railway

• Building the railway would make it possible to move people to better housing in the 2..........................................

• A number of 3..........................................agreed with Pearson’s idea

• The company initially had problems getting the 4..........................................needed for the project

• Negative articles about the project appeared in the 5..........................................

The construction

• The chosen route did not require many buildings to be pulled down

• The ‘cut and cover’ method was used to construct the tunnels

• With the completion of the brick arch, the tunnel was covered with 6..........................................

Other countries had built underground railways before the Metropolitan line opened.

TRUE

FALSE

NOT GIVEN

More people than predicted travelled on the Metropolitan line on the first day.

TRUE

FALSE

NOT GIVEN

The use of ventilation shafts failed to prevent pollution in the tunnels.

TRUE

FALSE

NOT GIVEN

A different approach from the ‘cut and cover’ technique was required in London’s central area.

TRUE

FALSE

NOT GIVEN

The windows on City & South London trains were at eye level.

TRUE

FALSE

NOT GIVEN

The City & South London Railway was a financial success.

TRUE

FALSE

NOT GIVEN

Trains on the Tuppenny Tube’ nearly always ran on time.

TRUE

FALSE

NOT GIVEN

Listening

Cam 18 T3 Recording 2

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Task 1. Choose TWO letters, A-E.

Which TWO warnings does Dan give about picking mushrooms?

A. Don’t pick more than one variety of mushroom at a time.

B. Don’t pick mushrooms near busy roads.

C. Don’t eat mushrooms given to you.

D. Don’t eat mushrooms while picking them.

E. Don’t pick old mushrooms.

Task 2. Choose TWO letters, A-E.

Which TWO ideas about wild mushrooms does Dan say are correct?

A. Mushrooms should always be peeled before eating.

B. Mushrooms eaten by animals may be unsafe.

C. Cooking destroys toxins in mushrooms.

D. Brightly coloured mushrooms can be edible.

E. All poisonous mushrooms have a bad smell.

Task 3. Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.

What advice does Dan give about picking mushrooms in parks?

A. Choose wooded areas.

B. Don’t disturb wildlife.

C. Get there early.

Dan says it is a good idea for beginners to

A. use a mushroom app.

B. join a group.

C. take a reference book.

What does Dan say is important for conservation?

A. selecting only fully gown mushrooms

B. picking a limited amount of mushrooms

C. avoiding areas where rare mushroom species grow

According to Dan, some varieties of wild mushrooms are in decline because there is

A. a huge demand for them from restaurants.

B. a lack of rain in this part of the country.

C. a rise in building developments locally.

Dan says that when storing mushrooms, people should

A. keep them in the fridge for no more than two days.

B. keep them in a brown bag in a dark room.

C. leave them for a period after washing them.

What does Dan say about trying new varieties of mushrooms?

A. Experiment with different recipes.

B. Expect some to have a strong taste.

C. Cook them for a long time.

Transcript

This evening we’re delighted to welcome Dan Beagle, who’s just written a book on looking for and finding food in the wild. He’s going to tell us everything we need to know about picking wild mushrooms.

Thank you very much. Well, I need to start by talking about safety. You really need to know what you’re doing because some mushrooms are extremely poisonous. Having said that, once you know what

to look for, it’s really worth doing for the amazing variety of mushrooms available — which you can’t get in the shops. But of course, you have to be very careful and that’s why I always say you should never consume mushrooms picked by friends or neighbours — always remember that some poisonous mushrooms look very similar to edible ones and it’s easy for people to get confused. The other thing to avoid is mushrooms growing beside busy roads for obvious reasons. But nothing beats the taste of freshly picked mushrooms — don’t forget that the ones in the shops are often several days old and past their best.

There are certain ideas about wild mushrooms that it’s important to be aware of. Don’t listen to people who tell you that it’s only OK to eat mushrooms that are pale or dull — this is completely untrue. Some edible mushrooms are bright red, for example. Personally, I prefer mushrooms cooked but it won’t do you any harm to eat them uncooked in salads —it’s not necessary to peel them.

Another thing you should remember is that you can’t tell if a mushroom is safe to eat by its smell — some of the most deadly mushrooms have no smell and taste quite nice, apparently. Finally, just because deer or squirrels eat a particular mushroom Q13/14 doesn’t mean that you can.

Of course, mushroom picking is associated with the countryside but if you haven't got a car, your local park can be a great place to start. There are usually a range of habitats where mushrooms grow, such as playing fields and wooded areas.

But you need to be there first thing in the morning, as there’s likely be a lot of Q15 competition — not just from people but wildlife too. The deer often get the best mushrooms in my local park.

If you’re a complete beginner, I wouldn’t recommend going alone or relying on photos in a book, even the one I’ve written! There are some really good phone apps for identifying mushrooms, but you can’t always rely on getting a good signal in the middle of a wood. If possible, you should go with a group led by an Q16 expert — you'll stay safe and learn a lot that way.

Conservation is a really important consideration and you must follow a few basic rules. You should never pick all the mushrooms in one area — collect only Q17 enough for your own needs. Be very careful that you don’t trample on young mushrooms or other plants. And make sure you don’t pick any mushrooms that are endangered and protected by law.

There’s been a decline in some varieties of wild mushrooms in this part of the country. Restaurants are becoming more interested in locally sourced food like wild mushrooms, but the biggest problem is that so many new houses have been Q78 built in this area in the last ten years. And more water is being taken from rivers and reservoirs because of this, and mushroom habitats have been destroyed.

Anyway, a word of advice on storing mushrooms. Collect them in a brown paper bag and as soon as you get home, put them in the fridge. They'll be fine for a Q19 couple of days, but it’s best to cook them as soon as possible — after washing them really carefully first, of course.

So everybody knows what a mushroom tastes like, right? Well, you'll be surprised by the huge variety of wild mushrooms there are. Be adventurous! They’re great Q20 in so many dishes —stir fries, risottos, pasta. But just be aware that some people can react badly to certain varieties so it’s a good idea not to eat huge quantities to begin with.

OK, so now I’m going to show you ...

Answer

Đáp án đúng:B/C

Đáp án đúng:B/D

Đáp án đúng:C

Đáp án đúng:B

Đáp án đúng:C

Đáp án đúng:A

Speaking

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