Text 55. LONDON FOGS

Because of its geographical position in a deep river valley London is occasionally enveloped by unusually thick fog. The worst of these fogs began on 4th December, 1952 and there was a similar one in December, 1962. All traffic was forced to a standstill as visibility fell to nil. The streets near the centre of London were jammed with buses.

At Covent Garden a performance of La Traviata had to be abandoned after the first act because so much fog had penetrated into the building that the audience could no longer see the singers clearly.

It was a terrible fog and caused the death of 4000 people in London.

This “deadly” kind of fog is called by Londoners “smog”. It is the kind of fog you get only in towns – particularly in the industrial areas. It is a mixture of smoke and fog together, and it is dangerous and deadly especially for people who are suffering from any kind of respiratory troubles.

And this now belongs to the past. In 1959 the Clean Air Council began their work of freeing London from the worst kind of smoke. Now it is no longer allowed to make a fire with ordinary coal, only smokeless fuel must be used. Sunshine in winter has increased by 50 per cent. London has become a fairly clean city, cleaner than most large capitals in the world.

Answer the following questions:

1. Why is London occasionally enveloped by thick fog?

2. When did the worst fogs begin?

3. What were the consequences of these fogs?

4. What is “smog”?

5. Is London a clean city now?