What should you check in your car before going on a long journey?
When should you switch your headlights on?
What would you do if one of your tyres burst when you were travelling at speed?
E. In pairs, discuss how would you answer these questions. Think of three similar questions to ask the other students of your group.
UNIT FOUR. BUSES
Pre-reading Activity
ü Does Kharkiv have a good bus service?
ü What are the rush hours in your city?
ü Are coaches of Kharkiv public transport used for long-distance services or for sightseeing excursions?
Make sure you know these words:
deregulation
a daily pass
newsagent
plethora
to weave in/out ,
to bypass , ᒿ
to halt
to alert
on-the-spot fine
1. Read the Text ***
Local Buses
The DEREGULATION of bus services has led to a complex system with many buses often duplicating services on the busiest routes. On most buses you pay the driver as you enter. They will not always accept notes so keep a selection of coins handy. Credit cards and cheques are not accepted. The fare depends on the distance you travel. If you are exploring a city bus, a daily pass is a good idea. Many of the larger cities have daily or weekly passes that can be used on all public transport in that city; these can often be bought from newsagents. Check with the tourist office for schedules and fares. All-night services are only available in major cities, from about 11 pm until early morning. You cannot use a day pass on these.
In London night buses are prefixed with the letter N and all of them pass through Trafalgar Square.
Be on your guard when travelling home alone late at night, when there may be few other passengers aboard.
Bus designs have become more innovative in the last few years. The old big red bus with a conductor still exists in London, but has been joined by plethora of modern vehicles of all shapes, colours and sizes, with automatic doors and comfortable interiors.
Many cities have bus lanes, intended to bypass car traffic jams during the rush hours. These can be effective but your journey could still take a long time. Schedules are hard to keep to, so regard timetables as advisory. At some stops, called request stops, the driver will not halt unless you signal that you want to get on or off. If you want to board, raise your arm as the bus approaches the stop; if you want to get off, ring the bell once before your stop.
Destinations are shown on the front of buses. If you are not sure which stop you need, ask the driver or conductor to alert you and stay on the lower deck. Always keep your ticket until the end of the journey in case an inspector boards, who can impose an on-the-spot fine if you are without a valid ticket. Stops can often be quite a long distance apart.
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Reading Comprehension
1. What is not accepted today in Britain to pay for travelling by bus?
2. How do modern buses differ from the old big red bus?
3. Why is it necessary to keep a ticket until the end of the journey?
Vocabulary Focus
Match the words from the text with the corresponding definitions. Write your answers in the boxes.
1. route a.one of the two or three parallel areas on a road
(which are divided by painted lines to keep traffic
apart)
2. distance b. the place that someone or something is going to
3. lane c. a way from one place to another
4. vehicle d. the amount of space between two places
5. destination e. a machine with an engine that is used to take
people from one place to another
Vocabulary Development
