5. PERFORMANCE AND TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS (A) ENGLISH FOR AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY

 

ENGLISH FOR AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY 5. PERFORMANCE AND TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS (A)

 

Starter Read these short descriptions of well-known cars. Can you guess which cars they are? 1 Two-door, mid-engined, four-wheel-drive sports car. The engine is 6.2-litre V12, with 571 bhp. The acceleration is 0-60 mph in 3-8 seconds with a top speed of 205 mph. the doors do not open conventionally. 2 The original model came on the market forty years ago and became an icon of 1960s Britain. The car became very famous in the film The Italian Job. The new version has a 163 bhp, inter-cooled 1.6-litre engine and a six-speed manual gearbox. 3 A four-door executive luxury saloon which has been completely updated and now has no gearstick and no handbrake but a large aluminium knob on the centre console. Most of the technical systems are operated by a ‘controller’ which acts like a computer mouse, or by up to 270 voice-activated commands. Now think of a car yourself. Write a description and see if the others in your class can guess what it is.   1. A spokesperson for a major car manufacturer is giving a presentation about a new car model and a journalist is asking questions. Listen to the recording. Which features are NOT mentioned?  CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE AUDIO CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE TAPESCRIPT  a running costs g light-weight materials b top speed h disc brakes c front suspension i new design d body strength j chassis length e boot capacity k fuel consumption f start-stop automatic     Listen to the recording again and complete the sentences from the dialogue with features (a-k) above.  CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE AUDIO CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE TAPESCRIPT  1 The _____________ has been stiffened to produce more precise steering at high speeds. 2 We have also increased the size of the _____________ for a shorter braking distance. 3 I also noticed that the press release says there is improved _____________. 4 Firstly, we have enhanced the Cd value with a _____________. 5 We have also reduced the kerb weight of the car by over 50 kilos by using _____________. 6 We have also introduced a _____________ so that the engine cuts out if you stand still for more than three seconds and starts again when you take your foot off the brake. 7 This has a positive effect on the _____________ of this car and, of course, on the resale value. 8 We have also increased the _____________ to make the care more practical for families and sports people. Are these sentences about the new XPT true (√) or false (X)? 1 Changes to the front suspension mean better steering when the car goes fast.   2 The car is now more expensive to run.   3 The car is not very economical for driving in town.   4 The interior and the boot are bigger than the last model.     2. Match words from the two boxes to make expressions from the dialogue. 1   urban 6   boot 2   Cd 7   front 3   running 8   disc 4   resale 9   kerb 5   braking         a costs f suspension b consumption g value c brakes h value d capacity i weight e distance     Now match the expressions above with definitions (A-I). a A measure of the car’s wind resistance, or drag coefficient. ____________________ b The amount you spend on petrol, tax, maintenance, etc. ____________________ c The volume of the boot. ____________________ d How much fuel you need driving around town. ____________________ e Brake system which uses a calliper and rotor, or disc, to stop or slow a vehicle. ____________________ f How much you can expect to get if you sell the car after three years. ____________________ g The connection of the axles by springs and dampers to the car body which prevents occupants from feeling road shocks. ____________________ h The distance between putting your foot down on the brake and the car stopping. ____________________ i How much the car weighs when there are no passengers in it and with half a tank of fuel.

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