UFRGS FIS LIT ENG 2011

[1] Beware. There is a new danger on the

streets. And you might not spot it until it’s too

late.

Pedestrians wearing iPod or MP3 music

[5] player headphones have a habit of stepping

out into the road, oblivious to traffic.

‘Podestrians’, as they have been called,

now account for nearly one in ten minor

accidents involving sudden braking and

[10] shunts, according to ........ from an insurance

company.

Well over half of the ........ are described

as young people, teenagers or children.

‘We have seen a significant increase in

[15] drivers citing such individuals as having been

a factor in accidents,’ a spokesman for the

company said.

The most common ........ involves a

‘podestrian’ stepping into the road without

[20] looking properly and failing to hear an

oncoming vehicle.

This can force the driver to brake

suddenly, risking collision with the car behind.

And if a head full of music isn’t bad

[25] enough, some podestrians are talking on their

mobile phones at the same time.

'The problem of music players masking

the noise of cars can often be compounded

by the simultaneous use of mobile phones,’

[30] the spokesman said.

‘People have enjoyed listening to music on

foot ever since the first Walkmans were

introduced in the late 1970s. But 30 years on

there seems to be a rising number of

[35] pedestrians who are isolated from traffic

noise.’

Adaptado de: Daily Mail, 8 out. 2008.