Module 2课件1.ppt

countdown in the opening ceremony New members of the Athletes Commission present flowers to the representatives of volunteers Look at the picture and the title while you listen to the tape and answer the question. 1. what do you think the text is about? A. The history of the traffic signal. B. A man working as a human traffic signal for some reason. C. The traffic signal in the old times. 1.The road At 3,500 metres, La Paz, in Bolivia, is the highest capital in the world. Life is hard at high altitude, and the mountains make communications difficult. Many roads are in bad condition and accidents are frequent. One road in particular, which goes north from La Paz, is considered the most dangerous road in the world. On one side the mountains rise steeply; on the other side there is a sheer drop, which in places is hundreds of metres deep. Although there is not a lot of traffic,on average, one vehicle comes off the road every two weeks. The drop is so great that anyone inside the vehicle is lucky to survive.In theory, the road can only be used by traffic going uphill from 8 in the morning, and by traffic coming downhill from 3 in the afternoon. But in practice, few drivers respect the rules. 2.The man But thanks to one man, the death toll has fallen. Timoteo Apaza is a gentle 46-year-old man who lives in a village near the most dangerous part of the road, known locally as la curva del diablo (the Devils bend). Timoteo has an unusual job — he is a human traffic signal. Every morning he climbs up to the bend with a large circular board in his hand. The board is red on one side and green on the other. Timoteo stands on the bend and directs the traffic. When two vehicles approach from opposite directions they cant see each other, but they can see Timoteo. Timoteo is a volunteer. No one asked him to do the job, and no one pays him for it. Sometimes drivers give him a tip, so that he has just enough money to live on. But often they just pass by, tak