London Underground
LEVEL A.2 - B.1
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If you go to London, you are almost certain to travel on the London Underground or as it also known, the tube. Even back in the 1850's, busy roads were a problem so the solution was to build underground. In 1863 the first line (Metropolitan) was opened joining Paddington and King's Cross. Soon it was carrying 1,000's of passengers each day.
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Now the system is the longest in the world, extending far into the suburbs on the edge of the city. Some of these lines are over ground but in the centre a number of the stations are very deep with many levels. As these are very old, they get extremely hot in the summer.
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Temperatures as high as 45 degrees have been reported - phew! The stations also get so busy that at rush hours, you have to queue to get in.
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It would be very difficult to find your way around if it wasn't for the very clever map that explains the system so well. It was invented by an employee in 1933.
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He was an electrician and designed his map like a circuit board. He won a small prize for his design and continued working for London Underground for the rest of his life. Another noticeable feature of the underground is the very distinctive logo known as a roundel. This was created in 1913 and is used on all London Transport. It's the original corporate logo!
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Something else you will need to think about is buying a ticket. You can buy single journey, day passes and season tickets which give you access to different zones. You might need some advice. Study the map and don't get lost!
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Questions
Looking at the map on the next page, how would you make the following journeys? (If the map is difficult to read, you can enlarge it on screen)
1) You've arrived at Heathrow Airport and you want to get to your hotel near Paddington.
2) You've heard that there is a great department store called Harrods in Knightsbridge, but how will you get there from your hotel?
3) To make a day of it, you love detective stories and you thought it would be great fun to visit Baker Street, home of Sherlock Holmes. How will you get there from Knightsbridge?
4) One job left now - you just need to get back to your hotel in Paddington. Easy?
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