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  3. It is a staple of not just the capital of the UK, but of British culture in general. It is used by more than 1. 3 billion people

It is a staple of not just the capital of the UK, but of British culture in general. It is used by more than 1. 3 billion people

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问题     It is a staple of not just the capital of the UK, but of British culture in general. It is used by more than 1. 3 billion people per year, and it is more than 400 kilometres long. It has survived fires, floods, terrorist attacks and two world wars, and it has been described as a "form of mild torture", a "two-penny tube" and a system of "padded cells". It is London Underground, and it has been around for more than 150 years. But how did it all start?
    The idea of an intricate train network running underneath a vibrant and heavily populated city like London might not be such a novelty in contemporary society, but it certainly was on back in the early 19th century when it was first conceived. In fact, the only reason such a notion—at the time described by The Times as an "insult to common sense" —was even entertained in the first place was pure desperation: during the Victorian era, London roads were insufferably overcrowded, and a Royal Commission of 1846 meant that central London was out of bounds for railway companies, whose mainline railways all had to stop just outside the City and West End. A way to connect Paddington, Euston and King’s Cross was therefore a necessity to relieve the congested streets, and Charles Pearson, the man who originally envisioned a Fleet Valley rail tunnel just 15 years after the first stream passenger service was opened in 1830, couldn’t have come up with his plan for what was to become London Underground at a better time.
    And so the story begins, in 1863, with the opening of the Metropolitan Railway, which ran between Paddington (called Bishop’s Road at the time) and Farringdon, serving a total of eight stations. Five years later, in 1868, the first section of the Metropolitan District Railway (now incorporated into the District and Circle lines) followed, running from South Kensington to Westminster.
    Within the first fifty years, much of what is known as Zone 1 of the London Underground system today would be built, all funded by private developers. (Unfortunately for them, none would get the financial returns they had been promised.)
    People nowadays might complain about the atmosphere in London Underground, particularly in the summer, but it is nothing compared to the conditions the Metropolitan Railway’s passengers had to weather during the first year of its operation. So foul was the smell in the tunnels that spread under the city that drivers were allowed to grow beards, in hopes that this would protect them from inhaling the billowing smokes. (According to the account of a civil servant from that time, the stink in the underground was comparable to that of a "crocodile’s breath".) Nevertheless, the line was a smashing success from the very beginning, with more than 11 million passengers in just the first year.
    The second spate of construction works arrived with the development of electric traction at the end of the 19th century, which meant that trains no longer had to run though shallow tunnels to allow room for the steam produced by the engines to escape. Instead, new tunnels could now be dug, cutting deeper into the belly of the city. The first deep-level electric railway was opened in December 1890 by the City and South London Railway, connecting King William Street to Stockwell. In the following 50 years, the existing tube lines would systematically be extended, branching into London’s various suburbs. Surprisingly, it would take until 1968 for an entirely new line to open again: the Victoria Line (provisionally named the Viking Line), which was followed by the Jubilee Line eleven years later.
    As I mentioned above, London Underground’s first lines were built by private developers, meaning that each line was owned by different companies. This changed in 1933, when all of those companies were nationalized and merged to form the London Passenger Transport Board, which controlled London’s railway, tram, trolleybus, bus and coach services. (Coincidentally, 1933 was also the year the first diagram of the iconic Underground map was first presented by Harry Beck.) The London Passenger Transport Board itself was nationalized in 1948.
    The next wave of changes came at the turn of the 21st century, and has continued to unfold well into its second decade: in 2003, the famous Oyster card was introduced—a wireless travel card that can be charged up with money to be used for single fares or weekly, monthly, and yearly travel tickets. Busking was also legalized the same year. In 2007. London Underground achieved its next important milestone, reaching 1 billion passengers per year, and in 2009 it was named the best Metro system in Europe. In early 2016, a new Crossrail line named after Queen Elizabeth II was announced, which is due to open in late 2018. This will be the first new line in nearly forty years. And the story goes on.
    So, there you have it. The underground system that every Londoner loves to hate, but without which London never would have become the sort of financial hub and melting pot it is today. A history spanning across three centuries, all of which contributed to the creation of nor just a transport system, but a unique, daring brand, and a cultural phenomenon the likes of which the world had never seen before. Perhaps it is, as its critics contend, too busy, too hot, too pricey and too grimy. But it is also a remarkable achievement, for Londoners and non-Londoners alike, and it should be treasured regardless of its shortcomings.
Which of the following statements is true?
选项 A、In the 19th century, railway companies were not allowed to build stations within central London.
B、London Underground’s first lines were built by the government.
C、The electric traction was first introduced in 20th century.
D、In 2007, London Underground was named the best Metro system in Europe.
答案A
解析 事实细节题。第二段第二句提到，由于伦敦道路非常拥挤，1846年，皇家委员会禁止铁路公司在伦敦市中心修建铁路。由此可知，地面上的站点也不能修建。A项表述与原文相符，故为答案。第七段首句提到，伦敦第一批建造的地铁线路由私人开发，故B项错误；第六段第三句指出，1890年，由于电力牵引技术的发展，第一条电气化地铁出现。不是20世纪，C项表述不正确，故排除；倒数第二段倒数第三句指出，2009年，伦敦地铁被誉为欧洲最好的地铁系统，D项时间错误。
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