【课堂新坐标，同步备课参考】2013-2014学年高中英语译林版选修七教师用书Unit+4　Public+transport.doc

Unit 4　Public transport 【美文阅读】　 Who invented the traffic signal? 1868年12月10日，由英国机械师德·哈特设计的一盏红、绿两色的煤气交通信号灯是城市街道的第一盏信号灯。它的出现使城市交通大为改善，也为后来交通信号灯的完善奠定了基础。 Traffic lights had been in use even before cars were invented.In those days，people used horses，wagons(四轮马车)and other means of transport. But the traffic was still horrible. So in 1868 in London, England, traffic policemen came up with a basic device: A lantern with two lights－red and green.Green stood for “caution”and red for“stop”．A policeman would turn the lights regularly with a lever (控制杆). Unfortunately this early traffic light proved unsafe. One model exploded a year later and hurt the operator. Things made a turn for the worse when cars were invented. Some people were using new cars，and others were still riding horses, wagons or bicycles. They all shared the same roads and streets with pedestrians(行人). A lot of accidents took place as a result.A traffic police officer named William L. Potts.from Detroit, Michigan knew something had to be done.He designed a traffic signal device that could serve four－way streets. He used three colors—red, yellow and green. He put the signals together with electric controls and wires. In 1920, he had it installed on the Michigan Avenue－Woodward corner street.There were the first automatic traffic signals. Detroit police went on to add fourteen more of these in twelve months. 【诱思导学】　 1．What did the two colors—green and red stand for in the lantern device came up with the London traffic police? ________________________________________________________________________ 2．Why did a lot of accidents take place when cars were invented at the very beginning? ________________________________________________________________________ 3．When was the signal device designed by William L．Potts first put into practice? ________________________________________________________________________ 【答案】　1.Green stood for“caution”and red for“stop”． 2．Because the people who were using new cars，riding horses