More about the phrase To Set the Wheels in Motion
 Transcript:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1M6MOiD2O2J5waS3i3sRkB7yrLGS4dIiQ/view?usp=drive_link

Teacher Joseph's Podcast

To Set the Wheels in Motion (with transcript)

British writer Bill Bryson once wrote that "London is a city of endless possibility" — and perhaps, endless traffic?

The UK capital is the most congested city in Europe, according to transport analytics company Inrix.

The company looked at data from different cities around the world, and found that drivers in London spent an average of 101 hours sitting in traffic in 2024. That's up from 99 hours in 2023, and 97 hours in 2022.

According to Inrix, these delays cost the city more than $4.8 billion a year — or about $1,200 for each of London's 4 million drivers.

Inrix says London's bad traffic congestion is caused by the "concentration of population, employment and economic activity."

But although it's Europe's most congested city for the fourth year in a row, London has improved in the global rankings. It was third in the world in 2023, but is now in fifth place globally. It is still, however, the only European city in the top five.

Istanbul has jumped to first place, up from sixth, with drivers in the Turkish city spending an average of 105 hours in traffic per year.

New York and Chicago are next on the list, followed by Mexico City in fourth place.

Inrix also calculated each city's "downtown speed" — that is, the speed at which a driver can expect to travel 1.6 kilometers in the center of the city during morning rush hour.

For each of the top five cities, the downtown speed was under 25 kilometers an hour.

Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

London Drivers Spend 101 Hours in Traffic a Year

In this episode of channel Let's speak Albanian/Le të flasim shqip we'll learn new poetry of a well known Albanian poet, like Aleksandër Stavre Drenova (Asdreni). This material is for level B1-B2. Hope this episode will help you better improve Albanian. Let's enjoy it! 

Some vocabulary.
dallëndyshe - swallow - ласточка
mërgimi - migration - миграция
fole - nest - гнездо
livadh - meadow - луг
ringjallem - resurrected - воскреститься

Let's speak Albanian

'Dallëndyshe'/'Swallow'/'Ласточка'

Explication du texte de Jean de la Fontaine : Le corbeau et le renard

Maître Corbeau, sur un arbre perché,
Tenait en son bec un fromage.
Maître Renard, par l'odeur alléché,
Lui tint à peu près ce langage :
Et bonjour, Monsieur du Corbeau.
Que vous êtes joli ! que vous me semblez beau !
Sans mentir, si votre ramage
Se rapporte à votre plumage,
Vous êtes le Phénix des hôtes de ces bois.
À ces mots, le Corbeau ne se sent pas de joie ;
Et pour montrer sa belle voix,
Il ouvre un large bec, laisse tomber sa proie.
Le Renard s'en saisit, et dit : Mon bon Monsieur,
Apprenez que tout flatteur
Vit aux dépens de celui qui l'écoute.
Cette leçon vaut bien un fromage, sans doute.
Le Corbeau honteux et confus
Jura, mais un peu tard, qu'on ne l'y prendrait plus.

Littérature franco latine en quelques minutes seulement !

L'enseignement moral des petits écoliers français : #3 le corbeau et le renard

Learn to describe people. We cover basic language and expressions about appearance and personality. Best for beginner students!

Super Basic Spanish

Learn Basic Spanish: Descripciones personales (personal descriptions)

Want to use more natural expressions when you speak English? Tune into the latest Express to Impress Podcast episode to learn English sayings for everyday conversations. Specifically, you’ll learn six idioms, phrases, adjectives, and adverbs. 

This episode is a follow-up to the previous episode, Less is More: Tips for Effective International Business Communication.

When you use these English sayings in everyday conversations, you’ll connect better with native English speakers. 

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Episode originally published April 22, 2022

Read the transcript at https://www.express-to-impress.com/english-sayings/

Join the Express to Impress community on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/express-to-impress/.

Learn how to use the Shadowing Technique at https://www.express-to-impress.com/english-learning/

Original theme music by Lucas Knutter

Express to Impress

English Sayings for Everyday Conversations

Weekly Lesson: A Trip to the Vet's (Surgery)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1s2x-E2CDUcqSzYhuLvKaTcMJpT3liuBo/view?usp=drivesdk