A
5.2
TRANSPORT IN THE FUTURE
48
D
uring the next fifty years, there will be great changes in
our means of transport. Some of the new developments
will come from our need to depend less on fossil fuels as a
source of power, or at least to cut down on the amount of fossil
fuels we use. Other developments are likely to respond to the
ever-faster pace of society by aiming to increase the speed of
different means of transport. Looking specifically at traffic on
our roads, some developments will reflect our need to reduce
traffic congestion. Others will focus on our need to reduce traffic
accidents. Finally, some developments will focus on saving
wasted commute time, either by reducing it or making it possible
for people to use the time more productively.
LISTENING
1
a
You are going to hear a news report. Look at the two
pictures. What do you think the report will be about?
1
b
5.2
Listen and check your predictions.
2
Listen again. Are these statements true, false or not given?
1
The two new ideas involve conventional rocket ships.
2
The space train involves a train carriage in a vacuum
tube.
3
One of the inventors of the space train also invented
superconducting Maglev.
4
Estimates suggest that building an Orbital Maglev space
train that could carry passengers would take 20 years.
5
The space-elevator base station would be located near
the equator.
6
A Tokyo-based construction company hopes to have a
space elevator operational by 2030.
7
Both ideas would be cheaper than using conventional
rocket ships.
3
What other transport developments do you think will
take place in the next 50 years? Why will these happen?
The straddling bus, or tunnel bus, is an idea being
developed in China. In the not too distant future, buses
may run on rails, set either side of an existing road, and
be raised 4 metres off the ground. They will look like a
moving tunnel and could even cover two lanes of traffic if
necessary.
This will enable travel times for the bus and for cars to
be cut. If there is traffic congestion, the bus will be able
to pass over the stationary cars. When the bus stops
to pick up or drop off passengers, cars will carry on,
driving underneath the body of the bus. This could have a
significant impact on travelling time for commuters.
Designers estimate that the bus will be able to travel at up
to 60 kilometres per hour and could be large enough to
carry about 1200 passengers. One problem is that there
will need to be a way of displaying traffic signs that are
hidden from drivers by the bus.
Each bus could replace up to forty traditional buses,
saving around 860 tons of fuel and 2640 tons of carbon
emissions. There might be even greater fuel savings due to
the better traffic flow and the increased number of people
using public transport, especially during the rush hour.
READING
4
Read this introduction to an article quickly. Find five
reasons why transport will change over the next fifty
years. Are they the same as your reasons in Exercise 3?
5
Work with a partner. Read your part of the article.
Which of the reasons given in Exercise 4 does your text
describe?
Student A:
read Text A.
Student B:
read Text B on page 158.
