Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. arrest
    • ex. The police arrested Jenna because she stole someone’s phone.
  2. under the influence
    • ex. Andy had an accident because he was driving under the influence.
  3. a fine
    • ex. Kevin had to pay a fine because he returned a library book late.
  4. a bicycle lane
    • ex. Riding a bicycle on the road was scary until the town made a bicycle lane.
  5. an injury
    • ex. Anna can’t play soccer today because of her injury.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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Over one weekend, the police arrested 24 people in Copenhagen, Denmark, for driving electric scooters under the influence. The police gave them a fine of 2,000 Danish kroner (around ¥23,500), the usual punishment for drunk driving.

Because they’re convenient and cheap, electric scooters are now popular in several European cities. Electric scooters are allowed in bicycle lanes, and even 15-year-olds can drive them. Electric scooters can also be rented using an app. In Denmark, it costs only 10 kroner (around ¥160) to unlock them and 2 kroner (around ¥30) per minute to ride them.

However, electric scooters can also be dangerous. Recently, the number of injuries caused by electric scooters has been increasing. Electric scooters currently cause about two injuries per day in Copenhagen, and the local government is worried about even more injuries in the future.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Drunk Driving

  • Do you think that the police should arrest drunk drivers? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Do you think it’s okay to have one alcoholic drink and then drive? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Do you think alcohol companies should also be punished for accidents caused by drunk drivers? Why or why not? Discuss.

Fines

  • Do you think that fines are the best way to punish people for crimes? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Do you think that fines should be percentages of your salary, not set numbers (ex. 5% of your salary vs. $250)? Why? Discuss.
  • How much time should people have to pay fines (ex. one week, one month)? Why? Discuss.