Choose which word best fits each blank.

 

1. The logo for … is easily recognizable. It consists of a black circle with the interior quartered and the sections within are blue and white.

a) Mercedes b) Audi  c) BMW

2. The first road vehicles were powered by ….

a) steam b) electricity  c) petrol

3. Buses, cars, … are road vehicles as they have wheels and travel on roads.

a) tram   b) trucks   c) ferry

4. … transmissions require drivers to shift gears with a clutch pedal and shifter. … cars tend to have four modes: Park, Reverse, Neutral, Drive.

a) radio  b) automatic   c) manual

5. Most auto bodies are made of …, but some are made of strong plastics or fiberglass.

a) glass   b) rubber   c) steel

6. A … is acar with a fixed roof, two doors, two or four seats, and usually a sloping back.

a) sedan   b) hatchback   c) coupe

7. A … car is the best option if you aren’t ready for an electric car as they are environmentally friendly and cheaper to run.

a) diesel  b) hybrid   c) petrol

8. You usually put on … when you park your car so that it doesn't move by itself later (especially down hills). It is usually situated between the driver's seat and the passenger's seat.

a) clutch   b) hand brake   c) ignition

9. The up and down motion of the … in the cylinder is converted into … motion by the crankshaft.

a) valve   b) piston   c) rod

a) linear   b) longitudinal   c) rotational

10. The rotational force generated by the engine is called … .

a) torque   b) valve   c) transmission

11. The alternator provides … to every part of the vehicle once it is started. 

a) air   b) fuel   c) power

12. The …/… mixture is compressed in a combustion chamber and then ignited by a … … to produce an explosion.

a) oil/air   b) water/petrol   c) fuel/air

a) match   b) spark plug   c) electricity

13. On my way here a dog ran into the road and I had to … to avoid it.

a) swerve b) jump c) skid

14. Modern cars are very reliable but it’s still necessary to have them … once a year.

a) replaced b) maintained c) cleaned

15. On Saturdays when everyone is out shopping it can be very difficult to find a parking ….

a) box b) lot c) hole

 

Find FIVE :

ü surnames of car inventors;

ü car makes (brands);

ü car body types;

ü car exterior parts;

ü car interior parts;

ü car systems;

ü car engine components;

ü negative transportation effects on people’s life;

ü factors you need to consider when buying a used car;

ü adjectives you can use to describe a car.

Find THREE:

ü types of fuel;

ü types of motor vehicles;

ü car pedals;

ü materials car bodies can be made of;

ü types of airbags;

ü problems which are likely to happen when driving on slippery roads.

TRANSCRIPTS

Unit 2, exercise 8

Mannheim, Germany, 1888

Engineer Karl Benz decided to invent the horseless carriage when he was just 15. Twenty years later he’s still working on it. “I think there is no question that Karl Benz was a genius, almost obsessed, he was determined that he was going to be the person that was gonna crack the horseless carriage”. His latest prototype has a one-cylinder internal combustion engine and a single forward gear. Karl calls it the “Patent Motorwagen”. But the outside world knows nothing about it.

“The problem with Karl was that he was an absolutely hopeless businessman, so he had no idea as to how he could go about and commercialize his invention”. Karl’s wife Bertha is determined that his ideas reach the public.

Their great-granddaughter Jutta Benz knows the story well. “I must tell you the role of my great-grandmother. She always was pushing him, and that he had to do this invention and he had to exercise this invention.”

 And Bertha offers more than moral support. She stakes her fortune on Karl. “She saw something in Karl that was special, and exciting, and different. So she actually used her money back in the 1880s to back him.”

“Bertha was an amazing woman …my kind of woman“. “She was a daredevil, a risk-taker, someone who I think also gets excited about new things.”

But Karl and Bertha faced some big obstacles. Germany’s Kaiser loves horses. He says the idea of replacing them with a machine is not only foolish, it’s unpatriotic. And that’s not all.

“You also had the church whose decrees were very conservative in those days. You know the horseless carriage was actually the work of the devil. So you can imagine that this was not a good environment to be the person inventing the horseless carriage”.

 Up against such opposition Karl stays in his workshop too timid to unveil his latest invention. “He wasn’t confident enough to actually go out and try this thing, and believe in himself”. But Bertha believes and takes action without telling him.

12^th August 1888

Bertha gets up, she gets the car, and she doesn’t just go out around the courtyard. She goes on a 65-mile journey. All the more incredible, if you remember, there was no roads, no petrol station, no garages. There’s this one woman in this open-top carriage going on the adventure of a lifetime. This is a world where most travel is on foot, on bike or by horse. But Bertha has a vision that the car, her husband’s car, and not the horse, is how we will all travel in the future [10].

 

Unit 4, exercise 4

Robert: Hi, I’m Robert. What are you in the market for today?

Mary: I want to buy a new car, but I’m not sure what I want.

Robert: Well, you’ve come to the right place. We have a very large selection of cars and trucks – just about any type of vehicle you can think of. Why don’t I show you around?

Mary: Okay, that would be great.

Robert: Over here, we have some nice compacts and mid-size cars. We have 2-door or 4-door sedans, coupes, and hatchbacks. We even have this beautiful convertible sports car. What do you think?

Mary: It’s very nice, but I want something a little bigger for my family.

Robert: Okay, no sweat. Walk this way and you’ll see our station wagons, mini-vans, and SUVs. These seat anywhere from six to ten people. We even have pickups.

Mary: I’m not sure if any of these will fit my family.

Robert: How many children do you have?

Mary: Eleven.

Robert: Eleven? In that case, you might want to buy two! [11]

 

Unit 4, exercise 14

Hi, I'm Randall, and I'm thinking about buying uh, another car, but, uh, let's see here. One of them is an old, uh, midsize car. One thousand four hundred ninety-five dollars, but I'm concerned about the number of miles, so that might not be the best choice.

The second one is a, an old minivan, uh, nineteen, wait wait, two thousand six, uh, it's four thousand four hundred ninety-five dollars, but I don't think my kids are so interested in riding in an old, beat up minivan.

And the last thing is a Jeep. Uh, twenty-five thousand nine hundred ninety dollars. I can see myself going over the mountains, through the hills, but unfortunately, I have other bills to pay so, I think I'll have to think about that a little bit more [12].

 

Unit 5, exercise 2

 

a) That is a beautiful vintage car. I love how the glossy black contrasts with the silver metal and the white on the tires but I imagine that it costs a pretty penny.

b) This is my kind of car. Sleek, sporty and powerful! The only downside is that it is not really family-oriented but it will definitely get you noticed when driving down the street.

c) This is an affordable compact car. These cars are perfect for navigating cities and are usually more environmentally-friendly than other cars.

d) Wow! What a big bulky SUV! This is I imagine that it's a real gas guzzler which means it's not very eco-friendly and it wouldn't be practical for some cities such as London which has really narrow streets. On the other hand, if you want to dominate the roads, this would be a good choice.

 

Unit 5, exercise 13

Car Salesman: Oh. Hi there. A beauty, isn't she?

Woman: Well . . .

Car Salesman: Do you want to take her a test ride?

Woman: Well . . . Um. How old is it?

Car Salesman: Well, it's only three years old?

Woman: And what's the mileage?

Car Salesman: Uh, let me check. Oh yes. 75,000 miles.

Woman: 75,000 miles? That's quite a bit for a car that's only three years old.

Car Salesman: Well, once you're in the driver's seat, you'll fall in love with her. Get in.

Woman: Ugh . . . Uh, I can't seem to get the door open. [Ah, it's okay.] It could be broken.

Car Salesman: Ah, just give her a little tap. Ugh. Now she's opened.

Woman: Great. A door I have to beat up to open.

Car Salesman: Hey. Get in and start her up.

[Woman tries to start the car . . .]

Car Salesman: [Um] Well, it's probably the battery. I know she has enough gas in her, and I had our mechanic check her out just yesterday. Try it again.

Woman: Uh. It sounds a little rough to me. [Well . . .] How much is this minivan anyway?

Car Salesman: Oh. It's a real bargain today and tomorrow only at $15,775, plus you get the extended warranty covering defects, wear, and tear beyond the normal maintenance on the vehicle for an extra $500 for the next 30,000 miles. [Oh . . .] with a few minor exclusions.

Woman: Like . . . ?

Car Salesman: Well, I mean, it covers everything except for the battery, and light bulbs, and brake drums, exhaust system, trim and moldings, upholstery and carpet, paint, tires . . . Well, a short list, you know.

Woman: Uh. Well, almost $16,000 is a little out of my price range, plus the seats covers are torn a little.

Car Salesman: Well, hey, I might be able to talk the manager into lowering the price another two hundred dollars, but that's about all.

Woman: No thanks. I think I'll just keep looking [13].

 

Unit 6, exercise 11

 

Modern cars have lots of safety systems. Airbags and seatbelts may seem obvious, but they can also have more advanced technologies such as Anti-lock Braking Systems, Electronic Stability Control and Autonomous Emergency Braking. How do you know what your car has?