European traffic accident rates fail to meet targets

Although the number of deaths caused in traffic accidents in the EU a (go down) is going down, experts b (still try)________________to find ways of reducing the number throughout the EU to around 25,000 fatalities per year by 2010. Traffic safety c (improve)______________but experts d (believe)________________that achieving the 2010 goal will prove difficult. Recent statistics e (show)________________that in 2005 in the EU 41,600 people were killed in road accidents. Although progress has been made, most experts f (agree)________________that this figure will have fallen to only around 32,000 by 2010, which g (mean)________________that the EU target will be missed by about 7,000. On the other hand, as the amount of traffic h (increase) _______________it is possible to argue that the situation is not really as bad as it i (look) _______________. However one j (interpret)______________the statistics, it k (remain) _______________ true that as time goes on, it l (become)______________harder and harder to reduce the figures, especially since accident-reduction schemes m (cost)________________ a lot of money. Many countries have tried and failed to reduce the number of accidents, and in the EU as a whole, only Sweden n (pursue)_______________the goal of zero accidents. Accident reduction is more difficult for newer EU members who o (currently face)________________very rapid growth in traffic and p (have)________________difficulty in building new roads and in introducing safety measures at a fast enough rate. To complicate matters, most new members q (have) ___________________very little experience in dealing with the demands of heavy traffic. Experts r (suggest)_______________that any safety programme must also set about changing the way drivers s (behave)_________________. Despite what people often t (say)__________________ it u (seem)_________________to be the younger generation that v (cause)_______________most accidents. In line with this research, many countries w (introduce)_______________tougher driving tests, and x (concentrate) _________________ on the main causes of accidents: speed, reckless overtaking, alcohol, and over-confidence.

Ex.3 Put the verbs in brackets into the correct Present form.

1. A: Linda ____is learning____ (learn) to drive at the moment.

B: I know. She told me last week.

2. A: Has Alan got a job?

B: Oh yes. He _____________(be) the manager of a leisure centre.

3. A: Do you want to have a break now?

B: Not yet. I ______________(write) a report for tomorrow's meeting.

4. A: It's ten o'clock. Have you given the manager his letters?

B: Yes, and I _________________(also/type) six reports so far this morning.

5. A: Is Jeff still in the garden?

B: Yes. He _________________(plant) flowers all afternoon.

6. A: That author is very well-known, isn't she?

B: Yes. She ________________(write) twenty novels so far.

7. A: You look very happy today.

B: I am. I________________________(just/hear) some good news.

8. A: What time___________________(the play/start) tonight?

B: Seven o'clock, I think.

9. A: Are you new to this company?

B: Not really. In fact, I ___________________(work) here for almost two years.

10. A: Are you ready for the concert?

B: Yes. I __________________(practise) for weeks.

11. A: Do you do any exercise at all?

B: Yes. Actually, I ____________________(go) swimming three times a week.

Ex.4 Write questions to which the words in bold are the answers.

Louise is eight years old. She lives in Brighton, England, and she has lived there since she was two years old. Louise goes to school every day and her favourite subjects are English and History. She has two brothers. Their names are Steven and James. Louise has several hobbies, such as collecting wild flowers and playing the violin. She practises the violin every evening. Her mother enjoys this, because she likes listening to music.

Supplementary reading

Read the article.

You never get a second chance

to make a first impression

When two people meet for the first time, physical impressions are immediate. Before they have a chance to say a word, their senses are in overdrive; they are picking up and storing information about each other. They register looks, smell and body language. They use eye contact to support the process and to establish a relationship. Within a few seconds, they have made a mental picture of each other. On the basis of this tiny amount of data, they form opinions which they use in the future.

But just how reliable are first impressions? Take the story of Jake and Caroline. Jake didn't like Caroline when he first met her. 'She seemed cold and distant. She made almost no eye contact and she didn't seem to listen to me.' Six months later, they met again. 'Caroline was a completely different person. She was warm, friendly and smiled a lot. When she told me that her father had died two days before we first met, that explained everything. It taught me to be more careful about making assumptions about people based on first impressions.'

However wrong they can be, first impressions are a necessary survival mechanism. Thousands of years ago they helped people decide how to react in potentially dangerous situations. That is still true today, although in most cases it is not a question of life and death. According to some, we can learn to read first impressions better. We can also learn to create more powerful first impressions. Professor Helen Trent, a specialist in interpersonal relations, has studied the practice of good communicators. 'Research shows that people who can make others feel good about themselves are excellent at creating positive first impressions. We call these people 'Powerful Communicators' or PCs. You can tell when you meet one; you feel really good afterwards and you think "What a nice person." PCs immediately get in sync with the other person; they coordinate their body language and smiles with their partner. They also maintain eye contact and sound and look as if they are interested, although sometimes they are not. These actions make the other person feel good about the experience.' PCs are winners in the first-impressions race. So if you want to be a PC, start training and remember, you only get one chance to make a great first impression!

Ex.1 Read the article. Complete the sentences 1-5 with the best answers a-c.

1. The moment two people first meet they

a) look at and talk to each other,

b) look at each other,

c) they look at each other and build a picture of each other.

2. The story about Jake and Caroline shows that

a) problems stop communication,

b) we can make mistakes based on first impressions,

c) they liked each other in the end.

3. Studying good communicators tells us that they

a) make us feel positive,

b) make us feel friendly,

c) make us feel like good communicators too.

4. Powerful communicators

a) do not always know the effect they have on the other person,

b) are never honest,

c) are not always honest.

5. PCs are

a) the best at running,

b) the best at winning,

c) the best at creating positive first impressions.

Ex.2 Match the words and phrases 1-6 to the definitions a-f.

1. are in overdrive

2. data

3. reliable

4. get in sync

5. survival mechanism

6. assumptions

   1. make two or more things happen at the same time

   2. something that helps you stay alive

   3. be very active or too active

   4. information

   5. something (or someone) that you can depend on

   6. things that you think are true, but you cannot be certain

Ex.3 Make up 10 questions to the text.

Ex.4 Retell the text.

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