Complete the conversation with the Simple Past

Tense or the Past Continuous form of the verbs in

Brackets.

At the Scene of a Traffic Accident

Reporter:What was the cause of the accident, Officer?

Officer:Well, it looks like there were many causes. First of all, when the accident (1) ___ (occur), the driver (2) ___ (drive) much too fast. And while he (3) ___ (drive), he (4) ___ (speak) to a client on his car phone. When he (5) ___ (see) the pedestrian, he immediately (6) ___ (step) on the brakes, but it was too late. The victim (7) ___ (not pay) attention, either. First of all, he didn't wait for the traffic light to change. He (8) ___ (cross) against a red light when the car (9) ___ (hit) him. He (10) ___ (not see) the approaching car because he (11) ___ (talk) to his friend. The friend wasn't paying attention, either. He (12) ___ (eat) an ice-cream cone while he (13) ___ (cross) the street. When he (14) ___ (notice) the car, he (15) ___ (try) to push his friend out of the way, but it was too late.

Reporter:How is the victim doing?

Officer:Well, when the ambulance (16) ___ (arrive), he (17) ___ (bleed) from his head wound, but the doctors stopped the bleeding , and they think he'll be OK.

 

Fill the gaps in the sentences with one of the

collocations:

1. We can't park here; it's a___ zone.

2. There was a five-mile ___ on the motorway because

of road works.

3. Fog caused a number of ___ , one of which involved

15 cars.

4. If it's a ___ sign, you don't have to stop if the road is

clear, but if it is a stop sign, then you must always

stop.

5. Who has the ___ at a corner in your country? Cars

оr pedestrians?

6. It was a ___ accident, but the police have the

description of the car.

7. The permitted level of___ is to be lowered in an

attempt to reduce air pollution in big cities.

8. He was given a ___ test and it was discovered he

had consumed a huge amount of alcohol. He was

charged with ___ and fined $500.

9. In some countries drivers ___ their ___ just because

they get frustrated. As a result, the city streets are

incredibly noisy.

 

Respond to these comments as in the example, so

That your response explains the meaning of the

underlined words:

e. g. A: I came out and saw a big metal thing on my wheels.

B: Oh, so your wheels had been clamped?

A: Yes, I had to pay $100.

 

1. A: As I drove round the corner there was some ice

on the road and I lost control of the steering.

B: Oh, so …….

2. A: The two women were obviously having an

argument about the way one of them had driven . Then suddenly they started hitting each other.

B: Oh, I guess it was a case of …… .

A: Yes. It's happening more and more these days.

3. A: The policeman looked at my tyres and said they

were illegal.

B: Oh, so you didn't have the minimum depth of ….?

4. A: The road was closed. Two lorries had come

straight at each other and crashed.

B: Oh, so it was a …… .

5. A: The policeman fined me $100 there and then. I

have to pay it within seven days.

B: Oh, really? I didn't know they could give …… .

6. A: The man at the garage said my car wasn't in a fit

condition to be driven legally.

B: Oh, so it's not …… .

 

What do you think the underlined expressions

Mean? Write their meaning in your own words.

1. There were three separate accidents in the city

centre during the rush hour and soon there was total

gridlock. It took about two hours to clear.

2. I have spent six hours behind the wheel today, and

now all I want to do is rest. I never want to see another

motorway.

3. The police car made me pull over and they checked

my lights.

4. I had a minor bump yesterday. It wasn't serious, but

one of my lights got smashed.

5. My car conked out on the motorway and I had to

ring for assistance. It cost me $50.

6. He is a bit of a back-seat driver, so don't be

surprised if he criticizes your driving.

 

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of one

of the following forms of transport: cars, trains,

Bicycles.

e. g. Cars take you door to door.

Cars can be difficult to park.

Read the text and fill each gap with one of these

words:

 

choice stuck century crashes huge

way timetable too race person

 

The Road to Ruin

The M25, 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 (1) __ , and which part of the M25 to avoid. One day soon we will hear “There is a traffic jam all the (2) __ round the M25 in both directions. If you are driving to work, we advise you to go back home.”

Winston Churchill described the car as the curse of the twentieth (3) __ . This will probably be true of the next century, (4) __ . It can be very funny to compare advertisements for cars with the reality of driving them. Cars are symbols of freedom, wealth and masculinity. But when you are (5) __ in a traffic jam, all cars are just little metal boxes to sit in. Cities and towns all over the world have a

(6) __ 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?

The people who believe in roads may say that cars represent a personal (7) __ to travel when and where you want to. But on trains and buses - public transport - you have to travel when the (8) __ 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 2010, the number of cars on our roads will double. Environmentalists are saying that we should put more money into public transport. Cars often carry just one (9) __ . If the public transport system works, more people will use it. If trains carry more people, the roads won't be so crowded, and cars pollute the air more than trains. One characteristic of the people of the twentieth century is that we are a (10) __ on the move. But it is just possible that soon we won't be able to move another inch, and we'll have to stay exactly where we are.