📘 Part 3: Transport & Travel

This episode's vocabulary

Drastically (adverb) – in a way that is likely to have a strong or far-reaching effect. → Example sentence: People need to change the way they travel drastically to protect the environment.

Pass the point of no return (idiom) – to reach a stage where you can no longer change your course of action. → Example sentence: I think, honestly, we've passed the point of no return in that regard.

Best-case scenario (noun) – the most favourable possible outcome. → Example sentence: The best-case scenario is just managing the decline of what we have, sadly.

Pessimistic (adjective) – tending to see the worst aspect of things or believe that the worst will happen. → Example sentence: I know that's a bit pessimistic, but no one seems to have been able to make a serious effort so far.

Emissions (noun) – the production and discharge of something, especially gas or radiation. → Example sentence: If vehicles are moving around, there will be more pollution, given all the emissions from engines.

Automated cars (noun) – cars that are capable of sensing their environment and moving safely with little or no human input. → Example sentence: Lots of people think that having automated cars will make accidents less likely.

Complex (adjective) – consisting of many different and connected parts. → Example sentence: I suppose the transportation systems in cities are more complex than the ones in the countryside.

Traffic flow (noun) – the movement of vehicles along a route. → Example sentence: In cities, you'll probably need more ways to manage the traffic flow.

Urban / Rural areas (noun) – areas located in a city / areas located in the countryside. → Example sentence: How are the transportation systems in urban areas and rural areas different?

Obey speed limits (phrase) – to drive no faster than the maximum legal speed. → Example sentence: A way to make car journeys safer is for drivers to obey speed limits.

Sober (adjective) – not affected by alcohol; not drunk. → Example sentence: People could be more focused on the road, and they could be sober.

Buckle your seatbelt (phrase) – to fasten the belt that holds you in your seat in a car or a plane. → Example sentence: The first thing you should do to be safe in a car is to buckle your seatbelt.

Driverless cars (noun) – another term for automated cars; vehicles that can operate without a human driver. → Example sentence: We call them electric cars, or driverless cars.

Questions and Answers

Maria: Which form of vehicle is more popular in your country? Bikes, cars or motorcycles?

Rory: I think it's safe to say it's still the car at this point. Most people have their own and if they don't then they certainly share rides with others all the time rather than take the bus. It's easy to see why because it can get you from A to B without long waits or having to get off at various stops and things. It's also faster than a bike, unless there are major roadworks or something like that.

Maria: And what kind of vehicles will be popular in the future, do you think?

Rory: I think again it's probably going to be cars just because there are already so many of them and it's an expectation people have that they will get a car of their own and relying on things like public transport is just something you do while you are waiting to own your own car.

Maria: How are the transportation systems in urban areas and rural areas different?

Rory: I've not really thought about that before. I suppose the ones in cities are more complex than the ones in the countryside, since there are more people and so more kinds of transport in general. That means you'll probably need more ways to manage the traffic flow or there could be accidents. Outside the city, there are probably fewer cars and buses generally speaking, so less management is needed. Though, you might need wider roads for more lorries and tractors from the farms, for example.

Maria: Do you think people need to change the way of transportation drastically to protect the environment?

Rory: I think, honestly, we've passed the point of no return in that regard. Even if we reduce the number of cars to zero and everyone just used electric buses or trains, the damage has already been done and I don't think we even have the infrastructure for it. The best-case scenario is just managing the decline of what we have sadly. I know that's a bit pessimistic, but no one seems to have been willing or able to make a serious effort so far.

Maria: Do you think air pollution comes mostly from mobile vehicles?

Rory: Well, yes, if they're moving around then there will be more pollution than if they are immobile, given all the emissions from engines. I suppose if you mean in comparison to things like factories and power plants then I'm not sure though. It's maybe easier to install things like scrubbers in factories and there are fewer of them. So maybe there's more stuff in the air from cars and the like after all.

Maria: How can car journeys be made safer?

Rory: Well, lots of people think that having automated cars with just centrally controlled systems will make accidents less likely. Possibly having fewer cars on the roads will also do the same thing because fewer cars should equal fewer accidents. I'm not sure how else they could be made safer really. I'm not an expert in automobile design.

Maria: What's the future of electric cars?

Rory: That's a very good question. You would imagine the future would be quite bright since, of course, lots of people are saying that we need more electrical vehicles compared to just non-electric vehicles. However, the elements that are used to make those cars and their batteries come from very far away and I think they also have a limited supply. So it's not entirely clear what the future will be. I'd like to be optimistic and say there will be more of them but I can't say for sure.

Maria: Do you think it's a good trend to have electric cars in the future?

Rory: Well, a good trend for who? It's obviously great for the people that sell the cars. And it might be good for the people that have to breathe the air near roads if there are more electric vehicles. However, what about the people who live in the places where we are extracting these materials to make these cars from? I don't think they will be very happy at having their land destroyed so we can mine minerals for them.

Discussion

Maria: Right, dear listeners. So first of all, certain words from the examiner's questions that might be difficult. The examiner might ask you about vehicles. Vehicles, different types of transport. Vehicles like cars, bicycles, motorcycles, trucks, lorries, right? So all types of, well, cars. But we don't call, is a truck a car? Well, it's a truck. It's a big car. So trams, trolleybuses, buses, so they're all vehicles. And vehicles can cause pollution, for example. Transportation systems. So what is a transportation system in general, Rory?

Rory: A system which we use to transport things.

Maria: Yeah, like buses, trains, planes, yeah? And we change transport drastically. Drastically meaning dramatically, right? The examiner might use another word, like, should we change transport significantly, drastically, dramatically, a lot. But that means a lot, right? If you change something dramatically, drastically, you change it a lot. To protect the environment, so the environment. We call electric cars, driverless cars. So a car without a driver. Maybe it is our future, right? Electric, not electrical. Usually electric cars, driverless cars, or automated cars. So if you have zero knowledge about the cars, please Google, just electric cars, pluses or minuses, it's gonna be very good for your IELTS writing, the essay might be about transport.

Rory: As well as your general knowledge.

Maria: Yeah, exactly. And you can talk about some ideas from that, right? So do your research on electric cars, a popular topic these days. So electric cars, not electrical, automated cars or driverless, without a driver, driverless cars. And the first question is rather stupid. Which vehicle is more popular? Which vehicle is more popular? Seriously.

Rory: I don't, this is the thing though, these questions about what's popular, like, that popular is are they liked? I don't know if people, some people like driving but I don't know if it's something that a lot of people enjoy. They just do it because they have to.

Maria: You know, yeah. But that's a very typical IELTS question, like, which is more popular? Is it popular in your country? Well, and you should just say yes, I guess cars are more popular. What sport is more popular? Football, everywhere. So cars is the most popular vehicle, right? Maybe in your city or in your town, bicycles, right? Or maybe scooters. Okay? So which vehicle is more popular? I don't know. And most people enjoy driving or most people enjoy cycling to work. So using a bicycle to work. Some people take the bus. So take the train, take the bus, or go to work by bus, by car, by train, by tram. So take the bus, take the train. Or maybe boats, dear listener.

Rory: Ooh.

Maria: Where would they do that? Maybe in Hong Kong?

Rory: Well, maybe.

Maria: Yeah, a ferry, a boat taxi, a ferry. And also you can compare different vehicles. Well, a car is faster than a bike, but if there are traffic jams, going by bike would be much faster than taking the bus. Urban areas, city areas. Rural areas, the countryside. Yeah? And here we are comparing transport in cities to transport in the countryside, in rural, rural. Can you say dear listener? Rural. Rural areas.

Rory: Rural areas.

Maria: Rural. Yeah, you start saying, so sorry examiner, just let me give me a moment, rural, rural.

Rory: Places outside the city. Just say places outside the city.

Maria: You can react to the question naturally. Rory, could you read out the sentence that you said?

Rory: I've not really thought about that before.

Maria: And?

Rory: I haven't. How often do you think about the differences between transport systems?

Maria: Cars in cities and cars in the countryside. Are they different? Yes, no? Hmm? I've not really thought about that. So that's a natural reaction that's what we do in real life. Basically I don't know, but I don't know is a very simple sentence. You don't want that in your IELTS test, do you? So I've not really thought about that. Present perfect. I haven't thought about that. Okay? Well, give me some time to think about my answer. Yeah. So this phrase, sentence buys you some time and then you should give an answer, dear listener, yeah. So here we talk about transport in cities is more complex. Transportation systems in cities are more complex, more sophisticated. We have a lot of roads, bridges, tunnels, different roundabouts, metro, sometimes we have the metro. And in the countryside transport systems are much easier. Yeah, much more simple. So you say we have heavy traffic in cities or we have a heavy traffic flow in cities. So there are usually more accidents, car accidents. But in the countryside, we don't have so many traffic jams. So in the countryside, we have fewer cars and buses. Yeah, dear listener, the keyword is fewer. You don't say less cars, less buses. So fewer cars outside the city. So we're paraphrasing rural areas, in the countryside, outside the city. We don't have so many cars and buses. We have fewer cars and buses. And less management is needed to manage all the transport, yeah, outside the city. So less management is needed. There are fewer roads, you can say, and you can say that there are wider roads in the country, like wide, huge road, it's wide, it's not narrow. In cities we have small, narrow roads in the city center, for example, but in the countryside, we usually have wider roads for lorries, tractors, for example.

Rory: Tractors?

Maria: Well,

Rory: or combine harvesters perhaps, but those are different.

Maria: Combine harvesters, like a special vehicle. But if you say truck, truck, tractors, tractors. So farming vehicles, yeah, specialized machines designed for agricultural tasks. Tractors. Yeah. Combine harvesters.

Rory: There are other things that people have on farms. I just don't know what they're called because I don't live on a farm.

Maria: Yes, you live in the middle of nowhere. So in Scotland.

Rory: I don't live in the middle of nowhere. I live in the fourth largest city. That's not the middle of nowhere.

Maria: Well, Scotland is in the middle of nowhere, Rory.

Rory: No, it's not.

Maria: No, I think most our listeners don't even know where Scotland is. Dear listeners, do you know where Scotland is?

Rory: Well, they need to look at a map.

Maria: Yeah, just go now, open Google Maps and look at where Scotland is. So Rory is somewhere there.

Rory: Somewhere there, who knows.

Maria: So people need to change the way they travel drastically or significantly to protect the environment. The environment, always with the article. And here Rory is very pessimistic. So he took up a pessimistic strategy. So Rory thinks that we've passed the point of no return. So we have passed the point of no return.

Rory: I think it's an idiom to pass the point of no return. It might be, but even if it's not, it just means that any alternative course of action is not possible. So if you've passed the point of no return on climate change, then the climate is not going to improve. It's only going to get worse. And if we've passed the point of no return on making a decision about employment, then you can only have the specific job you applied for. That's it.

Maria: Yeah, pass the point of no return, reaching a stage, decision where changing it is impossible, dangerous, yeah, or sometimes we say meet or reach the point of no return. So it's no longer possible to stop what you are doing, yeah? Or prevent it. For example, when we sign this contract, we'll reach the point of no return. So we won't be able to change it, right? And here Rory says that, okay, we've passed the point of no return in that regard, in the regard of protecting the environment by changing our transport because we have planes, we have everything, like we have harmful gases and CO2 emissions everywhere. So that's too late. And then Rory introduces some strategies like, even if we reduced the second conditional, let's imagine. If we reduced the number of cars, if we reduced the number of emissions, emissions, gases from cars. So even if we reduced the number of cars or emissions, the damage has already been done. Passive voice. So people have already damaged the environment. So there is nothing we can do. That's also a strategy, dear listener. We can be all negative, all right?

Rory: So, no, okay, we'll die anyway.

Maria: You might disagree. You could say we haven't passed the point of no return and we can control the emissions.

Rory: Maybe.

Maria: The best case scenario. That's a nice phrase, could be used in essays. The best solution that we can use is ta da da. The best case scenario is doing something, is managing the traffic flow, is reducing harmful gases, emissions, CO2 emissions. But then Rory accepts that yes, I know I'm a bit pessimistic. So it's okay to say like yes, the examiner I understand I'm a bit pessimistic, but what can you do, yeah? Mobile vehicles, that's a strange question.

Rory: What? I don't understand that. Mobile vehicles. They're all mobile.

Maria: Yeah. So maybe the examiner will choose some other phrase. Maybe just vehicles in general, right? Yeah. Or maybe private vehicles. The question could be about private vehicles. Like do you think air pollution comes from private vehicles? Like cars that people own. Not planes or trains or buses that the government owns, but private vehicles. You say yes, absolutely yes. All vehicles contribute to air pollution. All right? Private vehicles, maybe not bicycles, but boats, yachts, private helicopters, they all cause air pollution. So such vehicles are moving around.

Rory: And they emit, they release harmful gases.

Maria: Like a fart.

Rory: Sorry.

Maria: Right.

Rory: I'm not sorry.

Maria: Thank you, Rory for this contribution. C2 vocabulary. So if we compare vehicles to factories and power plants, I'm not sure that vehicles are as dangerous as factories or power plants. So you can compare, you know, our cars to factories, plants. How can we make our car journeys safer? Well, first of all, we can buckle, people can buckle their seatbelts. Okay? So this a seatbelt.

Rory: They already do that.

Maria: No, but some people don't do that. So that's the obvious. You state the obvious, yeah. A very good vocabulary, buckle your seatbelt.

Rory: Obey speed limits.

Maria: So people can obey speed limits.

Rory: But they already do that.

Maria: No. Rory, where do you live?

Rory: I live in a place where people follow the rules.

Maria: And people could be more focused on the road, people could stop using their smartphones, right, while driving. And people could be sober.

Rory: Sober means no alcohol in your blood.

Maria: And these are very good phrases, specific vocabulary about cars. Buckle your seatbelt, obey speed limits, be focused and be sober.

Rory: They already do that.

Maria: No, Rory, you're living in an ideal world, Scottish, you know, utopia.

Rory: Scottish ideal world where people follow the rules.

Maria: I love that. Right, dear listener, so maybe in your world people obey speed limits and no one is doing drunk driving, but well.

Rory: But in the hellscape that Maria lives in, they're doing it all the time.

Maria: Yeah, yeah, like people drive and do what they want sometimes. Thank you very much for listening. Make sure you read about driverless vehicles, okay?

Rory: And follow the speed limit yourself.

Maria: Yeah, don't drink while driving. Well, drink water and maybe coffee or delicious tea while driving, all right? We'll get back to you in our next episode, all right? Bye.

Rory: Bye.