Episode 27

EPISODE 27
LEVEL A1.2/A2.1

 

 

READING COMPREHENSION

 

IN THE STREET       

Do you know what are the names of places in the street? Well, you will, after reading this text.
In Warsaw, there are many crossroads (= where two streets cross) and roundabouts (= a place where three or more roads join and traffic must go around a circle in the middle). Some roads have a few lanes in each direction (= part of a road separated by painted lines).
There are traffic lights (= lights which show you when to stop and when to drive) on every crossroad. Pedestrians (= people on foot) should stay on the pavement (= a path beside one or both sides of a road, that people walk on) and cross the streets on the pedestrian crossings (= zebra crossing). Also, they often use the bicycle lanes (= small roads for bikes).

If you want to get somewhere without any problems, you should look at signs (= pictures which show what to do on the road). If you park illegally, your car can get clamped (= a piece of metal is put on your wheel to stop you from moving).

If you are from another city and you have little time, you don’t have to go through the city centre, you can use a by-pass (= a road built around the city, town or village).

 

 

More contexts for the new words:

• The cars wait until the traffic lights turn to green.
  (= they wait until the lights change to green)
• Don’t drive too fast, there is a traffic warden over there.
  (= someone who checks if people leave their cars in illegal places)

 

 

EXERCISE 1

Decide if these sentences are true or false.

1. A by-pass goes through the city centre.
2. A traffic warden is a type of policeman.
3. A pedestrian should walk on the pavement.
4. A roundabout is a place where two roads cross.
5. A pedestrian crossing looks like a zebra.
6. Signs show you what to do on the road.

 

 

EXERCISE 2

Complete the questions with the key words from the text. Then answer them.

 

1. Do you always use a p………………………….. crossing when you cross the street?
2. Have you ever had problems with a t………………………….. warden?
3. Do you know the meaning of all road s…………………………..?

 

ENGLISH IN USE 

 

In the previous two lessons, we learnt that we can use few/ a few with countable nouns, Today let’s look at uncountable nouns. Look at this sentence:

If you are from another city and you have little time, you don’t have to go through the city centre.

We use „little” only with uncountable nouns. It means that we think it is not much, not enough.

I have little sugar.
(= I would like to have more, I don’t have enough sugar)

I have little money.
(= I would like to have more, I don’t have enough money)

 

 

IDIOM CLOSE-UP

 

 

A/ Simon has to decide what studies to start, and what job he wants to have in the future.

B/ It’s not easy being AT A CROSSROADS.

 

 If you are at a crossroads, you are at a point when you have to make an important decision about what to do next.

 

 

 

PHRASAL VERBS CLOSE-UP

 

1. If something LIGHTS UP, it becomes brighter.

There was a flash of lightning and the sky lit up.

Fireworks were lighting up the night sky.

 

2. If you CROSS OVER, you stop supporting one group and start supporting another.

Another member of the government has crossed over to the opposition.

 

 

 

EXERCISE 3

Match the sentence halves.

 

1. Her face lit up                                                  a) to a competing one.
2. The leader of the band crossed over           b) when she got the present.
3. I am at a crossroads                                       c) in my career

 

 

NEWS

 

JAYWALKING

 

Yesterday another person died hit by a car at a pedestrian crossing. As the ten people before, the man was jaywalking. The police have started a social advertising campaign in order to discourage people from crossing the street when the red light is on. But, as we can see, the effects are miserable. Psychologists say that a powerful psychological mechanism forces people to act against the rules and regulations, and there is nothing that can prevent them from this dangerous behavior. How many more people will have to die before the public understand that the red light can save lives?

 

 

GLOSSARY

– jaywalking – a dangerous or illegal way of crossing a street at a place where cars do not usually stop

– to discourage sb from sth – to try to prevent something from happening

– miserable – very bad

– to force sb to do sth – to make sb do sth

– to act – to behave

 

download lesson (pdf)