Control de altura utilizando modos deslizantes (Sliding Mode)

L a d i e s first for safety

the road, says a government report. R e s e a r c h e r D r J e r e m y B r o u g h t o n analysed every road accident in Britain for one year and the results contradict all men who have ever uttered the immortal phrase: "Women drivers!!!" ,

The report shows that a male motorist's risk of death at the wheel is one in 300 whereas a woman's is one in 850.

A male passenger's chance of injury in a car crash between the ages of 17 and 70 is one in 25 and a woman's is one in 40.

And although a third of women drivers will be injured in accidents during their time on the road, almost half of all male drivers will meet the same fate.

B u t D r B r o u g h t o n ' s f i n d i n g s h a v e c o m e u n d e r fire from l o c a l m e n . Tradition, it seems, dies hard.

"No way are women safer drivers," said Ealing Post Office worker Ian Lewis. "I

drive a van and they are terrible." "They pull out in front of other cars and slow d o w n all the t r a f f i c , " said fellow Ealing Post Office worker Paul Bedworth.

H o w e v e r , t h e w o m e n t h o u g h t differently: " W o m e n are m u c h safer because t h e y ' r e much more cautious," said Chiswick resident Lynne Christian. " T h e y are s l o w e r , " s h e a d d e d , " B u t that's why they're better and safer."

Ealing's Simon Welsh felt that the sex of the driver was irrelevant: "If you're a bad driver, you're a bad driver," he said. "It doesn't matter whether you are a man or a woman. Then again, there's been no trouble with the girls I've known."

Ada Smith of Harrow reckons that the load a woman carries in the car makes a d i f f e r e n c e : " T h e y h a v e t o c a r r y t h e children," she explained. And she added their drinking habits made them safer road users. "They don't drink as much as

men. Men are always being stopped for drinking and driving."

B u t K i l b u r n l o r r y d r i v e r Frank S y m o n d s o n t o l d a d i f f e r e n t story: " W o m e n a r e b a d for b u s i n e s s road u s e r s , " h e s a i d . " W h e n I ' m doing deliveries and there's a woman trying to reverse into a parking space up ahead, all the traffic is slowed up and I ' m late. They don't know how to control a car," he added.

Men, it seems, feel they are in control o f any s i t u a t i o n b e h i n d t h e w h e e l , w h e r e a s w o m e n feel that the female cautious and less aggressive approach to driving is safer.

B u t p e r h a p s C a r o l W i l l i a m s from Harrow best summed up the situation: "They are both as bad as each other," she said.

Which of the people interviewed felt that: - women drivers were not as

dangerous as men drivers? - women drivers were worse than

men drivers?

- neither men nor women were good drivers?

"Women are much safer because they're much more cautious, " said Chiswick resident Lynne Christian,

or indirectly:

Ada Smith reckons that the load a woman carries in the car makes a difference.

Simon Welsh felt that the sex of the driver was irrelevant. These two sentences are examples of reported

statements. The reporting verb ('reckons', 'felt') is followed by 'that' and a clause.

When you change direct statements to reported

statements, various changes have to be made to what is reported:

1 P U N C T U A T I O N C H A N G E S

Inverted commas (" ") are used to mark the beginning and end of direct statements only: "They are slower, " she added.

The report shows that a male motorist's risk of death at the wheel is one in 300.

2 P R O N O U N C H A N G E S

First and second person pronouns change to third person:

"I drive a van and they are terrible, " said Ian Lewis. Ian Lewis said that he drove a van and that they were terrible.

3 ' P O I N T E R W O R D ' C H A N G E S

'Pointer words' are words referring to specific times and places, e.g. 'this', 'now', 'here', 'tomorrow'. Direct Reported now at that time I then

this (e.g. morning) that (e.g. morning) today that day

yesterday the day before tomorrow the day after

next (e.g. week) the following (e.g. week) last (e.g. year) . the (e.g. year) before here there ahead ahead of (him)

come go

4 V E R B T E N S E C H A N G E S

W h e n the reporting verb is in the past (e.g. 'said', 'added', 'explained'), changes usually have to be made to the verb(s) in the 'that' clause:

Ian Lewis said that he drove a van and that they were terrible.

Direct Reported am/is, are, have/has was, were, had

present, simple or past, simple or

progressive progressive present perfect past perfect

past, simple or past perfect, simple or progressive progressive can could may might must had to will would

Note

1 Past perfect verbs in direct speech remain unchanged in reported speech.

2 Other modal verbs - 'could', 'might', 'ought to', 'should', 'would' - do not normally change.^'Musť can also remain unchanged.

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Kotoen in the Edogawa district of Tokyo is a home for the elderly, so you might expect it to be a gloomy place. However, the people who live there are always bright and cheerful. The reason for this is the happy voices of the 1 children who attend the Edogawa Nursery School located in

the same building. The nursery school on the ground floor accommodates 80 pre-school children aged one and a half to five or six. Kotoen, on the first and second floors, is the home for about 100 senior citizens.

Although many of the elderly residents live in the home by choice, they still long for family life. Being in the same 2 building allows them to visit the nursery school whenever

they wish, while the children often go upstairs to play. In the morning, both old and young gather outside for exercises. Special times such as Christmas and sports days are always celebrated together.

"We find the children learn how to care for others by

talking and being with their older co-residents," explained Maeda Takumi, the director of Kotoen. " A s for the elderly, through their association with the children they become more alive and their health improves. Seeing these old

people, many of whom we thought had forgotten how to 3 laugh or even express their thoughts, holding the children

and happily talking with them, brings home just how important an affectionate relationship between the very old and the very young can be."

The success of Kotoen has created a sensation in Japan and brought responses from all over the country. The declining number of children now being born each year has left unused space at many nursery schools. It has therefore ^ been suggested that these surplus areas are utilised by the elderly. In this way, in spite of living in small nuclear households, children can experience the advantages of close contact with people of a much older generation.

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1 What is unusual about Kotoen h o m e for the elderly?