Learning Objective (LO)

At the end of this lesson,

students should be able to;
understand techniques of
answering comprehension
effectively and inferring
meaning.

Learning Outcomes (LO)

Reading and Comprehension At the end of the lesson,
Factual Writing students should be able to;
The Channel Tunnel complete an exercise on
reading comprehension.

FACT- A Fact is " something that actually exists; reality;

truth.
FACTUAL DESCRIPTION- To factually describe
something is to present it as it is or appears to be.
Pre-reading Information about The Channel Tunnel…. SOME
FACTS!!!!

The Channel Tunnel is a 50.5-kilometre rail tunnel linking

Folkestone, Kent, in the United Kingdom, with Coquelles,
Pas-de-Calais, in northern France, beneath the English
Channel at the Strait of Dover.
What is a Tunnel?
An artificial/man-made underground passage, especially one built
through a hill or under a building, road, or river.

Why do we need tunnels?

On the path of a railroad track or a road a tunnel is
dug when the lane encounters an obstacle such as a
mountain to avoid bypassing the obstacle.
A tunnel is built sometimes to overcome a water
obstacle as a replacement for building a bridge
above it.
A tunnel is built for infrastructure like electricity cables,
water, communication and sewerage to avoid damage
and disruption above ground.

Plans for an undersea tunnel joining Britain
and France were first drawn up by a French
Engineer, Albert Mathieu, in 1802. The idea
was to transport passengers by horse-drawn
carriage. However, as hostilities developed
between Britain and France the idea was
dropped.
Nevertheless, people still thought about the
possibility throughout the nineteenth
centuries. After the invention of the railway,
much thought was given to building a rail
tunnel but as early trains were pulled by
steam-powered locomotives there were
significant practical problems with this idea,
as well as the continuing fear that such a
tunnel could be used for hostile invasions of
both countries.
In the early 1870s, however, the Channel
Tunnel Company Ltd started to dig shafts for
the tunnel but the project was abandoned in
1875 when there was a change of UK
government.
A hundred years later, in the early 1970s,
work started again but was abandoned for
economic reasons. At least, in 1985, it was
finally agreed that the project would go ahead
but would be funded privately and not by
taxpayers. Various proposals were put
forward both for road and rail tunnels and for
different types of bridges. The outcome was
that a rail tunnel, to be built by the Channel
Tunnel Company, was chosen and construction
began in 1988.
The tunnel was to run from Folkestone in South
East England to Coquelles in Northern France.
There would be two rail tunnels plus a central
service tunnel. The project involved over 1500
workers and the total cost was around 4650
million pounds. (about $7 billion).
The two ends of the tunnel finally met in 1990
and the tunnel was completed and opened on
6 May 1994. It carries both High Speed
passenger trains (London to Paris and
Brussels), shuttles for cars and passengers and
freight. All are electrically powered. At 23.5
miles (37.5 kilometres) in length, the Chunnel,
as it is known, is the longest undersea tunnel
in the world.
Horse-drawn carriage

Railway track and tunnel

What do they have in

Bridge common? Any
ideas….
These words (in yellow) are from the article above. Try to match them with their
meanings… Are you ready guys?

1. Plans people who are traveling in an automobile, bus, train, airplane

2. Transport action of inventing something, typically a process or device
3. Passengers a consequence
4. Invention having been deserted or left
5. Economic a detailed proposal for doing something
6. Abandoned relating to the production, development, and management of wealth
7. Outcome movement of people, animals and goods from one location to another
 Abandoned

Hostile
Shaft Locomotives
 1. For what reason was the tunnel planned in 1802 abandoned?
Fear of war between Britain and France

2. Suggest a reason why a rail tunnel was thought to be impractical in the

nineteenth century.
Steam trains produces too much smoke; The tunnel could be
used for invasion

3. In what way were the proposals for building the Channel Tunnel in 1985
different from those made in the 1970’s
It was funded privately and not by taxpayers
4. How many tunnels were eventually constructed?
Three were constructed
5. From the final paragraph what do you learn about the way in which the tunnels were
constructed
Tunnelling begun from each end and joined up in the middle
6. Explain the meaning of the following words and phrases as
used in the passage:
A) Hostilities ________________________________________
B) Significant practical problems ________________________
C) Hostile _________________________
D) Various proposals ________________
E) Outcome ______________
7. State five facts given in the passage about the Channel Tunnel.
You should refer to the last 3 paragraphs only.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

The End