5
Reading Passage 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on
questions 1-13 which are based on The
Reading Passage 1 below.
LONDON’S SUCCESSFUL SUBTERRANEAN
SUBWAY SYSTEM
In London, the best way
to get from point to point
is to take the tube,
boasting 11 lines and
carrying approximately
1.34 billion passengers
per year. It is the world’s
eleventh busiest metro
system and was ground-breaking both in concept
and construction at the time of its first proposal and
development, becoming the world’s very first
underground railway. From humble beginnings back
in the 19th century, the system now runs 402km of
lines (55% over-ground interestingly) serving 270
stations. The idea of an underground railway system
was first proposed in the 1830s, with the very first
line opening in January 1863, and more recently
London Underground celebrated 150 years of
operations in 2013.
One of the standout positives of this form of rapid
transport is that it is much faster than taking the
public bus, and much cheaper than taking the iconic
but costly black cabs. Possibly the most famous
transport system in the world is the London
Underground system, with its miles of lines, distinct
sounding station names and the characteristic tube
map. The schematic Tube map, designed by Harry
Beck in 1931, was voted a national design icon in
2006.
The system's first tunnels were built just below the
surface using the cut and cover method, which is a
relatively simple process of construction for more
shallow tunnels where a trench is excavated and
roofed over with an overhead support system strong
enough to carry the load of what is to be built above
the tunnel. Whilst being comparatively cheap and
straightforward, a major disadvantage of cut-and-
cover is the widespread disruption generated at the
surface level during construction.
Academic Practice Test 2
Reading
This, and the availability of electric traction, brought
about London Underground's switch to bored
tunnels at a level much lower towards the end of the
19th century. These circular tunnels – which give
rise to its nickname ‘the Tube’ – were dug through
the London Clay at a deeper level.
There are numerous hidden lines, strange uses and
disused stations down there under London. It is a
labyrinth down there of lines – both in use and not in
use. For example, the postal system uses special
lines that are not well known about, but are in fact a
very efficient way of moving both parcels and letters
around.
One of the reasons for the success of this modern
day metro is in the simplicity of its ticketing system,
which is a ticketing system that is thankfully straight-
forward to use in London. Locked in with the London
Oyster Card system whereby one can top up their
Oyster travel cards, it is very much a user-friendly
concept, widely praised by commuting Londoners
and travelling tourists. A day pass or a week pass
is the most affordable, efficient, and practical way
for tourists to get around London. Simply handover
your payment for your travel card and you can get
from The British Museum to Hyde Park to Wembley
Stadium even if you don’t know the city’s layout.
Unfortunately, the system is not perfect as it does
suffer from some unpleasant socio-economic
aspects that offset the obvious benefits. Primarily
there is the issue of strikes, which are highly
frustrating and annoying to those affected at the
time. Many travellers have been in London and
suffered from this before trying to attend a football
game or a theatre show when a city wide strike was
in operation. It is at these times, that London really
struggles, and folks of all walks of life struggle to get
to their destination using other modes of transport
on those days.
Getting lost on these subway systems is another
secondary imperfection on the lines as they can be
hard to navigate for those unaccustomed to using
them, which tends to affect the tourists much more
than the local citizens. There are maps, of course,
but they can often look like a plate of spaghetti for
those not familiar with using them.