BBC英语精选--英语6分钟: The London Tube（在线收听）

BBC Learning English   

6 Minute English 

The London Tube 

NB: This is not a word for word transcript 

 Yvonne:  This is 6 Minute English, I'm Yvonne Archer and Alice has kindly joined me 

for today's programme. Hello Alice. 

Alice:    Hi Yvonne. 

Yvonne:   Now Alice, how do you get around London? 

Alice:  Ooh – by bus, bicycle and usually the Tube. 

Yvonne:  Aha, and most people would agree that the London Underground – ‘the Tube’ - 

is the best way to get around this city. But many people have a love-hate 

relationship with the underground – we either love it or hate it.  

Insert 1: Tube announcement 

(Ladies and gentlemen)…because of earlier signal failure, the Metropolitan Line has 

severe delays and Hammersmith & City, Circle and Victoria Lines are all operating 

with minor delays. We have a good service and operation on all of our other London 

Underground lines (baby crying).  

Alice:  Oh dear, more delays – that's when the Tube is running late and doesn't come 

along when we expect it to. And that makes it unreliable. 

Yvonne:  And the thing I hate most is that on a crowded carriage – or compartment - I 

always have to stand under someone's armpit – and they don't always smell 

very nice! 

Alice:  Oh, Yvonne – you poor thing. It's probably because you're not that tall, right? 

Yvonne:  Anyway, there is a lot to love about the Tube as well. It’s reasonably fast, it 

covers a wide area and it has a long history. Now, it’s time for today's question, 

Alice. During the last financial year, how many kilometres did Tube trains 

travel? Was it about equal to: 

  a) 72 trips to the moon and back 

  b) 85 trips to the moon and back or  

  c) 90 trips to the moon and back 

Alice:   Oh, I've got no idea, so I'm going to guess and go for the big one. 90 trips to 

the moon and back. 

Yvonne:  Mmmm – a very brave guess! But we’ll find out whether you've given us the 

right answer or not later on. Now, if you live or work in London, or even if 

you’ve only ever used the Tube once as a visitor to Britain, you’ll probably 

have an opinion on it.  

Alice:  Yes, tourists and visitors to London who I’ve spoken to say they find it quite 

simple to use and that the map is very good. It's difficult to get lost 

underground. 

Yvonne:  Hmm, it is. When our colleague Natalie first arrived in London from Northern 

Ireland, one thing about the Tube really surprised her.  

Insert 2: Natalie 

Nobody speaks to each other on the Tube; nobody looks at each other either most of the 

time. And at first, it was strange being that close to strangers, but you just have to get on 

with it or you'll not get on the Tube. 

Yvonne:  So Natalie found it strange to be standing so close to people she didn't know – 

strangers – because the Tube was so crowded. 

Alice:  She soon realised that if she didn't 'get on with it', squeeze into a carriage and 

travel in cramped conditions at rush hour, she might never go anywhere. 

Yvonne:  Mm, Natalie was most surprised that people don’t really speak to each other on 

the Tube. And do you know, it's true. We do avoid eye contact with other 

people, but I’m not sure why? But I'm a Londoner, and of course, I think lots 

of us are quite friendly. 

Alice:  I think it happens in all big cities. When there are lots of people in small, 

public places, people avoid eye contact or talking to each other. 

Yvonne:  Now let’s hear from Wang Fei, another of our colleagues. He's from China, but 

has a much more romantic view of the Tube. Let’s listen to part of this rather 

poetic piece he created about the sounds we hear underground: 

Insert 3: Wang Fei 

I hear a rumbling noise begin quietly, then grow louder and louder, building up to a 

noise explosion as the train comes into the station. (This is South Kensington…). I hear 

the beeping sound and the doors open and close. I hear the clacking sound of the 

track, a constant soundtrack to people silently reading newspapers and books on the 

train.   

Yvonne:  Aw, Alice, that might certainly make us feel a little differently about the Tube, 

don't you think? 

Alice:  Yes, it often takes fresh eyes to look at something we take for granted.  

Yvonne:  That’s true. So Wang Fei used quite a few adjectives to describe some of the 

sounds we heard there as we travel on the Tube. Alice, remind us of a few 

please. 

Alice:  Sure. Wang Fei describes the sudden, loud sound that we hear as the train 

arrives at a station as 'a noise explosion'. But first, the train makes a quiet, 

rumbling noise that grows louder and louder.  

Yvonne:  Mmm, that was lovely, because it's the same word we use to describe the 

sound our stomachs make when we're hungry. Our stomachs rumble. They 

make a rumbling sound. 

Alice:  Then there was 'beeping'  - that's the sound we hear as the doors open and close 

on the carriages. And this beeping's really important for blind or visually 

impaired people to know when the doors are open or shut.  

Yvonne:  Yes, because the beeping sound lets them know when it's safe to get on and off 

the train. 

Alice:  We also heard about the 'clacking' sound – which Wang Fei says is a 

continuous sound that we hear in the background. So it's like the music in a 

film; he calls it 'a constant soundtrack'. 

Yvonne:  'A constant soundtrack'. Well, I hope we'll both think about all those things 

next time we're stuck on a Tube train, Alice.  

Alice:  I hope so. 

Yvonne:  And before we go, our question! I asked you Alice: during the last financial 

year, how many kilometres did Tube trains travel, in terms of trips to the moon 

and back? And your answer was?  

Alice:  I think I said 90. 

Yvonne:   Yes, 90 trips to the moon and back. 

Alice:  Amazing! 

Yvonne:  Thanks Alice, that was fun! Do join us again soon for more "6 Minute English".  

Both:   Bye! 

Vocabulary and definitions 

get around  travel around 

the Tube  the London Underground train system 

a love-hate relationship  relationship (often not romantic) where feelings towards 

someone or something vary from love to hate 

delays  when things are later than expected or planned 

unreliable  cannot be depended on 

get on with it  hurry up or do something you might find difficult 

eye contact  to look at someone while they are looking at you 

take for granted  don't understand the value of 

visually impaired  not able to see properly 

soundtrack  music used in or made for a film