WHAT’S GOING ON UNDER LIVERPOOL?

⊙ By Marsha Henderson

Activity 1

Before you read, match the word or phrase with a definition.

1. a tunnel 2. be born 3. tobacco 4. a war 5. over 6. an advertisement

a. a plant which people smoke in cigarettes when dried

b. when different countries fight each other

c. something which tells us about something we might want to buy

d. come into the world from your mother

e. a long, dark place, often underground, that trains, people, etc. go through

f. finished

A Rainy Day in Liverpool利物浦的一個雨天

Dark clouds appear over the River Mersey and a cold wind is blowing. A few drops are beginning to fall. We’re in the famous city of Liverpool and we’re going to spend this rainy day in the Williamson Tunnels.

An Interesting Life Story一個有趣的人生故事

Joseph Williamson was born into a poor family in 1769, but left home and went to work for a tobacco company at age 11. He began at the bottom, and finally became head of the business.

An Unsolved Mystery一個未解之謎

Nobody knows why Williamson dug tunnels under most of Liverpool, but many think it was to create jobs. Perhaps half of Liverpool’s population worked for him. The wars with Napoleon were over and men were coming home who had lost arms and legs. The industry of war had made enormous amounts of money, but now Liverpool was in a terrible financial situation.

Edge Hill埃吉山

I went on a guided tour starting close to where Charles I’s empire began in Edge Hill.Now, there is only a single apple tree left of the fantastic[很大的]houses and gardens. In the tunnels, the steps[臺階]leading from rooms below ground to those buildings, which no longer exist, seem particularly ghostly[使人害怕的].

Incredible Engineering不可思議的工程

We go into the Double Tunnel. It’s just been discovered that it’s actually atriple[三部分的]tunnel—but nobody knows why the three tunnels were built on top of each other. We also saw a church down there.

We finish the tour and decide we’ll have a coffee in the Williamson Tunnels Café Bar.There, I notice lots of flyers for bands and theatre groups that are coming to play there.

Why Liverpool?為什么要來利物浦？

Apart from the obvious attractions like the football clubs, or anything to do with the Beatles, Liverpool has a lot to offer. Princes Park and Croxteth Park were royal hunting grounds and the trees are 200 years old.Renshaw Street displays an unusual mix of architectural styles. The nightlife is exciting. If you want to experience a part of the British Isles with a character entirely different from London, you should definitely come to Liverpool.

Yes or no?

Activity2

1. Did Williamson come from a poor family?

2. Did he work for many different companies?

3. Were there a lot of people in Liverpool without work at this time?

4. Was building tunnels the only thing that Williamson did?

5. Are the tunnels used for anything now?

Activity3

Choose a phrase and fill the gaps, changing the verb as necessary.

work as a get a job go to work

work for have a good job lose your job

1. I’ve worked for the same company for seven years.

2. He’s been_______ waiter since he got to Spain, but he’s actually an architect.

3. She ______ , the money’s excellent and she really enjoys it.

4. It’s been a long time since you ______ . Soon you won’t be able to pay your rent.

5. You need to ______ . You need to pay your rent.

6. I can’t go out tonight. I’ve got to_______ in the morning.

Activity 4 Discussion: What unexplained objects and buildings are near you? Why do you think they were made?

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