Magy's English Edu. Club
Cambridge 17 Academic Reading Test One Passage One
The London Underground railway
Complete the notes below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
1- The ………. of London increased rapidly between 1800 and 1850
The answer is POPULATION.
In paragraph one, in the first half of the 1800s, London’s population grew at an astonishing rate.
2- Building the railway would make it possible to move people to better housing in the ……..
The answer is SUBURBS.
In paragraph two, 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.
3- A number of ……… agreed with Pearson’s idea.
The answer is BUSINESSMEN.
In paragraph two, Pearson’s ideas gained support amongst some businessmen.
4- The company initially had problems getting the …… needed for the project.
The answer is FUNDING.
In paragraph three, the organization had difficulty in raising the funding for such a radical and expensive scheme.
5- Negative articles about the project appeared in the …….
The answer is PRESS.
In paragraph three, the organization had difficulty in raising the funding for such a radical and expensive scheme, not least because of the critical articles printed by the press.
6- With the completion of the brick arch, the tunnel was covered with ………….
The answer is SOIL.
In paragraph four, a two-meter-deep layer of soil was laid on top of the tunnel, and the road above rebuilt.
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?
Write TRUE, FALSE, or NOT GIVEN.
7- Other countries had built underground railways before the Metropolitan Line opened.
The answer is FALSE.
In paragraph five, the Metropolitan line was the world’s first underground railway.
8- More people than predicted traveled on the Metropolitan line on the first day.
The answer is NOT GIVEN.
In paragraph five, on its first day, almost 40.000 passengers were carried between Paddington and Farringdon, the journey taking about 18 minutes.
9- The use of ventilation shafts failed to prevent pollution in the tunnels.
The answer is TRUE.
In paragraph six, however, smoke and fumes remained a problem, even though ventilation shafts were added to the tunnels.
10- A different approach from the ‘cut and cover’ technique was required in London’s central area.
The answer is TRUE.
In paragraph seven, 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.
11- The windows on City and South London trains were at eye level.
The answer is FALSE.
In paragraph eight, 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.
12- The City and South London Railway was a financial success.
The answer is FALSE.
In paragraph eight, although the City and South London Railway was a great technical achievement, it did not make a profit.
13- Trains on the ‘Tuppeny Tube’ nearly always ran on time.
The answer is NOT GIVEN.