Exercise 5 a) Read and translate the text about types of cargo and choice of a mode of transportation

A good transport system is needed if goods are to be traded efficiently. A consigner can choose to send his consignment to the consignee by water, land (road or rail), or air. However, consignment can be transferred from one form of transport to another, especially when containers are used (multimodal or intermodal transportation). When choosing the most suitable form of transport, the consignor has to consider: kind of goods, place of destination, cost, speed, and safety of each form of transport.

There exist several types of cargo:

- general cargo – goods sent packed in boxes, cases, chests and other containers;

- bulk cargo – large quantities of items such as sand, grain and coal when sent unpacked;

- bulky cargo – large individual items such as cars which have to be sent unpacked.

b) Which form or forms of transport would you choose for the following consignments, and why? What kind of cargo is involved in each case?

1. A large consignment of cars from Hamburg to Dresden. 2. A small consignment of flour from Wales to London. 3. A small consignment of china from London to Moscow. 4. An urgently needed consignment of tea from Bombay to Boston. 5. A cargo of timber (wood) from Germany to England via Rotterdam. 6. A consignment of diamonds from Cape Town to Cairo. 7. A large consignment of coal from Sheffield to Leeds. 8. A cargo of bananas from the Caribbean to Dublin.
9. A large consignment of lorries from London to Warsaw. 10. A small consignment of cheese from Switzerland to the USA.