You Don’t Want to Drive Behind This Guy
SEOUL (Reuters) – The motto probably for one would-be South Korean driver is “if at first you don’t succeed, then try, try again.” Seo Sang-moon passed the written part of his driver’s license examination on his 272nd attempt earlier this week.
The repairman, from a small town in the southeastern part of the county who will soon turn 70, said he couldn’t read and used the test process to teach himself the rules of the road because he could not understand them in a driver’s manual.
Since the oral exam was launched, Seo took the test as often as he could, paying about $1,000 in fees along the way. Each failure taught him a little more, and after 271 attempts, he was able to get the minimum score needed to pass the academic test.
attempt(s)
exam(ination)
failure
illiterate
launch(ed)
license
manual
minimum
motto
official(s)
oral
process
regard
repairman
score
thrill(ed)
Interesting phrases:
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.
along the way
rules of the road
turn (age)
Talking Points
- What do you think of this man’s “never give up” attitude?
- Do you agree with the proverb: “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again”?
- What can you learn from this man’s experience?
- Do you currently have a driver’s license?
- If so, was it easy or difficult to obtain?
- What was the most difficult part of the exam?
- Why do you think they make it so hard or do they?
For More Practice (Role Play)
Pretend you are the man in this story, and you have just failed the exam
for the 270th time. What do you say to your wife?
Pretend you are the man’s wife. What do you say to encourage your husband?
Pretend you are the examiner, and this man has just passed the test
on his 271st attempt! What do you say to the man?
What do you say to your co-workers?
Winning the Lottery
(Reuters)-Germany’s biggest individual lottery winner had no time to celebrate after becoming $27 million richer because he was too worried about being late for work.
When the salesman, who was not identified by WestLotto, arrived on Thursday to buy his weekly lottery ticket at a shop in the industrial Ruhr area he was told last week’s 12-euro ticket that he hadn’t bothered to check had won the jackpot.
The man’s reaction left the lottery operator dumbfounded.
“After he was told he had won the jackpot, he said he didn’t have time to chat because he would get into trouble with his boss,” a lottery spokesman in the western city of Muenster said. Instead, he rushed off to catch a bus to work.
There were few details about the lucky man, a pigeon-lover in his 30s, except that he planned to trade in his rented apartment for something a little bigger in the country. It was not known if he would stay on in his job as a salesman.
Try to guess what these words mean from reading the article.
New words you will see in this article:
bother(ed)
celebrate
chat
dumbfound(ed)
euro
identify(-ied)
individual
jackpot
lottery
operation
pigeon
reaction
Other expressions
get in(to) trouble
rush off
Talking Points
- If you won the lottery, would you quit your job?
- Would you be concerned about what your boss might think?
- What would you spend the money on?
For More Practice (Role Play)
Pretend you just won the lottery.
Tell your partner the good news.
Pretend your friend just won the lottery. Ask him/her for a loan.
Ordering Food in a Restaurant
- Waiter: Welcome to the Famous Starry Night Restaurant. Here are your menus. Today’s special is our Café Au Lait. It’s free with any order of a large Supreme Pizza. I’ll be back to take your order in a minute.
|
Deserts and Breads |
|
Croissants $1.25, Bagels $1.25, Donuts $0.75 |
|
Blueberry Cheesecake $2.50, Chocolate Cheesecake $2.50 |
|
Drinks |
|
Coffee $1.25, Cola $1.00, Café Au Lait $1.75, Espresso $1.75 |
|
Sandwiches |
|
Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato $3.50, Ham and Cheese $3.25 |
|
Vegetarian $2.75 |
|
Pizza |
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Hawaiian Pizza (Small) $10.00 (Large) $15.00 |
|
Pepperoni Pizza (Small) $10.00 (Large) $15.00 |
|
Supreme Pizza (Small) $12.00 (Large) $17.00 |
- Waiter: Are you ready to order now?
Questions for Class Discussion
- What are people called that take your order and bring you food in a restaurant?
- What do you call the person who cooks the food in a small restaurant? Expensive one?
- Who washes the dishes?
- If you liked the service and the food, what do you usually do before you leave?
- What do you call the mid-day meal and the evening meal?
- A snack that is served before the main meal is called?
- What might be served along with the main meal?
- After the meal, you will be asked if you want any of this?
- What do you call an expensive restaurant? What’s a cheap one usually called?
- What is a restaurant called that allows you to take as much food as you like for one price?
