Traffic lights only became necessary in the 19^th century, when traffic began to increase. A traffic signal (1)..................................... by J O Knight, a railway signaling engineer, was installed outside the Houses of Parliament in London in 1868. It looked like a railway signal of the time but a few weeks later it blew up,and signal of this type were no (2)....................................... used. The mordern traffic light is an American invention, the first red and green lights. set up in Cleveland in 1914 followed a few years later by three-colour lights in New York. These new lights didn't arrive in Britain (3)................................... 1925. A year later, the first automatic lights were installed at a road junctionin Wolverhampton, where they remained in (4)............................. for the next 42 years. At the beginning of the 1930s, the first vehicle-activated lights were set up in London. Since these early days, traffic light design has developed to cater for (5)........................................ types of road user.

II. Read the text carefully, then do the tasks.

THE FIRST ELECTRIC TRAFFIC LIGHTS

In the early 1900's,the world was developing at a very rapid pace, and with the
growth of industrialization, cities became more crowded. Furthermore, with the invention
automobiles, the traffic on the roads increased significantly, so there was a need for a
better traffic system.

In 1912, an American policeman, Lester Wire, who was concerned with the
increasing traffic, came up with the idea of the first electric traffic light.Based on Wire's
design, the lights were first installed in Cleveland, Ohio, on August 5,1914, at the corner
of 105th and Euclid Avenue

The first electric traffic light had only red and green lights; it did not have a
yellow light like modern- day traffic signals.Instead of a yellow light, it had a buzzer
sound that was used to indicate that the signal would be changing soon.

In the year 1920, a policeman named William Potts in Detroit, Michigan
invented the first four-way and three-coloured traffic lights. Apart from red and green, a
third colour - amber (or yellow) - was introduced. Detroit became the first city to
implement the four-way and three-colored traffic lights. In the 1920's,several automated
traffic signals were installed in major cities around the world. The modern traffic light
still uses this famous T-shaped model with three different colors.
safest vehicles only far crossroad follow across reason

A. Decide whether the following sentences are true (T) or false (F).
1. Due to the invention of cars, the traffic on the roads increased rapidly.
2. The first electric traffic light was invented in 1914 by Lester Wire.
3. The first electric traffic light had red, green and amber lights.
4. The yellow light didn’t exist until the 1920s.
5. Detroit was the first city to use the red, yellow, and green lights to control road traffic.
6. The modern traffic light works on the same principle as Wire’s original light.
B. Answer the questions
1. When was the first electric traffic light invented?
_______________________________________________
2. Who invented the first electric traffic light?
_______________________________________________
3. How many colours did the first electric traffic light have?
_______________________________________________
4. Where were the lights first installed?
_______________________________________________
5. What was used instead of yellow light to warn everyone of a signal change?
________________________________________________
6. When was the yellow light added?
________________________________________________

1.Read the passage and put a suitable word in each of the gaps

Model traffic lights are an American invenntion . Red-green system were installed in Cleveland (1).........1914.Three-color signals were (2).......in New York in 1918. They used (3).........be operated by hand from a tower in the middle of the street . The first light of the type appeared in London , on the junction between St.Jame Street (4).......Piccadilly, in 1925. Automatic signals were installed a year later. In the past, traffic lights used to (5).......very special. In New York, some light used to (6).........a statue on top

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 33 to 42. Fill in the appropriate word in question 33

                TRAFFIC LIGHTS

The first traffic signal was invented by a railway signaling engineer. It was installed (33) ___ the Houses of Parliament in 1868. It (34)_____ like any railway signal of the time, and was operated by gas.  (35) ____, it exploded and killed a policeman, and the accident discouraged further development until cars became common.

(36) ____ traffic lights are an American invention. Red – green systems were installed in Cleveland in 1914. Three - color signals, operated (37) _____ hanz d from a tower in the (38) _____ of the street, were installed in New York in 1918. The first lights of this type to (39) ____ in Britain were in London, on the junction between St. James’s Street and Piccadilly, in 1925. Automatic signals were installed (40) ____ year later.

In the past, traffic lights were special. In New York, some lights had a statue on top. In Los Angeles the lights did not just change silently, but would ring bells to (41) _____ the sleeping motorists of the 1930s. These are gone and have been (42) ____ by standard models which are universally adopted.

A. outside

B. out

C. out of 

D. outdoors

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 33 to 42. Fill in the appropriate word in question 38

                TRAFFIC LIGHTS

The first traffic signal was invented by a railway signaling engineer. It was installed (33) ___ the Houses of Parliament in 1868. It (34)_____ like any railway signal of the time, and was operated by gas.  (35) ____, it exploded and killed a policeman, and the accident discouraged further development until cars became common.

(36) ____ traffic lights are an American invention. Red – green systems were installed in Cleveland in 1914. Three - color signals, operated (37) _____ hanz d from a tower in the (38) _____ of the street, were installed in New York in 1918. The first lights of this type to (39) ____ in Britain were in London, on the junction between St. James’s Street and Piccadilly, in 1925. Automatic signals were installed (40) ____ year later.

In the past, traffic lights were special. In New York, some lights had a statue on top. In Los Angeles the lights did not just change silently, but would ring bells to (41) _____ the sleeping motorists of the 1930s. These are gone and have been (42) ____ by standard models which are universally adopted.

A. middle

B. heart

C. focus

D. halfway

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 33 to 42. Fill in the appropriate word in question 42

                TRAFFIC LIGHTS

The first traffic signal was invented by a railway signaling engineer. It was installed (33) ___ the Houses of Parliament in 1868. It (34)_____ like any railway signal of the time, and was operated by gas.  (35) ____, it exploded and killed a policeman, and the accident discouraged further development until cars became common.

(36) ____ traffic lights are an American invention. Red – green systems were installed in Cleveland in 1914. Three - color signals, operated (37) _____ hanz d from a tower in the (38) _____ of the street, were installed in New York in 1918. The first lights of this type to (39) ____ in Britain were in London, on the junction between St. James’s Street and Piccadilly, in 1925. Automatic signals were installed (40) ____ year later.

In the past, traffic lights were special. In New York, some lights had a statue on top. In Los Angeles the lights did not just change silently, but would ring bells to (41) _____ the sleeping motorists of the 1930s. These are gone and have been (42) ____ by standard models which are universally adopted.

A. reproduced

B. replaced

C. removed

D. remained

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 33 to 42. Fill in the appropriate word in question 39

                TRAFFIC LIGHTS

The first traffic signal was invented by a railway signaling engineer. It was installed (33) ___ the Houses of Parliament in 1868. It (34)_____ like any railway signal of the time, and was operated by gas.  (35) ____, it exploded and killed a policeman, and the accident discouraged further development until cars became common.

(36) ____ traffic lights are an American invention. Red – green systems were installed in Cleveland in 1914. Three - color signals, operated (37) _____ hanz d from a tower in the (38) _____ of the street, were installed in New York in 1918. The first lights of this type to (39) ____ in Britain were in London, on the junction between St. James’s Street and Piccadilly, in 1925. Automatic signals were installed (40) ____ year later.

In the past, traffic lights were special. In New York, some lights had a statue on top. In Los Angeles the lights did not just change silently, but would ring bells to (41) _____ the sleeping motorists of the 1930s. These are gone and have been (42) ____ by standard models which are universally adopted.

A. show

B. appear

C. happen

D. become

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 33 to 42. Fill in the appropriate word in question 36

                TRAFFIC LIGHTS

The first traffic signal was invented by a railway signaling engineer. It was installed (33) ___ the Houses of Parliament in 1868. It (34)_____ like any railway signal of the time, and was operated by gas.  (35) ____, it exploded and killed a policeman, and the accident discouraged further development until cars became common.

(36) ____ traffic lights are an American invention. Red – green systems were installed in Cleveland in 1914. Three - color signals, operated (37) _____ hanz d from a tower in the (38) _____ of the street, were installed in New York in 1918. The first lights of this type to (39) ____ in Britain were in London, on the junction between St. James’s Street and Piccadilly, in 1925. Automatic signals were installed (40) ____ year later.

In the past, traffic lights were special. In New York, some lights had a statue on top. In Los Angeles the lights did not just change silently, but would ring bells to (41) _____ the sleeping motorists of the 1930s. These are gone and have been (42) ____ by standard models which are universally adopted.

A. New

B. Recent

C. Modern

D. Late

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 33 to 42. Fill in the appropriate word in question 35

                TRAFFIC LIGHTS

The first traffic signal was invented by a railway signaling engineer. It was installed (33) ___ the Houses of Parliament in 1868. It (34)_____ like any railway signal of the time, and was operated by gas.  (35) ____, it exploded and killed a policeman, and the accident discouraged further development until cars became common.

(36) ____ traffic lights are an American invention. Red – green systems were installed in Cleveland in 1914. Three - color signals, operated (37) _____ hanz d from a tower in the (38) _____ of the street, were installed in New York in 1918. The first lights of this type to (39) ____ in Britain were in London, on the junction between St. James’s Street and Piccadilly, in 1925. Automatic signals were installed (40) ____ year later.

In the past, traffic lights were special. In New York, some lights had a statue on top. In Los Angeles the lights did not just change silently, but would ring bells to (41) _____ the sleeping motorists of the 1930s. These are gone and have been (42) ____ by standard models which are universally adopted.

A. However

B. Therefore

C. Although

D. Despite