ry w % A Dangerous Job Since | was a boy, | have always looked down open manholes with curiosity, so | welcomed the opportunity to explore and write about the world beneath New York City. With a group of 11 “sandhogs’—the nickname’ for the workers who build New York's underground—| boarded a slow, shaky elevator lit by a single light bulb, Slowly we went down a shaft’ dug through 200 meters of rock, The sandhogs were building a new tunnel to bring water into the city. The present tunnel system carries more than 5.6 billion liters of water every day. That's enough water to fill more than 2,200 Olympic-sized swimming pools. ‘As we descended, it got dark and the air got cool. | looked up into darkness and down into deeper blackness, then the elevator stopped, and everyone got out. Then came the hard part, climbing another 1 meters down a long, slippery metal ladder.’ At the bottom was a dark tunnel filed with dust and smoke. Sandhogs were using explosives like dynamite’ to cut through the solid rock The tunnel extends slowly—only four meters a day—and with each day come new dangers. Sandhogs live in constant fear of being hurt by sharp pieces of exploded rock. Their bodies are covered in such scars. “Why do this work?” | asked Brian Gallagher, a sandhog for 16 years. Brian’s father was a sandhog, too, but it is not tradition that, brought him here, “It's the money,” he said. An experienced sandhog earns over $100,000 a year. The rewards are well deserved. A sandhog’s chances of dying on the job are far greater than those of an above-ground construction worker, or even a New York City police officer. “Everything down here an kill you,” one sandhog said. They know many more workers will die before the tunnel is completed A River of Sewage On another trip below the city, sewer worker Jeff Kwami showed me how the city’s sewage is kept flowing smoothly. We went down a manhole wearing plastic bodysuits, gloves, and tanks of air. Everything around us was wet and slippery, as we climbed carefully down 12 meters and then stopped on a narrow concrete step, In \ Aidknume i an informal and unotfieal name A shaft isa vertical tunne A ladder» structure made for cimbing on Dynamite isan explosive substance ‘sears mat ett onthe skin aftera wound or an injury has healed en) “Sandhogs” at work deep under New York Cityfront of me was a fast-moving river of sewage nearly two meters wide. It smelled awful. | asked Kwami, "What happens if you fall in and you're not attached to a rope?" He said if you didn't pull yourself out, you'd drown in the sewage. But nlike the dangers sandhogs face, such situations are rare. As we move through the sewer, Kwami seems calm and confident, but it's still a terrifying thought, Later, as we left the darkness and danger below, Kwami joked, "See any alligators?" Over the years, there have been bout giant alligators living in the sewers. | tell Kwari that in 1935, the New York Times reported an alligator ‘was pulled from a sewer. He still didn’t believe it, and we laugh to b back to the surface. — Adapted from Under New York by Joel Swerdiow, National Geographic Magazine Uaits8 77‘Multiple Choice. Choose the best answer for each question, 78 Units ‘The writer of the passage is_. a. considering getting a job as a tunnel worker b. taking tourists into New York City’s tunnels «. interested in what lies beneath New York City . reporting on the benefits of working underground .. What danger that underground workers face is NOT mentioned? a, slipping », being cut by rock ©. drowning d. elevators falling Why does Brian Gallagher work as a sandhog? a. He enjoys danger. b. It's family tradition. . The job pays well, 4, The work is easy to do, . Sewer workers probably carry tanks of air because _. a. the smell of the sewage is bad b. the tunnel is filled with smoke «, they have to dive into the sewage 4. they need to clean the air in the sewer ‘Which of these is the most dangerous job mentioned? a. sandhog b. police officer , sewer worker 4, construction worker Which of these things about being a sewer worker is f 4 NOT mentioned? Dig You Knew? a, It's useful to wear a bodysuit. Stories such as:“the alligator in the sewer" b. It's easy to get wet. cea ss are known as urban -, The pay is very high. d. A rope could save your life. ee What would be the best heading for the last paragraph? origin that are often a, Recent Alligator Sighting believed to be true, b. The 80-Year-Old Alligator but are usually not. ¢. How to Survive Sewage 4. Just a Story?