Article

This is an original article as printed in the Guardian Weekly which is suitable for advanced comprehension classes, written by Oliver Burkeman in Washington.

Golf carts take to roads as fuel costs rise in the US

A Missouri police chief, Rickey Jones, surprised a drug dealer in the middle of a deal recently. The really surprising part was how Jones arrived at the scene: rather than screeching to a halt in a suqd car, he approached almost silently, in an electric golf cart. "There's no engine, no loud motor, so he didn't hear us coming," Jones recalled.

When the suspect sped away in a car, Jones couldn't give chase: the cart struggled to go faster than 30km/h. Instead he radioed a colleague in a more traditional police vehicle, who intercepted the car some distance away.

Before long, the canvas-covered, open-sided carts may be less of a surprise on the streets, such as those of Pine Lawn, Missouri, a working-class suburb of St Louis. Under pressure from rising fuel prices, towns across the US are passing bylaws to permit the use of golf carts on their streets as an alternative to cars.

"You can definitely save on gas - my cart's electric, but even the ones that run on gas hardly use any of it," said Paul Heideman, mayor of Ahkum, a town in rural Illinois.

Numerous other towns in Illiinois, Indiana and North Carolina have implemented similar regulations or are considering them. And in several places where the carts are an increasingly common sight, another benefit is becoming clear: with no windows or doors to separate drivers from each other, or from pedestrians, the texture of daily life is changing. "It leads to a friendlier atmosphere," Heideman said.

A few hours away in the small town of Cerro Gordo, golf carts have become lawful street vehicles, thanks in part to the campaigning efforts of Shamarie Allen and her husband, who run a golf-cart customisation business. Golf carts have a serious image problem, however: many people associate them with old age and pensioners.

But with the help of Allen's company, LG Custom Carts, carts can be kitted out with chrome wheels, leather seats and high-end gadgetry - an effect slightly marred by the legal requirement to display a sign declaring that the cart is a slow-moving vehicle.

Despite the potential for savings on fuel, carts may not be a solution: a basic vehicle costs around $2,000, and the danger of injury or death, especially in the event of a collision with a car or a truck, is high.

Glossary

squad car

(noun) police car

intercept somebody

(verb) to stop somebody who is going from one place to another

bylaw

(noun)a local law that applies to a particular town or area

customisation

(noun) when a car, bike etc is adapted to the needs of the owner

be marred by something

(verb) to be spoilt or damaged by something

Questions

The questions below are divided into three groups - before, during and after reading the above article.

Before reading

The article is about vehicles on the road in the US. Look at the phrases below related to driving. Match the two parts of the sentences to make definitions

1. If you screech to a halt,
2. If you speed away,
3. IF you give chase,
4. If you take to the road,
5. If you struggle to go faster,

1. you find it difficult to go more quickly.
2. you stop suddenly.
3. you go on the street in a vehicle.
4. you follow someone quickly.
5. you drive away quickly.

Look at the headline, photo and caption of the article. Work with a partner and discuss the questions below.

1. What type of small vehicle is shown in the photo?
2. Do you have these vehicles in your country?
3. How are these vehicles different to cars?
4. Why are these vehicles becoming more popular in the US?

While reading

Read the first two paragraphs of the article. Choose the correct answer. The most surprising thing that Rickey Jones did recently was to ...

1. catch a drug dealer in the middle of a transaction.
2. come up quietly behind a drug dealer in a golf cart.
3. chase and catch a drug dealer while in a golf cart.
4. intercept a drug dealer who sped away in a squad car.

Read the first two parapgraphs again. Number the events in the correct order.

1. The drug dealer didn't hear Jones coming.
2. Jones couldn't keep up with the drug dealer.
3. The colleague used a normal squad car to intyercept the suspect.
4. Jones drove a golf cart silently up behind a drug dealer.
5. Jones called his colleague by radio.
6. The suspect saw Jones and suddenly sped away.

1. Some US towns are introducing bylaws that allow ...
2. Paul Heideman thinks golf carts can help people to ...
3. Life has become friendlier ion some areas because golf carts ...
4. You can now have your golf cart customised with ...
5. A sign saying "slow-moving vehicle" needs to be displayed ...
6. Golf carts can be dangerous if they ...

Read the article again. Summarise the positive and negative things about driving a golf cart in the US today. Compare your notes with others.

After reading

Words to structure texts Use the words below to complete the summary -

Choose four of the words above and use them to write your own sentences.

Activity

Writing a first-person narrative

1. Work with a partner and read the first two paragraphs of the article again.
2. Choose a role - one person is the poice chief, the other is the drug dealer.
3. Plan and write a first-person narrative telling the series of events from your point of view. Tell your version in a vivid and lively way. Include four paragraphs:
   • Set the scene when and where it all started.
   • Describe the moment Jones approached in the golf cart.
   • Recount the capture by the squad car.
   • Describe the final outcome for you.
4. Read the story to your partner. Who has written the most dramatic narrative?