22   I can describe travel problems and accidents

A Trains and planes

‘We had trouble getting to the airport because we got held up in traffic.’

‘I wanted to leave at 8:30, but my day return was only valid after 9:30.’

‘The train was due at 9:42 but it didn’t get in until 10:25.’

‘I was late because they cancelled my train without warning.’

‘The flight from Heathrow was delayed, so I missed my connecting flight to Palermo.’

‘My brother was meant to pick me up at the airport, but he didn’t turn up.’

 

Glossary

trouble (doing sth/with sth)  a situation that causes a problem.

get/be held up  If you get held up or are held up, sth has caused you to be late. SYN be delayed.

day return  a ticket to travel to a place and back again on the same day.

valid  acceptable and able to be used.

due  expected to arrive or happen.

get in  (usually of a train or coach) arrive.

cancel sth  decide that sth that has been planned will not happen.

warning  information that sth bad may happen.

connecting flight  a flight that leaves soon after another one arrives.

meant to do sth  If sb is or was meant to do sth, they have been asked to do it.

pick sb/sth up  go to a place and collect sb/sth (usually in a car).

turn up  arrive or appear (often used in the negative). 

3     ABOUT YOUR COUNTRY  Write your answers or ask another student.

1     Do most trains get in on time, or are they often delayed? If delayed, why?

________________

2     When did you last miss a train or plane? Why, and what happened?

________________

Answers from a British person

1     Trains are often delayed, because of work to repair the track.

2     I have never missed a train or a plane (but I’ve often missed the ferry to France).

B    On the roads

Hi Sammy

We’ve just got back from a little trip to Spain. We stayed overnight in Malaga, then hired a car and drove up to Seville, stopping off at Osuna on the way. We loved Seville - you really must go there.

We also went down to Cadiz, via Jerez, but the journey was a nightmare! We got stuck in a traffic jam for hours, and when we finally ended up on the outskirts of Cadiz, there was more heavy traffic because of the rush hour. Still, it was nice when we got there. We went to...

 

spotlight  way

The way is the route or direction that you need to take to get somewhere.

Is this the way to the bank?

I went the wrong way and got lost.

We stopped on the way to Scotland.

I saw him on my way to school.

 

Glossary

trip  a journey to a place and back again, for business or pleasure, often for a short period of time (e.g. a day trip, a business trip).

overnight  for one night.

hire  a car pay to use a car for a short time. SYN rent a car.

stop off  stop during a journey to do sth.

via  going through a place (to get to another place).

nightmare  INF an experience that is very unpleasant.

get/be stuck  be unable to move easily.

traffic jam  a long line of cars moving very slowly.

end up  find yourself in a place or situation you didn’t plan.

the outskirts (PL N)  The outer part of a town or city is called the outskirts.

heavy traffic  a lot of cars on the road at a particular time.

the rush hour  the time when a lot of people are travelling to and from work.

4     Match words above with words below to make eight more words or phrases.

heavy  rush  hire  traffic  

the wrong  stop  get  end  on

off  way  traffic  stuck  up  

a car  hour  the way  jam

►   heavy traffic

________  ________  ________  ________

________  ________  ________  ________

 

get stuck

end up

rush hour

traffic jam

stop off

on the way

the wrong way

hire a car

7     ABOUT YOU  Write your answers to Exercise 6, or ask another student. 

Answers from a British person

1     I hired a car in Germany when my boyfriend came to visit me so we could go to the coast.

2     On really long journeys, I like to stop off somewhere to have a break, but mostly I prefer to get from A to B as quickly as possible, so long as it’s not dangerous.

3     I get stuck in traffic in Headington, on the outskirts of Oxford, every evening on my way home.

4     I sometimes go on day trips to London or Bath.

C    A road accident

Here is the latest travel news...

There’s been a serious accident on the M3 outside Winchester.

It occurred just after 7.00 a.m., when a van skidded on the wet road and collided with other vehicles. The accident has blocked two lanes of the motorway. Emergency services are at the scene of the accident, and motorists are being advised to avoid the area.

And on the M23 at Junction 9 near Gatwick, an ambulance has broken down while taking an injured driver to hospital. This is causing delays for traffic on the way to the airport...

Glossary

serious accident  a bad or dangerous accident.

occur  FML happen, especially in a way that has not been planned.

van

skid  suddenly move forwards or sideways without any control.

collide with sth  hit sth very hard while moving.  SYN crash into sth.

vehicle  FML e.g. a car, bike, bus, or lorry

block a road, etc.  make it difficult for anything to pass.

lane  a part of a wide road marked by painted white lines.

emergency services  the police, ambulance, and fire services.

avoid sb/sth  stay away from sb/sth.

ambulance

break down  (of a vehicle) stop working

injured  hurt physically.

9     Replace the underlined word or phrase with a word or phrase that has the same meaning.

►   Was it a bad accident?  serious    

1     Fortunately the driver wasn’t hurt. ____

2     There are too many cars, vans, and lorries on the road.  ____

3     The van crashed into another car.  ____

4     The car went sideways out of control on the icy road.  ____

5     The police and an ambulance arrived within minutes.  ____

6     The accident happened late last night.  ____

1     injured

2     vehicles 

3     collided with       

4     skidded

5     emergency services

6     occurred

11   Test yourself. Cover the glossary words and look at the meanings. Say the words.