25 Выберите утверждения, соответствующие содержанию текста:

1 The first omnibuses stopped

1. on only one side of the road;

2. at special bus-stops;

3. wherever you wanted them.

2 The ride on the top deck was

1. very interesting;

2. rather uncomfortable;

3. much cheaper.

3 The basic design of a bus remained the same for many years, the only improvement being

1. better brakes;

2. a roof over the top deck;

3. the introduction of solid rubber wheels.

4 The first motor vehicles were

1. very practical for public transport;

2. as slow as horse-drawn vehicles;

3. allowed to move much faster.

5 The new motor buses

1. had a window-screen in front of a driver;

b) were made in the same style as the old horse buses;

с) had the same oil-lamp lighting.

6 Every company had buses of

1. red colour;

2. green colour;

3. different colours.

7 Now there are

1. both single- and double-decker buses;

2. only pay-as-you-enter buses in London;

3. only double-decker buses.

26 Answer the following questions.

1 When were omnibuses introduced to London? 2 How many people did they carry at first? 3 How were the first double-deckers created? 4 What were wheels of omnibuses made of? 5 When was a public scandal caused? 6 Why was it forbidden for passengers to stand? 7 Why were horse-drawn vehicles in use many years after the invention of the motor? 8 When were the restrictions relaxed? 9 Where did people who owned cars drive to celebrate this? 10 When did this London-to-Brighton rally take place? 11 How were buses used during the Second World War? 12 When was London Transport formed? 13 When were many London buses sold abroad? 14 How are old London buses still used? 15 When did the first pay-as-you-enter London bus appear? 16 Which buses have started charging a single flat fare? 17. What were automatic machines in these buses designed for? 18 When was the first woman employed as a bus driver? 19 What is her name? 20 Where else except London was a woman driver offered a job? 21 What was the reaction of men drivers?

27 Объясните значения следующих слов словами и словосочетаниями, данными справа:

1. obvious a) defect

2. design b) a closed motor-van for carrying people who are ill,

3. fault wounded (in the war) or hurt (in accidents)

4. gravity c) man-made

5. ambulance d) the force that attracts all bodies on the earth towards

6. artificial the center of the earth

7. go on strike e) project, outline sketch, the general arrangement

8. attitude (of a machine)

f) a way of looking at life, a way of thinking, feeling

or behavior

g) clear, easily seen or understood

h) stop work to enforce demands

28 Вставьте пропущенные слова.

1 The seats were put on the roof and the first double-decker buses were ... . 2 The basic ... remained the same for many years. 3 The faults in the design became ... and caused a public scandal. 4 It is still ... for passengers to stand as this might raise the centre of gravity. 5 The Act of Parliament relaxed these ... and allowed motor vehicles to go as fast as horse-drawn vehicles. 6 During the Second World War buses even used gas as a fuel because of the petrol ... . 7 The "Green-line" buses were taken out of service and used as ... and ... during the war. 8 The old colored tickets have been ... by a machine which prints the fare. 9 There is a very strict ... course for all new drivers. 10 Only one man driver at the garage canteen made an unpleasant ... about women drivers and Women's Lib.6. What do these words mean?