Transportation

outline: –    what I am going to talk about

• characterization + its profit
• history + engine-powered vehicles
• kinds of transportation
• advantages and disadvantages – car and airplane
• my opinion

Transportation is the act of moving people or goods from one place to another. We need transportation for our lives, it take us to work and brings use goods and food. Without transportation, there could be no trade, which is very important for us and also make civilization possible.

Transportation was very slow and difficult in the history. People traveled on foot and they used their own power to carry things. About 5000 BC, people began to use animals to carry loads. By 3000 BC, wagons and sailing vessels were invented. A big step forward came during the late 1700s and 1800s when the first engine-powered vehicles were produced. It has started a revolution in transportation. Today, jet airliners carry travelers nearly as fast as the speed of sound. Trains, trucks, cargo ships, airplanes, automobiles etc. are nothing unusual nowadays.

Although engine-powered transportation has benefited people in many ways, it has also created several difficult problems. These vehicles strain the world’s energy supplies. Automobiles jam many streets and highways. In addition, their exhaust fumes pollute air. Several actions have been taken, but there must be a lot more done.

We distinguish 3 main kinds of transportation – land, water and air. Land transportation depends mainly on wheeled vehicles (automobiles, trains, trucks). Ships and boats are the most important water vehicles. Air transportation depends almost entirely on airplanes. Each kind of transportation can further be classified according to whether the vehicles are engine-powered or engineless. Most engine-powered vehicles have gasoline, diesel or jet engines. The majority of engineless vehicles are powered by the muscles of humans or animals or by natural forces, such as the wind and flowing water.

We can also divide transportation to transportation of goods and passenger transportation, and so on passenger transportation can be divided into private (people operate with their own vehicles) and public.

Private transportation is mainly done by automobiles, motorcycles and bicycles. In the US, people prefer using a car in city than traveling with public transportation. It is very common that every member of a family has own car. Compared to our country, it is usual that there is only one car in a family.

Public transportation is any organized passenger service that is available to the general public. We know 3 main types of public transportation: urban, intercity and overseas. Most large urban areas provide some means of public transportation, such as buses, metro, trains and trams. This type of transportation is often called mass transit.  Mass transit between cities is often called commuter service. Intercity service is provided mainly by airplanes, buses and trains. Interstate air travel is very popular in the US because it a very large country.

Overseas service is provided by airplanes. The first transoceanic jet airlines began service during the 1950s. Today, only one ocean liner Queen Elizabeth II. still makes transoceanic voyages.

Every way of transportation has its advantages and disadvantages. I am going to concern my further speech on cars and on planes. Car is a comfortable and fast way of transportation. The advantage is that you have private and you can stop wherever you want to. But on the other hand, car pollutes the air with its exhaust fumes and it is dangerous because there are many undisciplined drivers. Car isn’t a fast transportation every time, because there are traffic jams in every city.

Airplanes are fast, efficient and very safe. Thanks to them, long distances are possible to reach and you can buy duty free goods on the deck. But a flight is expensive, you have to follow a timetable and the air food is good.

As for me, I mainly travel with Prague’s public transportation service. I take bus and metro on my way to school and when I am in the center I use metro and tram, because it is the fastest way of travel there. For long distances I prefer traveling with car because it is more comfortable than bus or train for me. For very long travel, travel with airplane is the best way. I flew once into the UK and it was a nice experience for me. I also think that the pollution of the air by exhaust fumes must be stopped.