2007年ESL之交通出行 09 Getting a Traffic Ticket_在线英语听力室

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09 Getting a Traffic Ticket

GLOSSARY

police car – a car used by police officers, usually painted black and white* People often feel safer when there are a lot of police cars driving on the streetsat night.

siren – a loud noise made by police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks when they are moving toward an emergency* When you hear a siren, move your car toward the side of the road so that theemergency vehicle can drive by.

to be pulled over – to be asked by a police officer to move one’s vehicle to theside of the road and stop it there so that one can speak to the police officer* Have you ever been pulled over for speeding on the freeway?

driver’s license – a small piece of identification given to a person by a US statethat allows that person to drive* I know you’re impatient and want to drive now, but you’ll have to wait untilyou’re 16 years old to get your driver’s license.

registration – a piece of paper that shows who owns the car and that it was registered with the state government* Dan keeps the car registration in the glove compartment in his car.

proof of insurance – a piece of paper that shows that one has automobileinsurance, meaning that a company will pay money if one’s car is stolen or in anaccident* If you don’t have proof of insurance, you can’t register your car with the state.

to speed – to drive one’s car faster than allowed in a certain area* We’re doing a study to find out why so many teenage boys like to speed.

(a number) miles an hour zone – an area where the maximum speed of cars is a certain number of miles per hour (1 mile = 1.6 km)* Are you crazy? You’re driving 90 in a 65 miles per hour zone!

to run a red light – to drive through an intersection when it is not allowedbecause the stoplight is red, without waiting for the light to become green* The driver ran a red light because he was in a hurry and he almost hit a littleboy.

brake light – a red light at the back of a car or truck that turns on when the driveruses the brakes to make the car move more slowly or stop* When you see brake lights on the car in front of you, you know that it’s slowingdown or is ready to stop.

tag – a sticker that is put on license plates (the metal pieces of identification onthe front and back of a car) and has dates to show how long the car’s registrationwill last* Melissa had to pay a fine of $80 because she forgot to put her new tags on herlicense plates.

to expire – to no longer be valid; to be past the last date of something* The Brock family’s rental agreement for the apartment will expire next month,so they have to either sign a new rental agreement or find a new place to live.

to cite – to give someone a piece of paper stating that he or she did somethingagainst the law* Francisco was cited for not stopping at a stop sign this morning.

to get away with (something) – to not be punished (or to be punished only alittle bit) when one does something wrong or against the law* Sara thought she would be able to get away with parking illegally for a fewminutes, but when she came back to her car, she had a parking ticket.

warning – a written or oral statement that one must stop doing something andthat he or she will be punished the next time it happens, but not this time* When the teacher saw Dwayne copy answers from another student’s test, shegave him a warning and said that the next time she sees him do it he will get abad grade.

fine – an amount of money that is paid as a punishment for having donesomething wrong or against the law* If you return a book late, this library charges a $1.00 fine for each day past thedate that you were supposed to return it.

violation – something that one does that is against a rule or law* Drinking alcohol in the dormitories is a violation of the university’s rules.

citation – a ticket; a piece of paper that makes one pay money or go to court as punishment for doing something wrong or against the law* In many states, you can get a citation for not wearing your seat belt whendriving a car.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. What did Ray do when he realized that he was being pulled over?

a) He stopped his car and began talking to the police officer.

b) He increased his speed to 70 in a 55 miles per hour zone.

c) He turned on the siren for the police car.

2. Why doesn’t the police officer tell Ray how much the fine is?

a) Because he wants Ray to have a nice day.

b) Because Ray is waiting for his tags to arrive in the mail.

c) Because the fines are written on the back of the ticket.

______________WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

tagThe word “tag,” in this podcast, means a sticker that is put on license plates (themetal pieces of identification on the front and back of a car) and has dates toshow how long the car’s registration will last: “Most people receive new tags fortheir cars every year in the mail.” A tag is also a small piece of fabric insideclothing that shows the size and the manufacturer’s name: “The tag on this shirtshows that it’s a medium.” Tag is also a game that children play, where oneperson runs after and tries to catch the others: “The children are playing a gameof tag in the backyard.” A “gift tag” is a small piece of paper that shows who apresent is for and whom it is from: “The gift tag fell off, so they don’t know whogave them the painting as a wedding present.” A “price tag” is a small piece ofpaper that lets shoppers know how much something costs: “This dress has a$100 price tag, but that seems too expensive.”

fineIn this podcast, the word “fine” means an amount of money that is paid as apunishment for having done something wrong or against the law: “How much is the fine for throwing garbage in the street?” The word “fine” also means good orvery well, especially when asking about how someone is doing: “How are youtoday?” “Fine thanks.” The word “fine” can mean very good quality. Forexample, we talk about fine wines, fine art, and fine dining. “Fine” can also meanokay and it’s used to show that something is acceptable: “Yes, that’s fine, I’llcome to your office at 3:00 to get the papers.” We also use the word “fine” to talk about things that are very thin or narrow: “The baby has very fine hair.”

CULTURE NOTEIn the United States, police officers give drivers traffic tickets for many differentkinds of “traffic offenses” or violations of driving rules. Before you begin driving inthe States, it is very important to learn the “rules of the road,” or the rules andlaws that tell people what is and what is not allowed while driving.

Getting traffic tickets is very expensive because you have to pay fines. Also,when you get a traffic ticket, your “auto insurance” (the service that pays youmoney if your car is stolen or in an accident) usually becomes more expensive. If you get many traffic tickets, you might even “lose your license,” meaning thatthe government takes away your driver’s license.

Probably the most common traffic tickets are for speeding, running red lights, andnot stopping at a stop sign. But there are many other types of traffic offenses. For example, you can get a ticket for “failing” (not doing something) to “yield (tolet pass) to a pedestrian (a person who is walking),” which means that youshould have stopped your car so that someone could walk, but you didn’t. You can get a ticket for driving without your license, registration, or proof ofinsurance. In many states, drivers can get traffic tickets for driving withoutwearing their seat belts, or for letting “passengers” (other people who are in thecar but not driving) ride in the car without wearing their seat belts. People alsoget tickets for “driving under the influence,” meaning that they were drinkingalcohol before or while they were driving, which impaired their “judgment,” ortheir ability to make decisions.

______________Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – a; 2 – c

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPTWelcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 267: Getting aTraffic Ticket.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 267. I'm your host, Dr.

Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development inbeautiful Los Angeles, California.

Visit our website at eslpod.com. Check out some of the new things on ourwebsite, including our ESL Podcast Store. You can also download the LearningGuide for this episode. This episode is called “Getting a Traffic Ticket.” It will be a conversation betweena police officer and a person who was driving too fast. Let's get started.

[start of story]

I was driving down the street when I saw a police car behind me. Suddenly, itturned on its siren. I realized that I was being pulled over.

Officer: Can I see your driver’s license, registration, and proof of insurance?

Ray: Sure. Here you are, officer.

Officer: Did you know that you were speeding? You were going 70 in a 55 milean hour zone. Ray: I was? No, I didn’t know.

Officer: You also ran a red light and your brake light is out. I see that your tags have also expired. I’m going to have to cite you for all of that.

Ray: I’m sure I didn’t run a red light, and I didn’t know my brake light wasn’tworking. I just renewed my registration and I’m still waiting for my new tags toarrive in the mail. Is there any way I can get away with just a warning? Officer: I’m afraid not. Ray: What’s the fine for all of those violations?

Officer: That information is on the back of the citation. Here you are. Have anice day.

Ray: Thanks. Thanks a lot!

[end of story]

Our story begins with Ray saying that he “was driving down the street” – drivingon the street – when he “saw a police car behind” him. A “police car” is a carused by police officers. In the United States, they're often painted black andwhite.

Ray saw this police car, and “Suddenly, it turned on its siren.” A “siren” (siren) is a loud noise made by police cars, or ambulances from hospitals, or fire trucks,and the noise is telling people that there is an emergency and to stop driving orto slow down so that the emergency vehicle – the police car or the fire truck –can drive around them to get to the place where the emergency is taking place. In the US, it usually sounds like this [recording of siren].

Well, the police car “turned on its siren,” and Ray realized that he “was beingpulled over.” The expression “to be pulled (pulled) over” means that the policeofficer is telling you to stop your car and go to the side of the road so that he orshe can talk to you, usually because you did something wrong. You don't want tobe pulled over by the police; it means that you are probably in trouble.

Well, poor Ray was pulled over. The police officer came up to the window ofRay's car and asked him for three things, and these are three things thateveryone knows the police are going to ask for when you get pulled over. Thethree things are your “drivers license,” your “registration,” and your “proof ofinsurance.”

Your “driver's license” is a piece of identification, usually with your picture on it,that is given to you by the state where you are living. Each state in the US has its own driver's license. So, when I moved from Minnesota to California, I had toget a new license, and I had to take a new test. So, the driver's license is onething. “Registration” is a piece of paper that shows who owns the car, and that itis officially registered with the state government. The third thing the officer asks for it is “proof of insurance.” “Proof” (proof) is evidence of – something that demonstrates that you have, in this case,insurance, which is protection that you buy a company in case you get in anaccident or you have a problem with your car. Your car gets stolen, if you have insurance, the company will give you money to pay for the problem. Proof ofinsurance is required in most states of the United States; it's a piece of paper thatsays you have insurance on your car.

Ray says, “Sure,” meaning yes, I have these three things, and gives them to thepolice officer. “Here you are, officer,” he says. The police officer says do “youknow that you were speeding?” “To be speeding” (speeding), or, “to speed,”

means to drive your car faster than is allowed by the law. Different streets havedifferent what we would call “speed limits,” which is the fastest you can drive. Inmost freeways in the United States, the speed limit is 65 or 70 miles per hour. Inmost streets in the city, the speed limit is in between 25 and 35 miles an hour, inmost cities.

The police officer says to Ray that he was “going,” meaning driving, “70 in a 55mile an hour zone.” This means he was going 70 miles an hour in a place wherethe speed limit was 55 miles an hour. “Miles an hour” is how we measure thespeed of cars in the United States. It's equal to 1.6 kilometers – one mile is 1.6kilometers. Most cars in the US have both kilometers and miles on the car thatyou can see, but Americans don't look at the kilometers, they just look at themiles. So, no American really knows the kilometers per hour; they just knowmiles per hour.

Ray is surprised that he was going so fast. The officer then tells him of someother problems he has. She tells him that he “ran a red light.” “To run a red light”

means to drive through what we would call an “intersection,” where two streets cross each other, when it is not allowed because the stoplight is red. Of course,when it's red, you have to stop, and in United States, that means that you really do have to stop. If you don't, you could get a ticket if the police are there. “Torun a red light” means to go through the red light illegally.

The officer says to Ray that his “brake light,” or brake lights, is, or, are out. A“brake (brake) light” is a light in the back of your car that becomes red – turns onbecause you are slowing or stopping your car. We would say you are “hitting thebrakes.” The “brakes” are the part of the car that slows it down. So, the “brakelight” “indicates,” or shows, that you are slowing down so the people behind youknow that you are slowing down.

The officer also says that Ray has “tags” that “have expired.” A “tag” (tag) is asmall piece of plastic, what we would call a “sticker” that you “stick,” or put, onyour license plate, which is in the back, and sometimes in the front and back ofyour car. And that little sticker – that little tag – that little piece of plastic has ayear and a month on it that indicates when the registration for your car will “expire,” when it will end. If you don't register your car, you won't get a newsticker, your tags will expire (expire). “To expire” here means they are no longervalid. The word “tag” has several different meanings in English. Take a look atthe Learning Guide today for some additional definitions.

The police officer says finally, “I’m going to have to cite you for all of that.” “Tocite” (cite) here means to give someone a piece of paper, what we would call a“ticket,” that says that they did something wrong – they did something against thelaw. “To cite” is also used in the university to mean that you mention where yougot a certain piece of information. But here, it means to get a ticket – to getsomething telling you that you did something wrong, and usually it tells you thatyou have to pay money because you did something wrong.

Ray says that he was “sure” he “didn't run a red light, and” he “didn’t know” thathis “brake light wasn’t working.” He “just renewed” his “registration,” he says,and he is “new tags” have not arrived “in the mail” yet. He then asks the officer, “Is there any way I can get away with just a warning?” “To get away with” something means not to be punished for something when youdo something wrong. “The children were cheating on their test, but the teacherdid not see them. They got away with cheating.” They were not punishedbecause they did not get caught – they weren't found out by the teacher.

A “warning” (warning) is a written or spoken statement that says you didsomething wrong, next time, if you do it wrong, you will get a ticket, but this timewe're just warning you – we're just saying don't do it again.

Ray asks what the “fine” is “for all of those violations?” The “fine” (fine) is theamount of money you have to pay as a punishment; it's the amount of the ticket –the amount of money you have to give the government for breaking the law. There are several meanings of the word “fine.” Again, take a look at the LearningGuide for additional explanations. “Violations” (violations) are things that you doagainst the law or that break a rule.

The officer says the information Ray wants about the fine “is on the back of thecitation.” The “citation” is the piece of paper that the police officer gives you thattells you what you did wrong and that you have to pay some money for it. It's another word for a ticket.

Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a native rate of speech.