What is it like to drive in Britain? (British life and culture. projectbritain.com)
Vocabulary:
steering wheel – руль
pedals – педали
gear – передача
handbrake – ручной тормоз
i.e. – то есть
gear stick — рычаг переключения передач
petrol – бензин
on average – в среднем
engine capacity — литраж двигателя
cc (cubic capacity) — рабочий объем (двигателя)
laid down – проложенный
motorway – автомагистраль
from…down to… — от…до…
narrow – узкий
country lane – деревенская дорога
bordered – ограниченный
hedge — живая изгородь
stone wall – каменная стена
grassy bank – поросшая травой насыпь
ditch – ров
lorry – грузовик
date back to – относиться (к какому-либо периоду)
well before – задолго до чего-либо
freeway — скоростная автострада со сквозным движением
lane – дорожная полоса
highway – шоссе
carriageway — проезжая часть дороги
route – дорога
impenetrable — непроходимый
foliage – листва
road marking — дорожная разметка
curve – извилистый (дорога)
sparse – разбросанный
toll – пошлина
congestion – затор
expressway — скоростная автострада со сквозным движением (как правило, платная)
an estimated – по оценке
a red band –красный круг
angle – угол
crossing over – пересекающий
built up area – населенный пункт
roundabout – объездная дорога
to be pulled over – быть остановленным полицией
jerk — ругательство
In Britain, we drive on the left-hand side of the road, so the steering wheel is on the right. However the pedals are in the same position as in left-handed cars, with the accelerator (gas pedal) on the right. The gears and almost always the handbrake (parking brake) is operated with the left hand. Most cars in Britain are manual cars i.e have a gear stick.
Petrol (Gas) in Britain is one of the most expensive in the world. We pay on average 95 pence a litre. The minimum age for driving a car in the UK is 17, and 16 for riding a moped or motorbike with a maximum engine capacity of 50cc. There are some 225,000 miles (362,000 km) of roads in Britain. Many of the roads are built on the old roads laid down by the Romans centuries ago.
Roads in Britain range from wide modern motorways down to narrow country lanes usually bordered by hedges, stone walls, grassy banks or ditches. Cities and towns tend to have compact streets because they date back to well before cars were invented, and were certainly not planned for large lorries (trucks).
In Britain, our three main roads are «M» roads, «A» roads, and «B» roads. «M» roads are like American freeways. They are known as motorways and are fast roads. They have three or four lanes. «A» roads are not controlled-access: they range from two-lane divided highways («dual carraigeways») down to one-lane roads. They are the main routes between towns. «B» roads are the smaller of the three. They may be in the open or have impenetrable foliage right up to the road. Road markings (curves, etc.) may be sparse. Some motorways have tolls.
The first toll motorway, the M6 Toll, opened in December 2003 to ease motorway congestion in the West Midlands. The 43-kilometre expressway cuts journey times around Birmingham by an estimated 45 minutes. What is the National Speed Limit for driving in the UK? All speed limits and distances, on signs, are given in miles or miles per hour. 1 mile is about 1.6 km.
Round signs indicate speed limits with the limit amount circled by a red band. When the speed limit has stopped then there is a black line at an angle crossing over a white circle. The National Speed limits
Motorways and dual carriage ways: 112km/h / 70mph
Unrestricted single carriageway roads: 96km/h / 60mph
Built up areas e.g. towns and villages: 48km/h / 30mph
Residential areas: 35km/h / 20mph
We have many roundabouts (taffic circles) in Britain. Traffic on the roundabouts have priority over cars coming onto the roundabout.
Let’s have fun!
A man was pulled over for driving too fast, even though he thought he was driving just fine.
Officer: You were speeding.
Man: No, I wasn’t.
Officer: Yes, you were. I’m giving you a ticket.
Man: But I wasn’t speeding.
Officer: Tell that to the judge! (The officer gives man the ticket.)
Man: Would I get another ticket if I called you a jerk?
Officer: Yes, you would.
Man: What if I just thought that you were?
Officer: I can’t give you a ticket for what you think.
Man: Fine, I think you’re a jerk!
