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Learner drivers are not allowed to work and earn money as drivers. 3) … The training
period can cost quite a lot, because learners have to pay for their own expenses (getting
around London using private transport), the tests they take and a medical exam.
Once a new taxi driver has a licence, the next thing he or she has to cope with is the
public. Drivers agree that most passengers are very pleasant, although occasionally they can
be nasty. But, as Brian Turner, 53, a taxi driver for thirty years, explains: “Your job is to
take them where they want to go in a polite and pleasant manner, whatever they are like.
After all, if you’re unpleasant to your passenger, you won’t get a tip”.
4) … Colin Sinclair was once attacked by a passenger who did not want to pay the
fare: “He grabbed my hand and said, I’m going to beat you up’, and then he started pushing
me towards the window. Luckily, I managed to reach the emergency radio and within five
minutes twenty drivers had come to my aid”.
5) … The big advantage of this system is that drivers then know the name and the
destination of their passengers in advance, which is very useful if something nasty happens.
6) … Celebrities and politicians often use taxis and this can add a bit of excitement to
the lives of the drivers. Brian Turner once carried two princesses in his taxi – without even
realising it! He recalled: “They stopped me in front of the gates of Kensington Palace. I
knew I had seen them in photographs but it was only after they left that I realised who they
were!”
Talking and driving at the same time is not easy. 7) … They and their taxis are a
landmark of the capital and are recognised throughout the world, along with the Queen and
Big Ben, as a great British tradition.

A But sometimes it is not only the tip that is at risk; a taxi driver’s job can also be
dangerous.
B To avoid situations like this, more and more drivers are joining radio taxi companies,
which only deal with customers who have telephoned for a taxi and who often have an
account with them.
C Therefore, many of them keep their previous jobs until they get their taxi-driving licence.
D But this is the art that London’s taxi drivers have brought to perfection.
E Colin Sinclair, 40, who has been a taxi driver for fifteen years, described his training
period as a time of extreme physical discomfort.
F Learner taxi drivers are tested several times by government officers.
G However, not all unexpected meetings are nasty ones.
H The reason London taxi drivers are so professional is that they have all gone through a
very difficult training period known as “the knowledge” to get the special licence needed
to drive taxis.

5. Read and memorize the following words:
to dash – мчатися; нестися; a mess – безладдя; to derive – походити; брати початок; to
chase – полювати; гнатися, переслідувати; to pedestrianize – зробити дорогу, вулицю
пішохідною
6. Read the description of a part of London.
MY FAVOURITE PART OF TOWN: SOHO
One of my favourite parts of London is Soho, which is right in the centre, and includes
Piccadilly Circus, Shaftesbury Avenue and Leicester Square. One of the main reasons I like
it is that it is always lively and colourful, with people dashing around going about their
business. The place is a bit of a mess, and the buildings aren't the most beautiful in London,
but the streets are always interesting, with surprises around every corner. The name is

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