4. Выучите следующие слова. Проанализируйте и переведите текст.

average [xv(q)rIG] a – средний

average daily flow – среднесуточная интенсивность движения

radiate [reIdIeIt] v – излучать, расходиться лучами

track [trxk] n – путь, дорога

signpost [saInpqVst] n – указательный столб

carriage-way [kxrIGweI] n – проезжая часть дороги

lane [leIn] n– полоса

jam [Gxm] n – (транспортная) пробка

repair [rIpFq] n, v– ремонт; ремонтировать

race [reIs] n – гонка, соревнование

injure [InGq] v – калечиться, повредить

look to [lVk] v – обращаться

either way [aIDqweI] – в любом случае

masculinity [,mxskjulInItI] n – мужественность

stick in [stIk] (stuck, stuck) v – застрять, попасть

timetable [taIm,teIbl] n – расписание, график (работы и т.п.)

environmentalist [in,vaIqr(q)nmentqlIst] n – эколог

crowd [kraVd] n, v – толпа; переполнять

pollute [pqlu:t] v – загрязнять

Modern Highways in Great Britain

British modern highways are classified according to average daily flow. There are three groups of the roads: Class I, Class II and unofficial. Class I roads are arterial roads radiating from London to far parts of the country and joining big cities. Class II roads are a little less important than arterial ones. Unofficial roads include agricultural and foot tracks. Each highway of the first two classes has a different number, which appears on all signposts and two carriage-ways with some traffic lanes.

One of the main important roads is the M25. It is 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 races, and which parts of the M25 to avoid. One day we will hear “There is a traffic jam all way round the M25 in both directions. If you are driving to work, we advise you to go back home”.

5 000 people a year are killed on British roads, and 40 000 are injured. For children, road accidents are a major cause of death.

Cities and towns all over the world have a huge 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?

Cars are symbols of freedom, wealth, and masculinity. But you are stuck in a traffic jam; all cars are just little metal boxes to sit in. The people who believe in roads say that cars represent a personal choice to travel when and where you want to. But on trains and buses – public transport – you have to travel when the timetable 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 2015, the number of cars on the roads will double. Environmentalists are saying that we should put more money into public transport. Cars often carry just one person. If the public transport system works, more people will use it. If trams carry more people, the roads won’t be so crowded, and cars pollute the air more than trains.

By 2025, just to park all cars in Britain will need an area larger than London. Soon we won’t be able to move another inch; we’ll have to stay exactly where we are. So, if you are going to become a driver, do not forget about this thing.

UNIT XIII