İngiltere’de doğup büyümüş olsa bile bu ülkede minicab (taksi) sürücülüğü yapan kişilerin İngilizce sınavına girmesi zorunlu hale geliyor.
Transport for London (TFL) özel taksi sürücülerinin sınav masasına oturtmaya hazırlanıyor. İngilizce sınavına girmemek için ise sürücülerin İngilizce GSCE seviyesinde bir sertifika sahibi olmaları gerekiyor. Bu sınavın maliyeti ise £180 olarak belirlenmiş.
Kimi zaman oldukça kısıtlı bir düzeyde İngilizce bilgisine sahip olan şoförlerle karşılaşabiliyorsunuz. Bu durum kimi zaman gidilecek yerin yanlış anlaşılmasına ya da benzer karışıklıklara sebebiyet verebiliyor. Bu uygulama şoförler tarafından tepki ile karşılansa da müşterileri adına olumlu bir adım olduğunu söyleyebiliriz.
ITV haberin internet sitesinde yer alan bilgilere göre sınava gireceklere sorulacak örnek sorular assağıdaki gibi. Siz de eğer taksi şoförü olsaydınız acaba bu sınavı geçebilirmiydiniz? Deneyin:
‘The first underground train’
- Paragraph 1
Today there are underground train systems in over 40 countries. For example, you can take underground trains in Paris, New York and Tokyo. Modern underground systems use electric trains, and they are clean, safe and quiet. They usually arrive on time. There are no traffic jams. Most people are happy to use them. But the first underground train systems were quite different from the modern systems we see in big cities all around the world.
- Paragraph 2
The first underground trains ran in London in 1863. It was a very busy city and the streets were full of traffic. There were too many people, horse carriages, houses and buildings. There just wasn’t enough space above ground, and so people decided to put the trains underground. But unlike today, there were no electric trains in 1863 and all of the trains used steam engines — which made power from fire and water.
- Paragraph 3
In 1863, all of the trains used steam engines. Because these engines were powered by very hot water and fire, the tunnels were smoky, steamy, and noisy. People wanted some fresh air, but it was difficult to get it into the tunnels and stations. The tunnels were dark, too. The train cars and stations were made of wood, and lighted with gas. Sometimes there were accidents because of fires.
- Paragraph 4
Before the London Underground opened, people were very scared about the idea of going into underground tunnels. Many were afraid of the tunnels full of the smoke, the steam and the noise from the train engines. And indeed, travelling in the tunnels of the first underground system was a very noisy, dark, and smelly experience. But on the first day, the new London Underground carried 40,000 passengers. It was very quick, and the trains ran every 10 minutes. The people of London fell in love with their new train system.
- Paragraph 5
The London Underground had three classes of travel. First class was the most expensive and most comfortable. Second class was less expensive but still comfortable. Third class was the opposite of first class. When the London Underground opened, the third class tickets were the most popular. About 70% of the tickets sold were these cheap tickets for ordinary working people. Nowadays the prices have gone up, but the underground experience around the world is definitely cleaner and quieter!
Now answer these questions (for the answers, click link at bottom of the page).
Complete the sentences with an exact number, word or phrase (maximum three words) from the text.
- In 1863, there weren’t any ________________ trains.
- Steam engines used the power of _______________.
- Thousands of people used the London Underground on ____________.
- The old London Underground used ______________ lights.
- When the London Underground opened, most of the tickets sold were the ___________________________.
Cevaplar:
- 1) In 1863, there weren’t any ELECTRIC trains.
- 2) Steam engines used the power of FIRE AND WATER.
- 3) Thousands of people used the London Underground on THE FIRST DAY.
- 4) The old London Underground used GAS lights.
- 5) When the London Underground opened, most of the tickets sold were the THIRD CLASS TICKETS/CHEAP TICKETS.