67. What do you think the underlined expressions

mean? Write their meaning in your own words.

1. There were three separate accidents in the city

centre during the rush hour and soon there was total

gridlock. It took about two hours to clear.

2. I have spent six hours behind the wheel today, and

now all I want to do is rest. I never want to see another

motorway.

3. The police car made me pull over and they checked

my lights.

4. I had a minor bump yesterday. It wasn't serious, but

one of my lights got smashed.

5. My car conked out on the motorway and I had to

ring for assistance. It cost me $50.

6. He is a bit of a back-seat driver, so don't be

surprised if he criticizes your driving.

68. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of one

of the following forms of transport: cars, trains,

bicycles.

e. g. Cars take you door to door.

Cars can be difficult to park.

69. Read the text and fill each gap with one of these

words:

choice stuck century crashes huge

way timetable too race person

The Road to Ruin

The M25, the motorway around London, opened in 1986. Today people call it the biggest car park in Europe. Every morning on the radio we hear about jams, and road repairs, and (1) __ , and which part of the M25 to avoid. One day soon we will hear “There is a traffic jam all the (2) __ round the M25 in both directions. If you are driving to work, we advise you to go back home.”

Winston Churchill described the car as the curse of the twentieth (3) __ . This will probably be true of the next century, (4) __ . It can be very funny to compare advertisements for cars with the reality of driving them. Cars are symbols of freedom, wealth and masculinity. But when you are (5) __ in a traffic jam, all cars are just little metal boxes to sit in. Cities and towns all over the world have a

(6) __ problem, and no government really knows what to do. For once it is not a matter of technology which is stopping us. If we want to build two-level roads, we can do it. If we want trains which can travel at hundreds of miles an hour, we can build them. The problem is a question of principle. Should we look to road or rail for our transport needs? Should the government, or private companies, control them? And either way, who should pay?

The people who believe in roads may say that cars represent a personal (7) __ to travel when and where you want to. But on trains and buses - public transport - you have to travel when the (8) __ says you can. These people think that if you build more roads, the traffic will move more quickly, but research shows that if there are more roads, there will be more cars to fill them.

By 2010, the number of cars on our roads will double. Environmentalists are saying that we should put more money into public transport. Cars often carry just one (9) __ . If the public transport system works, more people will use it. If trains carry more people, the roads won't be so crowded, and cars pollute the air more than trains. One characteristic of the people of the twentieth century is that we are a (10) __ on the move. But it is just possible that soon we won't be able to move another inch, and we'll have to stay exactly where we are.

A. Say if the following sentences are true or false:

a) You can park your car on the M25.

b) There is often a jam all the way round the M25.

c) Winston Churchill thought that cars were an awful

invention.

d) Advertisements for cars don't show the reality of

driving.

e) We do not have the technology to find a solution to

the traffic problem.

f) We need to decide what our principles are if we

want to solve the traffic problem.

g) Some people think that the traffic will move more

quickly if there are more roads.

h) Environmentalists think that public transport should

be more expensive.

B. Did the article mention any of the advantages and

disadvantages of cars and trains that you

discussed?

C. What are the reasons for more roads?

D. What are the reasons for improving the public

transport system?