Complete the following sentences and render this text in English

1. The St Petersburg Metro is worth visiting. From the moment it was (вводить в эксплуатацию) it was recognized as one of the best in the world not only because of its (пропусканная способность) and cleanness, but for its architecture. While the first (станции метрополитена) are richly decorated: marble of various colours, bronze, mosaics, bas-reliefs, polished granite, stainless steel, glass and sculptures being used just like in palaces, the newer ones are simple and modern, but less impressive. Each station is decorated according to the history of the place where it is built.

2. (Строительство) of the first underground railway in St Petersburg started in 1940. However, the work had to stop when the war broke out. The builders returned to the (шахтные стволы) only in 1948.

3. (Концевые станции) of the Petrogradskaya line are interesting from an engineering point of view. Their island platform for passengers is separated from the (боковые тоннели) by special walls with openings that are closed by pneumatic doors. The length of the wall corresponds to the total train length, and the openings coincide with the opening of the train doors. They close before the train leaves providing a greater (безопасность).

4. The St. Petersburg Metro comes second, next to the Moscow Underground, in the number of passengers it (перевозить) daily. On a daily basis, 2,000 trains run in the St. Petersburg Metro. The average operational speed is over 40 km/h and the maximum authorized speed is 75 km/h.

Try to guess the meaning of the following word combination:.

The passenger transport operator; to gain competitive advantage over the private car; “station to station” operation; to drive between stations in total safety; a breakdown situation; public transport users; passenger flow within stations; heavy rail lines for the metro; end-to-end journey time; the first departure; a low-floor car; the ticket collection turnstiles.

Ask each other questions to test your knowledge of the unit.

Unit 21

STRUCTURES OF THE UNDERGROUND