Complete each sentence with one of the words or phrases given.

• tossed • daredevil • playing chicken • lucky charm

• peril • accept the consequences • thrill

• life and limb • drew straws • claims • challenge

• endangered • death toll • risk • hazardous

• jeopardy • take a chance

1. The priest asked us to pray for those in …………… on the sea.

2. The weather looks bad, but I think we'll …………… and go for the summit,' said Chris.

3. Steeplejacks risk............ every working day.

4. On the day that he crashed, Michael had forgotten to take his ……………. a rabbit's foot - with him.

5. The accident on the railway line happened when the children were ………………, daring each other to cross in front of the train.

6. earthquake............... sixty lives.

7. hungerford massacre: ……………….. 16.

8. Cars can be parked here at the owners' ……………… .

9. Deep-sea fishing is an extremely …………… occupation.

10. The bull the matador into the air before goring him.

11. The future of the race is in …………… if the safety record does not improve.

12. The men who rode the motor bikes on the 'Wall of Death' called themselves the …………… Riders'.

13. The negligence of the captain …………… the lives of the passengers and crew.

14. Speaking from his hospital bed, Nigel said that those, like himself, who engage in dangerous sports just had to ………………… when things went wrong.

15. Gerald found the ……………… of driving at high speed completely irresistible.

16. The expedition will set out tomorrow, to face the ……………… of climbing the last unconquered peak in the Himalayas.

17. The survivors ………………….. to decide who should go in search of help.

3 Explain the following words and phrases and answer the questions:

• play chicken • toss a coin • sheer folly

• routine • heedless • lull • notwithstanding

1. What makes people expose themselves to danger?

2. Have you ever done anything at your peril?

3. What are the perils of the ocean? Sea? Storms?

4. Do you have your good-luck charm? What can be regarded as good-luck charm?

5. What hazardous occupations can you name?

6. In what situations do people usually draw straws or toss a coin?

7. In what situation could you use the statement “He endangered his chances of success”?

8. What kind of film, book or incident can thrill the audience/ people?

Complete the text using the words and phrases given.

• warning • chances • run • heedless • foreseen

• safety-conscious • odds • security • hazardous

• numbed • precautions • sheer folly • relatively

• mistaken belief • charmed life • peace of mind

• safety records

Taking Risks

Statistics prove that the ............................ (1) of having a serious accident in your own home or car are .............................. (2) high. However, people's perception of the risks they ........................... (3) while engaged in everyday activities is quite low, and this often leads to inexplicable acts of ..............................(4). 'Familiarity breeds contempt', as the saying goes. People have been known to search for a gas leak using a candle for illumination, for example, or to hold their babies on their laps in the front seat of cars, instead of securing them safely in the rear seat, in the ........................... (5) that they can protect them in the event of a collision. The familiarity of the surroundings lulls people into a false sense of ….................. (6), often to such an extent that they do not allow even obvious danger signals to disturb their ........................... (7).'I never thought it would happen to me,' is the refrain of those surprised by dangers that could have been ........................... (8) and avoided. However, when it comes to travel by air or train, people are often extremely anxious about the potential dangers, despite the fact that airlines and railways have excellent ........................... (9), notwithstanding the occasional spectacular crash. The fixed routines necessary for the safe operation of transport systems carry their own dangers, however. It can happen that drivers and pilots, their brains ........................... (10) by the monotony of repetitive tasks, fail to take notice of .......................... (11) lights and signals.

Occasionally, someone, so .............................. (12) of his own safety, so desperate for thrills, or so convinced that he bears a(n) ............................ (13), will play such deadly games as Russian Roulette, in which even if the .......................... (14) are six to one, the consequences can be fatal. Such games, whether prompted by bravado or a sort of death wish, cannot be compared with unavoidably ......................... (15) activities such as mountain-climbing and deep-sea diving where taking .............................. (16), not risks, is uppermost in the minds of the participants. The main danger to us all lies in the unexpected accidents of everyday life and it is therefore essential to be alert and .......................... (17) while at home or work.

a. Answer the following questions:

1. Where does people’s low perception of the risk lead to?

2. How could you explain the saying “Familiarity breeds contempt”? Provide examples. How could you express the idea of the saying in Russian.

3. Why do people ignore obvious danger signals? What are they?

4. What could actually disturb people’s peace of mind, make them alert?

5. What might people feel when it comes to travel by plane or train? What could drive away their anxiety?

6. Why are fixed routines potentially dangerous?

7. What make people play such deadly games as Russian Roulette?

8. What are the rules of the game Russian Roulette?

9. What activities cannot avoid hazards?

10. Why cannot such games as Russian Roulette be compared with mountain-climbing or deep-sea diving?

11. What two points concerning risk in our everyday life should be kept in mind?

6 Discuss the following questions:

· Do you heed a warning or are you heedless of your safety, desperate for thrill? In what situation are people usually heedful of safety?

· In what way one can foresee danger? Is a man capable of avoiding it?

THEME ONEDriving into Danger

Motorcycle races (known as TT – Tourist Trophy – races) are held annually on the ordinary roads of the Isle of Man, an island situated between England and Ireland.

Date: 2016-03-03; view: 1540