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IV Read the text. Egyptian pyramids
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Architecture is the art, which makes buildings beautiful to look at as useful. A man who designs buildings and makes the plans for them is called an architect. He has to think not only of what he wants the building to look like when it is finished, but also what it is to be used for. This may be stone, brick, wood or steel and concrete. There have been many different styles or kinds of architecture in the past and there are many different styles today in different parts of the world. The oldest monuments which are met within architecture are the colossal pyramids of Egypt most of which were constructed about 6.000 years ago. The pyramids are large triangular buildings which were placed over the tombs of Egyptian kings. The best known of the pyramids is a group of three built at Giza south of Cairo. The largest of these is 482 feet high. They tell us of the advanced civilization of ancient Egypt which is much spoken about even in our days. The country was rich in hard and durable stone, but poor in timber and metal, so that the main material used for construction was granite, and this was the reason for the durability of the pyramids. Large blocks of stone were transported over long distances by land and water, and placed into position with the help of the most primitive equipment. That was done by slaves working for thirty or forty years.
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IV Read the text. Commuting is bad for you
Millions of rail passengers have health problems because they travel on overcrowded trains. A recent study by the Rail Passenger Council measured the heart rate and blood pressure of commuters on trains which were too small. It found that as a result of the poor conditions of their journey to work, they were stressed even before they arrived at the office.
An added problem is that trains are often delayed or they are cancelled without warning. The combination of uncomfortable trains and unreliable services can cause a level of tension which is dangerous. According to some experts, regular commuters can suffer from high blood pressure, anxiety or they can even have fatal heart conditions as a result.To begin with, on crowded trains passengers get angry because they have to stand. Then the train stops for 20 minutes for no reason they can see, and this adds to their frustration. To make the situation worse, their season tickets are not cheap. They pay high prices for a poor service and, logically, they resent this.
For the rail companies it is cheaper to pay fines than to provide longer trains. Putting on an extra carriage is not profitable for a train company. It costs far more than they get back for making the passengers’ lives more comfortable. Most of the companies prefer to pay a small fine for overcrowding.
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