General Listening Quiz

What are some common car problems that require special maintenance or repair? What has been your experience in getting your car repaired? If you need to get a new car due to a car accident, how can you secure a car loan to pay for your new vehicle? Where would you turn for car rentals while your own vehicle is being repaired?

1. 1. It’s usually cheaper to repair a car than to buy a new one.
   2. Learning basic car repairs can save a lot of money.
   3. Some mechanics charge too much for simple repairs.
   4. Newer cars are harder to fix without special tools.
   5. Regular maintenance can prevent most car problems.
   6. It’s better to go to the same repair shop every time.
   7. Watching online videos is a good way to learn how to fix small car issues.
   8. People should fix cosmetic damage (like dents or scratches) right away.
   9. Car repairs often take longer than they should.
   10. Older cars need more repairs but are cheaper to insure.

“blow a fuse” = get angry or lose one’s temper
“My dad blew a fuse when the mechanic didn’t fix his car on time.”

“bite the bullet” = prepare yourself for something unpleasant
“I think you just have to bite the bullet and have your car repaired, even if it costs a lot of money.”

Listen to the recording and answer the questions. (See transcript)

Here are some words and expressions that appear in the recording:

• sputter (verb): make consecutive explosive noises
  – My car tends to sputter a lot in cold weather when I start it up.
• carburetor (noun): part of the engine that mixes air with gasoline vapor before combustion
  – The carburetor needs to be fixed or replaced.
• alternator (noun): a generator that produces electrical current
  – There must be a problem with the alternator in my old truck.
• outrageous (adjective): very expensive
  – The cost of repairing the old car would have been outrageous, so I decided to buy a new one instead.
• out-of-the-way (adjective): remote or far from populated areas
  – We took a trip to an out-of-the-way ghost town during our vacation.
• cost an arm and a leg (idiom): be very expensive, outrageous – (See Idiom Lesson)
  – It cost me an arm and a leg to fix the damage to my sports car.

Do the vocabulary quizzes with the words from the conversation for more practice:

• Mixed-Up Sentence  | Multiple-Choice Questions |  Sentence and Vocabulary Matching

Discuss some experiences you have had at a car repair shop. (If you have never had your car repaired, imagine what problems might come up.) Have you ever felt that you paid too much for repairs? Check around for shops that provide such services. Do they guarantee their work? What can you do if you are dissatisfied with the work? How do you find a car repair shop that you can trust and that will do a good job?

Imagine that your car is experiencing some engine trouble, but you can’t diagnose the problem yourself. Research two auto repair services that provide engine repair. How long has the company been in business? Does the shop provide a free diagnosis of the problem? What other warranties do they provide on their service?