Read the text carefully then do the activities.

A. Comprehension (pts6)

Cities like Paris, Cairo and Algiers have all had to deal with thousands of cars running through
their streets each day. Traffic congestion is a big problem for everyone within the city. The main
reasons why traffic congestion occurs are more cars, poor road management, and poor practices on
behalf of employers.
One of the main reasons why there’s more congestion is due to more cars on the road. The adult
population is increasing and therefore more people want their own personal transport to get around
with. As the number of cars increase the chance of congestion also increases. It’s why in smaller
towns and villages congestion is almost unheard of. This is coupled with a lack of proper
infrastructure.
Councils and national governments fail to act on the looming threat of heavy congestion until it
happens. The city doesn’t expand along with an increasingly car reliant population. A single street
with a lane on each side before might not suffice in ten years after the population has increased.
Authorities often fail to convert this into a dual carriageway. Alternate routes are also a problem.
Cities have limited capacity to expand due to poor funding. Cities are forced to work with the routes
they already have. If they can’t increase the number of lanes it leads to congestion.
Employers can also play a part in dealing with congestion. Congestion almost always happens
when people are travelling to and from work. Traffic congestion has eased in recent years as a result of
growing unemployment and the introduction of more flexible work hours. By adhering to the
traditional 9-5 routines, there’s a greater chance of congestion. Everyone has to travel to and from
work at the same time each day.
1- Choose the letter (a, b, c, ) which best completes each sentence(2pts).
- Traffic congestion is a ………….problem.
a)- dishonest b)- critical c)- fair

- Traffic congestion ……………traffic flow in urban area.

a)- challenges b)- helps c)- facilitates

- Traffic congestion occurs at ……….. times in the morning when people are travelling to work.
a)- peak b)- rights c)- some

- The lack of proper infrastructure is one of the main ………of traffic congestion in some countries.
a)- costs b)- consequences c)- reasons

2-What is the main idea of the third paragraph(1pts)?

3- Reorder the following statements according to the text(2pts).

a- traffic jam occurs in the morning or evening as people moves to work.
b- Administrative bodies are unable to deal with the issue of traffic jam.
c- Urban areas face complex problems in daily life with traffic..
d- Increasing number of vehicle exacerbate the traffic problem.

4- Tick the right title(1pts).

a- Causes of traffic congestion
b- Traffic management
c- Solving traffic congestion problem

B- Text Exploration (14pts)

1- Find in the text synonyms to (1.5pts):

a- alarming (§3) b- dependent (§3) c- handling (§4)
2- Find opposites to the following(1.5pts):
a- declining (§1) b- inconsequential (§3) c- rigid (§4)

3. Supply the correct form of the verbs in brackets(2.5pts).

a) In the end of 18th century, the first traffic congestion (appear)………….. on the old London
Bridge which (create)…………….. a serious problem.
b) Traffic congestion problems (study)……………….. by many researchers.
c) Illegal parking (obstruct) ……….…….traffic flow.
d) Electric buses and cars (be) …………..common means of transportation within a decade.
4- Complete the second sentence so that it means the same as the one given(3pts).

a- The Government is responsible for improving the efficiency of highways between cities which
reduce traffic problems 
a- Traffic problems ..............................................................................................................
b- Congestion phenomenon’s can not be terminated only build bridge, motorways and increasing road
capacity.
b-The termination of ..................................................................................................................................
c- Traffic control systems have direct influence on traffic problems.
c- the impact.........................................................................................................................................

5- Underline the stressed syllable in the following words(2pts):

Government -Alternate - congestion – traditional
6. Fill in the gaps so that the passage makes sense(3.5pts):
serious - development - which - volume - modern - irrational - inadequate

In ……life we have to face with many problems one of …….is traffic congestion becoming more
…..day after day. It is said that the high ………..of vehicles, the ………….infrastructure and the
…………….distribution of the ………are main reasons for increasing traffic jam.