4. Read do's and don'ts of safe driving again. Make a summary of them without looking into the text.

Text 5 C

1. Translate the word-combinations to understand the text:

speed and performance of automobiles; public roads between towns; to produce more power from a smaller engine; to start in the race and to finish; to lose control of the car; to conform to a car body; upper body of a driver; a car without a roof; to go out of control; medical facilities;

thrilling sports; wide variety; along the road; poor brakes; hard to steer; shoulder belt; built-in structure; weight distribution; as safe as possible.

2. Skim the text and find the answers to the questions after it:

Automobile racing

Automobile racing is a thrilling sports that tests the speed and performance of automobiles and the skill and daring of drivers. Each year millions of spectators around the world attend a wide variety of automobile races.

Much of automobile racing's popularity lies in the great variety of racing cars and racing events. The cars range in size from small, open carts to large closed sedans. However, all racing cars can be divided into two major groups: production cars and cars built specially for racing.

This sport began in 1890's. The first races were run on open-road courses, which consisted of public roads between towns. Many of the courses were hilly, sharply winding dirt roads. Drivers often lost control of their cars and crashed, sometimes injuring spectators standing along the road. The world's first automobile-racing organization, the Automobile Club de France, was established in 1895. Later that year, it supervised the first actual automobile race – a 732-mile (1,178-kilometre) round trip between Paris and Bordeaux, France. Twenty-two drivers started in the race and only nine finished. The winners averaged 15 miles (24 km) per hour.

The earliest racing cars were simply the first automobiles. These heavy, open vehicles had poor brakes and were hard to steer. The main way to increase a car's power for racing was to make its engine bigger. However, technological advances during World War I enabled car designers to produce more power from a smaller engine. Competition among carmakers also hastened the development of racing cars.

The development of the rear-engined racing car in the mid-1950's revolutionized the sport. Drivers no longer had to sit upright to see over the engine. Instead, they could lean back and so conform to a car's streamlined body. Placing the engine behind the driver also improved the car's weight distribution and provided better traction.

Automobile racing is a highly dangerous sport, but many steps have been taken over the years to make it as safe as possible for both spectators and drivers.

Strong guardrails and heavy fencing protect spectators from cars that have gone out of control. A driver's most important piece of safety gear is a racing helmet, which has a hard outer shell, made of fiberglass or carbon fiber and a foam-cushioned, flame resistant lining. Drivers also wear flame-resistant clothing from head to toe, sometimes including a special facemask. Lap and shoulder belts are standard safety equipment on racing cars. Every car also has built-in structure to help protect a driver's upper body if the car rolls over. A racing car without a roof has a roll bar, a dome-shaped bar that arches over the driver's head. A car with a roof has a roll cage, a structure of steel tubes that prevents the roof of an overturned car from collapsing. A racing car carries fuel in a leak-resistant fuel cell within a metal or plastic fuel tank. Many race sites have medical facilities to provide emergency treatment to injured drivers in case of a crash. In some cases, helicopters are available to rush injured drivers to nearby hospitals.

1. How do racing cars range in size?

2. Into what two groups can racing cars be divided?

3. When did this sport begin?

4. What were the first racing roads?

5. When was the first automobile-racing organization established?

6. What were the first racing cars like?

7. What revolutionized this sport?

8. How are spectators protected?

9. How is a driver protected?

10. What is the fastest means to rush injured drivers to the hospital?