Technology and the Future

Technology is changing all forms

of transportation. Trains, cars, buses and

planes are moving people as never

before. Distances are shortening.

Experts era planning systems to

reduce congestion. This is only the

beginning….

High-speed trains

Hybrid vehicles

Electric cars

Automated highways

Intelligent transportation

Rocket planes….

And these are only some of the

Question:

How much will people travel in the future?

Which forms of transportation will they use?

Where will traffic be more dense?

Will new roads attract more traffic?

The new age of transportation

The “maglev” (magnetic levitation)

train is breaking another speed record:

560 kph along a test track near Tokyo.

Magnetic levitation uses magnet and

special motors to lift and propel trains

on a cushion of air. Maglev trains will

connect the principal cities in the

developed countries after 2017

Today, there are very few electric cars in

The streets of Japan, U.S.A and Europe.

These battery-powered vehicles have

Zero emission: they emit no pollutants.

Electric car will be common before

2010.

Also, experts are marking a car that

Converts gasoline intro hydrogen,

Carbon dioxide and water with a

Transformer. This is a fuel cell car and

People will routinely use it in

Twenty years´ time.

Thanks to technology,

Aerospace engineers can

Now develop a rocket-

Planes. This hypersonic

Vehicle can take off as

An ordinary plane,

Then it can accelerate

Intro orbit around the

Planet, and finally it

Can return through the

Atmosphere and it can

Land as a common

Aero plane. In the future,

Rocket planes will perhaps

Carry passengers and

Packages around the world

1 Is the maglev train common now? Why not? 2 Where can we find electric car now? 3 Why are electric cars ecological?

4 What is a fuel cell car?

5 What do fuel cell cars convert gasoline intro? 6 How does a rocket plane operate?

Vocabulary Complete with both words.

a) Zero i record

b) Hypersonic d track

c) Rocket f levitation

d) Test c planes

e) Electric d dioxide

f) Magnetic b vehicles

g) Carbon e cars

h) Fuel h cell

i) Speed a emissions

Read the information on page 16 and the text again, ask

some question and get your partner to answer them.

1 What forms the transportation are moving people as never before?

Trains, cars, buses and planes

1 “Maglev” is magnetic levitation

2 battery powered are zero emission cars.

3 Expert are marking car convert gasoline intro

hydrogen water and carbon dioxide

4 Rocket planets will carry passengers and

packages around the world.

5 Maglev trains have a new speed record: 560

kph, along a test track near Tokyo.

2 Who are planning systems to reduce congestion?

Experts plan reduce congestion

3 What are shortening?

Distances

4 Where function is transported?

In the space

5 When to use, utilize transported?

In the 2017

6 why haled the transported use?

Electric cars

Give a title and subtitle to this text.

Read again and underline

The correct option.

1 (Japan/France) is the (hypersonic/automatic) highways.

2 Automated (lines/lanes) control the (steering/marking)

3In the automated lanes, people can (drive/relax).

4 Vehicles carry (large/small) computers.

Put these words in order.

a. These /have /lanes /automated /highways

These highways have automated lanes.

b. Drivers /can /the /lane /in /sleep /automated

In the automated lane Drivers can sleep

c. There /in /vehicles /computer /are /the

There are computer in the vehicles

There highways have one

or more automatic lanes to

control the spend, steering

and braking of cars, trucks

and buses. Vehicles can

travel alone or together

under computer

supervision. How? There

are small computer in the

vehicles and along the

highways to coordinate

the traffic and to increase

efficiency and safety.

When a vehicle is in the

automated lane, the driver

can open the newspaper

and read or just sleep.

Translating

Can you find the hidden word?

The given words are in the crossword puzzle is in the Spanish!

Glossary

Aerospace Engineer: ingeniero aeroespacial lane: carril automated highway: autopista automatizada magnetic levitation: levitación magnética battery-powered vehicles: vehículos impulsado a batería pollutant: contaminante

braking: Frenado rockplanes: avión cohete cushion of air: colchón de aire speed: velocidad

high-speed train: tren ultrarrapido steering: direccion hydroid vehicles: vehiculo hidrido take off: despegar land: aterrizar test track: riel de prueba

safety S E G U R I D A D

driver C O N D U C T O R

increase A U M E N T A R

how C O M O

computer C O M P U T A D O R A

lanes C A R R I L

vehicles V E H I C U L O S

automated A U T O M A T I Z A D O

American (usa) N O R T E A M E RI C A N O