Find words in the text which are the opposites of these words:
1. poor
____________
2.
genuine
____________
3. civilian
____________
4. public
____________
5. heavy
____________
6. unsuccessful
____________
7. tiny
____________
8. expensive
____________
Fill the gaps using an appropriate preposition:
Environmentalists are going to war ________ SUVs.
Some streets in New York are full ________ SUVs.
Ron DeFore wants environmentalists thrown ________ jail.
He is tired ________ them criticising SUV owners.
SUVs have a reputation ________ using a lot of fuel.
Some people say SUV drivers do not care ________ the environment.
________ comparison with other vehicles, SUVs use a lot of fuel.
Higher fuel consumption makes a big difference ________ the environment.
Should people be allowed to drive vehicles that use large quantities of fuel?
Make a list of points for and against driving SUVs.
©Macmillan Publishers Ltd
Taken from the News section in
www.onestopenglish.com
What does SUV stand for?
Super Useful Vehicle
Sports Utility Vehicle
Safe
Use Vehicle
Why are environmentalists opposed to SUVs?
They are only owned by rich people.
They consume much more fuel than ordinary cars.
They take up a lot of space in cities.
Why do many Americans defend the use of SUVs?
They believe people should be free to choose the type of car they drive.
They regard buying an SUV as a patriotic act.
They don’t care how much fuel they use.
Now look in the text and check your answers.
Match the following idiomatic expressions used in the text with their meanings.
1. gas-guzzling
a. a play on words meaning
“unpleasant cars”
2. bete noire
b. filling a space completely; everywhere
3. axles
of evil
c. fanatical environmentalists
4. hot-button issue
d.
using a huge amount of fuel
5. Gotham
e. the favourite target for activists or protesters
6. envirocrazies
f. a very controversial topic
7. wall-to-wall
g. another name for New York City, derived from the city in the
Batman movies
©Macmillan Publishers Ltd
Taken from the News section in
www.onestopenglish.com
Axles of evil
Arnold Schwarzenegger has
five. Mike Tyson has four.
And they account for a third
of all car sales in the US. But
now environmentalists are
going to war against the SUV.
It's Tuesday night on the Upper
West Side in New York and
Adam Weinstock has his work
cut out. As we turn the corner
on 68th and Lexington, an
entire block of sports utility
vehicles awaits him.
Half car,
half truck they have names like
Navigators, Excursions,
Expeditions, Pathfinders,
Cherokees and Escalades -
names designed to evoke the
great outdoors parked in the
wealthy heart of densely
packed Gotham. Weinstock
approaches each one with a
critical eye. "You'll
notice the
front grilles," he says, pointing
to the bars framing the
bumper. "They're particularly
important for all the trees
you're going to run into when
riding around New York City."
And then he slaps them with a
fake parking ticket. "Violation:
Earth," it says. "Open your
eyes, take a few deep breaths,
and get honest with yourself . .
. Why do you
need such a huge car? This
is not a militarized zone."
Ron DeFore, the
communications director of
SUV Owners of
America
(SUVOA), says if anyone like
Weinstock touched his SUV
(what others call a four-wheel
drive or off-road vehicle), he
would "hire a private
investigator, track that animal
down and get them put in jail
for defacement of personal
property". He
is tired of
"envirocrazies" giving
Americans a hard time for
their vehicle choice and
believes their arguments
about the environment and
safety are bogus. His
message to them? "Get on
with your life and stop
bitching."
The SUV is all the rage. Along
with
its even bigger, uglier,
warlike cousin, the Hummer, it
makes up almost a third of all
the cars sold in America. It has
made "light trucks" the most
successful category the US
car industry has ever known
and one of the most profitable.
Indeed its popularity is
matched only by the
controversy it provokes. Its
gas-guzzling reputation has
made it the
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