ROAD RAGE
A-It starts with just a moment of tailgating, or maybe the guy in front of you cut you
off or wouldn't let you into the fast lane. In some cases it appears that incidents of road
rage are caused by simple misunderstandings between drivers. A driver may make a
momentary error of judgment but the perception of another driver is that he or she is
driving aggressively. Then suddenly it turns into World War III on the highway. It matter
little what causes it; a bad day at the office, a love affair going bad. All it takes is a
sudden movement of someone else's wheels, and within seconds a normally mild
mannered motorist is consumed with a red-eyed, mouth-foaming surge of anger that
grabs more of us every day. Road Rage, something that has always simmered on the back
burner of motoring America, is now going off like fireworks.
B-Drivers who have snapped and committed incredible violence are mostly men and
women with no known histories of crime, violence, or alcohol and drug abuse. They are
the people typically described by neighbors "the nicest woman or man" or "a wonderful
mother or father."
C-Father, mother, son, daughter, they all have their own ways of getting mad. Some
slam on the brakes, jump out of their cars, open the trunks and grab anything that they get
their hands on. Others use baseball bats, knives, mace, pepper spray, fists, or some simply
pull out a guns and start firing away. Why are these drivers turning their anger and
frustrations into road rage and what solutions can we propose to stop this road rage?
D-Some say that one of the main causes of aggressive driving which usually leads to
road rage is highway congestion. The road construction on the major interstates adds to
lane closures and distractions to drivers. A motorist is driving the speed limit and then
immediately has to slam on their brakes because another motorist sees the lane closures
and decides to cut in front of them. This type of driving makes motorists mad because
they know that the driver that has just cut in front of them has seen the construction signs
and were well aware of the lane closures but still decided to wait to the last minute to get
over.
E-It's not only men who are contributing to the road rage statistics; it's women too.
Back when road rage was first brought to America's attention, "the drivers who would rip
and snort their way through traffic, without regard for turn signals or leaving more than a
few inches between cars, were mostly men, but the times have changed. More and more
women are becoming dangerously aggressive drivers, and it is no longer unusual for
women to take the next step from aggressive driving to road rage, actually committing
acts of violence from behind the wheel," (Ledford, New York Times). "You feel a whole
lot safer yelling at someone when you are surrounded by 2,000 pounds of metal, says
Athelia Gunderson of Tacoma, Washington, who admits to an occasional outburst during
her daily 30-minute commute to her job at a roofing supply company," (Bowles and
Overberg, USA TODAY). All of the above factors may be compounded by the
frustration many Americans feel as a result of longer commutes and busier schedules.
F-Local law enforcement officials have started programs in their areas to improve the
enforcement of laws against aggressive driving which usually turns into road rage. Judges
are issuing stiffer punishments to motorists who are convicted of offenses related to
aggressive driving. "Battles on Capitol Hill and crackdowns on the nation's highways will
continue as officials target aggressive driving. Arizona became the first state to make
aggressive driving a crime. Nineteen others are considering similar laws," (Bowles and
Overberg, USA TODAY).
G-We can attack and reduce the dangers of aggressive driving. Each of us should
take a look at our own driving habits and those of our friends and loved ones. The
government can help with road improvements and law enforcement, but solving this
problem will require people to change their behavior. Working together, we can make our
roads safer and prevent deaths and injuries.
1. Write the topics and the main ideas for the following paragraphs. (2 points)
• Paragraph D
Topic:
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Main idea:
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• Paragraph E
Topic:
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Main idea:
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2. Answer the following questions : ( 2 points)
1. causes of road rage mention 2 examples (A)
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2. Give the main cause of aggressive driving (D)
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3. What did the government do to help fighting Road rage (G)
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3. Write (T) in front of the true statements and(F) in front of the wrong ones ( 2 points)
a) those who have committed violence are usually criminals (B) (
)
b) not only men but also women are contributing to road rage (E) ( )
c) judges are not actually giving enough punishment to aggressive drivers (F) ( )
d) the government will not be able to solve this problem by itself (G) ( )
4. Write the meaning and the part of speech ( 3 points)
1) perception - Part of speech: ………….. Meaning………………………
2) contribute to - part of speech……………. Meaning……………………
3) motorists – part of speech ………………… Meaning……………………..
5. Find a word in the reading passage that means the same as each of the following. (3
points)
1- a fit of violent anger by the driver of an automobile, especially one directed toward
and endangering other drivers.(A) (
)
2. a feeling of dissatisfaction, often accompanied by anxiety or depression, resulting
from unfulfilled needs or unresolved problems(C) (
)
3. The act of attacking (F) (
)
6. Match words in column A with their meanings in B as used in the passage.(2points)
1- distraction ( ) decrease
2- statistics. ( ) to do or to perform something
3-commit
( ) dividing attention
4-reduce.
( ) numerical facts
7. From the text, what does each underlined pronoun refer to? (3 points)
• they (B) line 2 ......................................................................
• they (c) line 2 .................................................................
• their (F) line 1 .......................................................................
8. Scan the passage to find one examples that includes the following. ( 3 points)
1- past participle used as an adjective (F)
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2- word +prefix
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3- word +suffix
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9. Write a short summary of paragraph E (5 points)
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