Daily English 16 - Driving on the Freeways

Complete Lesson

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Dialogue/Story

Slow Speed begins at: 0:50
Explanation begins at: 3:42
Normal Speed begins at: 17:10

Driving in a big city like L.A. can be very difficult. It sometimes feels like I'm doing battle just to get to the grocery store. What is it about getting behind the wheel that brings out people's aggressive side? The most mild-mannered driver becomes crazy when they get on the road.

In L.A., people rely on the freeway to commute to their jobs or just to get around town. I think driving on the freeway has its good and its bad. On the one hand, there are no stoplights and the speed limit is over 55 miles per hour so you can get somewhere quickly. On the other hand, there are drawbacks, too. People like to gun their engines and cut off other cars to get ahead. If you’re driving in the passing lane, for example, you’d better be driving very fast, since most people are speeding. With all of these speeding cars, it’s not unusual to see a pileup every day of the week!

As an alternate to the freeway, I sometimes take surface streets. Of course, surface streets have their drawbacks, too. If you have a long commute to work or school, it can take you a long time to get there. There are a lot of stop signs, stoplights, and crosswalks. And, people sometimes tailgate if they think you're not going fast enough. Now that I think about it, there's sometimes even more congestion on surface streets than on the freeways!

It’s tough living in L.A. unless you never leave your house!

Category: Transportation