节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2012-09-10
难易度:Medium
关键字:scooter, maintenance, justify, storage
Welcome, everybody, to Studio Classroom Worldwide.
Thanks for joining us today.
My name is Steve.
This month's VIEWPOINTS lesson asks the question: Car or scooter?
Now before we go any further, I know this isn't even a question for those of you
who live in places where it may snow four or five months out of the year.
That'll be too cold and too dangerous to ride a scooter, right?
So for this lesson, let's pretend we all live in a place that never snows, OK?
OK.
Now that we've got that out of the way, let's drop in on Ann and Tom's
conversation... I'm sorry,
Tim's conversation about the pros and cons of owning a car as opposed to owning
a scooter on page 24.
(Music).
Car or Scooter?
Is owning a car worth the price?
Hey, Tim, I'm thinking about buying a car.
I know you have one, so what do you think?
Well, you already own a scooter.
Why do you want a car?
I'd like to go on some trips with my friends.
More people can fit in a car, and it's more comfortable.
True, but cars are also expensive.
You have to buy the car, and then pay for insurance, gas, maintenance and other
expenses.
I wish I still had my scooter.
It was so much cheaper!
(Music).
Hello, friends.
Thank you so much for joining us right here in the studio.
My name is Kaylah.
My name is Ryan.
And friends, today we are asking the old question: Which is better, cars or
scooters?
Which is better, a car or a scooter?
Now we know a car means a vehicle with four wheels.
Now Ryan, what is a scooter?
All right.
A "scooter" is like a motorcycle.
It looks like a bicycle, and it has two wheels.
But it has an engine.
So it's not as big as a motorcycle, Kaylah, but it's also bigger than a bicycle.
OK. Can you explain then what is the difference between a scooter and a
motorcycle?
Friends, today we are talking about scooters that run with gasoline.
And you can see a picture of the kind of scooter we're talking about on page 24
in your magazine.
But Ryan, sometimes people refer to this as a motorcycle.
What makes the difference?
OK, friends. Take a look at that picture on page 24 and you'll notice that that
scooter has room for your legs.
Motorcycles do not have that design.
And most motorcycles are bigger and faster.
That's right.
On a motorcycle, your legs go on both sides of the seat.
In a scooter, your legs sit in front of you as the driver.
So that's what separates the two.
OK. Now in Taiwan especially, scooters are very popular.
And they are popular in many places, especially in Asia.
So now we need to decide is it actually better to have a scooter or a car?
Well, one of our big questions we're asking is owning a car worth the price.
Which means is it really important to have a car and have to pay that much money
for it because scooters are a lot cheaper to own.
OK. So just like all of our VIEWPOINT articles, friends, we are taking a look at
a conversation, this time between Ann and Tim.
OK. Well, let's get started and start off our conversation with:
Hey, Tim, I'm thinking about buying a car.
I know you have one, so what do you think?
All right.
So here Ann knows Tim has a car already, and she's asking him for some advice.
She would like to buy one for herself.
Tim says: Well, you know... well, you already own a scooter. Why do you want a
car?
This is a good question.
Why would people own two vehicles?
I understand if you're two people having two different kinds of cars to drive so
you both can go at the same time.
But if you're one person, do you really need both a car and a scooter?
That's a great question.
I do know some people who do have both, and you might use them for different
things.
But do you really need to have both?
That is a great question.
That's right.
Sometimes you might want both, or maybe think you'll use both.
But also, do you... really need it is the good question here.
OK. Well, Tim asks why, and Ann says because "I'd like to go on some trips with
my friends." Now Kaylah,
I've been on what are called road trips, or trips in a car, especially with my
friends, those are a lot fun.
Road trips can be of lot of fun.
And it's hard to travel with many people in scooters.
You can only really put two on a scooter safely.
So a car can go further distances at a faster pace with more people.
So having a car for trips would be better.
She says more people can fit in a car, and it's more comfortable.
And that's true.
It is more comfortable.
I have had passengers on the back of my scooter that I own complained that it's
not as comfortable.
And so a car will have more room, and they can relax more.
That's right, so more people and more comfortable.
So it makes sense if she wants to do these kinds of trips.
Tim understands.
He says: True, but, you know, cars are also expensive. They cost a lot of money.
OK. So cars might be comfortable, you might enjoy riding in them.
They might feel nice, but they're expensive.
They cost a lot of money, and often more money than a scooter.
That's right.
He says you have to buy the car, and then pay for the gas, the insurance and
maintenance and other expenses.
So he is showing us that even we might think: Well, it's just a one-time
payment; you buy the car, you're done.
That's not actually the case.
There are different things you need to pay for.
OK. Of course you have to pay for gas, we know this.
But Kaylah, what is insurance?
Well, insurance is something that you get to make sure it stays in good shape.
So you pay someone else money so if you have an accident that the money is there
for you if you need it.
It helps you when you're in a tough situation.
And usually you make a monthly payment on it.
OK. So insurance is something that you pay for in small amounts, and they will
help pay for you if you have an accident or something like that.
Now you also need to pay for maintenance.
Now "maintenance" refers to the work that is needed to keep something in a good
and working condition.
So you need to maintain your car.
We have to maintain all of the things that we own.
So if you have a computer, you need to maintain it by keeping it clean, getting
it checked and making sure that you don't get bugs on your computer.
Now if you maintain a car, that means you need to take care of it.
OK, exactly.
And so here there are many expenses whether you own a scooter or a car, but
owning a car has more expenses.
Expenses is what you have to pay for it.
Now he says: I wish I still had my scooter.
It was so much cheaper!
So even though he has a car, he thinks that a scooter could be a better option
because of... the price.
OK. Now friends, we're going to learn a lot more.
But right now, take a look at this interview.
For me, the choice between a scooter and a car is very easy.
I prefer a scooter.
The scooter is easier to get around town.
You can move in and out of traffic.
Besides, it's easier to park, and I can take my entire family with me wherever I
go.
On the other hand, a car as certain benefits.
Because of the rain in Taipei and things like that, you can stay inside.
Or if you have air conditioning or when you have air conditioning,
it's a lot easier to... to be comfortable in the car during the summertime, and
a heater during the wintertime.
But most of all, the important factor for us is moving around easily, getting to
where we need to go quickly.
And a scooter provides the best opportunity for that.
Well, I've always wanted to get a car.
But there are still certain reasons for me to be considerating still.
For example, the first is the parking space.
Well, it's so hard to find parking spaces in big cities, you know.
And the second is the traffic.
There are always traffic jams when I'm getting to... getting to work and get off
work, of course.
And the third is the expense.
Well, recently the gas price has been gone up a lot.
And many people who are driving... driving cars, they park their cars at home
and take the public transportations.
So now I think the wisest choice for me is to stay with myscooter.