A) Read the text. What breakthrough is described in it?
In a modern city like Moscow, the tram remains popular as an environmentally friendly and reasonably safe means of transport.
The first horse-drawn Konka trams started running in Moscow along temporary routes in 1872. Back at those times horses pulled open-top or roofed tram carriages along the tracks. The city continued to use Konka trams until 1912.
The first electric tram route was officially opened in 1899. A passenger compartment of each tram had two long benches facing each other, as well as plenty of room for standing passengers. The large windows let in a lot of sunlight in the daytime and electric lamps provided the light in the evenings. Passengers were impressed with the comfort and speed of the new transit system. The trams seemed fast with the speeds of up to 27 km per hour.
Nearly a century later the city started rebuilding its tram system. The total tram route length is now 417 km with over 620 trams.

In 2017, the city purchased the first Vityaz-M low-floor trams. The interior layout of the new trams resembles the design of the first trams which were used more than a hundred years ago. There are 2 rows of benches with 20 seats, 4 large windows, and soft lighting. The feature that passengers of the first trams would definitely appreciate is the air conditioning. The new trams are also equipped with a satellite navigation system and CCTV cameras. The tram doors are equipped with a button to contact the driver as well as with an access ramp for passengers with impaired mobility. Compared to horse drawn cars of the 19th century, the modern electric tram is undoubtedly a breakthrough.

b)

Read the text again and decide if the following statements are T (true), F (false) or NS (not stated). Justify your answers.
1
Konka trams were a very expensive kind of transportation.
2
Electric trams appeared in Moscow at the end of the 19th century.
3
Standing passengers were not allowed in the first electric trams.
4
Passengers didn’t really like electric trams.
5
Moscow has the longest system of city tram routes in the world.
6
The interior of the new Vityaz trams is similar to the interior of the first trams.
7
The new Vityaz trams are safe
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AnVe    2   26.03.2020 15:58    74