• What is 'taxi' in Spanish?
• What colour are the cars?
• Do the taxis have a meter?
• What is the minimum price for a ride?
• Are taxis cheap or expensive to use?
• Do taxi drivers Ecuador take advantage of tourists? If so, how?
• Do you think they are safe drivers, or not?
• Do you use taxis regularly, or not at all? Why?
• Is it difficult to find one? Always or only sometimes?
Greece
Well, my parents went on holiday to Crete last year. They got there very early in the morning so that the taxi ride from the airport to their hotel was in the dark. They were just beginning to doze off in the back seat when they were thrown violently to one side as the taxi swerved across the road. Suddenly wide-awake they could just make out in the weak headlights the tail of a rabbit as it zigzagged in panic. Thinking that the taxi driver was swerving to avoid the petrified animal my mother was rather taken aback when the driver turned round smacking his lips and cried 'Rabbit! I love the rabbit! My wife cook for me!'
Colombia
Before I met my boyfriend he got a job teaching in Colombia. You can imagine that he was a bit worried about it, all those horror stories about drug gangs and guns, but he was also looking forward to it. Of course his first view of Bogota was from the taxi window on the way from the airport. The taxi driver was fascinated that he had come from England and wanted to try out his English. But when he heard that his passenger came from London he threw both arms up in the air with horror: 'London! Is terrible! Is full of hooligans!'
Vietnam
A friend of mine lived in Hanoi for a few years. Taxis there were very cheap and she used them a lot. One night a taxi driver suggested he didn't put the meter on and offered a cheaper price for the journey. Too tired to argue she agreed. But just as the taxi was about to turn the final corner a man opened the door and jumped in beside her! She thought he wanted a ride so she decided to get out. But the man wouldn't let her pay and started shouting angrily at the driver. To my friend's horror he then started hitting the driver around the head. Rather frightened she got out the car and ran down the road. Only later did she find out that the taxi driver had been caught stealing from his company and they didn't want him to get away with it.
The USA
Well, imagine how my sister felt when she went off for the first time to New York for a business trip. After a few days she was still amazed at how friendly everyone was to her until she took a taxi back to her hotel one night. First she gave just the name of the hotel, but when asked she said the address too. Then she was asked how to get there but of course she hadn't a clue. Imagine how frightened she was when he started ranting and raving at her for not knowing the way. She said it was awful.
The UK
A friend of a friend was in London for a conference. He took a cab and there were no problems: the driver knew the way and was very cheerful. The problem started when he realised he had stupidly left his laptop on the back seat! He called the company up and, in a panic, went straightaway to their Lost and Found office (and missing some of the conference as a result). He was over the moon to find the laptop waiting for him, and then very surprised that it was one of 2,900 left in taxis over the past six months!
Tunisia
Well, my brother took a Mediterranean cruise one summer and had a day in Tunis. He spent most of the afternoon in the Medina buying presents when he suddenly realized he'd completely lost track of time and there was only half an hour before the ship left the port. There had been loads of yellow taxis in the centre so he wasn't too bothered until he stood on the pavement and waited for one to appear - and of course there wasn't a single one in sight! Nothing! Frantic, he questioned a passer-by who explained that the cost for the taxi ride goes up in the evening so the taxi drivers disappear until they can charge higher prices! Luckily for my brother the man then offered to give him a lift and he caught the boat in the nick of time!
2 Read the stories about taxi rides around the world as quickly as possible.
Which stories mention the following things? The first one has been done for you.
1 an animal Greece
2 an unfriendly taxi driver _________
3 guns __________
4 a fight __________
5 cost of the ride __________ __________
6 the airport __________ __________
7 a hotel __________
8 a friendly taxi driver __________
9 a laptop __________
10 a cruise __________
4a Read the stories again more slowly and answer these questions:
Greece
Why were the parents tired?
Why did the driver want the rabbit?
Colombia
Why was the boyfriend nervous about going to Colombia?
Where did the taxi driver think was more dangerous? Bogota or
London?
Vietnam
Why did the taxi driver not want to use the meter?
What did the man who got in the car do to the taxi driver?
The USA
Did the sister know the name and address of the hotel?
Did she know how to get there?
The UK
Why did the friend panic?
How many laptops are left in London taxis every year?
Tunisia
Was it easy for the brother to find a taxi?
How did he get to the port on time?
4b Which story do you like best? Why?
5 Have you ever had a similar experience? What happened?
6 Without looking can you remember the phrases missing from these sentences?
1 They were just beginning to __________ in the back seat...
2 ...my mother was rather __________ when the driver turned round...
3 The taxi driver wanted to __________ his English
4 ... he _____ both arms _____ in the air with horror
5 Only later did she __________ that the taxi driver had been caught stealing
6 ...and they didn't want him to _________________ it
a Then she was asked how to get there but of course she ______________.
b ...when he started _______________ at her for not knowing the way
c ...he went _______________ to their Lost and Found office
d He was _______________to find the laptop waiting for him
e ...when he suddenly realised he'd completely _______________
f and he caught the boat in the ______________
6 Choose two verbs from 1- 6, and two expressions from a - f , and write in "comments" your own story about a taxi ride. Write about 60 words. Start by saying 'Well, ...'
11 comments:
My experience in a taxi is that in a city that not to know with a friend we requested a taxi so that it takes us to a place that was to two streets reason why the taxi driver I smile to us
Well, one time my mother taked taxi to the hospital , but she didn’t see that taxi driver was drunk and when she wanted to get off he accelerated fast.
My mother was very terrified and she was praying, the taxi driver didn’t respect a red light and he crashed a gainst another car. The taxi driver was arrested and finally my mother could fo get off from the car.
Well, some time a go I stopped a taxi and I had a bad experience because the driver was too mad. I think that he was on the worst day of this life, I told him the address and he didn't know here is it, he asked me a reference point, and I told him that I didn't know it. He started to scream..... and finally
Well, my aunt counted me that when was in Guayaquil wanted to go to the Commercial Center, but no has devises of how to arrive, then asked how to arrive to some people, that told him that better takes a taxi, when take the taxi the taxi driver it was of another city and didn't know the address of the Commercial Center, then my aunt told to the taxi driver that was slowly, to go ask in the road, when ask a mister this takes advantage and it ascended to the taxi and steal all the belongings to the taxi driver and my aunt.
I was going to a meeting when I lost track of time. I caught a taxi in the nick of time. I was dozing in the meeting when I found out that I forgat my celular in the taxi. In this moment I got worried because I realiced I didn´t get my celular back.
TRIP TO PANAMA
When I was buying in the Center Place with my friend Sergio, we knew a taxi driver, he transfer us the art museum art, and church's city, during the travel we haven't problems, because he knew all the city. We realized a lot of buys, but when we returned at the airport, the camera wasn't in the luggage. Mi friend called to the taxi driver, because his knew the celular number of him; later the 25 minutes he arrived to the airport with our camera; and we payed $5 by his amiability. Later return very happy at beautiful Ecuador. And arrived to the Guayaquil airport.
Two years ago Elena and her husband David, ecuatorian rick of time, by take the flight that World take them, of vacation to Italy, to make many flight hours, some scales, but they over the moon, because in the airplante they were very good toke care, watching films, they listen the music, they read magazines, lost track of time. Is one change airplane the called then by loudspeakers, they fined ouf. What happened, when them information , what the suitcase of David has been opned.
badly day
Well one of those days in which all leaves to you bad,
I had to take a taxi to go to visit an aunt who lived far
then accommodates to me comfortably to doze everything straighaway,then arrives nick in time at the decided hour but find out the taxi driver tried to receive an absurd amount to me after reaching an agreement and paying to the taxi driver entrance to the house of my aunt and is that to not agreed me that meeting was delayed….
Trip to Colombia …
I went to Colombia the last year with some people, we didn’t know Cartagena. We taked a city tour and knew very important places, as we wanted to know other places, we decided visit city at night, and we returned to the hotel in a taxi. We had to pay five dollars by a small distant. The guide of tour said Cartagena’s people see the tourist as a business.
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