Fill the gaps with the correct words.

 

1) Don’t forget to ________________your __________ belt when you ______the car.

2) There was a bad accident this morning. One driver died, the other driver was badly ______________, and both cars were badly ____________.

3) In the morning, the ___________ starts at about 7 o’clock and goes on until at least 9.30.Then it starts again about 4.30 in the afternoon.

4) It was raining, so when I ______________________the car didn’t stop quickly enough, and I _______________into the back of the car in front.

5) The bicycle hit me just as I stepped off the ________________ to cross the road.

6) The car ________________, so I phoned a garage and sent someone to repair it.

7) There was a terrible _______________ ____________, and that’s why it took me two hours to get home in the car.

8) I was doing about 65 mph on the inside _______________of the motorway and suddenly a car __________________ me doing about 90 mph.

 

Answer these questions about your own country.

· Do you have a speed limit on motorways? If so, what is it?

· How many lanes do motorways usually have?

· Do drivers usually stop for pedestrians at pedestrian crossings?

· Are most petrol stations self-service, or do people serve you?

 

24. Answer the following questions:

 

1. Does traffic in this country keep right or left?

2. Is parking allowed everywhere?

3. Is overtaking allowed on the right or on the left?

4. What should one do not to be injured in a road accident?

5. How should pedestrians behave?

6. What are the rules for drivers?

7. What may drivers be fined for?

8. How much may drivers be fined in this country?

9. Does traffic in England keep right or left? Where else does traffic keep left?

10. Why do you think the English don’t change their traffic system? What would they have to do if they decide to make traffic in their country keep right?

11. Does one have to take a test to be allowed to drive a car?

12. Is it difficult or easy to pass a driver’s test in this country?

13. What questions may one to be asked when taking a driver’s test?

14. You can drive, can’t you?

15. Have you ever had an accident? What happened? Who was injured in the accident? Was your car damaged? Did it need repairing? Who did the repairing?

16. Why would it be difficult for you to drive a car in London? How soon do you think you would get used to driving a car in London?

17. Is having a car fun or a nuisance?

18. Why do some people believe that having a car is great fun?

19. Why do others think it a nuisance?

20. Do you envy people who have a car or do you think that their life is miserable? Why?

21. When do you think greater damage would be caused, if two cars collided or if a car hit a parked car?

 

25. Translate the sentences:

 

1. Кто-нибудь из вас видел, как машина столкнулась с грузовиком?

2. Водитель соблюдал правила дорожного движения, и аварии не произошло.

3. Он не рискнул обгонять автобус.

4. Он сказал, что мы опоздаем, если не возьмем такси.

5. Ему было очень трудно привыкнуть водить машину в Лондоне, так как в Англии левостороннее движение.

6. Он избежал аварии благодаря вам.

7. Кто-нибудь из вас видел, как его сбила машина?

8. Мне сказали, что водителя оштрафовали.

9. Возможно, он задержался из-за пробки в уличном движении.

10. Это женщина вела машину.

11. Это Вы вели машину, не так ли?

26. Topics for discussion:

(a) Having a car is really a headache!

(b) There are more disadvantages in what concerns transport.

(c) People are losing their freedom because of transport, don’t they?

(d) Today we can’t do without transport.

 

27. Work in pairs. You have got five minutes to write down as many words and expressions as you can that have to do with driving. Examples:

Steering wheel, petrol, traffic light…

 

Imagine an accident — you were the only witness besides the driver(s). Or remember a real accident you have witnessed or been involved in. Write a very short report of the accident. Read it to other students, they must try to draw what happened.

 

Have you / a family member / a friend ever been involved in a car accident or been stopped by the police? Work in pairs or groups and tell your stories to each other. You can ask questions about your partner’s story. Than form new pairs and exchange stories again.

 

30. Read the newspaper report:

Driver forgets crashes

 

Motorist Lesley Aston doesn’t remember much about her trip home from work.

ü But villagers at Studley, Warwicks will never forget it.

ü First, her Austin 1300 rammed the back of another car waiting at a junction. She drove off without stopping, overtook cars waiting at a pedestrian crossing and swung into a roudabout on the wrong side. Then 20-year-old Lesley crashed head-on into a second car, swerved into a third and careered into a brick wall before coming to rest on a garage forecourt.

ü She later told police that she had only vague memories of what happened, magistrates were told yesterday at Alchester, Warwicks.

ü Lesley, of Hewell Road was fined for reckless driving and failing to stop after an accident or report it.

ü Read the article again and try to guess the meaning of the following words and expressions:

Trip rammed head-on swerved vague fined reckless failing to stop

ü Read the following account of an accident and draw what happened.

Car A tried to overtake car B approaching a road junction. Car C, which was coming in the opposite direction, swerved to avoid car A and crashed into a tree on the corner of the junction.

 

31. Look at the text below and discuss these questions:

 

· What is your reaction to the slogan?

· What is the main message of the text?

· What advice about road safety do pedestrians, cyclists and drivers in your country need reminding about most? Note down two pieces for each type of road user.

 

In a crash at 30 mph, an adult back seat

passenger is thrown forward with a force NEVER

of 3.5 tons, equal to the weigh of FORGET

an elephant.

 

Without a seat belt Wherever you sit

this could result in death

or serious injury to the CLUCK CLICK

passenger and to other every trip

people in the vehicle.

 

· The slogan of the text tells us what to remember. What information and advice would be given with these slogans, do you think?

 

Sorry mate I didn’t See you

 

Kill your speed not a child