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?
________________________________________________

I was driving along the High Street towards the car park ...(1)... I usually park my car. I was reaching the traffic lights which ...(2)... on the corner of Oxford Street. The ...(3)... were green. The lights changed to red and I braked. The Mini ...(4)... was traveling behind me failed to stop and crashed into the back of my ...(5)..., which got damage to the back lights.

The girl who ...(6)... the Mini got out and was very rude. My friend, who was in the front ...(7)... seat of my car was very upset. The girl ...(8)... sister had been in the car with her blamed us and ...(9)... us several rude names. I know it was exactly 3:15 when it happened ...(10)... the clock in my car stopped.

I was driving along the High Street towards the car park ...(1)... I usually park my car. I was reaching the traffic lights which ...(2)... on the corner of Oxford Street. The ...(3)... were green. The lights changed to red and I braked. The Mini ...(4)... was traveling behind me failed to stop and crashed into the back of my ...(5)..., which got damage to the back lights.

The girl who ...(6)... the Mini got out and was very rude. My friend, who was in the front ...(7)... seat of my car was very upset. The girl ...(8)... sister had been in the car with her blamed us and ...(9)... us several rude names. I know it was exactly 3:15 when it happened ...(10)... the clock in my car stopped.

1.       A. which                 B. there                    C. where                  D. place                     __________

2.       A. are                     B. is                           C. been                     D. being                     __________

3.       A. car                     B. car park                 C. traffic                    D. lights                      __________

4.       A. what                    B. which                     C. it                           D. where                    __________

5.       A. lights                   B. car                         C. car park                D. clock                      __________

6.       A. was driving         B. is driving                C. drove                    D. driving                    __________

7.       A. people                 B. audience                C. passenger             D. customer                __________

8.       A. who                     B. her                         C. which                    D. whose                    __________

9.       A. called                  B. calling                    C. call                        D. was calling                    __________

10.   A. and                    B. because                 C. but                        D. so                          __________

1.Last week I [drive]............to the office every day.

2.How long it [be]...........before he reached the station.

3.How many lessons you [have]............before you passed your test?

4.Howe you [manage]...............to stop in time when that car short out in front of you?

5.He can over that car as it [run]..............across the road.

6.The front tire burst just as he [turn]...............the corner.

7.The car was stolen because he [forget].............to clock it.

8.I waited at the traffic lights for ten minutes before they [change]..........green.

9.The breakdown service arrived 5 minutes after he [phone]...........

10.The car stopped for the children who [wait]..........to cross the road