Reading At the Railway Station

It's common knowledge that nowadays people travel a lot. They travel on business and for pleasure, about the country and abroad. Those who wish to travel have at their disposal various means of transport: express trains and big ships, cars and jet airliners.

Although we all agree that the future belongs to the air trans­port, the railway is still one of the most popular means of commu­nication. Of course, if people are short of time and have to travel a long distance they usually travel by air. But if they have time they prefer to go by train.

With a train you have speed, comfort and pleasure combined. From the comfortable corner seat of a carriage you have a splendid view of the countryside. If you are hungry you can have a meal in the dining-car and if the journey is long you can have a comfortab­le bed in a sleeper.

A big railway station is a very busy and interesting place. Let's imagine that we are at one of them.

There are a lot of platforms at which trains come in and go out. A train is standing at one of the platforms ready to leave. The porters are very busy carrying luggage to the train or pushing it on their trucks. On another platform a train has just come in. Some passengers are getting out, others are getting in. Those who ha-

ven't got their tickets in advance are waiting in queues at the booking-office. At the bookstalls people are choosing books, maga­zines and newspapers for the journey. At the cloak — room some people are leaving and taking their luggage.

There are a lot of notices in a big railway station. You may see ENTRANCE and EXIT. There is also a WAITING-ROOM where you can relax until it is time to board your train. If you are hungry or thirsty you'll go to the REFRESHMENT ROOM.

If you don't know the number of the platform from which your train leaves, look for the notices ARRIVALS and DEPARTURES. They will tell you the number of the platform.

When you arrive in a large town you may leave your heavy luggage at the station. In this case you will look for the CLOAK ROOM or LEFT LUGGAGE OFFICE.

You will also see the notice BOOKING OFFICE. This is where you buy your ticket. If you don't know the time or the platform your train leaves from you'll go to the INQUIRY OFFICE or the INFORMATION BUREAU.

Self check

/. Fill in the gaps with prepositions where necessary: Mr Dobson is fond ... travelling. He thinks there is nothing like travel ... board... the train.

Last week Mr Dobson went ... Dublin ... business. He travel­led... train. He arrived ... the station an hour ... the departure. ...his arrival... the station he bought some newspapers and a magazine ... the newsagent's and went ... the waiting-room to wait... his train. He was reading a newspaper when he heard the loudspeaker: "Attention, please! The train ... Dublin is leaving ... platform I." Mr Dobson put his newspaper ... his briefcase, got up and went ... his platform. He found his carriage and boarded ... the train. He had a comfortable night... the train and reached ... Dublin ... 8 a. m.

//. Translate into English:

— Добрый день!

— Добрый день. Чем могу быть полезна?

— Есть ли поезда на Москву сегодня?

— Да, есть два ночных поезда.

— Когда они отправляются?

— В 9 и 11 часов.

— Когда поезд, который отправляется в 9 часов, прибывает в Москву?

— В 7 часов утра.

— Это время меня устраивает. Есть ли билеты на этот поезд?

— Да, есть несколько билетов первого класса.

— Мне повезло.

Fluency

/. Answer the questions:

How often do you travel by train? Do you enjoy travelling by train? Why/Why not? What do you like or dislike about large stati­ons? When did you last travel by train? Where did you go? Did you book a ticket in advance? How much did it cost? Did you travel by an express or a stopping train? You didn't have to change trains did you? What time did the train leave? When did you arrive at the station? Did you travel light or heavy? What did you do after you boarded the train? Did you have a lower or an upper berth? Which berth do you prefer? How much did the bedding cost? How did you spend the time during the journey? Did you like the conductor? Was he/she very helpful? Did you get off the train on your way to X? When did the train arrive in X? How long did you stay in X? What was your journey back like?

//. Speak on:

a) your last journey by train

b) the local railway station

///. Discuss the following:

1. A big railway station is the best place to spend a spare hour.

2. There is nothing like travelling by train.

IV. Act out the following situations:

1. An English colleague of yours wants to go to Moscow to take part in an exhibition. Не/she asks you about trains to Moscow. You've been to Moscow many times and give him/her all the necessary information.

2. You are on business in London. Soon you are going to return to your native country. You phone the railway-booking agency to inquire about the time-table and tickets.

3. You are on board the train Minsk-Moscow. There is an En­glishman/Englishwoman in your compartment. In an hour you are busy talking.

V. Write about a journey by train that impressed you greatly.