Why should we use public transportation?

The Rising Environmental Cost of Driving Alone

Transportation accounts ____ more than 30 percent of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions. According ____ the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), public transportation in the United States saves approximately 1.4 billion gallons ___ gasoline and about 1.5 million tons of carbon dioxide annually. Yet only 14 million Americans use public transportation daily ____ 88 percent of all trips in the United States are made ___ car – and many of those cars carry only one person.

Added Benefits of Public Transportation

Consider ____ other benefits of public transportation:

• Energy independence – According to Treehugger.com, if ___ one in 10 Americans used public transportation daily, U.S. reliance ___ foreign oil would decrease 40 percent.

• Safety – Riding a bus is 79 times safer than riding in an automobile, and riding a train or subway is ____ safer.

• Health – Studies have shown that people who use public transportation regularly tend ____ be healthier than people who don't, because of the exercise they get walking ___ and from bus stops, subway stations and their homes and offices.

• Cost savings – According to an APTA study, families that use public transportation can reduce their household expenses by $6,200 annually, more ____ the average U.S. household spends on food every year.

30

These words are all connected with transport. Put them into logical sets.

liner	sail	long-haul	platform	cruise
toll	runway	compartment	make for	stopover
registration number	break down	see off	jet lag	run out of
stand-by	station wagon	crossing	roundabout	ticket collector
track	set off	drop off	highway	starboard
press on	self-drive	guard	harbour	gangway

Add two more words to each set and compare your sets with those of other students.

31

Imagine that you recently accompanied a group of travelers on a trip involving several means of transport. Write a short account of the trip using as many of the words in the box as you can. For example:

At 6.13 p.m. we set off from Victoria Station aboard the Orient Express in our first-class compartment…

32

Travelling can often be tiring and uncomfortable. What kind of things can be done to make the journey more agreeable for the passenger travelling by these means of transport?

AIR	RAIL
SEA	COACH

33

W ork in groups and list some different means of transport.

Then discuss these questions.

a. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each one for long or short distances?

b. How do you prefer to travel? Why?

34

Read the article and translate it into Ukrainian.

Departures

This is the usual sequence of activities when you get to the airport.

First you go to the check-in desk where they weigh your luggage. Usually you are permitted 20 kilos, but if your bags weigh more, you may have to pay excess baggage (=you pay extra). The airline representative checks your ticket and gives you a boarding card for the plane with your seat number on it. Then you go through passport control where an official checks [NOT controls] your passport, and into the departure lounge. Here, you can also buy things in the duty-free, e.g. perfume, alcohol and cigarettes. About half an hour or forty minutes before take-off, you are told to go to a gate number, e.g. gate 14, where you wait before you get on the plane. When you board (=get on) the plane, you find your seat. If you have hand luggage, you can put it under your seat or in the overhead locker above your seat.

The plane then taxis (=moves slowly) towards the runway, and when it has permission to take off, it accelerates along the runway and takes off.

Note: The verb to taxi is generally only used in this context.

The flight

You may want or need to understand certain announcements; these come from the captain (=the pilot) or from an air steward or stewardess / cabin crew / flight attendants (= people who look after the passengers):

Please fasten your seat belt and put your seat in the upright position.

We are now cruising (=flying comfortably) at an altitude (=height) of 10,000 metres.

May we remind passengers (=ask passengers to remember) that there is no smoking until you are inside the terminal building (=where passengers arrive and depart).

The cabin crew (= air stewards) are now coming round with landing cards. (These are cards you sometimes have to fill in when you enter certain countries.)

Arrival

When the plane lands (= arrives on the ground), you have to wait for it to stop / come to a halt. When the doors are open, you get off the plane and walk through the terminal building and go to the baggage reclaim where you collect your luggage. You then pass through customs (green = nothing to declare; red = goods to declare; blue = European Union citizens). If you are lucky, you can then get a bus, taxi or train to the centre of town without waiting too long. You can also hire a car (= rent a car) at most airports.

Note: In British English you normally hire something for a short period, e.g. hire a room for a party, and rent something for a long period, e.g. a flat; for a car, you can use both words.

transport type	different kinds of vehicle	parts of vehicle	people working with it	associated facilities
road	sports car, estate car, bus, coach, tram, van, lorry	boot, engine, gears, steering-wheel, brakes, tyres	driver, mechanic, chauffeur, bus- conductor	petrol station, garage, service station
rail	passenger train, freight train, local train, express	sleeping-car, buffet, restaurant-car, compartment	engine-driver, ticket collector, guard, porter	waiting-room, ticket office, signal-box
sea	fishing-/rowing-boat, liner, ferry, yacht	engine-room, deck, bridge, gangplank	captain, purser, docker, steward (ess)	port, buoy, customs, light-house, docks
air	aeroplane, jet, helicopter, supersonic aircraft	cockpit, nose, tail, wings, aisle, joystick	pilot, ground staff, steward, cabin crew, air traffic controller	duty-free shop, departure lounge, runway

At sea – a bedroom is a cabin, a bed is a bunk, the kitchen on a ship is a galley, right is starboard and left is port and the group of people who work on the ship is called the crew. These terms are also used for an aircraft. Sailors also refer to their vessels as ‘she’ rather than ‘it.

35

Here are some more words which could have been included in the table in Ex. 34. Where would they fit into the table?

bonnet	balloon	deck-chair	guard’s van	mast	petrol pump
bus driver	anchor	glider	oar	rudder	left luggage lockers
check-in desk	control tower	canoe		dual carriageway

36

Fill in the blanks. Most of the words you need can be found in Ex. 34.

Yesterday John was supposed to take a ______ from London to Amsterdam. He got up very early, put his luggage in the ______ of his car and tried to start the engine. It wouldn’t start. John lifted the ______ but he couldn’t see what the matter could be. He immediately called his local _______ to ask them to send a ______ at once. Fortunately, the garage had a man free and he was with John within ten minutes. He quickly saw what the matter was. ‘You’ve _______ of petrol,’ he said. John felt very foolish. ‘Why didn’t I _____ everything last night?’ he wondered. Despite all this, he got to the airport, checked in quite early and then went straight through to the _____ to read a newspaper while he waited. Soon he heard an announcement. ‘Passengers on flight BA 282 to Amsterdam are informed that all flights to and from Amsterdam are _____ because of a heavy snowfall last night.’ ‘If only I had decided to go by _____’, John thought. ‘It would probably have been quicker in the end and even if I sometimes feel sick on the _____ it can be quite pleasant sitting in a _____ on the deck, watching the seagulls and the other ____. The _____ on a ship seem to produce much better food than those on an aircraft too.

37

Write five advantages and five disadvantages for each of the four means of travel in Ex. 32.

38

Match the column A with column B.

A	B
Cruise	accommodation of which you share ownership with a number of people, for example you own a twelfth of the apartment so you have the right to stay there for one month every year
Package holiday	accommodation like a hotel but cheaper and with fewer services
Time-share apartment	a holiday spent touring on a boat, stopping off to go sight-seeing at different ports
Holiday camp	a place where you can pitch a tent or park a caravan
Youth hostel	a place providing holiday accommodation in little chalets or flats, with restaurants, bars, swimming pools and lots of other facilities and entertainment for when visitors want a break from sun-bathing
Guesthouse	cheap accommodation, mainly for young people, with, perhaps, ten or more people sleeping in bunk beds in one room
Self-catering flat	a holiday in which you pay for travel, accommodation and food (even occasionally excursions) in advance
Camp-site	a flat which you rent; you cook for yourself
The language of holiday brochures is often quite exaggerated. Here are some typical adjectives with nouns that they collocate with. Try to find the collocations.
Unspoilt	opportunity/beauty/quality [nothing better exists]
Unsurpassed	cruise ship/accommodation/lifestyle [provides great comfort]
Sublime	beauty/charm/location [unusual and much more exciting than one’s everyday reality]
Picturesque	access/club/shops [only the most special people can use the facilities]
Mighty	charm/village/woodland [still in a beautiful and natural state]
Luxurious	streets/villages/cottage [as pretty as a picture]
Legendary	hospitality/figure/status [so special that it has been famous for some time]
Intoxicating	views/air/fragrance [makes you feel excited and emotional]
Glamorous	feeling/ride/moment [makes you feel excited and full of energy]
Exotic	pleasure/simplicity/skill [heavenly or divine]
Exhilarating	surroundings/film star/hotel [especially exciting and attractive]
Exclusive	views/scenery/pistes (ski slopes) [ (like stunning) suggests that something is so magnificent that it takes your breath away]
Breath-taking	river/cathedral/oak [large and powerful]

39

Complete these sentences with a word from the Ex. 38.

1. As soon as we got to the camp site we ______ our tent.

2. At the youth hostel Jimmy insisted on sleeping in the top _____.

3. They stayed in a nice little _____ at a holiday camp with two bedrooms and its own living area.

4. Our hotel offers you unsurpassed _____ for unbeatable prices.

5. Take a memorable cruise along the ______ Mississippi.

6. Visitors to our hotel have ______ access to our own private beach.

7. Experienced skiers can try the most breath-taking of _____.

8. Be thrilled by visiting the castle of the ______ Count Dracula!

40

Complete this table. Use a dictionary to help you, if necessary.

Adjective	Noun	Verb
luxurious
exhilarating
glamorous
intoxicating
legendary

41

Fill in the gaps in this postcard with appropriate adjectives.

42

There are some mistakes in the paragraph below. Underline and correct them.