[TRAVEL ★]
LONDON’S HIDDEN UNDERGROUND MAIL RAIL TO OPEN TO VISITORS
(P1) The mysterious world of SUBTERRANEAN London will become more visible to the public next year as a previously hidden underground railroad opens as a TOURIST ATTRACTION.
(P2) The Mail Rail is a 23-mile network once used by the UK’s Royal Mail postal service to transport letters and PARCELS beneath the city.
(P3) Its small electric engines began service in 1927, SHUTTLING between eight main sorting DEPOTS, including Paddington in the west and Liverpool Street in the east.
(P4) The line, a miniature version of the city’s own Underground public transport system, closed 11 years ago when some depots were SHUTTERED and sold off.
(P5) Now it’s been announced that a section of the line will reopen as a tourist attraction in early 2017.
(P6) Much of the line has changed little since its closure, with old engines and equipment sitting parked in stations.
(P7) In recent years, mail workers have operated subterranean trips for young children at Christmas.
(P8) When it opens to the public, the remaining trains will take visitors on short rides beneath the Mount Pleasant Post Office in the city’s Clerkenwell district.
WORDS: 187
SOURCE: http://edition.cnn.com/2016/02/04/travel/london-mail-rail/index.html
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
If you found the passage difficult to read or had problems understanding specific words or idiomatic expressions, please discuss them with your tutor. The following discussion questions should be answered in your own words and with your own arguments.
- Briefly summarize the content of the article in your own words.
- Is there an underground SUBWAY (metro) system in your city? Do you use it?
- Have you traveled on subways in any other cities? Which system was the most impressive?
- Does your country have a network of PASSENGER RAIL? Have you traveled on it?
- What are the most popular tourist attractions in your area?
EXPRESSIONS TO PRACTICE:
What do the following expressions mean? Practice using each expression in a sentence; extra points if you can use it in conversation.
- Tourist attraction
- Passenger rail
