On your way to New York, your car breaks down on a busy U.S. freeway. You pull off to the side of the road, lift up your hood and put on your emergency flashing lights. A patrol car pulls up alongside you.
A: Hello, officer. Can you please help me? My car has just broken down.
B: Do you know what's wrong with it?
A: There seems to be something wrong with the fuel line.
B: I can call for a tow truck if you'd like.
A: I have a Canadian Automobile Association membership card. Would you please call the American Automobile Association to tow me?
B: I'll do that. Here are some safety flares to put in front and behind your car. I'll radio for help now.
A: Thank you.
在往紐約途中,你的汽車在一繁忙的美國高速公路上拋錨。你把車停在路旁,揭起車頭蓋,並開了壞車閃燈訊號。一輛巡邏車來停在你旁邊。
甲: 哈囉,警官。請你幫我好嗎?我的車剛拋錨。
乙: 你知不知道車有什麼壞了嗎?
甲: 好像油管有點不妥。
乙: 如果你想的話,我可以替你召一輛拖車來。
甲: 我有加拿大汽車協會的會員證。請你替我電召美國汽車協會來拖我的車,好嗎?
乙: 我會做的了。這裏有幾個安全閃燈給你放在車前和車後。我現在就用無線電尋求協助。
甲: 謝謝。
Language Notes 語文註解
(1) Emergency——緊急事故。
(2) Freeway——高速公路。
(3) Officer——警員。
(4) Break down——此處解拋錨。
(5) Fuel line——汽油管。
(6) Tow Truck——拖車。
(7) Canadian Automobile Association——簡稱CAA,加拿大汽車協會提供拖車及其他有關服務。CAA的會員證在美國亦可通用。
(8) Membership card——會員證。
(9) Tow me——幫我把車拖走。
(10) Safety flares——發出強光警告訊號的電筒。
(11) Radio——這裏作動詞(Verb),解用無線電傳訊。
本欄內容取材自 Survival English for New Canadians 新移民英語,《星島日報》唐人街辦事處有售。