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DRIVING CARS

“Cars come in three dimensions: height, width, and debt.”

—Evan Esar (1899-1995), humorist

Talking

Pick and choose from the questions and respond to your partner’s comments.

1. How much time each week do you spend in cars? Why?

2. Do you have a state driver’s license? Did you take it in English?

3. Where do you usually drive? Do you drive during rush hour? Off-hours?

4. How long is your commute to work or school? How is the traffic?

5. Do you drive a car for your work? How many miles do you drive a year?

6. When did you start driving? Who taught you how to drive?

7. Where did you learn to drive? How long did it take? Was learning hard?

8. What is the age requirement to legally drive in your native country?

9. Is driving in the U.S. different from driving in your country? How?

10. Do your parents drive? When did they get their first car? Do you remember it?

11. When did you get your first car? Can you describe it?

12. How old do you think one should be to drive? Why?

13. Have you ever bought a car? How did you choose it?

14. What suggestions do you have for buying a used car?

15. Do you enjoy driving? How do you feel when you drive? Relaxed? Nervous?

16. How can you tell if somebody is a good driver? Are you one?

17. Have you ever gotten a traffic ticket? How did it happen?

18. Do you prefer driving on side streets, main roads, or the freeways? What are your reasons?

Vocabulary

Do you and your partner know these words? Choose the words you know.

commute | carpool | traffic | rush hour | seat belt

tune-up | MPG | traffic ticket | lane | freeway

mandate | essential

Sayings

What do these expressions mean? Work with your partner and take a guess. Choose the ones you’ve heard before.

Better safe than sorry.

Buckle up.

Don’t drink and drive.

Drive like hell and you’ll get there.

Don’t drive as if you owned the road. Drive as if you owned the car.

To get back on your feet, miss two car payments.

The Conversation Continues

1. Do you prefer to drive in the city or the country? Flat roads or hills?

2. Do you like long drives? Where do you like to go? Have you driven a scenic highway? Where?

3. What do you listen to when you drive? Music? News? Audiobooks?

4. Do you drive alone or in a carpool? What are some advantages of your style?

5. Do you drive an automatic or stick shift? Which do you prefer?

6. Have you ever driven anything other than a car? Truck? Motorcycle?

7. Do you own a car? Rent? Lease? What’s the difference?

8. How can you find out your average miles per gallon? What’s your MPG? Why does this matter to many drivers?

9. What is your biggest pet peeve about driving or about other drivers?

10. When do you drive fast? When do you tend to drive slower? Why?

11. What is the longest distance you have ever driven? Did you drive alone?

12. What are some safety tips for drivers? Why do some state laws mandate wearing seat belts?

13. How often do you get a tune-up? Where do you usually go? Why?

14. Do you enjoy working on or repairing cars? What can you fix on a car?

15. Some people consider a car essential. Do you agree? Disagree? Why?

16. Have you ever been in a car accident? What happened? Were you injured?

17. What tips for safe driving can you share?

18. What are some positive aspects of America’s car culture?

19. What’s your favorite car? Do you have a fantasy car that you would love to own?

Discussing Quotations

With your conversation partner(s) or on your own, read the following quotations out loud. Do you agree? Do you disagree? Why? Explain your reasons.

1. “Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black.”

—Henry Ford (1863-1947), founder of Ford Motor Company

2. “The best car safety device is a rearview mirror.”

—Dudley Moore (1935-2002), actor

3. “If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25 cars that got 1,000 MPG.”

—Bill Gates (1955-), Microsoft founder

4. “Modern man drives a mortgaged car over a bond-financed highway on credit card gas.”

—Earl Wilson (1907-1987), newspaper columnist

5. “I have a BMW. But only because it stands for Bob Marley and the Wailers, and not because I need an expensive car.”

—Bob Marley (1945-1981), reggae star

6. “Mass transportation is doomed in North America because a person’s car is the only place where he can be alone and think.”

—Marshall McLuhan (1911-1980), communications scholar

7. “Never have more children than you have car windows.”

—Erma Bombeck (1927-1996), humorist

8. “A car is useless in New York, essential everywhere else. The same with good manners.”

—Mignon McLaughlin (1913-1983), journalist

9. “I have bad reflexes. I was once run over by a car being pushed by two guys.”

—Woody Allen (1935-), comedian and film director

10. “Get your kicks on Route 66.”

—title of a Nat King Cole hit song

11. “Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel across the country from coast to coast without seeing anything.”

—Charles Kuralt (1934-1997), broadcast journalist

12. “Standing in the middle of the road is very dangerous; you get knocked down by the traffic from both sides.”

—Margaret Thatcher (1925-), British Prime Minister

On Your Own

Look at ads, articles, or websites about a type of car, SUV, or truck that you might purchase in the future.You might also want to clip a picture. Research the vehicle’s features, ratings, and cost. Prepare a short presentation on your research.