Vocabulary Practice. Which is the fastest means of transport in your opinion?

Lead-in

Which is the fastest means of transport in your opinion?

Which do you think is the safest?

What is your favourite means of transport? Why?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of travelling by taxi?

Listen to the tape and match the place with the type of taxi and the driver's weekly wage.

London	small European cars	£450
Mexico City	VW Beetles	£45
Mahajanga	gondolas	£3.50
Hong Kong	black cabs	£800
Fez	rickshaws	£70
Surakarta	pousse-pousse	£5
Venice	becaks (bicycle rickshaws)	£280

Reading

You are going to read an article about taxis. For questions 1 - 15 choose from the cities (A-G). Some of the cities may be chosen more than once. When more than one answer is required, these may be given in any order. There is an example at the beginning (0).

In which city or cities...

are taxi drivers very old? 0 D

are the best-paid taxi drivers found? 1

must taxi drivers take an exam? 2 3

are passengers especially afraid of accidents? 4

do taxi drivers ask passers-by for help? 5

are the most expensive taxis found? 6

do taxi drivers charge passengers more than they should? 7

is the minimum fare less than £1? 8 9 10

are there taxis which cannot travel outside the city? 11

are taxi drivers very young? 12

do people have a choice of different taxis? 13 14

do drivers ignore the traffic laws? 15

Worldwide Taxis

London, U.K. [A]

The drivers of London's black cabs learn their trade the hard way. In order to get their famous green badge, the drivers have to complete "The Knowledge". Getting this qualification involves getting on a moped and memorising every street within six miles of Charing Cross. Taxi drivers are regulated by the Metropolitan Police, and discipline is very important. Exams are conducted with military formality and "cabbies" are often extremely nervous beforehand. Nevertheless, it's worth it. Although the minimum fare is only £1.50, the driver's weekly wage can be up to £800, making London's cabbies possibly the best-paid in the world.

Mexico City, Mexico [B]

In Mexico, the quality of your taxi depends on financial status. If you've got plenty of money, you can ride in a big air-conditioned saloon. If not, you have to take the cheaper option - a Mexican-made Volkswagen Beetle. Beetle cabs are not necessarily cheerful, despite their bright yellow paint (all other Beetles there are dirty brown). The fares are cheap, starting at sixty pence, but the drivers regard cheating customers as quite normal so you may end up paying quite a bit. Because prices in Mexico go up so quickly, the cab's meter is worthless as soon as it is installed, so cabbies do their own mental calculations to work out the "correct" price. On average they earn about £70 a week.

Mahajanga, Madagascar [C]

In towns, the most popular taxi is the "pousse-pousse", a kind of rickshaw pulled by teenaged boys. Madagascans speak French, but why call a rickshaw a "push-push"? Well, when these boys are climbing up a hill they shout out to passers-by to get behind the cart and pousse, pousse! You only pay a minimum fare of five pence and since the drivers only make £3.50 a week, you can under­stand why they ask for the help.

Hong Kong [D]

Hong Kong's rickshaw "boys" - who are usually around the age of 60 - are a dying breed. This is because the city has decided to stop using rickshaws. The last licence was issued in 1975. Nowadays, £4 is the minimum fare for a rickshaw ride. In 1950 there were 8,000 rickshaw boys, but now there are only 20, so it is not surprising that they consider themselves an endangered species. They pay no attention to traffic laws, red lights are always ignored, they often go the wrong way down one-way streets and even pull their embarrassed passengers down pedestrian subways - all this for £280 per week! These days rickshaws are used chiefly by tourists.

Fez, Morocco [E]

Most of Morocco's "grand taxis" are Mercedes limousines, which cater for long journeys between cities. For shorter trips most rely on "petits taxis", which are mainly small European cars and are far cheaper, with a minimum fare of £1.50. Drivers make about £45 per week. Typical cars are the Fiat 124 and late-sixties Simca 1000 (which has an engine in the back rather than the front). These cars are confined to the city limits. To stop them straying, the cars are colour-coded: red with a black roof signifies the city of Fez.

Surakarta, Indonesia [F]

Indonesian bicycle rickshaws - called becaks - are unique in that the passengers sit at the front. This can be terrifying because the passengers take the impact of any head-on collisions. Of course with a minimum fare of only twenty pence, it can be said that you get what you pay for. The drivers, who earn about £5 per week, are reckless. Perhaps that's why the use of becaks is now forbidden in the capital, tourist-conscious Jakarta.

Venice, Italy [D]

Gondolas have been a feature of Venetian life since the 16th century and working as a gondolier used to be a pro­fession that you couldn't get into unless you knew some­body who was already a gondolier - a relative, for example. Two years ago everything changed and now it's much more democratic. Training is difficult, since gon­doliers are tested not only on skill but also on their know­ledge of Venetian history, geography and culture. Of course with a weekly wage of about £450, it's worth studying a bit. A journey in a gondola will cost you at least £28, so be prepared to pay.

Vocabulary Practice

1. Look at the words in bold and try to explain them.

2 Fill in the correct word(s) from the list below:

mopeds licence

regulated reckless

confined to trade

calculation caters

discipline forbidden

1 The rickshaw boy did a quick … in his head before telling his passengers the fare. (sum)

2 My father was a carpenter by … until he retired last year. (occupation)

3 In large cities many people use … to get around quickly. (small motorcycles)

4 A very high level of … must be maintained by pilots since they are responsible for their passengers' lives. (the ability to obey rules)

5 To get a driving … you must first pass a driving test. (permit)

6 The paddle boats were … the area close to the seashore so that the lifeguards could watch them. (restricted to)

7 He is such a … driver that it's not surprising to hear that he has crashed his car five times! (careless, dangerous)

8 The new bus service … for those who live in the countryside but work in the city. (provides)

9 Take-off and landing procedures are … by the Civil Aviation Authority, (governed, controlled)

10 The use of bicycles is … on British motorways. (not allowed)

3 Fill in the correct word(s) from the list below. Use the words only once.

Minimum Weekly to cheat one-way financial cheaper traffic military head-on dying

1 ………….. formality 2 the ………. option 3 the ………. fare 4 a ………… wage 5 …………... status 6 …………... customers 7 a(n) ……… breed 8 …………… laws 9 a ………… street 10 …………. Collisions

4 Underline the correct item.

1 Chang doesn't win/galn/take/earn much money as a rickshaw boy. (make money by working)

2 He had to memorise/remember/recall/remind many rules in order to pass his driving test, (learn by heart)

3 That car is unique/sole/only/alone - no other like it has ever been made, (not like anything else, one of a kind)

4 When the two cars collided the outcome/impact/result/ effect was so great that both cars were completely destroyed. (force)

5 Fill in the correct particle.

1 The price of petrol is going …….. in many countries. (rising)

2 A bomb went …….. just after the jet plane took off. (exploded)

3 Although he was tired he went ……. driving until he arrived at his destination. (continued)

4 After the train crash, investigators went …….. the wreckage to try and find the cause. (examined)

5 Tom is thinking of going …….. the round-the-world bicycle race! (entering)

6 Fill in the correct preposition, then choose any five items and make sentences using them.

1) to depend ….. sb/sth; 2) ……. average; 3) to test sb …… sth; 4) to cater ….. sth/sb; 5) to rely ….. sth/sb; 6) to be confined …… a place; 7) to pay ……. sth; 8) to ask ……. sth

Дата добавления: 2015-10-30