- •Land transport
- •Vocabulary Notes
- •Text 1с
- •1 What was the reaction of the people after the invention of the steam engine?
- •2 Who introduced the first cheap motor car?
- •3 When did diesel-engined lorries become general?
- •4 When were the trams introduced first?
- •5 What do the longest oil pipe-lines connect?
- •Cars: Passion or Problem
- •Vocabulary Notes
- •I tried hard but …
- •International vehicle trafficking – out of control?
- •Interpol’s asf-smv database
- •Traffic offences and penalties
- •Vocabulary Notes
- •The Era of the automobile
- •Vocabulary Notes
- •Transport for tomorrow
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Transport in britain
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Metro and light rail
- •London Underground
- •Commuter rail
- •Содержание
- •Английский язык
- •1Издатель и полиграфическое исполнение
- •246653, Г. Гомель, ул. Кирова, 34.
I tried hard but …
(at the airport)
Passenger: |
I just (1 to miss) the British airways flight to Paris. You (2 can) book me a seat on the next plane? |
Hans: |
It (3 to be) hardly possible, sir. I (4 to be) afraid the plane (5 to be) completely full, and there (6 not to be) another flight until 17.00. |
Passenger: |
This (7 to be) stupid. I (8 to leave) my hotel more than two hours ago in order to get here in time. And what (9 to happen)? My taxi driver (10 cannot) drive at more than 10 miles an hour because of the traffic. |
Hans: |
I (11 to be) sorry, sir. I (12 to try) Air France for you … I (13 to try) hard but. I (14 to be) afraid all their planes (15 to be) fully booked too. |
Passenger: |
You English (16 to make) me angry. Why (17 cannot) you build better roads? |
Hans: |
I (18 to agree) with you, sir, English traffic (19 to be) very bad. Now, if you (20 to excuse) me, there (21 to be) another gentleman here … |
Passenger: |
It (22 to be) the same yesterday. I (23 to fly) from Liverpool to London. I (24 to spend) one hour at the airport, three quarters of an hour in the plane and three and a half hours on the road. When I (25 to reach) my hotel in Piccadilly, you (26 can) hardly believe it, but dinner (27 to be) over. |
Hans: |
I (28 to be) sorry, sir. Now, if you (29 not to mind) … |
Passenger: |
You English (30 to do) everything slowly. Now in my country … |
Hans: |
So we (31 to be) slow, aren’t we? Then it (32 to be) because of people like you. You (33 to talk) too much and (34 to take) up too much of my time. I really (35 must ) attend to this gentleman, sir. |
Passenger: |
You English always (36 to stick) together. |
Hans: |
I (37 must) disappoint you, sir. I (38 not to be) English. I (39 to be) a foreigner – like you. |
Read the text about international vehicle trafficking. Put the crimes (theft for spare parts, luxury car trafficking, joyriding, drag racing) in the order they are mentioned in the text.
T E X T 2D
International vehicle trafficking – out of control?
Every year thieves steal hundreds of thousands of vehicles. They break them up for spare parts, or give them a new identity and then 're-birth' (re-sell) them through legitimate car dealers. Then there is opportunistic theft: people steal cars for joyriding, drag racing or to use in burglaries. Although police recover most of these vehicles after a few days, they are usually damaged or vandalized. One aspect of car theft which is increasing fast is international trafficking by criminal gangs. Thieves target expensive, high-end vehicles and steal them to order – they might have a buyer who is only interested in Mercedes or BMW, for example. There are several reasons for this increase:
A lack of police access to information on vehicles stolen abroad.
Not enough police checks on individual vehicles when they cross borders.
The abilitv of organized criminal gangs to exploit weaknesses in police cross-border cooperation.
The growing number of legitimate car dealers who export stolen luxury cars.
Weaknesses and loopholes in vehicle registration procedures.
International vehicle trafficking is a problem which will continue to grow until police coordinate their efforts at an international level.
Exercise 1. Read the text again.
Are these sentences true (T) or false (F)?
1) All car thieves plan their thefts carefully.
2) Many criminal gangs steal cars for joyriding.
3) Police can easily access information on cars stolen in other countries.
4) Legitimate car dealers can easily export stolen cars.
5) Car thieves are exploiting loopholes in vehicle registration procedures.
Exercise 2. Read the text again. Find the words and match them with the correct meanings.
1 legitimate (adj) |
a) something which is not good or effective |
2 opportunistic (adj) |
b) a small mistake in a law which gives people the opportunity not to do something |
3 lack (n, v) |
c) a state of not having something |
4 to exploit (v) |
d) official and legal |
5 a weakness (n) |
e) to use or take advantage of |
6 loophole (n) |
f) not planned, using an opportunity |
Exercise 3. Complete the following sentences about a database of stolen vehicles. Use these numbers.
151 4,8 million 37,000 2 26.4 |