In this edition of London Life we celebrate one of the great engineering achievements of all time - the first tunnel to be built under a river anywhere in the world - the Thames Tunnel.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel, who was born 200 years ago in 1806, and his father were the engineers behind this historic tunnel.

Before you listen to the programme look at these comprehension questions. You can hear the answers in the programme. You can download this programme in mp3 format and follow it with a transcript.

1: Who built the Thames Tunnel?
2: Why did they need to build a tunnel?
3: Who uses the tunnel today?

Listen to London Life
	Thames Tunnel

Vocabulary from the programme

civil engineer
someone who plans, designs and builds roads, bridges and public buildings
Example
In her work as a civil engineer she designed and built motorways and bridges

to sink
to move downwards
Example
After the two boats hit each other they both started to sink

tower
a tall, narrow building
Example
Her office was on the 19th floor of a very high tower block

hacking
the act of cutting at something with a sharp tool
Example
He spent hours hacking away at the big pile of branches

northwards
towards the north
Example
The army trekked northwards for four days.

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Extras
Try the London Life quiz
Programme script (pdf - 21k)
Download this programme (mp3 - 1.6mb)