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__ Betty Kirkpatrick * Rebecca Mok PHOTO CREDITS p8 Top © Marco Aurelio Oliveira Ribeiro, Bottom © Victoria Shepherd: 4-sitedesign.co.uk; p 15 © Andras Deak; p 22 © Johanna Martinez/ Dreamstime.com; p 35 © Loretta Humble; p 41 © Alex Furr; p 48 © Simon Gray: p 55 ©JM Griffin: 61 © Tamas Szafko; p 68 © Baris Timurlenk; p 74 Top © Hartini Ghani, Bottom © Jens Ratzel: p 80 © Stefanie L; p 88 © Xiskya; p 93 © Bonifacio Pontonio Design; p 100 © Michael Cossey; p 112 © Xavier Ruiz; p 118 © Vinicius Zimmer/ www.obraprima-id.com.br; p 125 Left & right © Dria Peterson: p 131 © Daniel Kwok; p 137 Left © Hoffer Gabor, Right © Chanal; p 148 © LotusHead; p 156 Top © Andrea Kahe, Bottom left © Nauris Mozolevs, Bottom right © Rhys Jones/http:sirenlabs.atomkinder.net; p 163 © Mario Magallanes Trejo: p 170 Top © Ben Merghart, Bottom © Joao Estévao © 2005 Learners Publishing Pte Ltd This edition first published 2005 by Learners Publishing Pte Ltd 222 Tagore Lane, #03-01 TG Building, Singapore 787603, Reprinted 2006 (twice), 2007. 2008 (twice), 2009 All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced, or transmitted by any means, electronic or ‘mechanical, including photocopying. recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. Email: learnpub@leamers.com.sg Visit our website: http:/www.learners.com.sg ISBN 978 981 4147 361 Printed by 8 & Jo Enterprise Pte Ltd, Singapore — Ss Please remember that unauthorized photocopying of this book is illegal. Preface How to Get the Most Out of This Book THe ENVIRONMENT 1 Green Packaging 2 Too Much Traffic Sociat Issues 3 Desperate Action Bullying Growing Old Parental Aspirations Nowe Discrimination against Disability 8 No Apology for Slavery Sports 9 The 2008 Olympics 10 Football Hooligans Leisure Pursuits 11 Travel Troubles 12 NewResearch on Computer Games Disasters 13 Danger from Mount Pinatubo 15 22 29 35 41 48 54 61 68 74 80 87 14 Car Bomb Puts Lives at Risk 93 15 Wasit Arson? 99 CRIME 16 Stalking the Famous 105 17 Terrorism m HEALTH 18 Healthy Eating 118 19 Food Scares 124 20 Aircraft DVT 130 21 The Dangers of Passive Smoking 136 Mepicine 22 ADonor Shortage 142 23 ~TheBenefits of Chocolate 148 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 24 The Communication Revolution 155 Economy AND FINANCE 25 AGlobal Recession 163 26 The Euro Becomes Official 170 PREFACE The objective of Thematic Vocabulary and Comprehension Books 1 and 2 is to develop students’ skills in vocabulary building and in reading and understanding information texts. Each of the 26 units provides well-conceived sections and activities to give students lots of practice in the necessary skills. They are: THINK ABOUT IT There are three or four questions that encourage students to think aboutissues related to the topic before they read the passage. READING TEXT In reading through the 26 passages in each book, students will gain information onawide range of topics of currrent interest, arranged under 10 major themes. VOCABULARY STUDY Topic-related words and expressions are defined and supported by example sentences. Extra useful information about the words and expressions are also given in the form of LANGUAGE HELP panel notes. VOCABULARY PRACTICE These questions test how much students have understood the key words and expressions in the passage. COMPREHENSION EXERCISES A, B & C These exercises focus on the three levels of understanding information texts: A Recalling Information B Understanding Information (including Summary Writing) C_ Applying Information THEME EXTENSION ACTIVITY This activity is specially included at the end of the last unit for each theme, providing topics for discussion or small-group work. The varied exercises provide not only written work for students to do individually, but also oral discussions to be done among themselves. For the written work, students are expected to write their answers in a separate exercise book. How to Ger THE Most Our oF THis Book The different exercises in this book are designed to help students master specific skills, Students are encouraged to read through this chapter to understand the objectives and format of each exercise or activity so that they will complete the exercises successfully for their full benefit. Trunk Asout It Before they read a passage, students are asked three or four questions to get them to think about the topic. Designed for them to work in pairs or small groups, the questions aim to develop their ability to make predictions and to understand information by drawing on their own knowledge and experience. Vocasutary PRACTICE There are 10 questions which require students to replace phrases or to complete sentences with target vocabulary items they have learnt. Students are encouraged to go through the Vocabulary Study section and complete this practice activity before they attempt the comprehension exercises. They would then not face unfamiliar words that might hinder their understanding. RECALLING INFORMATION At this level of comprehension skill, students are given ample practice to: 1 read and recall information and details in the text; 2. note the relevance of dates, events and places; 3 trace the development of main ideas or points of view; and 4. give evidence or opinions that support a main idea or point of view. UNDERSTANDING INFORMATION At this level, students are required to practise answering a wide range of questions. They are asked to: compare and contrast information; order, group, and infer causes and effects; understand and organize information; grasp meaning; perceive thought patterns; recognize the features or components of different text types; generalize from given facts; NOUARUN= 8 infer and draw conclusions; and 9 summarize information. The exercises above aim to develop specific skills in: * inferring and drawing conclusions by using contextual clues and prior knowledge; * organizing, summarizing and synthesizing information using sequence, comparison, contrast and chronology; © giving évidence or reasons to support a response or a point of view; * using knowledge of text organization; * understanding how the purpose of various text types is achieved; © evaluating information for exaggeration or persuasive language; and © inferring meanings of words in context. Use of Graphic Organizers Graphic organizers provide visual ‘images’ for the organization of information. Where appropriate, they are used to guide students to a better understanding of the information by, for example, making comparisons and contrasts, showing causes and effects, outlining sequence of events, and so forth. Two points to note about the use of graphic organizers are: highly able students may not need to use the organizers and teachers have the option of telling these students not to use the organizers; and «if students have mastered the skills of seeing and organizing patterns through earlier exercises, these students could also be allowed to dispense with the use of the organizers. Summary Writing This section includes a summary writing question. The skill of summarizing is one of the key skills in reading comprehension. Here are some guidelines on getting students to write summaries effectively. Five steps in ensuring effective summary writing: 1 Make sure students understand the summary question. 2. Students should mark the parts of the text that answer the summary question. 3 Students should first make a draft, writing out all the main points. Details and examples need only be filled in if the main points are well within the summary — word length. 4 Students should check and double-check their work, asking themselves: © Have | got all the main points and important information in the summary? * Have | used my own words as much as possible? © Have | repeated myself? * Have | skipped anything? ® ts it within the given word length? 5 Students should edit or ‘polish’ their work to improve on the overall accuracy, style and expressions. Improvements will include the insertion of connecting words like “and”-and-“because”, and-correction-of grammar, spelling-and.punctuation. AppLyING INFORMATION At this level, students are provided with activities that require them to: use information and imagination; use methods, concepts and theories in new situations; solve problems using acquired skills and/or knowledge; translate knowledge into new context; use ‘old’ ideas to create new ones; make choices based on reasoned arguments; apply principles; and debate an issue. WIANAWN= The exercises are designed to develop skills in: + exploring possible factors relating to a topic or an issue; * exploring causes, consequences and reasons; giving reasons to support a response, a point of view or an opinion; @ establishing a set of criteria for a specific purpose: to carry out or evaluate atask; and * solving problems imaginatively and creatively, eg identifying problems, generating and evaluating possible solutions, and choosing the best option based on reasoned arguments. Treme Extension Activity The skills for application here are similar to those used in the Applying Information exercise. The difference is that the skills are developed more broadly as a theme activity over an extended period of two weeks or more. The theme activities are designed with the following in mind: © Students would work in groups of four to six members each. © The activities would each be carried out over an extended period of two or three weeks. During the period, the theme activity would take up one period each week of class time. * Apart from class time, students would spend time outside of class, in the library or computer laboratory to do research on the topic, or to design, plan and work on the presentation of the work assigned. © There is no right or wrong answer to the activity as the objective is to have students use their imagination, creativity and problem-solving skills by co- operating with one another. It is our hope that students, after working through these passages and questions, will continue to read and understand information texts with efficiency and effectiveness, demonstrating the skills expected of them. In addition, as invited to do so in the theme activities, they will continue to think creatively and imaginatively while applying higher order thinking skills in their other project assignments. It is also our earnest hope that both teachers and students will enjoy reading the texts and working through these exercises and activities. GREEN PACKAGING K Apout It 1. Ifa friend asked: “What has the environment to do with us?” what would your answer be? 2. What can you do to be environmentally-friendly? 3. Whyisit sometimes difficult to be environmentally-friendly? These are collected from things you can recycle. What are they? Now read the passage below and answer the questions that follow. Manufacturers are currently competing with each other to produce a form of green packaging. Packaging is an important part of marketing these days, but much of it is a threat to the environment. There are two reasons for this. The production of such packaging uses up a great deal of energy and the cartons, wrappers, etc are often difficult to dispose of when they become waste material. People in most countries have become aware of the damage which modem living is doing to the environment, and many of them are concerning themselves with the conservation of the environment for future generations. Thus, both politicians and scientists are now looking at the issues of energy-saving and waste disposal with a view to making them more environmentally-friendly. As far as packaging is concerned, it is vital that it is either recyclable or biodegradable. For example, instead of throwing out newspapers and glass bottles with their household rubbish, people in several countries are being encouraged to put these in special containers to allow the material to be recycled. Some household waste, such as vegetable peelings, is naturally biodegradable and so decomposes gradually. until it disappears. Man-made goods are not so easily disposed of. Goods and packaging made of plastic create waste material that is particularly difficult to get rid of. This means that huge landfill sites have to be dug out so as to bury the plastic waste underground, possibly causing problems for future generations. Just as much of a problem is industrial waste, since the effluent from factories often contains chemicals which can lead to the pollution of water supplies. Waste from factories has to be monitored carefully in order to avoid this. Technological advances using nuclear power have added to the waste problem. The disposal of nuclear waste causes particular concern because it is radioactive and so possibly dangerous to life. The high standard of living, which the people of many countries now enjoy, has resulted in a huge increase in waste material. This could have a terrible effect on the ecology of the planet. There is no doubt that urgent action must be taken to save our environment from possible disaster. VocaBuLary StuDY biodegradable adjective made of material which will naturally decay relatively quickly because of the action of bacteria on it: Vegetable waste is biodegradable. ‘Many man-made materials, such as plastic, are not biodegradable, carton noun a container made from lightweight cardboard or plastic in which certain food or drink is sold: joan went to the shop to get a carton of milk. When the child finished his hamburger he was told to put the carton in the rubbish bin. conservation noun the act of protecting and preserving something, especially the environment: Conservation of the environment must be taken seriously if future generations are to survive. Governments must ~ appreciate the importance of the conservation of tural resources. conserve verbs To conserve the environment from as much pollution as possible ‘is our main aim. The local authorities are trying to conserve the beaches from further pollution. * decompose verb to be broken down by the action of bacteria; to rot or decay: We left the vegetable waste to decompose on the compost heap in the garden. The apples which were thrown away will decompose, but the plastic bag will not. disaster noun an unexpected event that causes a lot of damage, destruction, injury or death: The two ships collided and sank, leaving few survivors of the disaster. Natural disasters (= disasters caused by nature, disaster 1 (often used loosely in an | | exaggerated way) also means a very bad or | difficult situation that has unpleasant | consequences: It would be a disaster for the | whole family iim were to lose his ob. It | will be a disaster if the bride's ‘smother and the groom’s mother have bought the same wedding outfit. 2 something that is extremely unsuccessful: The firm’s attempt to expand was a disaster. The party was a disaster; there was hardly anyone there. disastrous adjective connected with or involving a disaster: t was a disastrous war and _many people were kiled on both sides ' Language Help disastrous 1 (often used loosely in an [ | exaggerated way) also means very bad with unpleasant consequences: It was a disastrous mistake for George to make and he was sacked from his job. Jan said that it would be disastrous if she had forgotten her lipstick. 2 extremely unsuccessful: jil's efforts at babysitting were disastrous. dispose of verb to get rid of something that you do not want: Jillis disposing of all her old clothes to make room for new ones. My parents are moving to a smaller house and will have to dispose of a lot of furniture. ~- disposal noun the act or process of disposing of something: Bins are provided outside the shop for the disposal of food wrappings. ®* See waste disposal. ecology noun the relationship between human, animal and plant life and its environment or the study of ~ this: The professor is seeking to establish changes in the ecology of the area since it became industrialized. Bob has always been interested in issues affecting the environment ‘and now wishes to study ecology at university. ® ecological adjective relating to ecology or to the environment or relating to things that are of benefit to or protective of the environment: Governments must consider the ecological effects of their economic polices. In time education will help more people to have an ecological attitude to manufacturing processes. effluent noun ‘waste material in the form of liquid discharged from a sewage works, factory, etc: The effluent from the textile factory was found to contain dangerous chemicals and yet it was being discharged into a river. Effluent from the sewage works is being discharged untreated into the sea. energy noun 114 supply or source of power, such os electrical power, solar power, etc: Solar power uses the ssun’s radiation as a source of energy. New power stations are being built to produce nuclear energy. 2 ability and power to be active so that you are able to work, get things done, etc: Since her illness, Pam has had very little energy and stays in bed much of the time. 3 liveliness and enthusiasm: Managing the new firm is a job for someone with a great deal of energy. environment noun the external surroundings in which people, animals and plants live: The use of modern chemicals can harm the environment. Several plants and animals have become extinct because of damage done to their environment by modem farming methods. * environmental adjective: Environmental issues are now being discussed at international level. It is feared that the leak of waste from the factory has caused significant environmental damage. environmentally-friendly adjective not causing any damage to the environment: Organic farming is an environmentally-friendly method of agriculture since it does not use chemicals to kill insects or fertilize the crops. Solar power is an environmentally-friendly form of energy. [Language Help | jendly is a combining form which is found |_|} in connection with many words meaning helpful to or of benefit to someone or | indicating ease of use: The computers must | be user-friendly as most of our mature students have not used a computer before. | The hotels very child-friendly and provides | several activities for children. | -— green adjective concerned with the protection and conservation of the environment: The production of fruit and vegetables without the use of chemicals is one of the green measures being considered by the government. Manufacturérs of household furniture are being urged to use green materials as much as possible. > the Greens or Green Party is the name given to a political party which encourages the protection of the environment: Several members of other political parties have joined the Greens because of their worries about the future of the planet. landfill site noun a place where waste material is buried under layers of earth, often being excavated especially for this purpose: They are excavating a site outside the town to be used as a landfill site. The old tin quarry has become a landfill ste, monitor verb to check something at regular intervals in order to find out any changes or developments: Doctors are monitoring the patient’s condition. Teachers have been asked to monitor the progress of the students throughout the school ‘year. » monitoring noun the act of monitoring something: Pat is involved in the monitoring of the laboratory tests. nuclear waste noun the radioactive waste which is left after an industrial nuclear process has been completed: The container lorry was carrying nuclear waste from a nuclear plant outside the city. Some experts are worried in case nuclear waste causes health problems, such as some forms of cancer. packaging noun the materials in which objects are wrapped before they go on sale: Fancy packaging sometimes costs more than the thing which it contains, The firm has changed the packaging, but the product is exactly the same. peelings noun plural pieces of fruit or vegetable skin that are cut off as being unwanted: She peeled the apple and left the peelings on the table. The potato peelings were put on the garden compost heap (=a heap of rotting vegetable material used as a fertilizer when the material has decayed). » peel verb to remove the skin from a piece of fruit or vegetable: There is no need to peel the pear; ‘you can eat the skin pollute see pollution pollution noun the act or process of causing something, such as the environment, air or water, to become dirty, harmful or unfit for use: The air pollution in the City is being blamed on the large number of cars. Signs on the beach warn of the pollution of the sea water. » pollute verb to cause something to be dirty, harmful or unfit for use: Liquid waste from the factory has polluted the town’s water supply. Gases emitted from cars pollute the earth’s atmosphere. > pollutant noun something which pollutes: The village drinking water was found to contain a high level of pollutants. The smoke from the factory chimney was a pollutant of the atmosphere. recyclable see recycle recycle verb to put material or an object through some kind of process that allows it to be used again: There are containers in the car park where bottles can be \l placed to be recycled. Paper can easily be recycled and so you should not burn newspapers. » recyclable adjective of material, can be recycled: The shop is trying to use carrer bags which are recyclable. Glass is a material which is recyclable, waste noun 1.unwanted material which remains after something has been used: The waste from the office canteen goes to a local farmer to feed his pigs. The waste from the small factory was being illegally thrown into an old quarry. 2 unnecessary, extravagant, wrong or unwise use of something: It was a waste of time going to see that film; it was very boring. Stella cooked far too much food for the party; it was such a waste. & waste verb to use something in an unnecessary, extravagant, wrong or unwise way: You'll be wasting your time if you wait for Jean; she said she’s not coming. Joan wastes money by buying food which she then throws out. waste disposal noun the act or process of getting rid of waste: The effect of waste disposal on the environment is being discussed at the conference. New methods of waste disposal must be found to get rid of unwanted goods made from plastic. T-What would you call material from a nuclear reactor whichis no longer wanted or useful? Name two materials which are recyclable. Name something which is a pollutant of the atmosphere. Rewrite the following sentence, inserting the missing verb: Itis easy to dispose of vegetable waste because it___ naturally. 5 Rewrite the following sentence, inserting the missing noun: Using fewer chemicals in agriculture will contribute to the environment. of the 6 Rewrite the following sentence, inserting the missing compound noun: Most babies’ disposable nappies have to be got rid of by burying them in 7 Rewrite the following sentence, replacing the words in bold with one word: The company is only interested in profit, not in making sure that its production methods are harmless to the environment. 8 Rewrite the following sentence, replacing the words in bold with one word: The relationship between plant and insect life and the environment in the region has been significantly altered by the building of motorways. 9 Rewrite the following sentence, replacing the words in bold with one word: I think he is one of the parliamentarians in favour of the conservation of the environment, since he always arrives at meetings by bicycle or by public transport. 10 Rewrite the following sentence, replacing the words in bold with one word: Toxic chemicals have been poured into the bathing lake and made it dirty and unfit to be used. LE recat Information 1. Give two reasons why packaging is a threat to the environment. 2. Which groups of people are looking at the issues involved? 3 What conditions are necessary for packaging to be considered green? EE, Soro Information What is the main difference between biodegradable items and man-made goods? 2 Why would people with a high standard of living create more waste than those with a lower standard of living? 3. Suggest why huge landfill sites would cause problems for future generations. 4 Complete these sentences to show cause and effect. a Asmany people are concerned about environmental damage and its effects, politicians and scientists. 13 b Because people are concerned about the huge amounts of waste, they are making an effortto_ Industrial waste causes a problem because. 5 Inabout 80 words, state what kinds of packaging ‘are environmentally friendly and why. Ina group of four or five, think of one environmental problem in your school or its neighbourhood and consider how it may best be solved. Choose one of the following if you wish. * Are drink cans being thrown away as rubbish when they can be recycled? * Are students using both sides of the paper? 1. Do you think your city has too much traffic? Give your reasons. 2. Doyou support actions to control city traffic? 3. Would you own a car if you are of age to drive and can afford to? Why or why not? Some roads are chock-a-block with traffic even at night Now read the passage below and answer the questions that follow. Many of the problems which face governments nowadays are international ones, Take traffic, for example. All the major cities of the world are having to try to find ways of dealing with too many vehicles and the congested roads which they cause. A large number of the vehicles which clog our cities are private cars. Motorists are very reluctant to leave their precious cars behind and go to work on public transport, despite the constant traffic jams. They regard buses, trams and trains as being for other people, while they themselves like to drive from door to door. Thus, our reads are chock-a-block with traffic. Of course, parking space is not always available. Some firms provide car parks or garages, where at least some of their employees can leave their cars. Most people, however, have to rely on public car parks, often multi- storey ones, or else try to park in the street. Since this is usually highly restricted, with many parking meters in evidence, parking is a source of frustration to many motorists. People who are otherwise quite law-abiding are apt to take a bit of a risk when it comes to traffic offences. Thus, they ignore both signs that say ‘NO PARKING’ and lines painted down the edge of the road which indicate parking restrictions. Should they be away from their cars for longer than the amount of time allowed by the parking meter, they are not worried— until they see that the traffic warden has left a parking ticket on their windscreen, and realize that they will have to pay a fine. The authorities in more and more cities are trying to keep cars out of the city centre. With this aim, they have pedestrianized large areas and introduced park-and-ride schemes so that people will leave their cars at the city boundary and complete their journey by bus. Still, there are fears that ever-increasing traffic will cause gridlock in cities, particularly at rush hours. With so many tailbacks and bottle-necks on so many roads, motoring is no longer a pleasure. Why, then, do so many of us persist in using our cars? bottle-neck noun car park noun aplace where a road grows narrow or a place an area of ground or a building where cars can be where there is often a great deal oftraffc, causing parked temporarily: There was a large car park traffic either to slow down or stop complete! there on that piece of ground, but a block of flats There's only one lane open on the motonway'*'-*~"is being built on it now. Mark works in a large because of road-works and this is causing a office building which has an underground car bottle-neck: During the miorning rush hour both” ~~ park. ~~~ ~ roads into the town centre are bottle-necks. chock-a-block adjective extremely full or crowded: The town is chock-a- block with tourists at this time of year. The house is chock-a-block with old furniture. log verb F to cause a road, etc, to become blocked, so slowing down or preventing movement of traffic: The road from the factory is clogged with lorries every morning. Most people leave the city at weekends and the roads are clogged on Friday evenings. congested adjective ‘extremely overcrowded, making moving around slow or difficult: Jill never takes her car to the city centre because the roads are so congested. The pavements in town are so congested because people are doing Christmas shopping. 2 of a part of the body, blocked with an abnormal amount. of blood or other fluid, such as mucus: Her lungs are congested and she cannot breathe properly. » congestion noun the state of being congested: Traffic congestion adds to the pollution of the atmosphere because of the exhaust fumes from cars. | have a bad cold and am suffering from nasal congestion. fine noun ‘a sum of money which has to be paid as a punishment for breaking a law or rule: George can’t really afford to pay such a large fine, but he was lucky not to be sent to prison for driving so dangerously. Jo did not take her library books back on time and had to pay a fine. * fine verb to make someone pay a sum of money as a punishment for breaking a law or rule: The ‘youths were fined for causing damage to public property. frustration noun the feeling of being annoyed and impatient: We had to put up with the frustration of sitting in a long stationary line of traffic. The workers found it difficult to cope with the frustration of not being able to make progress with the job because of bad weather. ® frustrating adjective: Itis very frustrating when you stay at home all day for a workman who doesn’t turn up. ® frustrated adjective: Jenny is very frustrated because she has applied for several jobs and hasn't had any replies yet. garage noun a building, often attached to a house, office, etc, where cars may be parked or kept: Harry has to park his car outside in the street as his house does not have a garage. Language Help garage also means 1 place where cars are repaired: My car's in the garage to get | the brakes fixed. 2.4 place where you can buy petrok: need petrol. Will the local garage still be open? 3 a place where you can buy cars: jack Bought a good second- | |-hand car from a small garage inthe village. gridlock noun situation in a city, etc, in which roads become so blocked with cars that it is impossible for traffic to move in any direction and so it comes toastop: A lorry has overturned at a roundabout near the town centre, causing a gridlock for miles. If something is not done to stop so much traffic coming into the city, there will soon be a complete gridlock every morning. motorist noun a person who owns and drives a car: The cyclist said that the motorist knocked him off his bike. ‘Most motorists are complaining about the high cost of petrol. » motoring adjective connected with driving a car Jim has been charged with committing a serious motoring offence. multi-storey adjective having several storeys or levels: | left the car in the multi-storey car park in the centre of town, but I can't remember which level | left it on. » multi-storey noun a car park having several storeys or levels: There’s a multi-storey attached to the department store. offence houn an act which breaks a law or regulation: Taking goods from a shop without paying is a criminal offence. The woman has been found guilty of several drug offences. park-and-ride 1 adjective of a transport system, designed to reduce the amount of traffic in towns or cities, in which motorists park their cars at the edge of a town and take a bus from there to the town centre: | wouldn't take my car to work if the city had a park-and-ride service, 2 noun such a transport system: The park-and-ride is very popular now. parking meter noun (sometimes shortened to meter) a machine at a roadside parking space into which you put coins to pay for parking and which shows the length of time that you may legally park: | need to find change for the parking meter. There are no meters in that street; parking is free. parking ticket noun (sometimes shortened to ticket) an official notice which is placed on a vehicle to show that it is illegally parked and to order you to pay money ‘as a fine: Jim didn’t put enough money in the parking meter and when he got back to his car, there was a parking ticket on it. You're not supposed to park by the station and I got a ticket when left the car to meet my mother. pedestrianized adjective of a street, etc, in which cars are not allowed so that people can walk safely: The centre of the town is pedestrianized and so there is no point in taking the car. There is a lot of traffic in the city centre, but there’s a pedestrianized area near the station. » pedestrian noun a person who travels on foot and not in a.car, ete: The pedestrian was knocked over by a car as she was crossing the street. The pavement was full of pedestrians when the car left the road and hit them. 4 pedestrian crossing noun a place on a road where pedestrians may cross: The car failed to stop at the pedestrian crossing. private car noun a car which is owned and driven by an individual: Only taxis are allowed to drive into the station; private cars are banned. The local council-will have to increase the number of buses if they want to reduce the number of private cars coming into the city. public transport noun ‘a system of transport for use by members of the public, consisting of a network of vehicles, such as buses, trains or trams, which travel on fixed routes at set times and charge passengers set fares: Tom lives in a remote village where the only public transport is a weekly bus. We are being urged to use public transport, but itis very expensive to take the train to work in the city. restriction noun a law or rule that limits something in some way: During the very dry weather there were restrictions on the amount of water which people. could use. In most countries there are restrictions on how fast you can drive. The university has placed new restrictions on the number of | students who can live in university accommodation. ~ restrict verb to limit the amount, size, etc of something: The manager has restricted the number of employees who can be on holiday at the same time. rush hour noun the busy part of the day in a town or city when there is a lot of traffic, usually the times when people are either coming in to work or leaving work: I usually try to get into work early in order to avoid the rush hour. The evening rush hour is later on Thursdays, as the shops are open late. tailback noun along line of very slow-moving or stationary traffic caused by something which is blocking the road: The repair work on the main road out of town is bound to cause tailbacks. It’s the police who are causing the tailback; they're looking for a missing child and are checking all cars. traffic jam noun a great many vehicles close together which can only move very slowly and which frequently come to a halt: So many streets lead on to the ‘town square that there is always a traffic jam there, Avoid the traffic jams in Park Street; people park their cars illegally on both sides of the street and buses can’t pass each other. ‘traffic warden noun in some countries, a person in uniform employed to stop people from parking in places where they are not allowed to do so, or from parking somewhere for longer than they are allowed, and to give parking tickets to motorists who ignore the regulations: Dick didn’t put any money in the parking meter; he only left the car for a couple of minutes and there were no traffic wardens around. Bill got back to the car just a few minutes late and saw a traffic warden putting a ticket on the windscreen, vehicle noun (also motor vehicle) (formal) a machine, usually with wheels and an engine, which is used on land for carrying people or goods from one place to nother: ‘Are you the owner of this vehicle?” asked the policeman. Police say that the vehicle used in the robbery was stolen, windscreen noun the front window of a motor vehicle: This windscreen isso dirty that Ican scarcely see through it. A stone hit the windscreen of Pam's car and there's glass all over the front seat: At what times of day would you expect to be in the rush hour in a town? 2. Agarage can be a place where you park your car. What else can it be? 3. Ifyou see aman in uniform checking parked cars and heis not a policeman, whois he likely to be? 4. Rewrite the following sentence, inserting the missing noun: When I returned to the car I found a parking ticket on the 5 Rewrite the following sentence, inserting the missing adjectiv There is a lift to the upper floors in the car park, 6 Rewrite the following sentence, inserting the missing noun: You commit a traffic. paying any money. _ if you leave a carat a parking meter without 7 Rewrite the following sentence, inserting the missing compound adjective: The city has a_______ system; we can park the car on the outskirts and take the bus. 8 Rewrite the following sentence, replacing the words in bold with one word: A passing cyclist told us that the line of slow-moving cars extended all the way to the high street. 9 Rewrite the following sentence, replacing the words in bold with one word: Traffic usually moves quite smoothly here, but there's a part where the road narrows just before the entrance to.the village. Rewrite the following sentence, replacing the words in bold with one word: The police have been called to the city centre because there is now a situation in which traffic cannot move in any direction. 19 1 2 3. 4 What is the main cause of heavy traffic in major cities? Why is parking in the city a source of frustration for most motorists? Name one risk motorists take when parking illegally in the city area. How have the authorities tried to solve the traffic problem? bd. | B-@e Information vali 1 Complete these sentences to show problem and solution. a Parking space is limited, so some firms _ b The authorities know the problem of having too many cars in the city. Soo 2. You can write a summary of the passage by picking out the main ideas and giving each main idea three supporting details before concluding with a summary statement. To get you started, the topic, main ideas and summary statement are provided in the chart below. Fill in the supporting details. Too Much Traffic 1 2 3 3 There is heavy traffic There is insufficient The authorities have 5 and road congestion parking in the city. several solutions for = in the city. the problem. detail1 ‘Supporting Supporting detal2 Supporting detail3 | Summary ‘statement Traffic Is 60 heavy In the city that motoring is no longer a pleasure. ( ( ropising Information Form a group with three or four others and consider these topics together. 1 Discuss sortie ways to control the car population in cities; then decide which is the best for the city you live in. 2. Suggest some solutions to the parking problems in the Central Business District. “ Theme Extension Activity An opinion chart is for organizing your ideas or information about an event, “aconcept, ora person: Planning and drawing up an opinion-chart will help in developing critical thinking skills and finding ways to present an argument. Referring to the information in the passages “Green Packaging” and “Too Much Traffic”, draw up an opinion chart by filling in the table below. The first column should list the areas or main topics in the central theme which will be evaluated. The second column should indicate your opinion(s) about each main topic. The third column should give information supporting each opinion. Itis helpful always to provide a title for the chart, which is given for the one here. Making Our Environment Clean and Green Topic Opinion ‘Support Use green packaging. | For the idea. | It reduces waste. It is biodegradable. It is recyclable. |. Say what you understand by the word ‘refugee’. 2. What do you think causes a person to become a refugee? . Do you sympathize with refugees? Why or why not? Crosses hung on the US-Mexico Border Wall represent the deaths of people who tried to get into America 4 Now read the passage below and answer the questions that follow. A train bound from France to Britain has been found to have a family of asylum seekers on it. The asylum seekers, however, were not ordinary train passengers since théy had travelled not in the carriages, but underneath the train. Travelling in such a way was, of course, extremely dangerous and is an indication of how desperate some refugees are to emigrate to another country. Unfortunately for the asylum seekers, it is the policy of many countries to have a restriction on the number and nature of immigrants allowed in. Thus, a great many asylum seekers travel in secret, either being smuggled in on lorries or boats, or becoming stowaways on planes, ships or trains. Such action is against the immigration laws and causes those arriving illegally to be known as illegal immigrants. Some of the asylum seekers are seeking political asylum because their safety is under threat in their own countries, as a result of their political beliefs. Others are really economic refugees, who are seeking a better standard of living for themselves and their families. Economic refugees are usually less welcome than the seekers of political asylum, since many countries fear that too many immigrants, particularly unskilled ones, are likely to increase both their levels of unemployment and the amount of money spent on benefit. For this reason, many asylum seekers falsely claim to be doing so on political grounds and have been called bogus asylum seekers. Asylum seekers are often exploited by people who wish to make money out of the situation. These profiteers may provide the asylum seekers with false passports or with illegal transport. Their journeys are often extremely uncomfortable and often they are unsuccessful. Life for those who do succeed in getting into another country is not easy. In some countries, they are put in reception centres, which are sometimes no better than detention centres, while their applications for entry are processed. If they are given accommodation in towns and cities, they usually do not have enough money to live on and are sometimes the victims of racist attacks. VocaABULARY STUDY asylum noun (also political asylum) protection given,by a government to people from another country who have left it because their lives were in danger, often because of their political beliefs: The new president is a very cruel man and many of his opponents are seeking asylum abroad. The prime minister said that his government would like to offer asylum to those people whose lives were in danger in their own countries, but that they had to place a limit on the number of immigrants. Language Help | asylum formerly meant a mental hospital, but this is now dated and regarded as being offensive: In the old days they would have said that she was mad and put her in an ‘asylum. asylum formerly also meant much ‘the same as refuge, shelter or protection (566 refugee): He was being pursued by his “enémies and sought asylum in the church. asylum seeker noun a person who asks for political asylum (see asylum) in another country: Many of the asylum seekers have come from the same country; the government there pays very little attention to human rights. It can take a very long time before asylum seekers discover whether their applications for asylum have been accepted or not. benefit noun (also called state benefit) money given by @ government to someone who is in need of financial help because they cannot find work or because they are unable to work because of illness, etc: Jim is getting benefit illegally because he has a part-time job which the authorities don’t know about. Pam would much rather work than be on benefit (= receiving benefit), but she isa single mother with a young baby. Language Help | benefit more generally means something that is good for you or has a good effect on you in some way, an advantage: Sally says | that one of the benefits of retirement is that she has more time to travel. bogus adjective not genuine, although pretending to be so, false: A bogus telephone repair man stole the old lady's purse. He said that he was the dead man’s long- ost nephew, but his claim was bogus. detention centre noun a place where people are kept by the authorities and prevented from leaving, often a place where young people who have committed offences are kept for some time by order of a court: When Rob committed the crime he was too young to go to prison and so he was sent to a detention centre. When war was declared, people who were citizens of the enemy country were put in a detention centre. » detention noun 1 the state of being detained: The youth was sentenced to six months’ detention. 2 a school punishment by which a pupil is kept at school for some time after the other pupils have gone home: For forgetting his books Tim was given two hours’ detention on Tuesday afternoon. ®- detain verb to keep someone somewhere, often officially, and prevent them from leaving: He was detained overnight in a police cell. : | Language Help | detain (formal) also means to delay | someone: Mr jones will be rather late in arriving as he has been detained at a | meeting. economic refugee noun ne @ person who comes to another country in order to improve their living conditions, rather than because they are in need of political asylum: tis often difficult for asylum seekers to prove that their lives were in danger in their own country and that they are not simply economic refugees. Economic refugees often lead extremely poor lives.in their own countries and dream of going to another country to get good jobs and houses. emigrate verb to leave your native country and go and live permanently in another country: Pam’s parents emigrated to Australia because they couldn't find work in their own country. jill has worked in several foreign countries for short periods of time, but she would never think of emigrating. >> emigrant noun a person who emigrates: Ashipload of emigrants were leaving Britain for Canada. Many of the emigrants who left Germany for America in the late 1930s were Jewish. & emigration noun the act of emigrating: The poverty and lack of jobs in their own country ‘made emigration seem the only solution. » See immigrant. exploit verb 1 to treat someone unfairly for your own personal gain or advantage: The antique dealer exploited elderly people by buying valuable furniture and pictures from them for for less than they were worth. The manager knows that jobs are scarce and he exploits the young workers by making them work long hours for low pay. 2 to use or develop something, especially so as to gain as much advantage from it as possible: The area is thought to have coal mines which have never been exploited. By exploiting their resources skilfully, Bob and Laura were able to continue in business. illegal immigrant noun a person who tries to come and live permanently ina country without having legal permission to do so: The restaurant employs illegal immigrants as kitchen staff and pays them very low wages. He is an illegal immigrant who is trying to marry a local girl so that he will be allowed to stay here. immigrant noun (often used as an adjective) a person who comes to live permanently in a country, having left their native country to do so: Some of the immigrants were met by relatives as they came off the ship. The country would only let in immigrants who were skilled workers. The immigrant children soon learned the language of their new country. 5» immigration noun the act of coming to live permanently in a country, having left your native country: The population of the country is already very large and the government has set down new rules to limit immigration. & immigrate verb (much rarer than emigrate; less rare in American English) to come and live permanently in a country, having left your native country: The government insists that people who immigrate must learn the language. * See emigrate. policy noun a set of actions which a government, organization, etc, have planned and agreed to follow: The company had a policy of paying women less than men, but this is now illegal. The government’s new economic policy is designed to reduce unemployment. political asylum see asylum process noun a series of actions which are carried out for a particular purpose: There are so many applicants for the job that the interviewing process could take days. They are using a new production process in the factory. The Smiths are in the process of (=have started, but not finished) moving house. profiteer noun person who makes a great deal of money in «an unfair way, for example, by charging more for goods than they are worth because they are difficult to get: The taxi driver was a real profiteer; he knew that we absolutely had to get to the airport on time and charged us double the usual fare. During the war, food was very scarce and there were many profiteers. > profiteering noun the act of making a great deal of money in such a way: Sara’s grandfather made money during the war by profiteering and now the family is extremely wealthy. racist adjective showing racism; connected with racism: It was the child’ first day at school in his new country and he was upset when another child made a racist remark, Police are concerned about the number of racist attacks in the area, > racist ‘noun a person who behaves in a racist way or has racist attitudes: The factory owner is a racist and will only employ white people. b racism noun Unfair treatment of, and attitudes to, people, sometimes involving violence, because they belong to a different race: The teacher says that educating children about other cultures can help prevent racism. The owner of the company was accused of racism when only white people were interviewed for the job, although there had been a number of black applicants. reception centre noun place which provides temporary accommodation for people who are in need of somewhere to live until permanent accommodation can be found: Flood victims are being taken to a reception centre in the next town. Many people were made homeless by the fire and are now in a reception centre. refugee noun @ person who leaves their own country or home because they are seeking protection from war or protection from attack, because of their political or religious beliefs or because they are homeless and in need of food and clothing: The waris in the north of the country and thousands of refugees are fleeing southwards. Refugees are leaving the country in their thousands because \r the new president has declared their religion illegal. Following the floods, many thousands were made homeless and the goverment has had to set up refugee camps. & refuge noun a place of shelter or protection; shelter or protection: The old farm is now a refuge for dogs which have been badly treated. We were seeking refuge from the storm when we found the old barn. smuggle verb to bring something or someone into or out of a country or place secretly and often illegally: People who are caught smuggling drugs into the country will be given a very long prison sentence. The hijacker had smuggled a knife on to the plane and was holding it at the pilot's throat. | didn’t want my daughter to see her present before Christmas and so | had to smuggle it upstairs under my coat, standard of living noun (also living standard) the level of wealth or comfort that a person, group, country, etc, has: The family’s standard of living has been reduced greatly since their father lost his job. Mike wanted to emigrate to Australia because he thought that he would have a much better standard of living there. stowaway noun a person who hides on a vehicle, plane or ship, hoping to be taken somewhere without having to pay: The captain did not find the stowaways until the ship was several kilometres out at sea. When the lorry driver got off the ferry, he found two ‘stowaways in the back of his vehicle. 1. Give a former meaning of asylum which is now considered offensive. 2 Rewrite the following sentence, replacing the words in bold with a verb: . The old lady loves her son very much, but he is selfish and uses her for his own personal advantage by frequently asking her for large sums of money. - — 2% 1 2 3 4 5 Rewrite the following sentence, replacing the words in bold with a noun: Beth always went home to the farm when she was in trouble; she regarded it as a place of protection. Which verb.comes from the same word family as the noun detention? Rewrite the following sentence, replacing the words in bold with a verb: We are going to have to place a limit on the number of people who are invited to the party; the hall is quite small. Rewrite the following sentence, replacing the words in bold with a verb: At that time, there was a law against bringing animals into the country, but Alice brought her dog in secretly and illegally, hiding it under a blanket in the back of her car. Give a verb which is quite rare in British English and is opposite in “meaning to emigrate. Rewrite the following sentence, replacing the words in bold with a noun: The people who hid on the ship without paying were not discovered until the vessel landed at the port. Rewrite the following sentence, inserting the missing two-word noun: They are ; they have come to Britain not because they are in any kind of danger in their own country, but because they wish to have a better standard of living for their family. Benefit commonly means something which is good for you or has a good effect on you. Write down another more specialized meaning which is connected with money. calling Information What are some ways by which asylum seekers secretly enter Britain? Explain why many asylum seekers cannot openly enter another country. Give two reasons why refugees leave their own country. How do profiteers take advantage of asylum seekers? What can happen to asylum seekers after they enter another country? List some possibilities.

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