London traffic

1. Traffic in London differs from that on the Continent. In England they keep to the left but not to the right. In England people say: "If you go left, you go right. If you go right, you go wrong."

2. They say that once upon a time people kept to any side of the road they liked. But then they decided to make it a rule to keep to the left. As Napoleon hated the British very much, he decided that in France people should keep to a different side. And later in all the countries which he conquered he made the traffic keep to the right.

3. In London one can see many buses, cars and taxes in the streets. The English buses are often called ‘double-deckers', because they are very high and have seats on the upper and lower decks. The London buses first came into the streets in 1829. At first they were horse-drawn buses, with three horses. They say they were imported from Paris. Today double-deckers are speedy and comfortable, but they seem to be very clumsy moving slowly through the endless line of taxis and cars of all sizes and models. Still they manage to maneuver very well without running into one another.

4. There are no trams in London since 1952. The main transport is the underground. London underground is often called the tube, because it looks like a long, narrow and dimly lit tube, with its walls plastered with all kinds of advertisements. There are no vestibules in the London underground. The sign of the London underground — a red circle crossed with a blue stripe can be seen on the buildings or just under a staircase leading straight under the ground. The London underground stations are old and not attractive to the eye. Trains haven't any fixed schedule. During rush hours big crowds gather. The tube tunnels seem to be very small, too narrow for a train.

5. One must be very careful using the word ‘subway’ in London. It does not mean ‘the underground’. It means ‘a passage under the street for pedestrians'.

2. Переведите слова из первой колонки (1 – 10) и подберите их определения (a – j).

1. crowd	a) someone who is walking in a street
2. rush hour	b) a statement in a newspaper that a job is available, an event is going to happen etc.
3. pedestrian	c) pleasant to look at
4. conquer	d) a list that shows the times the buses, trains etc. leave or arrive at a particular place.
5. clumsy	e) to succeed in doing something difficult.
6. manage	f) to move or turn skillfully or carefully.
7. maneuver	g) a large number of people gathered together in a public place.
8. advertisement	h) to take control of a country or city and its people by force.
9. attractive	i) big, thick and heavy.
10. schedule	j) the time of day when the roads are most crowded because people are traveling to or from work.

Переведите предложения и определите функцию инфинитива в них (выполняет инфинитив функцию подлежащего, дополнения, определения, обстоятельства или является частью составного сказуемого).

1. He hopes to get the job.

2. He gave me a magazine to read.

3. It is never late to learn.

4. They have to translate this text.

5. Nothing could make him change his decision.

6. It is very difficult to drive a car in a big city.

7. To know the history of any country is useful.

4. Вставьте to перед инфинитивом там, где это необходим о.

1. That dress makes her (look) funny.

2. You can (leave) your dog with us.

3. I don’t want (go) to work.

4. Would you like (play) tennis?

5. Can you (lend) me some money?

6. Why don’t you (go) home?

7. You’d better (tell) the truth.

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