Means of transport

Nowadays, there are so many means of transport, form bicycles and buses to sport cars and jet airplanes, that travelers are spoilt for choice.

In fact, most of us don’t even think how we travel; it’s just about getting from one place to the other.

However, there are many people who like unusual experiences and prefer more adventurous ways of getting around.

In this lesson we will revise traditional means of transport. You will also get to know some unusual ways of travelling.

Let’s get started.

Look at these scrambled pictures and guess the words.

1. What can you see here?

Excellent! You can see a camel, a coach and a bike.

2. Here is another puzzling picture for you. What can you see?

A ship, a train and a horse.

3. Any ideas?

There is a motorbike, a plane and a helicopter in it.

4. Can you guess any means of transport in the last picture?

Right, here we have a tram, an elephant and a car.

In the following task you’ll have to rearrange the letters to find words. The definitions will help you.

1. This aircraft is much smaller than plane. It has long blades on the top that go round very fast.

Helicopter

2. A vehicle with two wheels and an engine.

Motorbike

3. A public transport vehicle that travels along the rails.

Tram

4. A small ship.

Boat

5. It is synonymous to bus.

Coach

6. A series of connected railway carriages or wagons.

Train

7. An aircraft that has fixed wings and is powered by propellers or jets.

Plane

Good to know!

You use by with ways of travelling, for example, you go:

by car

by boat

by bus

by underground

However, if you walk, you go:

on foot.

What is the most commonly used means of transport in your country? How do you prefer to travel?

We’re all used to traditional forms of transport but, there are many more ways to get around that you may not have tried yet.

Do you want to travel in unusual style? If your answer is yes, then put your helmet on!

Zorb ball

In New Zealand they like unusual vehicles. They have the Zorb, which is an enormous ball that is rolling down a hill, flat section of land, or even stretch of water.

Segway

This cool two-wheeled, self-balancing electric vehicle invented by Dean Kamen.

Segways are still more of a novelty. Tourists ride Segways around San Francisco, Washington, Chicago, Paris, Berlin, Vienna, Budapest and Munich and receive guided tours of local attractions.

In some parts of the world, elephants are used for transportation. In Thailand, for example, you can go “elephant trekking” to tour the country.

Hot air balloon

Enjoy some fresh air as you drift among the clouds… This way of travelling has existed since the 17th century. Hot air balloons can get you from point A to B surprisingly fast if you catch the wind at the right time. In fact, several adventurers have flown around the world in two to three weeks.

Another odd way for transportation is the Tuktuk.

The tuktuk is Thailand’s local version of a taxi. Tuktuks are great for buzzing around the busy and crowded streets, as they can easily squeeze through the smallest gaps in the traffic. However, this also means that you will experience the ride of your life.

In the older parts of Kyoto (Japan), where cars are not able to travel through, you can see the traditional rickshaws – a human powered passenger carriage with two huge wheels.

Measuring in at 36 feet long, this giant skateboard is 12 times as large as a standard skateboard and can fit up to ten people.

This 72-foot-long “motorcycle” is as long as a tennis court and rocks 25 seats.

XCOR Aerospace has the Lynx rocket plane and offers suborbital space tours at $95,000 per trip. The plane holds one pilot and one passenger. The whole trip will take 4 hours and there’s no need for anti-gravity training.

Some celebrities have already signed up like Justin Bieber, Ashton Kutcher, Leonardo DiCaprio, Angelina Jolie, and Brad Pitt.

Some of these unusual methods of travelling might not be practical, but they certainly are eye-catching and amusing.

Why not try at least one of them or invent your own method?