TIẾNG ANH ĐÀM THOẠI

Chủ đề: Giao thông

A- Expression about cars and car problems

Situation 1: My car broke down.

Kevin didn’t show up for class because his car broke down….

Burt:	Why didn’t you show up for class this morning?
Kevin:	I don’t even want to talk about it.  My car broke down.
Burt:	What happened?
Kevin:	The engine seems to be busted.  It’s driving me crazy!
Burt:	Wow.  Have you thought about getting a new car?
Kevin:	Yeah, I’ve thought about that, but I can’t afford a new car.  I’m broke.
Burt:	Maybe you can lease a car.  It doesn’t cost much.  I know Toyota is running a promotion.
Kevin:	Really?  How much is it?
Burt:	Zero down and $219 per month.
Kevin:	That’s a good deal.  I might wanna consider it.

Situation 2: The battery is dead.

Mary couldn’t get her car started because the battery was dead again.

Mary:	My car wouldn’t start this morning.
Kevin:	I used to have a problem like that.  Did you check the battery?
Mary:	Yeah.  It was dead again.  I had to find someone to jump it for me.  It’s driving me crazy.
Kevin:	Well, maybe you should buy a new battery.
Mary:	But I just bought this one three months ago.  It’s still new!
Kevin:	Maybe they were dishonest and gave you an old one.
Mary:	Well, I don’t know.  Whatever it is, I’m going to return it.  It’s ridiculous!

Situation 3: My car turned out to be a piece of junk.

Andy bought a car for $5000 only to find out that he couldn’t drive it….

Carson:	Hi, Andy, I heard you just bought a car.
Andy:	Yeah.  Unfortunately, it turned out to be a piece of junk
Carson:	What do you mean?
Andy:	I bought the car for five thousand dollars, but it just doesn’t run.
Carson:	Then why did you buy it?
Andy:	It worked perfectly when I bought it.
Carson:	Hm, I think you were ripped off.

B- Expression about traffic accidents, traffic jams

Situation 1: She wasn’t hurt badly, but she was shaken up.

Kent was invited to dinner at Robert’s house, but that night Kent’s girlfriend had an accident.  Fortunately, she wasn’t badly hurt.  However, she was shaken up.

Cathy:	You didn’t show up for dinner last night.  Robert was a little upset.
Kent:	I know.  I’m awfully sorry.
Cathy:	Why didn’t you let him know you weren’t coming?
Kent:	I couldn’t help it.  My girlfriend had an accident and was taken to the hospital.
Cathy:	Oh, that’s terrible.  Is she OK?
Kent:	She wasn’t hurt badly, but she was shaken up.

Situation 2: You ran through the stop sign.

Joe ran through the stop sign and was caught by the police officer….

 

Joe:	Sir, did I do anything wrong?
Officer:	Yes, sir.  You ran through the stop sign.  May I see your driver license, please?
Joe:	Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t see the stop sign at the corner.  I didn’t mean it.
Officer:	That doesn’t justify your violation.  May I see your license, please?
Joe:	Oh, sorry sir, I don’t have it on me.  Honestly, I forgot it back at the house.  But I have the insurance policy with me.  Here it is.
Officer:	Please wait here, sir.  I’ll come back in a moment.

Situation 3: I thought I could make a right turn on red here.

Joe didn’t see the sign that read “No Turn on Red” and was pulled over by a police officer.

Officer:	Excuse me, sir, didn’t you see the red light?
Joe:	Oh, I thought I could make a right turn on red here.
Officer:	No, sir.  The sign says “No Turn on Red.”
Joe:	Oh, I guess I didn’t see it.
Officer:	I’m sorry, sir, but may I see your driver’s license and insurance policy, please?  I have to give you a ticket.
Joe:	Here they are.
Officer:	Sign here, please.  You can appeal to the court within 14 days.  This slip has all the information you need.  Please drive safely, sir.
Joe:	Thank you, Ma’am.

Situation 4: Do you have the problem with road rage?

John is impatient with the woman driving ahead of him because she is driving slowly….

John:	The woman ahead of us is driving so slowly!
Kate:	People like that just drive me nuts.
Shirley:	Wait a minute.  Do you have a problem with road rage?
John:	What about it?
Shirley:	Didn’t you hear about the car accident right on this highway last week?  A mother and a daughter overtook a car ahead of them, ran into an oncoming van, and got killed right away.
Kate:	I did hear about that.  That’s a scary story.
Shirley:	So when you drive, don’t drive like crazy.  Drive with patience.

Situation 6: Traffic was brought to a standstill.

James was late because he was held up by heavy traffic….

Roselind:	What took you so long?
James:	There was an accident on the freeway, and traffic was bumper to bumper.
Roselind:	Oh, yeah, I just learned from the news on the radio that there was a serious accident involving a truck.
James:	That’s right.  Traffic was brought to a standstill.
Roselind:	Anyway, thank Heaven that you arrived safe and sound.  But, we’d better get going.  We’re running a little bit late.

Situation 7: Traffic was bumper to bumper.

John is going to have a dinner party with his friends on Christmas Eve.  His colleague advises him to leave earlier because traffic will be very bad….

Rachel:	I heard you’re going to LA tonight.
John:	Yes.  I’m having a dinner party with my friends there.
Rachel:	Well, you may not know this, but because it’s Christmas tomorrow, everybody gets off work early today so that they can go back home early.  Starting at 3, traffic usually becomes bumper to bumper.
John:	Oh, I didn’t know that.  Well, I’ll leave earlier today then.  Say 2 PM.
Rachel:	That would be my advice.  If you don’t have any important things to deal with, leave as early as possible.

Situation 8: The traffic was crawling.

James is on his way to his friend’s house, but unfortunately there’s an accident on the freeway and the traffic is moving verly slowly….

Roselind:	Oh, my goodness, the traffic is crawling.
James:	I think there’s an accident ahead.
Roselind:	We’re now running late.
James:	I know.  Why don’t we take a different route?
Roselind:	Let me take a look at the map.  Yes, there’s an exit three quarters of a mile ahead.  We’ll exit Market Street, head west, and then get on the Pennsylvania Freeway.
James:	OK, let’s do that even though we may have to take a longer way.