GLOSSARY
Quitting time – the end of the business day; time to leave work and go home
* At quitting time, they all turn off their computers, put on their jackets, and walk
To the metro station.
To signal – to do something (make a movement or turn on a light) to let other
Drivers know what you plan to do
* The car’s lights were broken so the driver had to signal where he was going by
Holding his arm out of the window.
To turn – to move right or left from one street onto another street
* Right-hand turns are not allowed here because the street is closed today.
To merge – to move your car into the flow of other, faster-moving cars
* Merging onto the freeway was one of the scariest parts of learning how to drive.
Traffic – the flow of cars; the number and speed of cars
* Today there was so much traffic that driving home took almost two hours.
Normally it’s a 40-minute drive.
Stop-and-go – traffic that moves very slowly, with lots of stopping
* Southern California is well known for its stop-and-go traffic in the morning
Hours.
To stall – a car that is not working and has stopped in the road
* Her car stalled in the middle of the street so she had to ask other people to help
Her push it to the side of the road.
Fast lane – the far left lane of a highway or freeway, where cars drive the fastest
* Grandpa always gets frustrated when he sees a slow-moving car in the fast
Lane.
To back up – to block traffic so that cars are stopped or moving very slowly for a
Certain distance behind the problem
* The accident has backed up traffic for four miles. Hopefully the police will clear
The accident soon so that cars can begin moving again.
Surface streets – roads within a city, not highways or freeways
* Driving
on surface streets is slower than driving on a freeway, but it lets you see
More interesting things.
Fridge – short for refrigerator; a kitchen machine that keeps food cold
* Do we have any eggs in the refrigerator or do I need to buy more?
Market – grocery store; a store that sells food and other household things
* Could you please buy some bread and milk at the market after work today?
Cooked – food that has already been prepared; food that can be eaten right
Away or only needs to be heated to eat
* This meat is already cooked so it won’t take long to make the sandwiches.
Checkout stand – the place where one pays for food bought at a market
* Sir, this checkout stand is only for customers who have 10 or fewer items.
Cashier – the person who takes customers’ money and gives them receipts
* That store is hiring cashiers who are friendly and are good at math.
Bagger – the person who puts a customer’s purchases into a plastic or paper
Bag
* That bagger must be new because he’s putting the milk on top of the eggs.
They’re going to break!
Cart – a large container with wheels that is used to carry food purchases in a
Market and to one’s car
* How did this bag of candy get into my shopping cart? My children must have
Put it there when I wasn’t looking.
To load up – to put purchases or other items into a car; to put a lot of things into
A space
* As soon as we load up the car with these suitcases, we’ll be ready to drive to
The airport.
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)