[Technology & Environment ★★]
(P1) Students in Goteborg, Sweden, need to travel in the busy city center. But now they do not need to take a bus or a taxi. They can use a Taxi-pod, a little yellow battery-powered car with three wheels.
(P2) The company, Burst, wants to solve the problem with traffic in big cities. It would like to offer a perfect service for short trips in the city.
(P3) People on buses usually travel a long way. They are not in a hurry and they do not need to get to their final point. For lots of people, it is very important to travel quicker.
(P4) This service is not only about speed. The makers of these cars also want to improve air quality. They also want to solve traffic jam problems.
(P5) One of the passengers thinks that the Taxi-pods are good for cleaner air, cheap, easy to use in the city, and fun.
WORDS: 150
SOURCE: http://www.newsinlevels.com/products/swedish-taxi-pod-level-1/
VOCABULARY: wheels, offer, trips, makers, improve
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
If you found the passage difficult to read or had problems understanding specific words or idiomatic expressions, please discuss them with your tutor. The following discussion questions should be answered in your own words and with your own arguments.
- Briefly, summarize the content of the article in your own words.
- Do you think taxi-pods are a good idea? Why or why not?
- How do you move around in a busy city?
- Would you buy a taxi-pod if they were available in your city? Why or why not?
READING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS:
EXPRESSIONS or PHRASES:
- The Taxi-pod moves on __________ wheels.
- Burst is the name of a ____________.
- A lot of people want to travel quickly. (T or F)
- The Taxi-pod is a service that’s not only concerned about faster transportation. (T or F)
- What 4 things did a user of the Taxi-pod say about the transportation?
What do the following expressions or phrases mean?
- battery-powered (P1)
- solve the problem (P2)
- a long way (P3)
- their final point (P3)
Image source: By Jongleur100 Own work – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coco_taxis.JPG