General Listening Quiz

"Towing Service"

Level:	Topic:	Speakers:	Length:
Advanced	towing services	man - woman	01:47

Pre-Listening Exercise

What are some situations in which a vehicle is towed away in your area?

Idioms

"bail out" = assist someone out of a difficult, often financial, situation
"If your car is towed away, don't expect me to bail you out."

"be in a jam" = be in a difficult situation
"We were in a real jam yesterday when our car was towed away, and we had to get home without a ride."

Listening Exercise

A. Listen to the recording and answer the questions.

In the conversation, parking is not permitted between ____.

6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Police Officer: Look, sir. There's a sign right there that says [Where? Where?] . . . right there! It says, "Tow away zone. No parking between the hours of 7 a.m. through 6 p.m."

The man says he didn't see the no-parking sign because ___.

it wasn't there earlier in the day

his view was obstructed

it was nighttime when he parked

Man: Oh, that one? Those tree branches are covering it.

The man supposedly parked his car to ____.

donate some items for the needy

pay a utility bill for his home

buy some home cleaning supplies

Man: But, but . . . my car was only here (for) five minutes. [Sorry.] I had to just run into this building to . . . to drop off some clothing at the homeless shelter. Just trying to help people in need.

The fine for parking illegally is _____.

$115

$150

$105

Man: What? A hundred and fifty dollars? That's outrageous. I mean, completely ludicrous.

The man tries to influence the police officer into not giving him a ticket by ____.

praising the officer on her appearance

offering her free admission to an event

offering her free food

Man: Wait, wait wait, or how 'bout some coupons for a free burger at that restaurant across the street.? [You've got to be kidding me.] Buy one and get the second one half price.

Post-Listening Exercise

What are the most common traffic violations in your country and what are the penalties in each case? Do you think that there are more or fewer traffic problems in your country than any other country you have visited?

Online Investigation

Every country has pride in its reputation, but it can be said that the driving habits of people around the world vary quite a bit. Use the Internet to find statistics or other data that tries to identify the worst driving conditions (and drivers) around the world. Keep in mind that people's stories about traveling overseas are sometimes not as credible as statistics or other data.

See Listening Script

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