~~, <. 2 Now scan the text to find out if you were right. Eurostar Biutiting#ratway under the channels probably the greatest act of Franco-British co-operation in recent istory. Tunnel schemes were first proposed in 1882, 50 the idea was not new. However, it was only in 1986 that the British and French prime ministers announced that the scheme would go ahead. Now the carriages of the Eurostar trains are a common venue for business meetings as British and French people travel to meet ‘clients on the other side of the Channel. ‘The Channel Tunnel opened in 1994 with trains travelling the 50 kilometres of track at an average depth of 40 metres below the seabed. In the first ten years, 7 million trucks, 2 million cars, 55 milion passengers, 21 tonnes of ral freight and 50 thousand Gogs and cats passed through it. The shortest of Eurostars journeys sa trip to Lille, 9 beautiful old city, now just 1 hour 20 minutes away from London. ‘The journey between London and Patis now takes 2 hours 15 minutes and London to Brussels just under two hours. K now takes less time to make the London Paris journey by ail than by air. Although there are of course occasional setbacks, Eurostar trains are also much more punctual than most air routes. The passenger figures may look good but they fall far short of what was expected. The original prediction was for 15 million passengers in the first year but the ‘actual figure was only around 3 million. Forecasts for a a 3 Now extract the key facts and figures from the text by writing down the answers to these questions (1-8). For each question decide what type of ‘umber to look for, then use the same scanning technique you used in Exercise 2. Aim to take no more than three minutes for all the questions. 1 How many million cars used the tunnel in the first ten years? 2. How long does it take to travel from London to Lille? : 3 In which year was the suggestion for a tunnel first made? 4 What was the original forecast for the number of passengers inthe first year? =. 5 What is the average distance between the bottom of the sea and the tunnel? {6 What was the cheapest price of a return ticket on Eurostar in the frst yeat? 7 In what year did the British and French governments approve the plan for a tunnel? 8 How long is the tunnel? : 52 Transport ae rere ere re 5 Now read these sentences from the text and 1 also too optimistic. At the same tr later years were also too opti Gespte these initial disappointments, Eurostars chit has a larger mar ‘any airline. One reason ‘ | Budget price tickets. In the first year of Business the | aerrsst return fare on Eurostar was £99 whereas ng cna ie ghon that Eurostar havea targeted Tees travellers by introducing Business Premier Rckets, which offer faster check-in times and meals TiNed at your seat. According to the chief executive, {hove is also still plenty of opportunity for growth and ‘expansion through investment in new trains, and the Introduction of services like London to Amsterdam, second part. 1 The passenger figures may look good but the far short of what was expected. Eurostar trains are also much more punctual! most air routes. underline the contrast words. 1 Tunnel schemes were first proposed in 1882. However, it was not until 1986 that the British and French prime ministers announced that the scheme would go ahead. 2. In 1994, the cheapest return fare on Eurostar Wa £99 whereas now it is much less than that. 3. Despite these initial disappointments, Eu! chief executive remained upbeat. Scanned with CamScanner