4
Match these expressions from the text with their meanings.
1. in the wake of 2. to drive to distraction 3. road rage
4. to grind to a halt 5. a creaking infrastructure 6. flush with money
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7. in broad daylight 8. congestion charging
a. violent behaviour by a driver towards another driver
b. a system under which drivers pay to enter a particular part of a city c. with more money than you usually have
d. to annoy someone so much that they become angry e. happening after an event or as a result of it
f. in the middle of the day when people can be easily seen g. a transport system that is close to collapse
h. to move more and more slowly until everything stops
What verbs go with these nouns? Check your answers in the text.
1. ____________ a crossword 2. ____________ damage 3. ____________ productivity 4. ____________ one’s mind 5. ____________ irritability 6. ____________ entire districts 7. ____________ sleep deprivation 8. ____________ advice
Find the word that means:
1. fights using guns (para. 2)
2. a lack of something you need or want (para. 3) 3. a feeling of great physical or emotional pain (para. 4) 4. the period of time just before an important event (para. 8) 5. poor districts of a city in a Spanish-speaking country (para. 8)
Level 3
Advanced
Vocabulary Find the word
6
Vocabulary Collocations
Discussion
7
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6. reduced drastically (para. 9) 7. taxi-driver (para. 9)
8. the person holding a particular job or office at the present time (para. 10)
What do you think are the best ways to reduce congestion and prevent traffic-jams in major cities?
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KEY
1 Key words
1. inaugurate 2. gridlock 3. berate 4. disruption 5. odyssey 6. detour 7. irritability 8. potholed 9. clogged 10. boom2 What do you think?
1; 4; 5
3 Comprehension check
1. b 2. b 3. c 4. b4 Vocabulary: Expressions
1. e 2. d 3. a 4. h 5. g 6. c 7. f 8. b5 Vocabulary: Collocations
1. do 2. inflict 3. diminish 4. occupy 5. increase 6. paralyse 7. suffer 8. give6 Vocabulary: Find the word
1. shoot-outs 2. deprivation 3. anguish 4. run-up 5. barrios 6. slashed 7. cabbie 8. the incumbent
Level 3
Advanced
•
Fill the gaps using these key words from the text:
traffic jam crossword stressed side-street
bad-tempered advice motorway avoid
1. If you are ____________, you get angry very easily.
2. If you are ____________, you feel nervous and worried all the time.
3. A ____________ is a wide road with several lanes of traffic in each direction. 4. A ____________ is a small street that is connected to a major street.
5. A ____________ is a situation when cars cannot move because the road is blocked.
6. If you give someone ____________, you tell them the best thing to do in a particular situation. 7. If you ____________ something, you don’t go near it.
8. A ____________ is a word game on paper where you write the answers in rows of squares.
Level 1 Elementary
Key words
1
Look in the text and find this information.
1. What is the capital of Venezuela? 2. How many cars were sold two years ago? 3. How many cars were sold last year? 4. Who is the President of Venezuela? 5. How far is it from the centre to the airport? 6. Who is Ken Livingstone?
Find the information
•
The capital city of Venezuela, Caracas, has some of the worst traffic jams in the world. The situation is so bad that psychiatrists are now giving advice to drivers about what to do when they are in a traffic jam. The advice includes the following: eat a snack, read a book, do a crossword, listen to music but don’t hit or shoot other people! More and more people own a car in Caracas. Because of this the motorways are blocked and the side-streets are full of cars from early morning until late at night. Sometimes whole districts of the city are completely blocked by cars. Doctors say the situation is making drivers very stressed and that this stress is causing both physical and mental damage. The traffic problems also cause fights between drivers and sometimes people shoot each other.
Some people try to avoid the traffic jams by leaving home at 5 a.m. but this often means that they don’t get enough sleep and cannot work properly as a result. They also become bad- tempered because they are tired all the time and this may have a negative effect on their sex lives. Many people are feeling more and more worried and nervous, Robert Lespinasse, the former head of the Venezuelan Society of Psychiatry, told the daily newspaper Ultimas Noticias. Armed gangs also attack and rob drivers in traffic jams and this makes the situation worse because people are afraid all the time.
There is no easy solution to the problem. Doctors have advised people who are sitting in traffic jams to have a drink or something to eat and occupy their minds with music, a book, newspaper or crossword.
Venezuela has a lot of oil and many people have become rich as a result. Car sales have increased rapidly. Two years ago 150,000 cars were sold. Last year 300,000 were sold. But there are no new roads for the extra traffic so
everything travels on old streets full of holes. The government has a lot of money from the sale of oil. It has started a programme of building bridges and metro lines before the presidential election next month. But many of these bridges and metro lines are still not finished. One of them is a bridge that will connect the centre of Caracas to the airport. This means that drivers have to use an old road. It is only 16 miles from the city to the airport but the journey can take five hours. Everyone agrees that the traffic jams are getting worse every month. Taxi drivers say they are losing money because they can only make three journeys a day instead of the five journeys they used to make. “It’s impossible. If someone asks to go into especially heavy traffic I say no because I will lose half a day,” said Fredy Afanador, a local taxi driver.
The President of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, has criticised former transport ministers but says the present minister is doing a good job. He is also looking to other countries for help. One idea is to work with the mayor of London, Ken Livingstone. In London, drivers have to pay to enter the centre of the city. This means there is now less traffic. Mr Livingstone will give advice to President Chávez and, in return, Venezuela will sell fuel to London at a cheaper price. Perhaps this idea will help to solve the problem of traffic jams in Caracas.
© Guardian News & Media 2006
Level 1 Elementary
Car boom leaves Caracas in one big jam
•
Tick the answers that are correct in each list.
1. If you are in a traffic jam, you should… a. read a newspaper.
b. watch TV. c. hit someone. d. do a crossword. e. listen to music.
f. have something to eat or drink. g. read a book.
h. go to sleep.
2. Traffic jams are very bad in Caracas because… a. there are too many cars.
b. the roads are very old. c. the drivers are very bad.
d. the new metro lines and bridges are not finished. e. armed gangs attack and rob drivers.
3. Traffic jams make people feel… a. stressed. b. bad-tempered. c. sad. d. worried. e. hungry.
Level 1 Elementary
Comprehension check
3
Find the words in the text that are the opposites of these words:
1. best ____________ 2. late ____________
Vocabulary Opposites
•
Level 1 Elementary
3. positive ____________ 4. better ____________ 5. difficult ____________ 6. poor ____________ 7. light ____________ 8. more ____________Vocabulary Prepositions
5
Fill the gaps using prepositions.
1. Caracas has some of the worst traffic jams _______ the world. 2. Psychiatrists are giving advice _______ drivers.
3. Streets are full of cars from early morning _______ late at night. 4. There is no easy solution _______ the problem.
5. The streets are full _______ holes.
6. Taxi drivers can only make three journeys a day instead _______ the five journeys they used to make. 7. It is 16 miles _______ the city _______ the airport.
8. In London, drivers have to pay to enter the centre _______ the city.
Vocabulary Collocations
6
Match the verbs with the nouns.
1. solve a. music 2. build b. a car 3. avoid c. advice
4. own d. a crossword
5. eat e. a problem 6. listen to f. a traffic jam 7. do g. a snack 8. give h. a new road
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Level 1 Elementary
1 Key words
1. bad-tempered 2. stressed 3. motorway 4. side-street 5. traffic-jam 6. advice 7. avoid 8. crossword2 Find the information
1. Caracas 2. 150,000 3. 300,000 4. Hugo Chávez 5. 16 miles 6. mayor of London
3 Comprehension check
1. a, d, e, f, g 2. a, b, d 3. a, b, d4 Vocabulary: Opposites
1. worst 2. early 3. negative 4. worse 5. easy 6. rich 7. heavy 8. less5 Vocabulary: Prepositions
1. in 2. to 3. until 4. to 5. of 6. of 7. from/to 8. of6 Vocabulary: Collocations
1. e 2. h 3. f 4. b 5. g 6. a 7. d 8. cKEY
•
Fill the gaps using these key words from the text:
commuter road rage shoot-out irritable tense
disruption stationary potholed neglect shanty town 1. If a vehicle is ____________, it isn’t moving.
2. A ____________ is a fight in which guns are used.
3. ____________ is a situation in which something cannot continue because of a problem.
4. A ____________ is an area in which poor people live in badly built houses made of wood, metal or other thin material.
5. ____________ is a situation where drivers behave violently towards other drivers. 6. If a road or street is ____________, it is full of holes.
7. If you ____________ something, you don’t look after it properly and you don’t pay any attention to it. 8. If you are ____________, you become angry or impatient very easily.
9. A ____________ is someone who travels regularly to and from work. 10. If you are ____________, you feel nervous and you cannot relax.
Level 2
Intermediate
Key words
1
What do you think?
2
The article gives advice on what to do if you are stuck in a traffic-jam. Which three of these six pieces of advice do you think will be given?
1. read a newspaper 2. close your eyes 3. take deep breaths 4. do a crossword puzzle 5. eat a snack
6. punch someone
•
The capital city of Venezuela, Caracas, has some of the worst traffic jams in the world. The situation is so bad that psychiatrists have now begun to give advice to commuters about what to do when they are in a traffic jam. The advice includes the following: eat a snack, read a book, do a crossword, listen to music but don’t punch or shoot anyone.
The number of car owners in Caracas has increased dramatically and the result of this has been blocked motorways and side-streets that are jammed from early morning until late at night. Entire districts are paralysed and the situation is driving some motorists crazy. Doctors say the stress is causing both physical and mental dam- age and is leading to more cases of road rage, including shoot-outs.
People who try to avoid the traffic jams by leav- ing home at 5 a.m. have been warned that they may suffer from lack of sleep, which will reduce productivity, make them irritable and have a negative effect on their sex lives.
People are feeling more and more anxious and tense, Robert Lespinasse, the former head of the Venezuelan Society of Psychiatry, told the daily newspaper Ultimas Noticias. A psycholo- gist, Hernan D’Oliveira, said that the disruption in mental processes was making people less open to criticism. Armed motorcycle gangs who attack and rob stationary motorists in broad daylight do not help the situation.
With no obvious solution, people have been advised that when they are sitting in a traffic jam they should have a drink or something to eat and occupy their minds with music, a book, newspa- per or crossword.
The rapid increase in vehicle ownership in Ven- ezuela is the result of huge profits from the sale of Venezuelan oil. Last year car sales doubled to 300,000. There are no new roads so the extra
traffic streams into potholed streets that have been neglected for years.
Caracas lies in a long narrow valley between skyscrapers and shanty towns. In the hot tropical sun it can appear to be the site of a battle against both geography and climate.
The government, with plenty of money from the sale of oil, has started a programme of build- ing bridges and metro lines before next month’s presidential election, but many of these are unfin- ished, including a bridge connecting Caracas to the airport, which means that drivers have to take detours through hillside barrios that can turn the 16-mile trip into a five-hour nightmare.
Everyone agrees that the traffic jams are getting worse every month. Taxi drivers say their income has fallen dramatically because they are down from an average of five to three fares a day. “It’s impossible. If someone asks to go into especially heavy traffic I say no because it will take up half my day,” said Fredy Afanador, a local taxi driver. President Hugo Chávez has criticised former infrastructure ministers but has praised the present minister for doing a good job. He is also looking abroad for help. In return for cheap fuel for London buses, the mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, will share his ideas on congestion charging and other policies in an attempt to solve the problem of traffic jams in Caracas.
© Guardian News & Media 2006
Level 2 Intermediate
Car boom leaves Caracas in one big jam
•
Level 2 Intermediate
Comprehension check
3
Are these statements True or False according to the text?
1. Traffic jams in Caracas are not as bad as in other parts of the world. 2. The jams are caused by a rapid increase in car ownership.
3. There is no simple solution to the problem.
4. The government has a lot of money from the sale of oil. 5. Taxi drivers are earning more money now.
6. There is a new bridge linking Caracas with the airport.
7. The president has criticised the work of the current infrastructure minister. 8. The mayor of London will try to help solve the traffic problems in Caracas.
Vocabulary Opposites
4
Replace the underlined words with their opposites. Check your answers in the text.
1. increase productivity ____________
2. increase slightly ____________
3. gradual increase ____________
4. very small profits ____________
5. getting better ____________
6. light traffic ____________
7. too much sleep ____________
8. a long wide valley ____________