1. Why did the writer make the trip?

1. Because he was given the opportunity.

2. Because he wanted to go to France.

3. Because he had an important date.

4. Because it was the only method available.

2. What is the English Channel train entrance like?

1. Badly constructed

2. Large and ugly

3. Small and quiet

4. Bright and cheerful

3. Why is the French Immigration office in England?

1. So passengers can get straight on to the train in England.

2. So passengers can drive off the train as soon as they get to France.

3. So non-European citizens can be separated from Europeans.

4. So French citizens don’t have to show their passports.

4. Why do the crew play bingo?

1. To improve their French.

2. To pass the time.

3. To decide who will drive the train.

4. To practice communication skills.

5. What was the crossing to France like?

1. It was alarming.

2. It was calm.

3. It was impractical.

4. It was interesting.

6. What does “it” in line 19 refer to?

1. Carrying large numbers of people.

2. Making the journey faster.

3. Serving refreshments on the train.

4. Providing entertainment during the journey.

7. What does the writer think will happen to channel travel in the future?

1. The train will stop running.

2. The train will not be used by the very rich.

3. There will be a lot of technical problems.

4. The train will become the usual method of transport.

8. Why will the writer not use the channel tunnel train in the future?

1. Because it’s too expensive.

2. Because it takes too long.

3. Because he has no reason to travel to France.

46

Look at the following words in the text and try to explain them:

railway complex	brand-new	immigration points
loudspeaker	predictably	underground
cross-channel	undoubtedly

47

1	shuttle	a.	quick or rapid
2	site	b.	two parallel rails for trains to travel along
3	tracks	c.	slightly
4	toll booth	d.	means of transport that travels regularly between two places
5	to slide	e.	place where money is paid for the use of a road or bridge
6	barely	f.	act of getting on a train or plane
7	boarding	g-	to leave a ship or an aircraft
8	mildly	h.	a place where a building/town etc is situated
9	to disembark	i.	to move something along (esp on a slippery surface)
10	swift	j.	hardly

Match the words with their definitions.

48

Fill in the correct word derived from the words in brackets.

When the channel tunnel opened, many people had high1) ________ (expect). Instead of travelling for up to 3 hours on the sea, the tunnel appeared to be an 2) _______ (attract) alternative. In reality however, the channel tunnel project ran into some 3) _______ (predict) problems. Nobody had imagined that there would be a power 4) _______ (fail), leaving the passengers stranded in the tunnel for hours. 5) _______ (doubt), these problems will have been overcome in a few years’ time, satisfying passengers’ 6) _______ (require) for an enjoyable journey.

49

Fill in the appropriate word from the list. Use the words only once.

to deal with	the crossing	the cry of
double-decker	we shot back	halfway
to hit	a fire alarm	a crew

1. __________________ across.

2. __________________ formalities.

3. __________________ carriages.

4. __________________ takes about 35 mins.

5. __________________ one’s travelling speed.

6. __________________ member.

7. __________________ into the French light.

8. __________________ goes off.

9. __________________ gulls.

50

Choose the correct item.

1. She was given the _________of working in Hong Kong. (occasion, opportunity, luck, fortune)

2. We had difficulty in _________ the boat round the rocks. (driving, leading, touring, steering)

3. You need to fulfil some basic __________ before being admitted to this university. (requirements, desires, requests, inquiries)

4. My club ________ new members every spring. (hires, engages, recruits, dismisses)

5. The coastline near here is very __________; there are lots of rocks and cliffs. (smooth, even, crude, rugged)

51

Read the article. Some parts of the text have been removed. Choose which of the paragraphs given fit into the gaps. There is one paragraph you do not need to use. Then explain the highlighted words and word combinations in the text.