Unit 22: Traffic

Developing Tactics for Listening, 3rd Edition » Unit 22: Traffic

Word List

ambulance
announcement
annual
avoid
bike
bus
city center
collision
congestion
cyclists
display
downtown
fares
fine (n.)
freeway
government
hundreds
improvement
instead
lanes
light (traffic) (adj.)
lower
marathon
one-way
pass (a law)
pollution
quality
rates
route
smoothly
stalled
traffic
unusually
a bunch of (something)
be allowed to (do something)
broken down
bumper to bumper
drive (someone) home
give (someone) a ride
keep away from (a place)
keep (something) out
parking garage/lot
parking space
public transportation
road repair
Traffic is backing up.
traffic jam
traffic light (n.)
traffic report

Vocabulary Worksheet

‣ Part 1: Match the words and phrases on the left to their definitions on the right.

ambulance _____
annual _____
avoid _____
collision _____
congestion _____
instead _____
lanes _____
pollution _____
quality _____
unusual _____

a. happening every year.
b. in the place of someone or something
c. not common; surprising
d. rows of traffic
e. when a car hits an object or another car
f. a special vehicle that takes people to hospitals
g. to stay away from
h. heavy traffic
i. dirty and dangerous materials that harm the environment
j. how good or bad something is

‣ Part 2: Use the words or phrases from Part 1 to complete sentences below.

I called the doctor to schedule my _____ checkup.
The narrow _____ on the road caused many accidents.
Traffic _____ is high during the morning commute.
The traffic jam was _____ for the middle of the afternoon.
He decided to _____ the highway because of construction.
The city roads were bumpy and of poor _____.
An _____ arrived to help the victims of the crash.
I took the subway _____ of driving to work.
The truck lost control and caused a _____ with another car.
_____ in the air is worst on hot days.

a. happening every year.
b. in the place of someone or something
c. not common; surprising
d. rows of traffic
e. when a car hits an object or another car
f. a special vehicle that takes people to hospitals
g. to stay away from
h. heavy traffic
i. dirty and dangerous materials that harm the environment
j. how good or bad something is

Answer Key

Match the pictures with the descriptions. Write the correct letter next to each description. Compare your answers with a partner.

Road repair _____
Two cars in a collision _____
Traffic congestion on a freeway
Traffic moving smoothly on a freeway _____

Listening 1

Listening 1 ‣ People are making announcements about traffic conditions. Listen and number the pictures.

_____
_____
_____
_____
_____

Listening 2

Listening 2: Task 1 ‣ Task 1

These people have to go somewhere. How will each person get there? Listen and circle the correct answer.

- a. by bus
- b. by car
- c. by bicycle
- a. by car
- b. by bus
- c. by subway
- a. by taxi
- b. by car
- c. by bus
- a. by car
- b. by bus
- c. by taxi
- a. by car
- b. by taxi and subway
- c. by subway and on foot
- a. by car
- b. by bike
- c. by bus

‣ Task 2

Listen again. Are these statements true or false? Check (x) the correct answer.

	True	False
1. There is a big baseball game today.	⁽¹⁾	⁽²⁾
2. There is a traffic jam on the freeway.	⁽³⁾_____	⁽⁴⁾_____
3. Taxis usually don't come very quickly.	⁽⁵⁾_____	⁽⁶⁾_____
4. Kevin lives close to Harry.	⁽⁷⁾_____	⁽⁸⁾_____
5. The traffic is backing up because a traffic light is broken.	⁽⁹⁾_____	⁽¹⁰⁾_____
6. The weather is not so good.	⁽¹¹⁾_____	⁽¹²⁾_____

Listening 3

Listening 3: Task 1 ‣ Task 1

People are describing solutions to traffic problems in their cities. What did each city do? Listen and circle the correct answer.

- a. They improved the quality of buses.
- b. They raised bus fares on weekends.
- c. They lowered taxi fares.
- a. They built more parking garages.
- b. They made drivers pay a daily fee.
- c. They kept all cars out of the city center.
- a. They made many streets downtown one-way.
- b. They made new lanes for cars to use.
- c. They made a law that people can drive downtown every day if they have a special pass.
- a. They did not allow people to ride a bicycle downtown.
- b. They made a rule that there must be at least three people in a car to go downtown.
- c. They bought new buses that don't create pollution.

‣ Task 2

Listen again. What problem did each city have? Write the correct letter.

_____
_____
_____

a. The traffic moved too slowly.
b. There weren't enough parking spaces.
c. The public transportation wasn't very good.
d. The air pollution in the city needed to be lowered.

✺ Pronunciation

Contractions of there is/has and there are

Pronunciation Help
How we spell it	How we say it
there's	therez
there are	therer

‣ Task 1

Listen and repeat.

1. There's a lot of traffic.
2. There's a collision.
3. There's been an accident.
4. There's been a problem.
5. There are two stalled cars.
6. There are some improvements.

‣ Task 2

Read the sentences to a partner. Be sure to pronounce there is/has and there are as contractions.

✺ Dictation

‣ Task 1

Listen to the conversation. Write the missing words.

A: Are you going downtown today?
B: Yes, but ⁽¹⁾_____ ⁽²⁾_____ marathon today. There's going to be a lot of traffic.
A: Yes. ⁽³⁾_____ ⁽⁴⁾_____ several streets blocked off.
B: And I just heard there's been an accident, too.
A: It's true. There's been a collision ⁽⁵⁾_____ ⁽⁶⁾_____ ⁽⁷⁾_____.
B: Wow! So, I guess I'll walk. ⁽⁸⁾_____ ⁽⁹⁾_____ ⁽¹⁰⁾_____ with my feet today!

‣ Task 2

Practice the conversation with a partner. Be sure to pronounce there is/has and there are as contractions.

✺ Conversation

Work with a partner. Think about the best way to get around your town or city. Ask and answer questions about traffic and transportation in your town or city.

Answer Key

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