Where
is the man going?
to a musical
to a museum
to a movie theater
How long will it take to get to his destination?
under 5 minutes
under 8 minutes
under 12 minutes
What time does the place in Question 1 close?
at 6:30 P.M.
at 6:00 p.m.
at 5:00 PM
How much will the fare be for the taxi ride, not including a tip?
between ten and fifteen dollars
between fifteen and twenty dollars
between five and ten dollars
Where is the man going later downtown?
to a party
to a restaurant
to a play
Passenger: Hey Taxi! Ah great. Thanks for pulling over.
Driver: Where to?
Passenger: Well, I'm going to the National Museum of Art, and . . . .
Driver: Sure. Hop in. No problem. Hang on!
Passenger: Uh. Excuse me. How long does it take to get there?
Driver: Well, that all depends on the traffic, but it shouldn't take more than
twenty minutes for the average driver. [Oh]. And I'm not average. I have
driving down to an art, so we should be able to cruise through traffic and
get there in less than twelve minutes.
Passenger: Okay. Uh, sorry for asking [Yeah?], but do you have any idea
how much the fare will be?
Driver: Oh, it shouldn't be more than 18 dollars . . . not including a . . . uh-
hum . . . a tip of course.
Passenger: Oh, and by the way, do you know what time the museum
closes?
Driver: Well, I would guess around 6:00 O'clock.
Passenger: Uh, do you have the time?
Driver: Yeah. It's half past four. [Thanks] Uh, this IS your first time to the city,
right?
Passenger: Yeah. How did you know?
Driver: Well, you can tell tourists from a mile away in this city because they
walk down the street looking straight up at the skyscrapers.
Passenger: Was it that obvious?
Driver: Well . . .
Passenger: Oh, before I forget, can you recommend any good restaurants
downtown that offer meals at a reasonable price?
Driver: Umm . . . Well, the Mexican restaurant, La Fajita, is fantastic. [Oh] It's
not as inexpensive as other places I know, but the decor is very authentic,
[Okay] and the portions are larger than most places I've been to.
Passenger: Sounds great! How do I get there from the museum?
Driver: Well, you can catch the subway right outside the museum. There are
buses that run that way, but you would have to transfer a couple of times.
And there are taxis too, but they don't run by the museum that often.
Passenger: Okay. Thanks.
Vocabulary and Sample Sentences
• pull over (verb): to stop a vehicle to the side of the road
- We pulled over so we could rest and enjoy the scenic view.
• down to an art (verb): to learn something very well
- My brother has skiing down to an art.
• cruise (verb): to drive at a moderate speed, often leisurely or aimlessly
- The football players cruised around the city after the big game.
• do you have the time (verb): "Do you know what time it is?"
- Excuse me. Do you happen to have the time?
• skyscrapers (noun): very tall city buildings
- The city has decided to build a new skyscraper in the downtown area.
• offer (verb): to provide or furnish
- This travel agency is offering discount travel tickets to students until the
end of the week.
• reasonable (adjective): fair, not excessive or severe
- The prices at that department store are very reasonable.
• fantastic (adjective): super, wonderful, unbelievably great
- The musical last night was fantastic.
• decor (noun): the indoor furnishings of a building or home
- The hotel's decor was designed by a local decorator.
• authentic (adjective): real, not counterfeited
- The teacher create a very authentic classroom atmosphere for her students.
• portions(noun): an individual amount of food
- The portions were so large that we couldn't finish the meal.