The Moscow metro
The Moscow metro is very important as a means of transport in the Russian capital, in particular
during rush hours. It has more metro visitors than the New York subway
and London underground put together! The Moscow metro works efficiently and the trains run
very frequently and very fast. The Moscow metro is one of the most beautiful subways in the
world. 44 of the stations are listed as cultural heritage sites.
The first plans for a metro system in Moscow date back to the times of the Russian Empire. One
such project was actively discussed in 1902, but at that time the local government declined it in
favor of trams. Indeed trams in those days were very popular and brought lots of money into the
city’s budget.
Then the plans for the construction of a metro system in Moscow were postponed by World War
I and the October Revolution. As a result, the construction of the metro was only started in 1931
after the Soviet Union was established. The first 13 stations opened on May 15th, 1935. They
were wonders of engineering and design.  
Now, the Moscow Metro has 13 lines and more than 200 stations. Each line has a name, a
number and a colour that identifies it. The Moscow metro has a circular line that links all metro
lines. There is a legend concerning the appearance of the circle line, which had not been
planned in the original project. The legend says that at a meeting devoted to metro construction
Joseph Stalin put his cup of coffee on the metro map. It left a brown circle around the city
centre. Joseph Stalin showed the circle to the builders and ordered the construction of such a
line. It was how the circle line appeared and it explains why it has a brown colour on the metro
map.
While travelling on the radial lines of the Moscow Metro to the centre, the stations are
announced by men’s voices and while going from the centre, women announce them. On the
circle line men’s voices announce the stations when going in the clockwise direction, while
women’s voices are used when going counterclockwise. This is done to make navigation
simpler for blind people in the metro.
The Moscow metro carries almost seven million people daily. The people who work there use
every effort to ensure the comfort of the passengers. All trains have free wireless internet
access, so that the passengers can read their emails or chat with their friends on their way to
work.
Recently the ‘Music in the Metro’ project has started. 30 talented and well-trained musicians
give different concerts to the metro passengers. All concerts are held from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
(apart from rush hours) absolutely free. There is no special stage ––the musicians perform in
different stations of the metro.  Muscovites really like the concerts, and ‘Music in the Metro’ has
become a regular event in the Moscow metro. Sometimes, walking through the metro, you can
listen to a top-quality concert.

1)The Moscow metro carries more passengers than the New York subway.

2)At the beginning of the 20th century, the Moscow government preferred trams to underground
transport.
3)The first metro stations were designed by Russian, English and American architects.
4)The colours of the lines on the metro map are connected with the technical characteristics of the line.
5)
 According to legend, the original plan of the Moscow metro included the circle line.
 
6)It was the initiative of Moscow students to make the Internet accessible in the metro.
 
7) ‘Music in the Metro’ is the name of a new popular musical.
 

New Branch in Tourism

Today, people travel much more than they used to. Due to contemporary transportation means,
globalization and integration, the most distant places have become easily accessible. Lots of people
enjoy spending holidays abroad and often go to exotic countries like Bali, the Philippines, Kenya or
New Zealand. Tourist agencies offer a wide range of tourist options ranging from lazy beach holidays
to safari or diving tours. There are offers to meet the requirements of the most sophisticated clients,
and skilful tourist managers can design individual tours according to tourists' personal desires.
It seems that any destination is possible if only the tourist can afford the cost. Surprisingly
enough, but in spite of growing possibilities more and more tourists reject the idea of an exotic
holiday and choose to explore their own country. It's a good tendency I think, as if people don't know
their own country, they will never be able to appreciate other countries' natural wonders and cultural
treasures.
My dad has been working in the tourist business for many years and he detected the homeland-
focused tendency years ago. Having it in mind, he started a little family business  — . a small animal
farm in the countryside. That was a risky thing to do  — he had inherited an old farmhouse and a large
plot of land from a distant relative but he had never been in farming and didn't know how to run the
business. However, he knew the tourism business from the inside out, and he decided to combine
them both.
He sold most of the animals and kept only a few cows, sheep, goats and nanny goats. Then he
bought several horses, ponies and donkeys to add them to the herd. To make the farms population
diverse, dad brought a couple of camels, several fallow deer and some roe deer. We certainly didn't
get any income selling milk or meat, but surprisingly many city people came to spend weekends in our
farmhouse. They brought children with them  — the children were happy to see a real cow or a goat,
they were delighted to feed the animals and to have a horse ride or a trip in a cart pulled by donkeys
or deer!
Dad and the rest of the family got deeply involved in the business that started as a hobby. Our
animal farm has turned into a real tourist attraction and we have had to hire several people to mind
the animals, to run the inn and to entertain the guests. Actually, as we are getting more and more
skilled in farming we are considering the possibility of buying some more land and are planning to
expand our business so that we can produce dairy products, too. Frankly speaking, I never saw myself
as a farmer, but unexpected things happen

1) The exotic animals quickly adapted to life on the farm.

2) The author thinks that the tourist business is very flexible nowadays.
3) The author says that he prefers holidays at home to going to other countries.
4) The author approves of people who explore their own country.
5) The author's family makes good money selling milk and meat products.
6) Only family members are allowed to work on the animal farm.
7) The author says that the family wants to extend their business.
8) The author's father bought a plot of land to start a farm.

 
How do people learn the news? About a century ago people got ____________(INFORM) from
newspapers since they were the only mass media that existed in those times. Radio and television
seemed _____________(WONDER) as they broadcasted audio and visual images. The Internet has
changed the situation dramatically. Now the audience has an opportunity to create the news, share
their __________(KNOW) and express their personal opinions. The Internet supposes interaction,
which makes it very __________(ATTRACT) to people. Will they ___________(APPEAR ) in the near
future? I wish they wouldn't as I like starting my day with a cup of coffee and a
___________(TRADITION) newspaper.

Thousands of tourists visit Edinburgh every year. The capital of Scotland is ___________(FAME)
for its history and architecture. It's one of the ___________(CULTURE) centres of the country. The
main ____________(ATTRACT) of the city is Edinburgh Castle. It was built in the 12 th century but it
still looks magnificent and very___________(IMPRESS). There are many historic monuments in
Edinburgh. One of them is an unusual monument to Walter Scott, a well-
known_____________(WRITE). The city streets are usually full of noisy tourists with cameras but if
you want a quiet holiday, you can have it too  — the beautiful and _____________(PEACE)
countryside is just round the corner.