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been noticed that more of these types of serious collision occur at night, when the car has multiple occupants and when seat belt use is less. This has led to some insurance companies and legislatures proposing:

a “curfew” imposed on young drivers to prevent them driving at night;

an experienced supervisor to chaperone the less experienced driver;

forbidding the carrying of passengers;

zero alcohol tolerance;

raising the standards required for driving instructors and improving the driving test;

vehicle restrictions (e.g. restricting access to “high performance” vehicles);

a sign placed on the back of the vehicle (an N- or P-Plate) to notify other drivers of a novice driver;

encouraging good behaviour in the post-test period.

Some countries or states have already implemented some of these ideas. This increased risk for the young is known to the insurance companies, and premiums sometimes reflect that; however, very high premiums for young drivers do not seem to have had a significant impact on the crash statistics.

Recent initiatives by some insurers, such as pay-as-you-drive, have been attempts to incentivise better driving behaviour by rewarding young drivers who make better choices about where and when to drive. They also recognise the benefits of driver training beyond the statutory minimum and often offer premium reductions after completion of a course of advanced driving.

Some of these interventions have been opposed by car manufacturers or by drivers, or by academics who believe that because of the risk compensation effect some of these measures may actually reduce road safety overall.

Employers currently escape, for the most part, the chain of responsibility for their employees’ driving on company business. Truck drivers, especially self-employed ones, can be given unrealistic deadlines to meet. There are moves to bring driving for work (both commercial vehicles and, more controversially, private cars driven on company business) under the umbrella of workplace safety legislation. These are strongly resisted as they would place a far greater burden on employers and employees alike: penalties for industrial safety infractions are typically much greater than for negligent motor vehicle use.

15.Divide the text above into several parts and suggest possible titles for them.

16.Wet weather creates additional hazards for drivers and intensifies existing ones. Place the following hazards in the table according to their types and possible consequences:

engine oil and grease building up on the roads, cracked and warped windshield wipers, balding tires, puddles, broken defoggers, cross-running water, brake rotors coated with water, inoperative headlights.

Wet weather driving hazards

Think which of them can be placed in two cells. Explain your choice.

Say which of the hazards mentioned above are relevant not only in wet weather.

17.Think of some other wet weather hazards in addition to mentioned above. Work out recommendations for drivers aimed to reduce the probability of a crash.

18.Look through the text and find out what examples of people’s behaviour causing road accidents are described in the text.

HUMAN FACTOR IN TRAFFIC CRASHES

Driving under the influence (which means operating a motor vehicle while being under the influence of alcohol or drugs or a combination of both) is a criminal offense in most countries because it is a serious health hazard. In the United States, for example, alcohol is estimated to play a role in 39 percent of vehicle-related deaths and to cost $51 billion annually. More recently it has been reported that alcohol contributes to nearly 30 percent of all Canadian traffic fatalities and 44 percent of traffic fatalities in the United States. In most countries, anyone who is convicted of injuring or killing someone while under the influence of alcohol or drugs can be heavily fined in addition to being given a lengthy prison sentence.

A person’s blood alcohol content is not the only thing that can determine a person’s sobriety. A driver having a blood alcohol content (BAC) reading somewhat lower than .08%, but also showed signs of impairment can be charged with a DUI. The “legal limit” is simply the number above which a driver is automatically guilty of driving under the influence (or some related statute) without any other evidence.

There are many ways that a person could give themselves the illusion that they are more sober. Drinking coffee increases awareness; therefore, the drinker believes that they are more sober. In reality, the person is still impaired for the purposes of driving, as their coordination, reaction time, etc. are still affected by the alcohol. Eating various dehydrated and salty products such as crackers, chips

and pretzels may settle the stomach allowing the consumer to feel more sober when, in reality, they are simply keeping their blood sugars from crashing, as drinking without the consumption of food would.

Sleep deprived driving is the operation of a motor vehicle while being cognitively impaired by a lack of sleep. Sleep deprivation is a major cause of motor vehicle accidents, and it can impair the human brain as much as alcohol can. According to a 1998 survey, 23% of adults have fallen asleep while driving. According to the United States Department of Transportation, male drivers admit to have fallen asleep while driving twice as much as female drivers.

250,000 drivers fall asleep at the wheel every day, according to the Division of Sleep Medicine at the Harvard Medical School and in a national poll released last year by the National Sleep Foundation, 54% of adult drivers said they had driven while drowsy during the past year with 28% saying they had actually fallen asleep while driving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Drowsy Driving is a factor in more than 100,000 crashes, resulting in 1,550 deaths and 71,000 injuries annually.

Sleep deprivation has been proven to affect driving ability in three areas:

1.It impairs coordination.

2.It causes longer reaction times.

3.It impairs judgment.

Numerous studies have found that sleep deprivation can affect driving as much, and sometimes more, than alcohol. British researchers have found that driving after 17 to 18 hours of being awake is as harmful as driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.05%, the legal limit in many European countries. Men under 30 are more likely to be in an accident caused by sleep deprivation.

Mobile phone use while driving is common but controversial. Being distracted while operating a motor vehicle has been shown to increase the risk of accident. Because of this, many governments have made the use of a cell phone while driving illegal.

According to case-crossover, epidemiological, simulation and metaanalysis studies the risk of a collision when using a cellular telephone is four times higher than the risk when a cellular telephone was not being used. These studies also found that hands-free devices are not considerably safer.

The increased “cognitive workload” involved in holding a conversation, not the use of hands, causes the increased risk. One notable exception to that conclusion is a study by headset manufacturer Plantronics, which found 71 percent of the test subjects steered more accurately, 100 percent had faster brake reaction times, and 92 percent maintained a more consistent speed when using a headset versus handheld. Dialing a cell phone is more distracting than talking on a cell phone, and hands-free devices that offer voice-dialing may reduce or eliminate that increased risk.

The scientific literature is mixed on the dangers of talking on a cell phone versus those of talking with a passenger. The common conception is that passengers are able to better regulate conversation based on the perceived level of danger, therefore the risk is negligible. One of the simulation studies that compared passenger and cell-phone conversations concluded that the driver performs better when conversing with a passenger because the traffic and driving task become part of the conversation. Drivers holding conversations on cell phones were four times more likely to miss the highway exit than those with passengers, and drivers conversing with passengers showed no statistically significant difference from lone drivers in the simulator. In contrast, some other meta-analysis and simulation studies concluded that passenger conversations were just as costly to driving performance as cell phone ones, that driving events that require urgent responses may be influenced by in-vehicle conversations, and that there is little practical evidence that passengers adjusted their conversations to changes in the traffic. It concluded that drivers' training should address the hazards of both mobile phone and passenger conversations.

Studies on the dangers of driving while sending a text message from a mobile phone, or driving while texting, is limited. But they may be indicative of a general assumption that if talking on a mobile phone increases risk, then texting also increases risk, and probably more so.

19. Write a survey of all the texts of this part.

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

Knowledge control

1. Put the following parts of the letter into the correct order:

July 1, 2010 (date)

Washington, D.C. 22222 (receiver’s address / city, state) Jane Smith (receiver’s name)

122 Sunset Strip (sender’s address/ street, house number) Xavier Foundation (receiver’s company)

Los Angeles, California 91417 (sender’s address/ city, state) Executive Director (receiver’s position)

The Virtual Community Group, Inc. (sender’s company) 555 S. Smith St. (receiver’s address/ street, house number)

Mention if there should be a gap left between some lines.

2. Match the information under definite number on the letter envelope with its meaning:

(1)Flanagan’s department store

(2)1267 Hollywood Boulevard

(3)Los Angeles, CA (4) 91401

(5) Mrs. Terry Roberts

(6) Ketchum Collection Agency

(7) 230 Park Road

(8) Little-Rock, ARK, (9) 7618

a)___ the Zip Code in the mailing address

b)___ the sender’s company

c)___ the addressee’s company

d)___ the Zip Code in the return address

e)___ the city and the state in the mailing address

f)___ the house number and the street in the return address

g)___ the addressee’s name

h)___ the house number and the street in the mailing address

i)___ the city and the state in the return address

3. Correct mistakes in the following e-mail message:

Date: 15 January 2011

To: Michael Callahan callah30@gb.net From: Gregory Hopps ghop22@uk.com Subject: Hello

Hello Mr Callahan

I’m working on the article about the political problems of the Middle East. I need some references to the web sites where these problems are discussed. Do you think you could pass on any information you might have?

Thanks, Gregory

(709)354 - 9834

4.Suggest what the fax cover sheet containing the following information would look like:

A letter from James Rocksley, a manager at Hammerling & Berrows Inc., located in 134, Park Lane, Salt Lake City, The USA (phone No: 732602- 780, fax: 548 702 790), to Mrs. Elisabeth Harris (fax: 540 620 345, fax: 620 795 459) concerning documentation for a new account was sent on October 15, 2010. It contained 5 pages.

5. Read the following texts and say what kinds of letters they belong to:

I

Dear Ms. Smith,

I am writing to inquire whether the Xavier Foundation would invite a proposal from the Virtual Community Group, Inc., requesting an investment of $50,000 per year over two years to support our Enterprise 2000 initiative. This grant would provide part of the funds needed for us to train at least 1200 low-income entrepreneurs in rural New Hampshire in the computer skills they need to create sustainable businesses as we enter the twenty-first century. Your literature indicates that the Xavier Foundation is searching for innovative ideas to improve the lives of the rural poor; we believe Enterprise 2000 falls well within your area of interest.

Information technologies are a promising solution to one of the primary obstacles facing the small rural enterprise: the geographic distances which inhibit networking with other businesses, and which segregate them from a larger marketplace. The Internet and other networks are now making it possible for entrepreneurs even in the most remote locations to communicate and do business on a region-wide, national, or even international basis. Working in conjunction with other organizations, Enterprise 2000 gives program participants technical skills training adapted to individual need; and, in collaboration with organizations which recondition and redistribute used computers, we also assure that they obtain the necessary computer hardware, at low or no cost.

We believe that broadly-implemented technical skills programs such as Enterprise 2000 have the potential to transform the lives of many struggling entrepreneurs, and change the economic landscape of impoverished rural communities. Unlike

many poverty alleviation initiatives, all of the Virtual Community Group programs are predicated on the assumption that these entrepreneurs already have 90% of what it takes to compete in the marketplace – intelligence, ambition, initiative, and talent. After two years of experimentation and program development, the Virtual Community Group has fashioned a superb, easily replicable model in Enterprise 2000, and established a high degree of credibility among community groups, policy makers, and funders. With your support, we can make that 10% difference in the lives of these hard-working people and the future of our rural communities.

Please feel free to call me with any questions. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely yours,

A. Harrison

Alison Harrison

Executive Director

II

Dear Sir/ Madam.

I’m afraid that the enclosed electric shaver does not work. It is the third one I have had to return this month (see attached correspondence).

I bought it from Cool Purchase store at Manchester on 10 December 2010.

I was careful to follow the instructions for use, honestly.

Other than the three I have had to return recently, I have always found your products to be excellent.

I would be grateful if you could send a replacement.

I really appreciate your help.

Yours faithfully

J. Smith

J Smith

Enc.

III

To: Kate Bush

From: Jeffrey Norton

Date: 18 January, 2011

Subject: IT Department job interviews

I have received over 100 applications for the new position in the IT Department and have put together a short list of 10 candidates. I have made copies of their CV’s and letters of application and will send them over to you this afternoon.

Could you let me know when you would like the interviews to take place so that I can inform the candidates when I write to them to invite them for interview?

I think it would be a good idea if the initial interviews took place in the Personnel Department and if you could inform me how many people from your department would like to be present at the interviews. I will arrange for a suitable room. Coffee and biscuits will be available both for the interviewers and the interviewees.

Let me know what you think and if there is anything else you will require.

IV

Jeremy Hopps

548 Plymouth Lane, Edmond, OR 00222 c: 354-683-8741 e: jehopps@copxs.net

Objective

To attain a position as senior architect with a multi-national architectural design firm.

Notable Accomplishments

Visiting Assistant Professor of Architecture at Hood College, 2007 - 08. 2004 Third Place, Western Plaza Redesign Competition.

Designed 2005 addition to Johns Hopkins Medical Center.

Employment History

Davidson Associates Baltimore, MD

Architect, 2003 - Present

Condominium project, Cambridge, Massachusetts; designed addition for Johns Hopkins Medical Center, Baltimore, MD; various office and hotel projects.

Principal, 1999 - 2003

Projects include residential work, office tenant renovations, embassy projects, and presentation services.

Education

Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

M.A., Architecture, 1999

Emphasis: Urban Planning

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

B.A., Architecture, 1996

Portfolio & References

Available upon request.

6.Dwell upon each text. Mention the following:

a)what structure it has;

b)what traditional greeting, closing and other phrases are used;

c)what the status of the sender/ the receiver is.

7.Say what features are common for all or several types of business letters. Demonstrate them using the texts above.

APPENDIX

TYPES OF ANNOTATION (ВИДЫ АННОТАЦИЙ)

Аннотация (от лат. annotatio – замечание) – краткое изложение того, о чем можно прочитать в данном первоисточнике. В аннотации (как вторичном тексте) перечисляются главные вопросы, проблемы, изложенные в первичном тексте. В отличие от реферата, который дает возможность читателю познакомиться с сутью содержания в первоисточнике, аннотация не раскрывает содержание документа, в ней не приводятся конкретные данные, описание оборудования, характеристики, методики и т.д., а она дает лишь самое общее представление о его содержании. Аннотация помогает найти необходимую информацию по интересующему вопросу.

По функциональному назначению аннотации делятся на справочные

и рекомендательные.

Справочная аннотация (descriptive annotation) (называемая также описательной или информационной) дает наиболее обобщенную характеристику материала. Она уточняет заглавие произведения и (или) сообщает дополнительные (преимущественно фактические) сведения об авторе, а также о содержании, жанре, назначении и других особенностях документа, отсутствующие в библиографическом описании, которое представляет собой достаточно пассивную форму общей характеристики документа. В библиографическом описании (bibliographical description)

приводятся фамилия автора, заглавие, подзаголовочные и надзаголовочные данные, место издания, издательство, год издания, количественная характеристика, иногда способ печати, язык издания, тираж, цена.

Справочные аннотации особенно широко применяются в научновспомогательных библиографических указателях. В рекомендательных пособиях они используются в основном при описании справочной, учебнометодической литературы, библиографических пособий, положений, инструкций и других подобных документов.

Рекомендательная аннотация (recommendation annotation)

характеризует документ и содержит оценку первичного документа и рекомендации по его использованию (может указываться возраст читателя,

его уровень подготовки). Она призвана пропагандировать лучшую литературу, воздействуя на эмоциональное восприятие читателя. Рекомендательные аннотации помещаются прежде всего в пособиях популярно-просветительного, самообразовательного назначения.

По способу характеристики документов аннотации делятся на общие

и специализированные.

Общая аннотация (general annotation) рассчитана на широкий круг пользователей и характеризует первичный документ в целом.