English Reading Practice


TRANSPORT AND TRAVEL IN BRITAIN 


Listen to the mp3 recordings and read the captions.

Then read out loud and make your own recordings.

Compare the two versions. Keep practicing to improve.

 

ARE YOU A DRIVER?


ARE YOU A GOOD DRIVER?


OR A BAD ONE?

ARE YOU SUFFERING FROM ROAD RAGE?


CAN YOU CORRECT A SKID?


OR WOULD YOU CRASH?

 



WHAT DO YOU DRIVE?

A CAR...?


... A MOTOR SCOOTER...?


... A MOTORCYCLE...?


 

... A VAN...?


... A TRUCK (LORRY)...?

 

CARS ARE DRIVEN BY CAR DRIVERS

SCOOTERS ARE RIDDEN BY RIDERS

MOTORCYCLES ARE RIDDEN BY MOTORCYCLISTS OR BIKERS

VANS ARE DRIVEN BY VAN DRIVERS

TRUCKS ARE DRIVEN BY TRUCK DRIVERS OR LORRY DRIVERS. THEY ARE ALSO KNOWN AS TRUCKERS.

OR ARE YOU A PEDESTRIAN...?


... OR A CYCLIST?


CAN YOU NAME THE PARTS OF A CAR?

 


LIGHTS


ENGINE


CYLINDERS AND VALVES


DASHBOARD AND STEERING WHEEL


PASSENGER CABIN


REAR SEATS


CLIMATE CONTROL


LOUDSPEAKER


THESE ARE ALLOY WHEELS WITH LOW-PROFILE TYRES

 

THEY ARE USED ON SPORTS CARS

 

 

 

Reading Practice 4 Transport.MP3

 

THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF MILES OF ROADS IN OUR OVERCROWDED ISLANDS, MAKING UP AN EXTENSIVE NETWORK:-

Road map of the United Kingdom

THIS INCLUDES

M1 Motorway

 MOTORWAYS

ON WHICH THE MAXIMUM LEGAL SPEED FOR CARS IS

70 mph speed limit

 70 mph (MILES PER HOUR) [112KPH]

British dual carriageway

 DUAL CARRIAGEWAYS

ON WHICH THE MAXIMUM LEGAL SPEED FOR CARS IS

50 mph speed limit
60 mph speed limit

 50 mph (50 MILES PER HOUR) [80KPH] OR 60 mph (60 MILES PER HOUR) [96KPH]

(TRUCKS, BUSES AND COACHES HAVE LOWER SPEED LIMITS ON THESE ROADS.)


Mercedes McLaren

 SINGLE CARRIAGEWAY ‘A’ CLASS AND ‘B’ CLASS ROADS AND

Hare on an English country lane

 ...UNCLASSIFIED COUNTRY LANES.

SPEED LIMITS ON THESE ROADS RANGE FROM

30 mph speed limit sign
50 mph speed limit sign

30mph TO 50mph. [48-80KPH]

BRITISH DRIVERS OFTEN IGNORE THE SPEED LIMITS

Test cars head-on crash

 SO SAFETY CAMERAS ARE INSTALLED

Speed camera

 BUT DRIVERS GET USED TO THEIR LOCATIONS...

Mobile speed camera

 SO THE POLICE USE MOBILE CAMERAS...

Number plate recognition camera

...WHICH CAN READ THE NUMBER PLATES OF SPEEDING VEHICLES.

THEIR ON-BOARD COMPUTERS CAN ALSO CHECK IF THE VEHICLE IS TAXED...

DVLA Tax Disc 2012

 OR INSURED

Car insurance

 THE POLICE CHECK THE WEIGHT OF TRUCKS

DVLA scales

AND THEIR DRIVERS’ HOURS

Tacograph

  ON A TACHOGRAPH

AND LICENCE DETAILS         

 AVERAGE SPEED CAMERAS (WHICH CALCULATE THE AVERAGE SPEED OF EVERY VEHICLE TRAVELLING BETWEEN THEIR FIXED LOCATIONS)...

Average speed cameras

 ...ARE USED IN MOTORWAY AND DUAL CARRIAGEWAY ROADWORKS

Motorway roadworks and cones

 MARKED OUT BY TRAFFIC CONES.

Traffic cone

ALTHOUGH PEOPLE THINK THAT THE COUNTRY IS OVER-RUN BY ROADWORKS AND THESE ORANGE CONES, ROAD IMPROVEMENTS HAVE REDUCED JOURNEY-TIMES BETWEEN CITIES...

Motorway roadworks

 

EVEN IF SOME MOTORWAYS STILL SEEM TO BE CONGESTED...

M25 in rush hour

THE M25 AROUND LONDON IS INFAMOUS FOR THE LENGTH OF TRAFFIC JAMS, ALONG ITS 110-MILES.


TRAVELLING ON LONDON’S ROADS IS NO EASIER. THE AVERAGE SPEED TODAY IS APPROXIMATELY 8mph [12kph], THE SAME AS IT WAS WHEN HORSES AND CARTS DOMINATED THE STREETS

Victoria station forecourt

 WHICH IS WHY PUBLIC TRANSPORT IS SO POPULAR.

 

BUSES

Boris bus

TAXICABS

 TRAMS

Croydon tram

 THE TUBE (UNDERGROUND)

Tube train

 LONDON OVERGROUND

Overground train

 DLR

DLR

 [DLR AND TRAMS ARE CALLED LIGHT RAILWAYS]

Car club car

CAR CLUBS ALLOW PEOPLE TO HIRE [RENT] A CAR (OR VAN) BY THE HOUR FROM A STREET NEAR YOU...

"Your nearest location is 0.22 miles away at

St John's Avenue. SW15 2AL


Toyota Yaris Hybrid Automatic
Colour: Silver
                       Transmission: Automatic"


Boris bikes

OR YOU CAN HIRE A “BORIS” BIKE FROM MANY LOCATIONS ACROSS LONDON.

 

BUS TIMES ARE DISPLAYED IN MANY BUS SHELTERS

Vandalised bus shelter

 (IF THEY HAVEN’T BEEN VANDALISED)

OR YOU CAN TEXT FOR THE TIME OF THE NEXT ARRIVALS.

Bus stop information

 PEDESTRIANS HAVE TO BE CAREFUL CROSSING THE BUSY LONDON ROADS.

Pedestrians feet on a zebra crossing

 USE ZEBRA CROSSINGS

Car passing a perlican crossing

OR PELICAN CROSSINGS

Puffin crossing control boxes

OR PUFFIN CROSSINGS.

SIGNS INDICATE SAFE FOOTPATHS

Public footpath sign

OR PEDESTRIAN SUBWAYS.

Public subway under Marylebone Road

 

LONDON’S ROADS ARE OVERCROWDED WITH MOTORISTS. TO CONTROL THE NUMBERS A CONGESTION CHARGE IS LEVIED ON EVERY VEHICLE ENTERING THE CENTRAL ZONE

Congestion charge zone map

 INDICATED BY ROADSIGNS.

Congestion Charge Zone sign

 VEHICLES ENTERING AND LEAVING THE ZONE ARE MONITORED BY CAMERAS.

Traffic camera

PARKING IS STRICTLY CONTROLLED BY PARKING METERS

Parking meter

 OR PAY-AND-DISPLAY MACHINES

Parking pay and display meter

 AND PATROLLED BY TRAFFIC WARDENS...

Two traffic wardens ticketing a car

...THE MOST UNPOPULAR PEOPLE IN LONDON.

FAILURE TO PAY, OR OVER-STAYING YOUR TIME

Illegally parked car clamped

WILL RESULT IN A FIXED PENALTY AND A CLAMP.


ON RED ROUTES

Red route signs

 

THE POLICE WILL TOW AWAY VEHICLES.

Metropolitan Police tow away truck

 

THERE ARE MANY ROAD SIGNS TO UNDERSTAND:

WARNINGS AND INSTRUCTIONS

Highway code road signs

 

DIRECTION SIGNS

Highway code direction sign

 

AND PARKING SIGNS.

Highway code parking signs

 

WITH LANE RESTRICTIONS

Vauxhall bridge bus lane
2.0 metre width restriction road sign

 AND WIDTH RESTRICTIONS

Audi passing through a width restriction

 

NO WONDER SO MANY PEOPLE WALK!

Public footpath sign

Reading Practice 4 Roads.MP3

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