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simpler through automation, for example all cars once had a manual controls for the choke valve, clutch, ignition timing, and a crank instead of an electric starter.

However new controls have also been added to vehicles, making them more complex. Examples include air conditioning, navigation systems, and in car entertainment. Another trend is the replacement of physical knob and switches for secondary controls with touch-screen controls such as BMW's iDrive and Ford's My Ford Touch.

Cars are typically fitted with multiple types of lights. These include headlights, which are used to illuminate the way ahead so that the vehicle can be used at night, brake lights to indicate when the brakes are applied, turning lights to indicate the turn intentions of the driver, white-coloured reverse lights to illuminate the area behind the car (and indicate that the driver will be or is reversing) and on some vehicles, additional lights to increase the visibility of the car. Interior lights on the ceiling of the car are usually fitted for the driver and passengers.

The weight of a car influences fuel consumption and performance, with more weight resulting in increased fuel consumption and decreased performance. According to research conducted by Julian Allwood of the University of Cambridge, global energy use could be heavily reduced by using lighter cars, and an average weight of 500 kg has been said to be well achievable.

In some competitions such as the Shell Eco Marathon, average car weights of 45 kg have also been achieved. These cars are only single-seaters (still falling within the definition of a car, although 4-seater cars are more common), but they nevertheless demonstrate the amount by which car weights could still be reduced, and the subsequent lower fuel use.

3. Continue the sentences:

1.Cars are equipped with…

2.These controls include…

3.Modern cars' controls are…

4.Since the car was first invented…

5.Examples include …

6.However new controls…

7.Another trend is…

8.Cars are typically fitted with…

9.These include …

10.The weight of a car influences…

11.According to research…

12.In some competitions…

13.But they nevertheless demonstrate…

14.An average weight of…

15.These cars are only…

4. Write the summary of the text in English.

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5. Write your resume according to the following plan:

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Emergency ambulances are required to gain access to patients as quickly as possible, and in many countries, are given dispensation from obeying certain traffic laws (for instance, they may be able to treat a red traffic light or stop sign as a yield ('give way') sign, or be permitted to break the speed limit. For these reasons, emergency ambulances are often fitted with visual and /or audible warnings to alert road users.

Visual warnings on an ambulance can be of two types – either passive or active. The passive visual warnings are usually part of the design of the vehicle, and involve the use of high contrast patterns. Modern ambulances often carry retro-reflective designs which reflect light from car headlights or torches. In addition some services now have the vehicles painted in a bright (sometimes fluorescent) yellow or orange for maximum visual impact.

Another passive marking form is the word ambulance spelled out in reverse on the front of the vehicle. This enables drivers of other vehicles to more easily identify an approaching ambulance in their rear view mirrors. Ambulances may also carry an emblem, such as a Red Cross, Red Crescent or Star of Life. The active visual warnings are usually in the form of flashing coloured lights.

The flash is used in order to attract the attention of other road users as the ambulance approaches, or to provide warning to motorists approaching a stopped ambulance in a dangerous position on the road. Common colours for ambulance warning beacons are blue and red. In addition to visual warnings, ambulances can be fitted with audible warnings, sometimes known as sirens, which can alert people and vehicles to the presence of an ambulance before they can be seen.

A more recent development is the use of the RDS system of car radios. The ambulance can be fitted with a short range FM transmitter, set to RDS code 31, which interrupts the radio of all cars within range, in the manner of a traffic broadcast, but in such a way that the user of the receiving radio is unable to opt out of the message. Ambulances can be based on many types of vehicle, although emergency and disaster conditions may lead to other vehicles serving as makeshift ambulances:

1.Van. A typical ambulance is of a van construction, based on a standard chassis, usually with a maximum road weight loaded of between 3.5 and 7.5 tons. In North America, the large box type vehicles are referred to as «mods» (modular) and the smaller van type vehicle is often called a «high-top».

2.Car. Used either as a fly-car for rapid response or for patients who can sit, these are standard car models adapted to the requirements of the service using them. Some cars are capable of taking a stretcher with a recumbent patient, but this often requires the removal of the front passenger seat, or the use of a particularly long car. This was often the case with early ambulances, which were converted (or even serving) hearses, as these were some of the few vehicles able to accept a human body in a supine position ).

3.Motorcycle. In developed areas, these are used almost exclusively for rapid response in an emergency as they can travel through heavy traffic much faster than a car or van, although in the developing world, trailer or sidecar adaptations make these patient transporting units.

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