英语博客(A cup of English):057 What a criminal!

　　Beginners.

On the highways here in the United States you will find some signs that say, "Buckle 1 up! We love you." The message is to remind people to fasten their seat belts to stay safe. It's a good idea. Another thing that is available on the highways is free coffee. In certain areas on the long roads, there are places where you can stop to get a  free cup of coffee. This helps to keep people awake when they drive at night. It saves lives, and also money. Another good idea. Today, as I was driving my kids to school, I noticed a lot of police cars . I passed one of their cars that was flashing. This was serious. Suddenly, a policeman on the side of the road waved me over. I opened the window and he said, "Hi Ma'm, we're doing a safety belt check today." "Oh, good idea," I said. "Are all your children strapped 3 in?" he asked, looking in the car. I looked behind and saw that none of my three boys had their belts on. Oh great! My daughter did. I always strap 2 her in. On the way to school, I always tell the boys to do up their belts, but obviously today they didn't. The policeman pointed 4 out the problem. He asked me for my driver's license 5. Guess what? I had left my bag at home, so I didn't have my license either. He informed me that it is illegal to drive without the license. I actually didn't know that. Oh what a morning! The policeman was very kind, and let me go with just a small fine. The experience was a good reminder 6, and a warning.

Grammar notes.

Important vocabulary: driver's license, seat belt, buckle up, to strap in/ to do up, illegal, message, sign, warning, reminder.

Verbs: to remind, to guess, to strap in/ buckle up, to point out.

Exs: Please remind me to pay the bill tomorrow.

He guessed the answer; he didn't really know it.

Strap yourself in/ buckle up, we're going to drive on a busy street.

He pointed out that the speed limit in town is thirty miles an hour.

Advanced.

"If you don't strap yourself in, I'm not going anywhere." That is something I say regularly to my three boys when we get in the car, especially when I tell them to put their seat belts on and they don't pay attention. They look at me with impatient eyes, as if they want to say, "Mum don't nag 7 us; it's too early in the morning." Well, sometimes I don't nag enough. This morning I got into trouble with the police for three of my four kids not being strapped in. The policeman was perfectly 8 reasonable and calm, which I appreciated. If you get one in a bad mood, the situation could be more unpleasant than necessary. We live only a four minute drive from the school, so it is a temptation, I confess, to just get there quickly and to not double check the seat belt situation. Well, when I agreed with the policeman that their project was a good idea, he seemed surprised. "Most people don't respond like that. We usually get a lot of excuses." There is no point being dishonest, is there? It's all about the safety of the children, so we should comply 9. I felt quite comfortable in the situation, even though I was the one at fault. Probably I was still too tired to imagine myself behind bars, or having to pay a huge fine. I hadn't had my morning coffee yet, so my imagination was not awake enough to scare me. Anyway, I don't have to wear a stripey suit and get locked up. Just a small fine is the only punishment. Let's all stand corrected!

Grammar notes.

Verbs: to pay attention, to nag, to appreciate, to be honest/dishonest/at fault.

Exs: I wish the students would pay attention.

He says that his wife nags 10 him about his spending habits.

I appreciate all the hard work you have done.

He has to make a choice between being honest or dishonest.

When I'm at fault, I say so.