Page 28 - Exercise 1

Page 28 - Exercise 1

Transport

ROADS

Vehicles in Britain and Ireland travel on the left, so the steering wheel is on the right. If you live in a country where vehicles travel on the right, you must be extra careful when you cross the road. Always look right first! The busiest motorway in Britain is the M25. It goes round London. It’s almost 200 kilometres long and is one of the longest ring roads in the world. In some countries you have to pay a toll to use the motorways, but in Britain and Ireland most of them are free. Distances in Britain are in miles (three miles is approximately five kilometres). And speeds are in miles per hour (mph).

RAILWAYS

For long journeys, the train is usually the fastest way to travel. You can also travel by coach. It’s cheaper, but it usually takes longer. The main railways connect London to other cities. London hasn’t got a central station. Different companies built the railways, and they all had their own station in London. Victoria and Waterloo, for example, are the stations fortrains to the south. If you want to go to the west, however, you have to go from Paddington. From St Pancras Station you can take a Eurostar train through the Channel Tunnel to cities in France and Belgium.

TRANSPORT IN LONDON

The fastest way to travel in London is on the Underground (or theTube, as it’s also called). But you can’t see any of the famous places down there. So if you want to see London’s sights, it’s better to take one of the famous red double- decker buses. You’ll get a good view if you sit upstairs. However, like a lot of big cities, the traffic in London can be very bad, so the bus often takes a long time. You can also take one of London’s black taxis, or even a cycle rickshaw. They can be quicker, but they’re both expensive. Often the best thing to do in London is to walk.

AIRPORTS

There are several big airports in Britain. London has got five. Heathrow is the biggest, and it’s the busiest airport in Europe. A plane takes off or lands there every 75 seconds. The most popular destination is New York. Some people think that London needs a new airport. There are plans to build one on a man-made island in the River Thames.