V. Reading
1. The end of a long journey
Yesterday was an important day for Thomas Burns from Portsmouth. He retired after 45 years as a bus driver in the city. Here he writes about the changes he has seen over the years.
‘Over the years a lot of things have changed in Portsmouth and I think it’s more difficult to be a bus driver today than before. There are more cars, more cyclists, more traffic jams and more people in a hurry! I’ve seen a lot of changes in the town centre too. When I started you could drive along the High Street. Now you can’t. It’s for people on foot! There are lots of roads you can’t drive along.
Another change is that 40 years ago we had conductors. Conductors were people who worked on the bus too and they walked up and down the bus and sold the tickets. Today the driver has to sell tickets. Also, the conductors watched the passengers for any trouble. Today we have CCTV cameras instead! But a CCTV camera can’t tell a teenager to get off the bus!
The passengers haven’t changed a lot. I’ve met some really nice people and some very rude people too. But that’s life, isn’t it?’
* Are the sentences true or false?
1. People want to get to places quickly these days. _
2. There is more traffic on the roads today than before.
3. The city centre is the same as it was when Thomas started as a driver.
4. There is more trouble on the buses today than there was before. _
5. All Thomas’s passengers were polite. _
2. A near accident
Pam Tyler has just returned from a winter holiday and has a story to tell about a very near accident.
Pam travelled with her husband, Steve, and her two children, Kev and Lucy. They were very happy when they started the journey. ‘The children were so excited,’ says Pam. ‘Christmas with lots of snow. It was the perfect holiday!’
The Tyler family went by car and took the car ferry from England to Norway. ‘It was very cold,’ continues Pam. ‘And the children asked again and again, “Is it snowing in Norway?” When the boat arrived it was amazing. The snow was really heavy!’
They arrived at 6.30 in the evening and they had to drive for two hours to get to their holiday home. But first they had to drive through the town – on the right hand side of the road! Pam was the driver with Steve beside her and the children were in the back. At that time of the evening it was dark and snowy and it was difficult to see the road. Pam drove slowly. Suddenly she saw a red light and stopped quickly. She was just past the light.
Steve shouted, ‘Drive!’ ‘But it’s red,’ said Pam.
‘Just drive!’ Steve shouted. ‘Now!’
Pam drove and a few seconds later a tram passed behind them. The red light was there to stop the cars when the trams passed. In the snow Pam stopped the car after the light and she stopped ON the tram lines. Luckily, Steve saw the tram and saved their lives!
‘There aren’t any trams in my town in England,’ says Pam. ‘I didn’t know about the tram lines. We nearly died. We were very lucky. Of course, Steve drove for the rest of the holiday!’* Answer the questions.
1 Why were the children excited about the holiday?
_
2 What was the weather like when they arrived in Norway?
3 Why was it difficult to drive?
4 What did Pam see and what did she do?
5 Why did Steve shout ‘Drive!’?
1. STAMPS
The first stamp in the world was an English stamp. It was made ( 1) .……...1840. Before that time people paid money to the postman (2)……………… every letter they received and the postman didn’t give letters to anybody (3)……........ didn’t pay him .
An English teacher whose (4)…………… is Rowland Hill thought much about it . One day he said that people who wrote the letters must (5)……………….for them and not the (6)……………………..who got the letter . (7) …………spoke about it to people in the Government Soon all the (8)……………..began to sell little pieces of paper with a stamp on them .
2. ENGLAND
England is not a large (1)……………No town is very far ( 2) …………..the sea. Many English families (3) …………… their holiday at (4) ……………seaside. There are no high mountains in England , no very ( 5 ) ………………...…rivers and no large forests.(6) ………..are many towns in England . The English (7) .….................looks (8)…………….. beautiful , especially (9)……………..spring and summer . All the forests , the fields and the gardens are green , red , blue, yellow , and white (10) ………………….flowers.
3. TELEVISION
Television is (1) …………..of man’s most important means (2)……….……… communication. It brings (3) ……………and sounds from (4) ……….…..in the world to million of homes. A person with a (5) ……………set can (6) ………..… ..in his (7)………………and watch the president (8)……………..…..a speech or visit a foreign country. Through T V , home viewer (9)…………..…..see and learn (10) ……………….people, places anything in far away lands.
