Listening Exercises A2 – Traffic

1.

There’s been an accident on northbound Route 101. A truck has overturned and traffic is very congested. So keep away from 101 North until further notice.

2.

Traffic is moving smoothly today on the Kennedy Bridge. Traffic is unusually light. There are very few cars on the bridge at this time.

3.

The New Harbor Bridge is very busy today. Traffic is moving very slowly across the bridge. It’s bumper to bumper so avoid the bridge if you can.

4.

There has been a traffic accident on Watergate Drive. It looks like two cars had a head-on collision. There are also a couple of ambulances there so keep away from Watergate Drive.

5.

Highway 25 is closed for repairs today, so better stay away from there. No traffic will be allowed on Highway 25 all day.

6.

Don’t forget – it’s the annual marathon today. Right now there are hundreds of runners on the road. Pine Street and all the streets from Pine through Oak are closed until 2:00 p.m.

1.

A:   Are you going to take the bus downtown or are you going to take your bike?

B:   I think there’s too much traffic on the road today to go by bike. It’s not safe to ride in traffic.

A:   I guess there’s so much traffic because of the big football game. Well, look, I’m driving downtown. Can I give you a ride?

B:   Hey, thanks.

A:   So do you use your bike very often?

B:   Not during the week, but I ride it pretty often on the weekend.

2.

A:   How are you going to get downtown? Are you going to drive?

B:   I don’t think so. I just heard the traffic report on the radio. It seems there is a traffic jam on the freeway. They said a couple of buses have broken down.

A:   I guess it will be quicker to take the subway.

B:   Absolutely!

3.

A:   Gosh. I wonder how much longer we’ll have to wait for a bus? We’ve waited half an hour already! Do you think we should go back and get the car?

B:   Oh, no. I hate driving at night.

A:   Let’s take a taxi. I don’t want to be late for the movie.

B:   Good idea. I’ll call for one on my cell phone. They usually come pretty quickly.

4.

A:   How are you going to get home from the restaurant on Sunday, Harry?

B:   Oh, I can just take a bus or a taxi. There are usually plenty of taxis around that area at night.

A:   Yes, but not on a Sunday night. You might wait for a long time. Why don’t you ask Kevin to drive you home? He’s having dinner with us and he lives near you.

B:   That’s right. I’ll ask him.

5.

A:   What’s the traffic like downtown today?

B:   It’s pretty bad. One of the traffic lights is broken, so all the traffic is backing up.

A:   Oh. How should I get to my doctor’s appointment? Drive? Take a taxi?

B:   A taxi won’t be any faster than driving.

A:   Well then, I’ll probably take the subway to the station and then walk from there.

B:   Yeah, today I think that’s the fastest way.

6.

A:   How do you plan to get to your friend’s house? Do you need a ride?

B:   How’s the weather?

A:   It’s really nice out.

B:   Oh, thanks anyway, but I’ll ride my bike. I was going to take the bus, but I need to get some exercise.

A:   All right. But be careful of the traffic.

1.

In my town, public transportation was never very good. You had to drive everywhere so there was always traffic. The government wanted to make public transportation easier than driving cars. They bought some nice new buses, for example, and they added air conditioning to the ones we already had. They also began offering lower bus fares on the weekends, so more people would be encouraged to try the new buses. They raised taxi fares, too. I guess they figure that if taxis cost more, people might think about using buses more.

2.

Well, the problem was that thousands of people drove into the city center every day, and there weren’t enough parking spaces. So the government wanted to make parking easier. But they didn’t build more parking garages. Instead, they tried to keep cars out of the city center. Recently, they started making people who drive their cars downtown pay a daily fee. You have to pay $10 if you want to drive your car into the center between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. At the same time, they have raised the parking lot rates, so people think twice before they drive their car downtown.

3.

Traffic was a real problem around here. It moved so slowly. Last year the government turned a bunch of streets downtown into one-way streets. This helped the traffic move more quickly. Special lanes on roads just for buses were built at the same time. If you’re caught driving your car in a bus lane, you have to pay a fine – and it’s a really high fine! Also, they passed a law last year that says you can only drive your car downtown three days a week. You have to display a special pass in your car that says which days you’re allowed to drive downtown.

4.

Air pollution in our city was a huge problem and we really need to lower the pollution in our city. I guess that’s why the government started putting special bicycle lanes on the streets downtown. That way, people can ride their bikes to work instead of using their stinky cars! They also made a rule that says there must be at least two people in your car if you want to drive downtown during the week. They also ordered these amazing new pollution-free buses. They use electricity, so they don’t put anything bad into the air.

1 b   2 a   3 e   4 c   5 d

Transcript

1.

There are a lot of cars on the road today because of the championship football game. So, leave early, because it’ll take you twice as long to get wherever you’re going.

2.

We just had a report that a north-bound and a south-bound car ran into each other on Highway 24, just west of Eureka. If you’re in that area, slow down because emergency vehicles will be coming through. It sounds like a very bad accident.

3.

And there’s been an accident downtown at Oak and Washington streets. A driver ran into a traffic light pole. Now, all the traffic lights in that area are broken. If you can avoid the area around Oak and Washington, please do so.

4.

Meanwhile, a section of Interstate 55 is closed today for repairs. Please use Highway 23 instead.

5.

Route 17 has been very icy, and we just had a report of a car that is overturned. If you’re driving on Route 17, please be very careful. The icy conditions will continue throughout the day.

1 c   2 a   3 b   4 b   5 b

Transcript

1.

A:   How do you get to work, Joe?

B:   Well, I used to drive my car every day, but the roads were so congested that I was always late for work. I could have made it to work faster on a bicycle! But I don’t have a bicycle, so I started taking the subway-I’ve been riding it for about two years now.

A:   The subway? Do you like it? B: Yeah, it’s all right. I always get a seat, and it only takes 20 minutes to get from my house to work.

2.

A:   How do you get to work. Robin?

B:   On foot. It only takes about 30 minutes.

A:   Have you always walked to work?

B:   No, I started about four months ago, because my doctor told me I needed to get more exercise.

3.

A:   How do you get to work, Ellen?

B:   Well, I used to always take the subway, but recently they started a ferry service across the South River. So now, I just walk a few blocks down the street and get on a boat and cross the river.

A:   That sounds like a fun way to commute.

B:   It really is.

4.

A:   I used to drive, just like everyone else. But then I realized I could kill two birds with one stone.

B:   What do you mean?

A:   Well, I used to drive to work and then drive to the health club and exercise for an hour before going home. I figured if I jogged to work and back, I wouldn’t have to go to the health club, and I also wouldn’t get stuck in traffic.

B:   How’s it working out?

A:   So far, so good.

5.

A:   I used to be a subway rider, but I had a bad fall down the steps one day.

B:   How do you get to work now?

A:   I take the bus. It takes the same amount of time, and I get to look out the window. It’s much more interesting than the subway.