A lesson

A lesson

Joe was finally eighteen! He was looking forward to that day for one reason: he was an adult now so he could make his biggest dream come true. He dreamt to be able to drive a car although he realized that in order to get a driving licence and be a driver, you must first enrol on a driving course which is a long-lasting sequence of lectures as well as hours of practice. It is never easy for most candidates who often fail their driving tests but Joe was ready to overcome all the obstacles if those ever emerged. He realized he had to work hard to achieve his goal but it didn’t bother him at all – he was so determined, so motivated and so self-confident. He didn’t miss any lecture at all. What’s more, he was always active and well prepared, which he was always praised for. He was so proud to get home with plenty of new knowledge concerning the rules of driving and the right behaviour of a responsible driver. Finally the day of Joe’s exam came. He was so excited and absolutely certain that in a few hours he would eventually be a driver! He was looking forward to taking the exam! Excellent! He passed the theoretical part of the exam with flying colours! Now it was time for far more difficult one – practical part! But Joe wasn’t frightened at all as he knew he could drive perfectly! He was waiting impatiently in a big ward with many other candidates when he finally heard his name. He raised his head to see a hostile-looking old man who turned out to be Joe’s examiner. The teenager flinched but quickly realized how well he was prepared so he ignored the man’s harsh appearance and obediently followed the examiner in the direction of the car. Before he got into the vehicle he took a deep breath and after a while he was inside (and so was the examiner who took a seat next to Joe). He remembered to fasten the seatbelts and to make sure the car had no technical problems. He could then start the engine. Having done this, he pressed the clutch gently, put the car into first gear and off he went. He could experience this unforgettable feeling of independence by pressing the accelerator to speed up (but never exceeding the speed limit obviously)! He felt uncontrollable freedom deriving plenty of pleasure from driving! They were driving a long way when Joe suddenly pulled over. “Hey, what on earth are you doing, young man?! Do you want to fail the exam?! Is this what you want?! The car hasn’t run out of petrol yet! Keep driving!” – the examiner yelled. But Joe failed to listen to the furious man’s words, instead, he quickly jumped out of the car and headed in the direction of a man who was lying in a ditch. “Hey, he must be drunk, let him stay there until he sobers up!” – the examiner continued. But ignoring the man’s orders, Joe couldn’t just be indifferent to what he saw and rushed to check what was going on. The man wasn’t drunk at all, Joe decided to check his pulse. The victim was unconscious, but he was breathing so Joe quickly put him in the recovery position to prevent him from choking. As the man’s arm was bleeding, Joe quickly ran to the car to bring the first-aid kit and took out some bandage to dress the wound. He knew he had to act quickly because otherwise the case could even be fatal. He immediately reached for his own mobile phone to call the ambulance, which appeared on the spot approximately ten minutes later. “I’m impressed with what you’ve done, young man! If it hadn’t been for your help, the man would have surely died! Well done!” – said one of the rescue workers and shook Joe’s hand appreciating his great act of bravery.

Unfortunately, Joe didn’t manage to finish his exam so he failed it. But he never regretted his deed. Instead of getting a lesson he actually gave one – to his examiner, a real lesson of humanity…

Zadanie: Zdecyduj, czy poniższe zdania są prawdziwe (True), czy fałszywe (False).

1. Joe's dream was to become a driver. (Joe marzył, żeby być kierowcą.)
2. According to Joe, it's easy to get a driving licence. (Joe uważa, że łatwo zdać egzamin na prawo jazdy.)
3. Joe was coming to all lectures. (Joe przychodził na każde zajęcia, każdy wykład.)
4. Joe was afraid he might not pass the exam. (Joe bał się, że może nie zdać egzaminu).

5. At first Joe got scared when he saw the examiner. (Na początku Joe przestraszył się kiedy zobaczył egzaminatora.)
6. Joe pulled over because the car started having some technical problems. (Joe zjechał na pobocze, bo samochód miał problemy techniczne.)
7. The examiner was angry when Joe stopped the car. (Egzaminator był wściekły, kiedy Joe zatrzymał samochód.)
8. The man lying in the ditch was drunk. (Mężczyzna leżący w rowie był pijany.)
9. Joe didn't pass the exam. (Joe nie zdał egzaminu)
10. Joe was proud of himself in the end. (Ostatecznie Joe był z siebie bardzo dumny.)

I'm looking forward to +ing... - nie mogę się doczekać...

I realized - zdałem sobie sprawę, że...
reason - powód

In order to + 1f. – żeby…

Enrol on a course – zapisać się na kurs (join a course)

He didn’t miss any lecture at all – nie opuścił żadnego wykładu

Overcome the obstacles – pokonać przeszkody (trudności)

Emerge – wyłonić się, pojawić się
bother - martwić

Praise sb for +ing – chwalić kogoś za…

Behavior – zachowanie

Concerning – dotyczący

Knowledge - wiedza

Pass an exam with flying colours – zdać egzamin wyśmienicie

Hostile-looking – o wrogim spojrzeniu, wrogo wyglądający

Flinch – wzdrygnąć się

Ward – sala

Vehicle - pojazd

Take a deep breath – wziąć głęboki oddech                      breathe - oddychać

Obediently – posłusznie

Fasten the seatbelts – zapiąć pasy

Start the engine – uruchomić (odpalić) silnik

he pressed the clutch gently – nacisnął sprzęgło

and off he went – I pojechał

he put the car into first gear – wrzucił pierwszy bieg

accelerator – gaz (pedał gazu)

speed up – przespieszyć

derive pleasure from +ing – czerpać przyjemność z…

he pulled over – zjechał na pobocze

unconscious – nieprzytomny

victim – ofiara (wypadku)

the car has run out of petrol – zabrakło nam benzyny

ditch – rów

what on earth are you doing?! (What the hell are you doing?!)- co do licha robisz/wyprawiasz?!

sober up – wytrzeźwieć

drunk – pijany

indifferent to – obojętny na

he rushed to check what was going on – pospieszył (pobiegł) sprawdzić co się dzieje

He put him in the recovery position – ułożył go w pozycji bezpiecznej

Prevent from choking – zapobiec uduszeniu       choke – dusić się, dławić się

act quickly – działać szybko

first-aid kit – apteczka pierwszej pomocy

dress a wound – opatrzeć ranę                  bleed - krwawić

the case might be fatal – ten przypadek moze być śmiertelny

otherwise – w przeciwnym razie

on the spot – na miejscu

approximately = roughly – w przybliżeniu, około

If it hadn’t been for your help = but for your help = but for you – gdyby nie twoja pomoc, gdyby nie ty, …

exceed the speed limit – przekraczać dozwoloną prędkość

appreciate – doceniać 

deed – czyn

immediately – natychmiast

I’m impressed (with what you’ve done) – jestem pod wrażeniem (tego, co zrobiłeś)