Fale inglês como um Americano - 3. My car broke down on me!

Berny:	What´s with Jim? He should be there half an hour ago.
Doug:	You know, Jim. He´s not always on time for appointments.
Berny:	I know, but we agreed to meet at 9 am and it´s almost 9:30 now. He´s never been this late. Let´s give him a call and check what´s going on. Do you have his cell phone number?
Doug:	I do. Let me check my cell phone agenda. Here it is. It´s 749-0382.
Berny:	749-0382. Hello, Jim?
Jim:	Berny?Hi. I was just about to call you guys. Listen, my car broke down on me. It just won´t start. Do you thing you or Doug could come pick me up?
Berny:	Ah, yeah, I guess. Where are you now, exactly?
Jim:	Right in front of Walmart on Jackson Avenue. About four blocks from your place. Ah, listen, the town truck has just arrived. I´ll have him tow my car to Joe´s garage. I´ve already called him. He´s expecting it.
Berny:	Don´t you think we´d better just call off your plans for the day?
Jim:	No, it´s okay. There´s nothing  I can do about the car now. Besides it will be in good hands, Joe is a great mechanic. I´m sure he can figure out what´s wrong and fix it.
Berny:	All right, Jim. We´ll be there in a few minutes.
Jim:	Thanks, Berny! And Berny!
Berny:	Yes, Jim?
Jim:	I´m really sorry I´m late.
Berny:	Forget it. Talk to you later.
Jim:	Thanks again, Berny. I appreciate it!
Berny:	You´re welcome. See you in a while. Bye.
Jim:	Bye
	(Berny hangs up the phone)
Berny:	Talking to Doug) Jim´s car broke down on him. We´re picking him up on Jackson Ave.
Doug:	Sure. Let´s take my car. It´s parked out front.
	Berny and Doug arrive at Jackson Avenue…
Jim:	Hey, Guys! Am I glad to see you! Thanks!
Berny:	It´s Okay Jim, you´d do the same for us if we were in your shoes. Are you all set?
Jim:	Yeah, sure. The tow truck is on it´s way to Joe´s garage. I guess I can go.
Berny:	Great! We can give you a ride home on your way back.
Jim:	Thanks guys. I could surely use a ride today. DIALOGUE COMPREHENSION: Check if the sentence below are true or false: 1.       Jim is usually on time for appointments.             (     ) True     (     ) False 2.       Doug calls Jim to find out what´s happening.     (     ) True     (     ) False 3.       Jim thinks it´s a good idea to cancel their plans for the day.         (     ) True     (     ) False 4.       Berny gets furious when he finds out the reason Jim is late        (     ) True     (     ) False 5.       Jim sounds very upset that his car broke down on him.                                (     ) True     (     ) False LANGUAGE CHECK: Find words or expressions in the dialogue with the following similar meanings: a.       If we were in your situation: b.      Repair it: c.       Cancel our plans: d.      Come get by car: e.      A truck with winches used tow away broken down vehicles: f.        What´s going on: g.       Are you ready? h.      Find or  understand what´s wrong? i.         Phone someone: j.        Stopped working or functioning: CONVERSATION: 1.       Are you usually on time for appointment? 2.       Has anyone ever stood you up? 3.       How do you usually feel when someone shows up late for an appointment they have arranged with you? 4.       Has your car ever broken down on you? 5.       Have you ever had to call a tow-truck? What happened? LANGUAGE PRACTICE Choose the alternative that best explain the meaning of the words in bold in the sentence below: 1.       “So, is everything ready for the presentation?” the director asked Mike. a.       all wet                         b. all set               c. all flat               d. already 2.       Did you find the solution to the problem? a.       Find out      b. fill out              c. check out       d. figure out 3.       Our director had to cancel the sales meeting because of a family emergency. a.       postpone   b. cross out        c. call off              d. put off 4.       I´ll give you a call later. I´m kind of busy right now. a.       E-mail you                 b. phone you                    c. hang up on you           d. wait for your call 5.       I took a look outside to check what was going on  as I had heard some strange noise  a.       What was falling     b. who was shouting     c. what was happening                  d. who was ringing the bell 6.       “We are behind schedule because one of your machines stopped working this morning,” said the factory manager. a. Broke down                 b. broke up        c. broke apart                   d. broke out ANSWER: Dialogue Comprehension:  1. False          2. False                3. False                4. False                5. False Language Check:             a. if we were in your shoes         b. fix it                   c. call off our plans           d. come pick me up                 e. tow-truck                       f. what´s going on                          g. are you all set?             h.  figure out what´s wrong        i. give someone a call     j. broke down Language Practice:          1b           2d           3c           4b           5c           6a