Recording 134, page 181
Exercise 6a People can travel about in very unusual ways. Read and listen to the following descriptions. Then match them with the pictures.
Unusual ways of getting about
1
In Thailand and Nepal, people still travel about on elephants.
There are special schools where elephants learn how to lift and carry people, and drag heavy logs.
2
Livio di Marchi comes from Venice, Italy. He loves cars but he cannot drive a car in Venice because there are no roads, only canals.
Livio constructed his car out of wood. And wood floats on water. Clever, isn’t it?
3
Joel Teissier, a French mechanic, likes to make and build things. He designed this unusual vehicle by himself.
He turned his own bed into a car. The car weighs 350 kilos, and can go at 50 kph (kilometres per hour).
4
Would you like to ride this little submarine? You can visit the bottom of your nearest river or lake, and see fish (and maybe old bikes too).
The submarine is very small and can only carry one person. Perhaps you can explore Loch Ness with it and see Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster.
5
Without question, Dean Kamen’s Segway HT (Human Transporter), is a 21st-century personal mobility machine.
This electric, two-wheeled scooter weighs about 40 kg, and can reach a maximum speed of about 20 kph.
So, what’s it like to drive one? It’s fun and easier than riding a bike. The vehicle moves when you lean slightly forward and stops when you lean back a bit.
