تساعدكم على التحدث والفهم والتواصل في أستراليا عبر حلقاتها المتعددة والتي يمكن متابعتها عبر هذا
هذا الدرس مفيد للمتعلمين من المستوى فوق المتوسط إلى المتقدم. بعد الاستماع للحلقة، جربوا معلوماتكم في هذا السريع.
هدف الدرس:
تعلم عبارات مفيدة عندما نحصل على سيارة مستأجرة ونعيدها.
جمل مفيدة عند استئجار سيارة:
I booked online and I’m here to pick up my rental.
I am the sole driver of the car.
I want to opt-in/opt-out of paying extra to reduce my excess.
I’d better hit the road to beat rush hour!
جمل مفيدة عند إرجاع سيارة مستأجرة:
There are no signs of damage on the car.
The car looks the same as in the inspection report.
Everything’s in one piece.
I filled up the tank at the servo.
تعبيرات عامية:
to have itchy feet
أن تكون لديك رغبة في السفر أو في فعل شيء جديد
rental
نسخة مختصرة من rental car
to be good to go
أن تكون مستعدا لفعل شيء
to hit the road
أن تنطلق في رحلة
rush hour
هي نسخة مختصرة من rush hour traffi وهو مصطلح يطلق على فترة الازدحام المروري والتي عادة ما تكون في نهاية يوم العمل
to be in one piece
أن يكون شخصا أو شيئا معافا وسالما
a backseat driver
راكب يعطي توجيهات للسائق لا يريدها ولا يحتاجها. ويمكن أن تعني أيضًا شخصًا متحمسًا لتقديم المشورة بشأن شيء لا يفعله بنفسه بالفعل وليس مسؤولاً عنه.
off the beaten track
مكان لا يحظى بكثير من الزوار
sweet
جميل
مصطلحات:
SUV
سيارة رياضية
Excess
نسخة مختصرة من "excess insurance". يغطي هذا النوع من التأمين المبلغ الذي يتعين عليك دفعه في حالة تلف السيارة المستأجرة أو سرقتها.
Opt-in / Opt-out
هذان تعبيران متناقضان يعنيان اختيار القيام بشيء ما أو قبوله أو إلغاء الاشتراك وعدم القيام بشيء ما أو قبوله.
Servo
نسخة مختصرة من مصطلح service station الذي يشير إلى المكان الذي تقوم فيه بملأ السيارة بالوقود
Inspection report
تقرير يتضمن أي ضرر لحق بالمركبة من الداخل أو الخارج، وكمية الوقود الموجودة بها وعدد الكيلومترات إذا قطعت قبل تسليمها إلى العميل.
معلومات ثقافية:
هناك أكثر من 350 قاعدة لاستخدام الطرق في أستراليا والتي من الضروري أن يعرفها السائقون وراكبو الدراجات والمشاة وغيرهم.
بعض القواعد هي نفسها في جميع أنحاء أستراليا لكن البعض الآخر يختلف في كل ولاية وإقليم وبعضها غير متوقع / غير معتاد.
النص الكامل للمحادثة:
Hi! You are listening to the SBS Learn English podcast, where we help Australians to speak, understand and connect through English.
My name is Josipa, and like you, I'm learning the English language.
And this week we are going to practice some useful phrases you can use when picking up and dropping off a rental. By the way, dropping off a rental means returning the rented car.
Australia is a beautiful country with different landscapes to explore, and I often get itchy feet.
We say that someone gets itchy feet when they feel the need to travel or do something new.
If, like me, you rent a car when you want to explore, you might find the following conversation very useful.
Today, Allan is working as a receptionist at the car rental, and Maryanne is his customer.
Maryanne:
Hi! I booked online and I’m here to pick up my rental. Here is my credit card and driver’s license.
Allan:
Hello! Thanks. Ah, yes, I see your booking. Can I please confirm that you will be the sole driver? Will there be anyone under 25 driving this vehicle?
Maryanne:
Yes, I’ll be the only one driving and I’m way past 25. My friend will be with me on the road trip, but she doesn’t drive.
Allan:
Okay, I’ve noted that down. Would you like to pay extra to reduce your excess?
Maryanne:
Hmmm, I don’t think so. I think it’s unlikely I’ll have an accident so I’ll opt-out this time.
Allan:
I think I have everything I need from you. You should be good to go.
Maryanne:
I better hit the road to beat rush hour!
Let’s take a closer look at what they said. First, we have Maryanne,
I booked online and I’m here to pick up my rental.
Here, ‘rental’ refers to a rental car.
‘Rental’ can also refer to anything that is rented, such as a house or a piece of equipment. For example, someone renting a house can say, ‘This isn’t my house. It’s a rental.’
Allan then said,
Can I please confirm that you will be the sole driver? Will there be anyone under 25 driving this vehicle?
Allan confirms with Maryanne if she is the sole driver, or the only driver, of the rental. He also asks about the age of any other drivers.
The reason why Allan is confirming whether there are other drivers and if they are under 25 is because car rental companies will typically add on a daily surcharge, or extra fee, if anyone driving the car is younger than 25 years old.
Allan then asked Maryanne,
Would you like to pay extra to reduce your excess?
The excess is the amount you need to pay the rental company if your hire car becomes damaged or stolen.
Choosing to pay for this excess insurance means that if you have an accident, you won’t need to pay so much to repair the damage, but this extra cost means that renting your vehicle is more expensive.
Maryanne then said,
I think it’s unlikely I’ll have an accident so I’ll opt-out this time.
To opt-out means to choose not to participate in something, while to opt-in means the opposite.
You can say you are opting out of something or in to something that someone is inviting you to do.
Allan then said,
You should be good to go.
Being ‘good to go’ means that a person or even a thing is ready, usually ready to go. For example, ‘My bags are packed. I’m good to go.’ Or, ‘I’ve looked over this report at least five times. This should be good to go.’
At the end we heard Maryanne,
Thanks! I’d better hit the road to beat rush hour!
To ‘hit the road’ means to start a journey. For example, ‘It’s getting late. I must hit the road!’
‘Rush hour’ is short for ‘rush hour traffic’. This occurs when a lot of cars are on the road, typically before the beginning or end of a workday. To beat the rush hour means to avoid it.
Let’s now turn our attention to words and phrases that are useful when you return a rental car.
Maryanne had a wonderful time on her road trip, and she is returning or dropping off her rental.
Maryanne:
Hi! I’m here to return my rental. Don’t worry - everything’s in one piece and I filled up the tank at the servo.
Allan:
Great! Let’s take a look at the vehicle. From what I can see, there are no signs of damage on the car. It looks the same as on the inspection report. Did you go to anywhere off the beaten track?
Maryanne:
We did! My friend was such a backseat driver that we got lost! We had so much fun though.
Allan:
Sweet! I’m glad you enjoyed your trip.
Let’s take a closer look at what Allan and Maryanne said.
First we heard Maryanne,
I’m here to return my rental. Don’t worry - everything’s in one piece and I filled up the tank at the servo.
When Maryanne returns the rental car, she tells Allan that everything is in one piece. The phrase ‘in one piece’ means that the car is not damaged.
We can use the phrase ‘in one piece’ to describe a person or a thing, especially after a stressful or dangerous situation. For example, ‘I got into an accident last week, but thank goodness, I’m all in one piece!’ Or, ‘The storm hit our town, but our house is still in one piece.’
Maryanne also said that she filled up the tank at the servo. Servo is short for ‘service station’, where we can buy petrol or gas to fill our cars. In Australia we usually use the word 'petrol', whereas in America it is more common for people to say 'gas'.
A rental car agreement will often say that you have to return the car with a full tank of petrol.
Allan then said,
From what I can see, there are no signs of damage on the car. It looks the same as on the inspection report.
When you return a rental, the company checks for any signs of damage.
The inspection report includes a note of any damage to the inside or the outside of the vehicle, how much fuel it has and how many kilometres if has travelled before it is handed over to a customer.
This is an important document because the company uses it when they check on damage to the car when you return it. If there is any damage on the car that is not in the report, you might have to pay to have it fixed.
Did you go to anywhere off the beaten track?
A place that is ‘off the beaten track is somewhere that does not get many visitors. Hidden caves, deserted islands and tracks deep in the forest are examples of places that we can say are off the beaten track.
Maryanne then said,
My friend was such a backseat driver that we got lost!
While ‘backseat driver’ often refers to a passenger who gives a direction that the driver doesn’t want or need, we can also use it more generally to mean someone who is enthusiastic about giving advice about something they are not actually doing themselves and are not responsible for.
For example, you can also say, ‘She's such a backseat driver. She knows nothing about cooking, but she keeps on giving instructions’
At the end Allan said,
Sweet! I’m glad you enjoyed your trip.
‘Sweet!’ means ‘Great’ or ‘Awesome!’ It can be used on its own as an expression, or to describe something wonderful. For example, ‘We got a sweet deal on this rental.’
My guest today is my friend Chris. Chris, why do you love road trips so much?
Chris:
Ha ha, what’s there not to love? Blue sky, nice music, you live in the moment, always curious and open for new opportunities, exploring new communities, yeah, I love road trips.
Josipa:
I don’t have much experience on Australian roads. Can you tell me - what should be careful about if I’m traveling in different states?
Chris:
Well, the first thing to know is that each state any territory has their own set of road rules and some are quite unusual. So, the first thing is to find out is what rules apply to the places you are visiting.
Josipa:
You mentioned unusual rules. Can you give some examples?
Chris:
For example, in New South Wales, you could get a fine if you splash mud on people waiting at bus queues. If you splash water on them, then you’re ok, but if there is mud in it, you could, in theory, get fined.
Josipa:
Any other rule that no one knows about?
Chris:
Well, in Western Australia, a driver or passenger is not allowed to open or drink alcohol while inside a car – even if it is parked, if it is on a public street. The fine can range anywhere between $200 to $2000.
Josipa:
Oh wow! That hurts! That’s even more than the cost of petrol at the servo nowadays! What about Victoria?
Chris:
Melbourne has a particular rule called hook turns. The purpose of this kind of turn is to keep the centre of the road free for trams so they can move more easily. So basically, when you are driving in the city centre where there are trams, you need to use the left lane to turn right wherever you see the hook turn sign. Honestly, it sounds more complicated than it is.
Josipa:
That’s good to know for my trip to Melbourne next month. What about you, Chris – any plans for a road trip soon?
Chris:
Definitely! We’re hitting the road as soon as the school holidays start. We’ll probably head off to Tasmania, perhaps somewhere off the beaten track.
Josipa:
Sweet! I can’t wait for all your stories then.
يمكنكم أيضًا مشاهدة أخبار في أي وقت على. SBS On Demand
