Vocabulary notes

impact удар, толчок; влияние, воздействие

to enable давать возможность что-либо сделать; облегчать

well-to-do состоятельный, обеспеченный

carriage экипаж, коляска

affluent богатый, изобильный

dwelling жильё, жилище; проживание

vehicle перевозочное средство

widespread широко распространённый

vital жизненно важный

filling station заправочная станция

to promote выдвигать; поощрять; рекламировать

to pollute загрязнять

air pollution загрязнение воздуха

livestock живой инвентарь; домашний скот

to choke загромождать

EXERCISES

I. Read the text and note the main facts.

II. Try to explain in English the meaning of the following words:

impact; leisure time; well-to-do people; in response to; to travel in comfort; industrialized nations; to promote; air pollution.

III. Topics for discussion:

1. Why was it country people who became the first large-scale group of car owners?

2. Why the widespread use of cars has become vital to the economy?

3. What steps have been taken in big cities to control air pollution caused by cars as well as by other sources?

Problems of safety

Each year motor vehicle accidents kill an estimated 300,000 people throughout the world. A high proportion of those people are young people. In fact, more Americans from 5 to 32 years old die as a result of traffic accidents than of any other cause. Young people also have the highest accident rate of all drivers.

Drivers are chief factor in vehicle safety because they are responsible for about two-thirds of all accidents. They cause accidents by speeding, driving in the wrong lane, making improper turns, and breaking other rules of safe driving. Many traffic deaths involve drunken drivers. Alcohol slows a driver’s reflexes, reduces alertness and concentration, impairs vision, and clouds judgment. The growing use of illegal drugs by drivers is also a serious safety problem.

The car itself has become safer over the years because of advances in its design and manufacture. Car manufacturers must meet strict government standards designed to prevent accidents and to protect drivers and passengers. The standards to prevent accidents involve such things as the installation of government-specified lights, reflectors, brakes, tyres, windows, windscreen wipers, and dashboard controls. Standards to protect car occupants include the installation of automatic seat belts or airbags, head restraints, and bumper systems. Seat belts are probably the main safety equipment. A driver must not assume that a car’s engine, brakes, lights and steering system always operate properly. All equipment should be tested frequently.

Modern road building techniques have increasingly lowered the risk of car accidents. To build safe roads, engineers consider such factors as road foundations and surfaces, lighting, safety barriers and grading. They carefully plan bypasses, road junctions, slip roads leading onto major motorways, traffic signals, and the number lanes.

EXERCISES

Read the text and speak on the problems raised in it; say what points in the text you consider most important and why.