1 . London taxi drivers know the capital like the back of their hands. Just jump into one of the city’s 22,000 distinctive black cars and tell the driver your _______.However small the street is, the driver will be able to get you there without any trouble.

The reason why London taxi drivers are so _______ is that they have all _______ a very tough training period to get the special license to drive taxis. During this period, taking two to four years in general, the would­be taxi driver has to learn the most direct _______ to every single road and to every important building in London. _______this, most learners go around the city on small motorbikes, _______ how to move to and from different points of the city.

Learner taxi drivers are tested several times during the period by government officers. Most drivers think the exams are a terrible _______.

Learner drivers are not allowed to work—and earn money—as drivers, either. Therefore, many of them keep their _______ jobs until they obtain their taxi­driving license. The training period can cost quite a lot because learners have to pay for their own expenses—getting around London using _______ transport, the tests and a medical exam.

Drivers agree that most passengers are very nice, although ________ they can be annoying. ________, if they’re unpleasant to their passenger, they won’t get a tip.

But sometimes it’s not only the tip that is ________, a taxi driver’s job can also be dangerous. To avoid this, more and more drivers are joining radio taxi companies, which only deal with customers who have phoned for a taxi and who often have an account with them. The big ________ of this system is that drivers then know the names and the destinations of their passengers ________, which is very useful if anything ________ happens.

London taxi drivers love to talk to people and most of them start a ________ as soon as the passenger steps into their vehicle. Talking and driving at the same time is the art that London taxi drivers have brought to ________. They and their taxis are a ________ of the capital and are ________ throughout the world, along with the Queen, Tower Bridge and Big Ben.