Step 1 Lead-in

How can people travel from one place to another? / What means of transport do you know?

 

 

Step 2 Reading strategies

Ask one student to read the part and then answer the question: What are included in a tourist brochure?

1. a brief history of the place's development

2. important people who influenced or contributed to the development

3. interesting facts

4. encouragement on your visit

 

 

Step 3 Fast Reading

Students need to look through the text and think about the two questions：

1. What’s the main idea of the brochure?

The brochure introduces the underground system in London.

2. How is the text organized?

Part 1 (Para. 1) The reasons of building underground in London

Part 2 (Para.2-4) The development of the underground system of London

Part 3 (Para.5)  Some unusual uses of the underground system in London

Part 4 (Para.6-7)  Expansion and popularity of the underground system

 

 

Step 4 Checking the preview

1. When was the first underground system opened?

2. What did Charles Holden do?

3. Why was the Victoria Line important?

Stwp 5 Careful Reading

Part 1

1. Students need to answer the question:

Why was the underground built in London?

2. Why did most trains into London only go to the distant boundary of the city?

A. Because they didn’t want to have many historic buildings damaged.

B. Because they didn’t want to take up too much space within the city.

C. Because they didn’t want to have the city of London damaged.

D. Because they wanted the city protected.

 

Part 2

1. Students need to find out the different stages in the development of the London Underground. Then make a timetable.

1854: An underground railway was approved to be built by the British government.

1860: The digging started.

1863: The initial tunnel was opened.

1868: The next section of the underground system was opened in the south of London.

1884: Two companies linked up to provide underground service in the middle of the city. The first railway tunnel under the River Thames was dug.

1890: The first electric underground railway was opened.

1902: Charles Yerkes set up the Underground Electric Railways Company of London.

1933: The London Passenger Transport Board was created.

1918-1938: Many new stations were constructed.

1979: The Jubilee Line was opened.

 

2. Students need to find out the two important people who influenced the development of the underground system in London.

Charles Yerkes and Charles Holden.

3. Exercises:

(1) Before Charles Yerkes, travelling on the tube lines was ______________.

A. comfortable          B. convenient

B. inconvenient          D. cheap

(2) _______set up the Underground Electric Railways Company of London.

A. The Prime Minister  B. Charles Holden

C. Queen Elizabeth     D. Charles Yerkes

(3) Charles Yerkes bought many of the different lines and set up the Underground Electric Railways Company of London with the purpose of ______.

A. owning the right to give each line a game

B. earning much more money than before

C. controlling all the different bus and train lines

D. making the underground system better

 

Part 3

Students need to find out the interesting facts of the underground system in London.

During World War ǁ:

(1) Many stations function as as bomb shelters.

(2) A new line was used as an underground airplane factory.

(3) An underground station was used as a centre for directing the defence against air attacks.

(4) The station nearest the Prime Minister’s house was used as meeting rooms for the administration of government.

 

Part 4

1. Find out the examples of expansion.

Victoria Line and Jubilee Line.

1. How does the brochure encourage tourists to visit the place of interest?

“So, why not take a trip on the oldest underground system today?”

 

 

Step 6 Discussion

Students need to discuss the development of the public transport in other cities. The information they discuss should be searched for in advance.

 

 

Step 7 Homework

Put the information in order and make it a composition.