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Traffic Tickets

Traffic Tickets

Date: Aug 28 2009

Themes: Travel

Grammar: Passive Voice

Intro

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2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

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Even the most well-behaved citizens occasionally get into trouble with the police over the way they drive. As a result, the highway patrol is probably one of the least popular institutions in the U.S. But the IRS, the agency that collects taxes, is probably still the most unpopular.

There are a lot of different reasons why people get traffic tickets. Some get in trouble for going through red lights and stop signs. Others make illegal turns or other dangerous maneuvers. But you can also get a ticket for making smaller mistakes, like forgetting to signal before you change lanes. Mason has another problem. Listen to him explain to Dale why he’s gotten so many traffic tickets over the years.

Dialog

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Dale

Dale

Mason

Mason

Dale:  Hey Mason, have you ever gotten a ticket?

Mason:  Yeah, I’ve gotten a few in my day to be honest.

Dale:  Really? What was the infraction?

Mason:  Speeding. I’ve got kind of a lead foot. What can I say?

Dale:  Were you pulled over by the highway patrol or the city cops or…?

Mason:  I’ve pretty much seen them all. The worst one is when you get pulled over by some highway patrol guy ‘cause that means you’re like out in the middle of nowhere. And one time that happened to me and I had to go drive like two hours to this remote circuit court sort of place just to plead guilty. ‘Cause when you do that they reduce the fine.

Dale:  So you did plead guilty, you didn’t even try to get rid of it?

Mason:  No. I mean at that point, I was like twenty miles an hour over, you just…you can’t. There’s no arguing with that.

Dale:  So did it stay on your permanent record at all?

Mason:  I think I had it expunged. That’s the legal term.

Dale:  How long does it usually take for it to be expunged?

Mason:  You know actually all of my infractions were prior to being 18. So, when you hit 18 that’s the reset button.

Dale:  OK. Well at least you learned your lesson, I hope.

Mason:  So far. Cross my fingers.

 

Grammar Point

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Quizzes

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Lesson MP3

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Discussion

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Dale asks Mason if he’s ever gotten a ticket. It turns out that Mason has a lead foot and got more than one speeding ticket when he was a teenager. Fortunately, he got them all before he was 18, so they didn’t stay on his permanent record.

Mason thinks it’s worst when you get a ticket in the middle of nowhere. On country roads when there aren’t a lot of other cars around, it’s hard not to drive fast. But if you get a speeding ticket, you might have to go back to the place where you got it in order to appear in court like Mason did.

Have you ever gotten a ticket? Are the laws about driving strict in your country?

 

Comments

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AryelLanes

AryelLanes

Brazil

Once my dad was pulled over by the highway patrol and got a ticket because my little brother and I weren’t buckled up. I guess I was 14 and he was 9…

01:08 PM Mar 13 2014 |

fabsir

fabsir

Brazil

I have got a traffic ticket before for speeding. I didn´t get pulled over by the high way patrol though. What happened was that I drove past a speed camera over the limit. I was going 50 km per hour in a 40km per hour zone. I didn´t realise at the time and I didn´t get the ticket in the mail which is the usual procedure in my country. I went to renew some car documents and found out that I had a ticket to pay off. The laws about driving are strict in my country but if you are a first time traffic offender and it isn´t such a serious offense you can argue your fine.

11:07 PM Feb 17 2012 |

Marcelolic

Marcelolic

Brazil

Nowadays I have a car and I have never received any ticket in it…thanks for God,’cause is a lost money! ;)

01:13 AM Sep 09 2009 |

Marcelolic

Marcelolic

Brazil

Yeah! I have got tickets yet,but not 'cause speeding (I dislike to drive fast…speeding freaks me out hehe) but just for parking prohibided hehe…Once I got a ticket for speeding (but look,the maximum speed of the track was 60kms and I went to 80kms,it's not so fast),but I received a ticket at home by mail and I paid a expensive one for it :P

01:10 AM Sep 09 2009 |

vincent_tin

China

If that happens, they will punished by what they have done by a terrible crash which they do not want.

07:18 AM Sep 03 2009 |

vincent_tin

China

If I got a cool car, I would drive it with high speed at right place and right time.

And i don't want to be troubled by traffic tickets at all.

07:16 AM Sep 03 2009 |

ciberd7

ciberd7

Brazil

Nowdays, people are so hurry and they don´t even have time to consider how they´re driving and how they abide the others´ rights. When you´re driving, you must care about the others and care about yourself. High speed only get us to troubles!! It´s not just a fact, everyday people dies by not to notice how fast they´re driving and the worst part of all of it is that those people, sometimes, takes lives from inocent peoples just because of their imprudence and ignorance!!

It´s horrible how a car can turn into a weapon in bad hands!

 

04:25 PM Sep 02 2009 |

Mickey123

Mickey123

United States

I got pulled over.

04:17 AM Sep 02 2009 |

Nofre

Philippines

If airplanes park on the wrong runway, will they get tickets also??

07:19 AM Sep 01 2009 |

Nofre

Philippines

If airplanes park on the wrong runway, will they get tickets also??

07:19 AM Sep 01 2009 |

ronanday

ronandaySuper Member!

Taiwan

Yes, it does.

In my country it usually comes with unaware. 'Cause we just got the tickets by the speed camera.

Once you've been shot you'll have no chance to plead innocence.

'Cause the speed you were overed will be shown on the picture.

Cry

07:05 AM Sep 01 2009 |

oliviercologne

Cameroon

i will be in the US next year and i hope i will not have to be pull over by a highway patrol guy for any infraction, well i will try to drive carefully.

love english baby… 

09:22 PM Aug 31 2009 |

Hungfield

Hungfield

China

i think it is neccesary to give tickets to the people who broke the rules.

07:18 AM Aug 31 2009 |

Sezai

Sezai

Turkey

%90 part of reason traffic accidents, be based on traffic rule breach. Because of that traffic tickets very necessary.

02:22 PM Aug 30 2009 |

嘉如敏然

嘉如敏然

China

i hate plane

very noisy

my ears were very uncomfortable

01:27 PM Aug 30 2009 |

keyla_★

keyla_★

China

i do not drive car

      but i will try itTongue out

04:17 AM Aug 30 2009 |

pagecai

pagecai

China

Do you reply to me ?Now let me give you the answer___I am dreaming .Laughing

11:29 PM Aug 29 2009 |

koxa

koxa

Ukraine

I don't drive a car so I haven't gotten tickets….but I know a lot about driving rules in my country.Recently the fines have been increased. And I don't have any disagreements with these rules…they help us to save our as well as others lives.It doesn't have to depend on where you drive….city or countryside,the rules are the rules – its law!

09:02 PM Aug 29 2009 |

PRISCILA18

Colombia

Foot in mouth yeahhhh, in my country has many laws about driving strict….. but i dont know a law about ticket or something seem… 

01:44 PM Aug 29 2009 |

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