Write a story of a motor accident.

36.Read the anecdotes:

An American policeman overtakes a car on the highway which is breaking the speed limit. The driver is a young woman. In the back seat is a 9-year-old son.

—Your license, ma’am.

Before the woman has time to open her mouth the boy breaks into the conversation:

—Fine her, fine her, sir. She always breaks the speed limit. I warn her but she never listens to me. So go ahead, she deserves it. Give her the maximum.

The cop gives back the license and salutes:

—You can go, ma’am. I can see you have lots of problems already.

 

Two old chaps who live in country side, chronic alcoholics and without licenses, put money together to buy a mini car with an engine in its boot, that can go 50 kilometers until is broken, called Zaporozhets.

—I’ll drive, and you, friend, watch my back when I brake – make sure there is no car.

On the very first intersection the first man gives the command.

—Hey, friend. I am braking. Is a car behind?

—No, dear man, there’s no car, brake.

There’s a juicy splat on the back bumper. Looking back, the first man discovers a tractor.

—Dear friend, I did ask you, and you said there wasn’t a car.

—I would hardly call a tractor a car.

 

A road policeman stops a car wobbling suspiciously on the road. There is a family in the car: wife, husband and their three-year-old son. Without a word the policeman hands the driver color considerably.

—Well, have you been drinking?

—You’ll device isn’t working. I swear. I haven’t touched a drop. Try my wife.

The wife breathes and again the device shot off the end of the scale.

—If you don’t believe us, try the boy. He doesn’t drink. He’s only three.

The boy breathes into the breathalyzer with the same effect. The policeman scratches his head thoughtfully.

—I’m sorry, I guess the breathalyzer isn’t working. You can go.

The car starts off. The husband says to his wife:

—I told you, 100 grams won’t harm the kid.

ü Retell the anecdotes.

ü Do you know anecdotes about policemen and drivers? Tell some of them

 

Read the story. Fill in the blanks with words from the box.

and as because but so which

A man had a row with his wife …1…his breakfast was burnt. This made him leave home later than usual, …2… He drove to work very fast…3… he was going round a corner, a dog ran across the road. The man stamped on the brakes, …4…unfortunately the car skidded (the road was in very bad condition …5…. the City Council had not repaired it for a long time). The man lost control of his car...6…crashed into a lorry …7… was parked on a double yellow line.

 

38. Read this poem, using a dictionary if you wish.

 

Motorway ballad

The road was icy,

The fog was dense,

He drove right trough

The central fence.

He met a van

The other way

And that was the end,

I’m sad to say.

But he woke again

A moment later

In the queue to reach

The gates of Peter.

Ahead is stretched,

That endless queue,

To the end of sight

And out of view.

And by the side

Of the waiting line

There stood a tall

Imposing sigh:

“Pearly Gate-widening in progress today;

God says sorry for any delay”

 

Cars in cities

A. Work in pairs. Before you read the article, discuss the questions:

ü What will happen when the roads are so busy that there is no room for cars?

ü What’s like driving or being driven in the rush hours in your city?

ü How easy is to find a parking space in your city?

B. Five sentences have been removed from the article below. Choose from sentences A-F the one which fits gap 1-5. There is one extra sentence you don’t need to use.

 

A But parking a car in Japan is expensive.

B But the driving test in Japan is very expensive.

C For less experienced drivers, an ambulance is on standby.

D In order to register a car in Japan, the owner must have somewhere to park it.

E These allow two cars to share the same parking space.

F This provides buyers of four-wheel-drive vehicles somewhere to get their tyres dirty.

 

Ever wondered what the car industry will do when roads become so congested there is no longer enough room to squeeze in any more cars? That is what is starting to happen in Japan, where car makers are moving into the car-parking business and building special driving courses where motorists can go to escape the country’s traffic jams.

The impetus has come from tough new parking rules, bucked up by hefty fines, that came into force this summer. ……………1……………………. The new rules require a sticker to be displayed to prove the owner has a parking space at home or near the office. ……………2…………... Spaces in some residential areas in Tokyo can cost as much as $1,700 a month.

To help persuade households to buy a second car, some of Japan’s car makers have moved into the business of selling machines which make double-tier parking possible. ………….3………………… They work like a lift. The driver parks his first car on a platform, then flicks a switch which raises the platform to allow a second car to be parked underneath. Toyota now sells six such devices. Honda not only sells home-parking equipment, but also manages car parks and provides information on the availability of parking spaces for car buyers.

Nissan even offers a home-parking machine that lowers car into a pit below ground. Nissan has also opened a “mobility park” 140 kilometers outside Tokyo. …………4………….. The park provides instructors and a variety of off-road courses, ranging from a beginner’s trail to an advanced course for more experienced off-roaders. ………………5……………………...

 

C. Choose one of these headlines for the article:

Safer motoring in Japan Running out of road

Keeping cars off the roads

D. Highlight any words or phrases in the article which you’d like to remember, and which you’d like to use yourself.

E. Work in pairs. Compare the words you’ve highlighted. Then discuss these questions:

· Which of the ideas in the article do you think is the best?

· Which ideas would work and not work in your country?

· Speaking as a pedestrian or cyclist, what changes would you like to see to traffic management in your city or town?

Additional material