Britain to Ban Petrol and Diesel Car Sales From 2040

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Exercise 1

Vocabulary

premature

Adjective

ˈpremətʃə(r)

happening earlier than is normal or expected

The premature opening of the store gave many customers a bad impression.

The company's decision to sell its stock was somewhat premature.

You will have to pay a fee if you make a premature withdrawal from this account.

internal combustion engine

Noun

ɪnˈtɜːnl kəmˈbʌsʧən ˈenʤɪn

an engine which generates power by burning fuels such as petrol or diesel

Internal combustion engines were invented in the mid-1800s.

dramatically

Adverb

drəˈmatɪkli

by a very large extent or amount

The new regulations will dramatically reduce the country's reliance on fossil fuels.

debate

Verb

dɪˈbeɪt

formally discussing or arguing about an issue

The lawyers are debating a point with the judge.

Well, we could debate this topic all night and still have no answer in the morning.

The committee has been debating which motto the company should adopt for several weeks.

vow

Verb

vaʊ

to promise to do something

He vowed never to drink alcohol again.

Even though Islamic State fighters killed two Japanese citizens, Japan's government vowed not to give in to terrorism.

The president has vowed to protect the nation's interests.

maintain

Verb

meɪnˈteɪn

to keep something in good condition by checking or fixing it regularly

It is important for companies to maintain good relationships with their customers.

I try to maintain a relaxed attitude towards work.

We maintain all the equipment in excellent condition, so you shouldn't have any problems.

It is critical to the effectiveness of our organization to maintain careful records of all meetings.

Exercise 2

Article

AI Generated Audio––:–– / ––:––

Britain to Ban Petrol and Diesel Car Sales From 2040

Air pollution is responsible for over 40,000 premature deaths in Britain every year. This is primarily due to nitrogen dioxide – one of the pollutants produced by internal combustion engine (ICE) cars. It also contributes to climate change.

In an effort to clean up the country’s air, Britain is set to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2040.

Britain is not the only country looking to phase out ICE cars. French President Emmanuel Macron recently announced that France will also ban ICE car sales from 2040 in order to meet targets set by the Paris climate accord. 80% of France’s electricity comes from nuclear energy, so switching to electric vehicles (EV) would dramatically cut its carbon emissions.

Norway has the highest number of EVs of any country in the world, and plans on only allowing EV sales from 2025.

Other countries, including the Netherlands, Germany, and India, are also debating the prospect of banning petrol and diesel car sales, but so far have not produced any concrete plans.

Volvo has responded to this change of attitudes toward the internal combustion engine by vowing to only produce EVs from 2019 onwards. Most major car manufactures also plan to introduce electric or hybrid cars.

In 2016, only 0.6% of new cars registered in the EU were electric. But as the effects of climate change become more apparent, and as various countries begin to take serious action to cut carbon emissions, EVs may outsell petrol and diesel cars much sooner than previously thought.

Last year, Bloomberg predicted that 35% of all new vehicles will be electric by the year 2040. This year, however, this figure has jumped to 54%. In their Electric Vehicle Outlook report, Bloomberg also noted that EVs will be cheaper to buy and maintain than ICE cars in most countries by 2025-2029.

Exercise 3

Questions

How many deaths in Britain are attributable to air pollution each year?

When will Volvo stop making internal combustion engine cars?

Which country has the highest number of electric vehicles in the world?

According to Bloomberg, what percentage of new cars will be electric by the year 2040?

Exercise 4

Discussion

What do you think about Britain's plan to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2040?

Would you support such a ban in your country? Why? Why not?

How long do you think it will be before all cars on the road are electric? Why?

Do you think that all major car manufactures should introduce EVs as soon as possible? Why? Why not?

Do you believe that electric cars will be cheaper to maintain than ICE cars by 2025-2029? Why? Why not?

Exercise 5

Further Discussion

Have you seen many electric cars in your town or city? Why do you think that is the case?

Would you ever consider buying an electric car? Why? Why not?

What do you think governments could do to encourage people to buy electric cars?

Why do you think that some people are still skeptical about electric cars?

Do you think that it's up to governments to reduce carbon emissions, or that this responsibility falls on every individual? Why?

Yes, my grandfather worked with Thomas Edison on the electric car, and he sold electric cars at the 1900 World's Fair in Paris. - Al Jardine. Why do you think it's taken so long for the idea of the electric car to catch on?

I really do encourage other manufacturers to bring electric cars to market. It's a good thing, and they need to bring it to market and keep iterating and improving and make better and better electric cars. - Elon Musk. Do you think that most major car manufacturers will start producing electric cars within the next ten years? Why? Why not?

Exercises for Further Self-Study

These self-study exercises are optional and should be carried out after the lesson has finished.

Exercise 6

Sentence Building

Write at least one sentence for each of the words in Exercise 1: Vocabulary. Begin by making sure you understand the definition of each word. Use the example sentences as a guide if you are unable to think of a sentence. Practice reading your sentences out loud.

Exercise 7

Summary

Make a brief summary of the article. Focus on the main topic and consider which pieces of information are most important. Make sure you include details such as what the article is about, who is mentioned in it, where and when the events took place, and also how and why they happened.

Source

This lesson is based on an article by Dylan Ward.