Listening comprehension exercise about an underground Victorian shopping street

Listen to the article and then choose the best answer.

1)      A Victorian shopping street
a)      has been found after more than a century
b)      has been found with two-storey stores and flats.
c)       has been discovered by archeologists after 120 years

2)      The ancient shopping street
a)      had been built underground
b)      had been abandoned due to health and safety risks
c)       has many preserved elements

3)      The Royal Arcade
a)      was built to conceal the Victorian shopping street
b)      was being renovated when the Victorian shopping street was found
c)       consists of stores, flats, shops and stables

4)      Booth and Holroyd
a)      were both owners of the original shops in the street
b)      did not let visitors into the street because they wanted to keep it secret
c)       still own the arcade

5)      The manager of the Royal Arcade
a)      would like to make the Victorian shopping street a working environment with modern offices
b)      would like to keep and restore as much of the Victorian elements as possible
c)       has decided to create a tourist attraction with specialist trade shops.

Answers: 1) a, 2) c, 3) b, 4) a, 5) b

A bargain in the basement? Subterranean Victorian shopping street discovered by builders is set to reopen after lying abandoned for 120 years

Shoppers may soon be able to walk through a secret Victorian shopping street after it was revealed the maze could be reopened for business. The cavern of former shops and stables were uncovered under the Royal Arcade – a two-storey complex of stores and flats in Keighley, West Yorkshire. Last used in the 1890s, the concealed area was found after builders smashed their way through while converting the arcade in 2002.

Much of the Victorian building work on the cellars of seven shops was still intact, while wooden shop-fronts and stable pens were in place. Constructors also found doors, signs and fittings from some of the original shops in the street, which was then owned by Frank Booth and Mark Holroyd. The pair could not allow people into the street due to health and safety concerns – or secure funding to create a permanent visitor attraction. But after the Holroyd family bought out Mr Brook, they have begun developing the arcade through an internet presence and events. Now Nick Holroyd, manager of the Royal Arcade, is investigating whether the street – once at ground level – can be restored.

He has enlisted an architect and structural engineer – and plans are being made to develop the street, which has space for up to eight units. Mr Holroyd said: ‘We’d be very restricted for what we could do. ‘It’s mainly on safety and fire assessment grounds. If we can get these things sorted then we definitely will develop it. ‘It’s something we would really like to do. We’ve looked at opening it up with craft shops. It will be a working environment – shops that would fit in with what it used to be. We’ll utilize what’s in there.’ Other ideas being considered include creating a visitor attraction or converting the old shop units for use by craftsmen and specialist traders.

source: Daily Mail

bargain – jó vétel/alku
basement – alagsor
subterranean – föld alatti
abandoned – elhagyatott
to reveal – felfedni, feltárni
maze  – útvesztő
cavern – barlang, üreg
stable – istálló
to uncover – feltárni, felfedni
to conceal – elrejteni, elfedni
to smash through – áttörni
arcade – árkádsor
cellar – pince
intact – sértetlen, ép
pen – akol, karám, ól
fittings – kellékek, szerelvények, alkatrészek
due to – valaminek köszönhetően
concern – aggodalom
secure – biztos, biztosított
funding – költségviselés, finanszírozás
to investigate – kutatni, nyomozni
restricted – korlátozott
assessment – értékelés, kárfelvétel, felbecsülés
on the grounds of something – valami alapján, valami okán
to get something sorted – valamit megoldani, elrendezni
working environment – munkakörnyezet
to fit in – (be)illeszkedni, passzolni
to utilize – hasznosítani, használni
to consider – latolgatni, fontolgatni
craftsman – kézműves
trader – kereskedő