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Speaker 1 Well, of course, we had booked everything well in advance, because in Britain these services get full very early, and we didn't want to be disappointed. Anyway, we got to the terminus in central London in plenty of time and we stood on platform 13E for Edinburgh. It was a beautiful summer's day. There was me, my wife Julia and the three children, They were still quite young then: three, six and eight, I think.We were supposed to leave at 8.30 in the morning and, as it got closer to our departure time, we all began to get quite excited. By 8.30,we had started to get a little bit anxious because the platform was completely empty, apart from us five with all our luggage. At 9.00, Julia told me to go and find out what was happening, so off I went to the booking office to make enquiries. And yes, you can guess what was wrong-we were 12 hours early! Our departure time was 8.30 p.m., not a.m. I had misread the time on the tickets. Speaker 2 They call it an airport, but it's really just a field. My sister had booked me a flight as a treat for my 13th birthday, which was May 20th, three years ago, and I must admit that I was absolutely dreading it! I’ve never really enjoyed flying, and the thought of going up in the air for 30 minutes in a basket really didn't appeal to me. I couldn't understand how the thing was driven and steered, and I think that's what put me off. But once we got up in the air, at 9 o'clock in the morning, it was spectacular-the most beautiful views of the hills, fields and villages below, with the sun sparkling on the river. We didn't want to come down! Speaker 3 I had investigated all the different options available to me and, in the end, this was by far the cheapest, at only $275. Of course, it wouldn't be nearly as fast as going by plane, but the cost was far less and l would be able to see something of the countryside. Some friends had travelled the same route the previous year and had said how brilliant it had been, so I wasn't really worried. What they hadn't told me was how uncomfortable these vehicles are when you've been in one for almost two days. It's very difficult to sleep, and there are no toilets or washing facilities,so you've got to hang on until the scheduled stops, usually every four to five hours. When I finally arrived in the south of Spain, after nearly 48 hours on the road, I slept for over 19 hours! Speaker 4 We set off in the afternoon, as the sun was starting to drop, and with it the temperature, although it was still incredibly hot and humid. We knew the journey would take about two hours, so we had time to reach the oasis before dark, and before the temperature plummeted. With me was my twin sister, Amelia. She was used to riding horses, so this wasn't as difficult for her as it was for me. Even so, she said that riding without a saddle was very uncomfortable, and I had to agree with her! She also complained about not having a riding hat, but I told her she'd look pretty silly if she did! We moved at a leisurely pace-these wonderful animals won't be rushed-and we had time to be amazed by the beautiful scenery all around us and, as dusk fell, in the sky as well. We arrived, made camp, ate and fell into a deep sleep under the stars. Unit 4: C Listening Activity 8 CD1, Track 5 For many years, bodo-bodas have been called Uganda's silent killers. Boda-bodas, our country's ubiquitous motorbike taxis, snake through traffic jams, navigate potholed roads and provide much-needed employment for young people. They are also injuring and killing thousands every year, monopolising hospital budgets and destroying livelihoods. Since they appeared on the streets of Uganda in the 1960s,the number of boda-bodas has swelled.One recent news report estimated that there were more than 300000 bikes operating in the capital, Kampala. As a result,the number of motorbike accidents has increased dramatically.According to the Injury Control Centre, there are up to 20 boda-boda-related cases at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala every day and the strain on the country's limited health budget is growing. About 40% of trauma cases at the hospital are from boda-boda accidents. The treatment of injured passengers and pedestrians accounts for almost two-thirds of the hospital's annual surgery budget. While boda-bodas are helping to reduce youth unemployment-one recent study estimated that 6296 of young people in Uganda are jobless-the impact of a serious injury can be catastrophic for riders and their families.Ali Niwamanya, 25,a boda-boda driver, spent three months in Mulago hospital and another five at home recovering after a collision with a car in the capital in September. Niwamanya is now in debt after taking out a 3 million Ugandan shilling loan (that's about 1,200 US dollars) for a new bike. While the human impact of the boda-boda craze is evident in the packed hospital wards, the strain that road fatalities could have on the economy is worrying politicians. The death toll on Uganda's roads is twice the average across the rest of Africa. There were 3,343 road deaths in 2011, but the World Health Organization believes the figure could be more than double that. Some people are warning that,in the very near future, the death toll from Uganda's roads will be higher than that from diseases such as malaria. Some measures are being taken to try to halt the problem. Last month, the government announced that more money would be available to improve and maintain roads. Even though road safety measures were not specifically included within the budget, the government is establishing a national agency to run campaigns and manage roads. In Kampala, the Capital City Authority is introducing regulations, including registration of drivers, first-aid training, reflector jackets and helmets, and a monthly fee of 20000Ugandan shillings paid by the city's 250000 motorbike taxis. Other initiatives are also springing up. The Global Helmet Vaccine Initiative is holding a one-day workshop for 100 riders,part of a national scheme under which it has trained 1,800 boda-bodo riders in basic road safety.On completion, each participant receives a yellow helmet bearing the slogan:'Your life is your wealth.'