Vocabulary

Exercise 1. Match a word in A with a word in B.

air conditioning	a device for slowing or stopping motion of a vehicle
axle	a device which allows two vehicles to be attached to each other
body	a system which provides comfortable conditions of travel in any climate.
bogie	a 4- or 6-wheeled truck used in pairs under railway vehicles
brake	a circular shaft connecting two wheels to form a ‘wheelset’
coupler	a railway vehicle base which forms the support for the body structure or is an integral part of a body shell
underframe	a fixed formation of an axle with two wheels set at the correct gauge for the track.
wheelset	the main part of a vehicle

Reading and translation

Exercise 1. Read the text and answer the questions.

1. Who uses commuter service?

2. What is an interior layout of a coach?

3. What are vehicles for overnight travel called?

4. What is its interior layout?

Railway rolling stock must provide safe and smooth running of trains at higher speeds. A piece of rolling stock which is designed to carry passengers is known as a carriage or coach and has individual seats or benches for daytime use. A sleeping car also called a sleeper or Pullman car (after the American inventor) is divided into compartments with berths for overnight travel. Passenger cars (USA) are equipped with heating, lighting and air-conditioning for passenger comfort. Automatic couplers, automatic air brakes and many other improvements help make train operation safe. Restaurant cars (UK)/dining cars or diners (USA) provide meal service on long-distance routes. Long-distance trains often require baggage cars for the passengers’ luggage.

Commuter service, also called suburban service, is provided for people who live in suburbs and work in nearby cities or live in cities and go to suburbs in summer. Commuter trains have coaches designed to carry as many people as possible. The interior layout is the open saloon with the bench seats on either side of a central aisle. This arrangement maximises passenger capacity per coach. Intercity trains usually run between two large cities, called end points. Some local trains stop at all or most of the stations between the end points, but most intercity trains stop only at the larger cities on the route. An intercity coach seats fewer people than a short-haul commuter coach and has soft reclining seats for greater comfort on long trips. Many long-haul intercity trains have sleeping cars, which have compartments (small rooms) with berths (beds) for use on overnight runs, and dining cars to provide passengers with meals during the trip. Passenger cars have an entrance at both ends of the car. Flexible connections between cars give passengers access to any car of a moving train.

Exercise 6. Find English equivalents to the following Russian phrases in the text.

1) единица подвижного состава	6) как можно больше людей
2) ночная поездка	7) с каждой стороны центрального прохода
3) воздушное кондиционирование	8) вместимость пассажирского вагона
4) поезда дальнего следования	9) поезд местного сообщения
5) пригородное сообщение	10) во время поездки

Exercise 7. Translate the following text into Russian. Use a dictionary. Then compare your translation with a partner to improve.