Blog Archives

Writing Assignment: Driving a Car (Solution)

Posted on 2013/04/27
by

driving

1. What are the people in the picture doing?
The people are going for a drive in the car.

2. What do you call a car without a roof?
A car without a roof is called a convertible.

3. What kind of road do you suppose the car is driving on?
It looks like the car is driving on a country road, or perhaps on an interstate or expressway.

4. What do you call the person who controls the car?
The person who controls the car is called the driver.

5. What do you call a person who is not controlling the car?
Someone who is not controlling the car is called a passenger.

6. What is a driver’s license?
A driver’s license is a document which signifies that a person enjoys the legal privilege of being able to drive a car.

7. When you prepare to drive a car somewhere, what sort of things do you have to do?
When you prepare to drive a car, there are several things that you have to do. You have to put on your seatbelt, adjust the seat and mirrors if necessary, turn on the ignition, and put the car in gear. If you are parked in a driveway, you might have to back up the car in order to get it onto the road.

8. What does a seatbelt do?
A seatbelt restrains the driver and/or passengers in the event of a car crash.

9. What does the driver use mirrors for?
The driver uses the mirrors to view the traffic behind him, and to see where he is going if he has to drive the car in reverse.

10. Why is the dashboard important to the driver?
The dashboard is important to the driver because he is able to view the speedometer, the gas gauge, and other important instruments that let him know how the car is currently functioning.

11. What does the speedometer do?
The speedometer tells the driver how fast the car is going. It also usually tells the total number of miles the car has been driven.

12. How does the driver make the car go?
The driver makes the car go by putting the car in gear and stepping on the gas pedal (accelerator).

13. How does the driver steer the car?
The driver steers the car with the steering wheel.

14. What do wipers do?
The wipers clean the windshield of rain and snow, keeping it clear so the driver can see the road.

15. What do turn signals do?
Turn signals indicate to other drivers that the car is going to turn.

16. What does the driver use cruise control for?
The driver uses cruise control to keep the car at a constant speed, usually while driving on an expressway or interstate.

17. What part of the car is under the hood?
The engine is under the hood.

18. What is the trunk of a car?
The trunk of the car is where luggage and other parcels can be put. Often, a spare tire or other emergency equipment is also kept there.

19. Where is the fuel for a car stored?
The fuel for a car is stored in the car’s gas tank.

20. What sorts of road signs must a driver pay attention to?
The driver needs to pay attention to stop signs, speed limit signs, no passing zone signs, traffic lights, and direction signs.

Paragraph: Driving a Car

Have you ever driven a car? Are you learning how to drive? Do you like to drive? Write a brief paragraph about your driving experiences.

I remember when I got my driver’s license. I had turned sixteen several weeks earlier, but I decided to wait for several reasons. For one thing, all the cars in the driver’s ed course at school had automatic transmission, but all our family cars had manual transmission, and I was not especially confident in driving a stick shift. I felt I needed the extra time to become more proficient. Also, my birthday was in the winter, and I wasn’t too keen on trying to take my driver’s test on snowy roads.

So, one day during spring break, my mother took me to the driver’s license facility to get my driver’s license. I was very nervous, and my nervousness was made all the worse because I had to wait until a driver’s license examiner was available. At long last my turn came, and the examiner came out with me to my car. He observed me as I came out of the parking lot, and instructed me to turn onto the main road. I drove down the road, which had a stop sign at the end. I figured that the examiner would be picky about coming to a full stop, so I made sure that I completely stopped the car at the stop line.

However, when I went to make a turn at the stop sign, I had trouble with the car dying on me. I couldn’t understand what was wrong with the car until the examiner asked, “Why don’t you try putting the car into first?” When I had come to the stop sign, I had already gotten the car into third gear, and in my nervousness I completely forgot to go back to first gear after having stopped. I thought for sure the examiner was going to flunk me, but he must have had pity on me or something, because he passed me nonetheless. I was so glad to have the ordeal of a driving test behind me!

Google

Leave a Reply ?

Writing Assignment: Driving a Car

Posted on 2013/04/26
by

On the open road

 

Vocabulary

Driver Passenger Seat belt Rear view mirror
Side mirror Dashboard Speedometer Steering wheel
Gas pedal Brake pedal Clutch Stick shift
Manual transmission Automatic transmission Wipers Turn signal
Cruise control Headlights Windshield Hood
Trunk Tires Gas tank In gear
Reverse Convertible Speed limit sign Stop sign
Traffic / stop light Driver’s license Road Highway
Interstate Expressway Toll road

 

1. What are the people in the picture doing?
2. What do you call a car without a roof?
3. What kind of road do you suppose the car is driving on?
4. What do you call the person who controls the car?
5. What do you call a person who is not controlling the car?
6. What is a driver’s license?
7. When you prepare to drive a car somewhere, what sort of things do you have to do?
8. What does a seatbelt do?
9. What does the driver use mirrors for?
10. Why is the dashboard important to the driver?
11. What does the speedometer do?
12. How does the driver make the car go?
13. How does the driver steer the car?
14. What do wipers do?
15. What do turn signals do?
16. What does the driver use cruise control for?
17. What part of the car is under the hood?
18. What is the trunk of a car?
19. Where is the fuel for a car stored?
20. What sorts of road signs must a driver pay attention to?

Paragraph: Driving a Car

Have you ever driven a car? Are you learning how to drive? Do you like to drive? Write a brief paragraph about your driving experiences.

Google

Leave a Reply ?

Education Focus: Driver’s Education

Posted on 2013/04/22
by

drivers edFor many American teens, getting a driver’s license functions as a “rite of passage.”  It marks a concrete, visible step towards adulthood and independence.  Small wonder, then, that teenagers are keenly interested in getting this important document.  What must a teen do to get a driver’s license?  The precise answer depends on what state the teen lives in.  I will outline for you the basic requirements that the State of Illinois sets forth for teens who wish to get a driver’s license.

When a student turns 15, he can enroll in a driver’s education course, either through the public school or through a commercial driving school.  Upon passing a written test covering the “rules of the road,” along with a vision test, the student can get a “learner’s permit.”  With a learner’s permit, the student will be able to practice driving on the road, provided he is accompanied by an adult, licensed driver.

The driver’s education course actually consists of two components.  The first is the in-class component (also known as “book”), which has an “emphasis on the development of knowledge, attitudes, habits and skills necessary for the safe operation of motor vehicles including motorcycles insofar as they can be taught in the classroom, and in addition the course shall include instruction on special hazards existing at, and required extra safety and driving precautions that must be observed at, emergency situations, highway construction and maintenance zones, and railroad crossings and the approaches thereto.”  This classroom instruction is required to be at least 30 hours.

The second component of driver’s ed is practical, known as “behind-the-wheel.”  Students are instructed in driving a dual-control car on public roadways with a certified driver education instructor.  This practical instruction is required to be at least 6 hours.

To be eligible to take a driver’s ed course, the student must be enrolled in high school (which may be a private school), and receive a passing grade in at least eight courses during the previous two semesters prior to enrolling in a driver’s ed course.  In other words, the students cannot slack off academically.

Once the student has successfully completed both the in-class component and the behind-the-wheel component of the driver’s ed course, he will receive his “blue slip.”  The blue slip is official acknowledgement of passing the driver’s ed course, and the student will need to take that with him when he goes to get his license.  However, having a blue slip is not sufficient – the student is supposed to complete at least 50 hours of practice (in addition to the behind-the-wheel instruction), and he must have had his learner’s permit for at least 9 months before he can even think about applying for his license. He must also be at least 16 years old.

When he has fulfilled the practice and time requirements, and he has his parents’ or guardian’s permission, he can go to a Secretary of State facility (also called “Department of Motor Vehicles” in some states) to take a driving test, or “road test.”   The driver’s license examiner will test the prospective driver on various aspects of driving and driving safety:  driving down public roads, stopping properly at stop signs and traffic lights, using turn signals properly, parallel parking, and so on.  If the student passes the road test, he will get his driver’s license – an important milestone on the way to becoming an adult!

Google

Leave a Reply ?

Culture Focus: Getting a Driver’s License

Posted on 2012/04/11
by

In most states in the US, 16 is the minimum age to obtain a driver’s license. Some states are lower. For example, 14-year-olds may get a driver’s license in South Dakota. New Jersey is at the other extreme, requiring drivers to be at least 17 years of age. Also, most states require that student drivers take and pass a driver’s education class before they are eligible to take an official driver’s licensing exam from the driver licensing facility, or DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles), as it is called in many states.

getting a driver's licenseA driver’s education class typically has two parts. The first is a classroom component, where students learn about driving safety and “rules of the road” (laws regulating drivers). The second is a practical component (“behind the wheel”), where students practice driving with an instructor. In some classes, students must spend several sessions on a “simulator,” or mock car, before they are permitted to drive an actual car on the road. A student driver must successfully pass both components of driver’s education. He must also spend a minimum number of hours driving outside of class. Then he is given some sort of certificate to verify completion of the requirements and eligibility for taking the official driver’s exam, or “road test.” (When I was in school, we called this a “blue slip,” because it was blue.)

At the driver license facility, the student driver registers and waits for his turn to take the road test. An examiner will go in the car with him and give him various driving tasks to do. The examiner might ask him to drive down a certain road or turn left at a stop sign. The examiner might ask the student driver to parallel park by a curb. The examiner might even ask the student driver to do a three-point turn or a two-point turn. The examiner carries a clipboard with a checklist, and notes how the student driver did. He will check to see if the student driver performed the requested maneuver correctly. He will check to see if the student driver used turn signals properly. He will check to see if the student drove in an unsafe manner, and so on. If the examiner is satisfied with the student’s driving, he will pass the student. Then the student can exchange his “blue slip” for an actual driver’s license.

For adults who already know how to drive, a vision test and a written test (based on the “rules of the road”) are usually required in addition to a road test. The vision test is to make sure the driver can see well enough to drive. In Illinois, the requirement is 20/40 vision or better, plus peripheral vision (140 degrees). If the driver’s vision is not 20/40, he must wear glasses while driving. The glasses should correct the vision to 20/40 or better. The written test is not very hard. It consists mainly of sign recognition, and rules pertaining to specific situations (for example, does a driver commit a moving violation if he passes a stopped school bus?). Driver license facilities have booklets available for study. These booklets list the rules of the road that all drivers are expected to know. Studying these booklets gives a person enough knowledge to pass the written test.

After passing all the necessary tests, the student can get his driver’s license. He hands in all the paperwork and waits. When it’s his turn, the official will call his name and take his picture. After a few minutes, his driver’s license is finished, and he is now a full-fledged driver.

Google

Leave a Reply ?