Learning to drive

Learning to drive
Callum: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English, I'm Callum Robertson and with me
today is Kate, hello Kate.
Kate: Hello Callum.
Callum: Now if I say to you the three words "mirror, signal, manoeuvre¹（策略）", what goes
through your mind?
Kate: Oh that takes me back to my driving lesson days. Those are the three words
that my driving instructor² made me learn off by heart.
Callum: Yes, those three words should be well known to everybody who learnt to drive,
certainly in this country, in English – "mirror, signal, manoeuvre" – the three
things you need to remember all the time when you're driving. They are
something that every driver is trained in. And learning to drive is the subject of
this week's programme and we start with a question about travelling in cars.
Not everyone enjoys it, in fact some people have a phobia of travelling in
vehicles. What is this phobia called, Kate? Is it …
a: autophobia
b: amaxophobia
c: carnophobia
Kate: Oh well I've never heard of this kind of phobia so I'm going to guess. I'm going
to guess it's a: autophobia.
Callum: O.K. We'll find out if you're right later on.
So Kate, were you keen to learn to drive, do you enjoy driving?
Kate: I love driving, yes, I wish I had more opportunity to drive. Because I live in
central London I don't have a car, I don't really need one but I love going on
holiday and driving around the Highlands of Scotland or around the
countryside.
Callum: Driving, it's great, I love it. But apparently³ not everywhere in the world is as
keen on driving. In Japan driving schools are having a big problem recruiting⁵
new learners and many are having to close. Roland Beurk reports for the BBC
from Japan and he comments on the situation. What does he say has happened
to competition between schools and why does he say the problem has come
about?
Roland Beurk
Competition has become cutthroat. Japan's low birth-rate means there are just not as many
young people as before and those there are seem to have lost interest in cars.
Callum: So what does Roland Beurk say has happened to competition?
Kate: Well he says the competition（竞赛,比赛） has become cutthroat, that businesses will do
almost anything to attract customers.
Callum: And why does he say the problem has come about?
Kate: Well he says it's mainly due to low birth rate that there just aren't enough
young people around and those who are around, just aren't interested in cars.
Callum: I can understand that because I lived in Japan for a while and public transport
there is so efficient and the difficulty of owning and parking a car so great that
perhaps it's not surprising that, you know, learning to drive is not as big a thing
in Japan as it was for me when I was a teenager. Because I remember taking
my driving test was one of the first steps to independence, meaning I didn't
always have to rely on my parents to take me places.
So what are the driving schools in Japan doing to recruit⁴ students? Aki
Takahashi is from the Musashi Sakai company and through translation she
explains what her school is doing. What approach are they taking?
Aki Takahashi (translated)
In comparison to(与...对比) the peak in 1989 the number of students has dropped by more than half. The
number of people who are going for driving licences has slumped⁶. We've had to make a big
change. We've turned our organisation⁷ from just teaching people to drive to being more
service-orientated.
Callum: So Kate, what approach are they taking?
Kate: Well, she talked about being more service-orientated. So students are not just
learners, but customers as well who would be getting more than just driving
lessons.
Callum: And what kind of things might they be getting? We'll hear the end of that
recording⁸ again and this time let it continue to hear the BBC's Roland Beurk
describing one kind of service that will be available to learners
Aki Takahashi (translated)
We've turned our organisation from just teaching people to drive to being more serviceorientated.
Roland Beurk
Offering a session at a beauty salon⁹ and massage¹⁰ to help learners wind down after trying to
remember "mirror, signal, manoeuvre" is how the Musashi Sakai school is hoping to get more
customers.
Callum: So what are they offering students?
Kate: Well according to the report a session at a beauty salon and a massage to help
students 'wind down' – which means to help them relax after their lesson. I
wish I'd been offered that when I was having my lessons.
Callum: Yes, I don't think it would have made me any more likely to take the lessons
but it certainly would've been nice to have a bit of a massage after a stressful
driving lesson.
Kate: Absolutely
Callum: Let's listen again
Roland Beurk
Offering a session at a beauty salon and massage to help learners wind down after trying to
remember "mirror, signal, manoeuvre" is how the Musashi Sakai school is hoping to get more
customers.
Callum: Roland Beurk there, reporting from Japan. Well that's just about all we have
time for today. Before we go though, the answer to this week's question, which
was: - some people have a phobia of travelling in vehicles, what is this phobia
called?
Kate, you said …?
Kate: I think I said a: autophobia
Callum: You said a: autophobia and unfortunately you're not right. The correct answer
was actually b: amaxophobia.
Kate: Oh right, at least I've learnt something today.
Callum: Yes, me too. I didn't know that either. To be honest, it's not a word I use every
day. Well time for us to drive off now but do join us again next time for
another 6 Minute English. Goodbye.
Kate: Bye bye.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)
 

1 manoeuvre   

n.策略，调动；v.用策略，调动

参考例句：

• Her withdrawal from the contest was a tactical manoeuvre.她退出比赛是一个战术策略。
• The clutter of ships had little room to manoeuvre.船只橫七竖八地挤在一起，几乎没有多少移动的空间。

2 instructor   

n.指导者，教员，教练

参考例句：

• The college jumped him from instructor to full professor.大学突然把他从讲师提升为正教授。
• The skiing instructor was a tall,sunburnt man.滑雪教练是一个高高个子晒得黑黑的男子。

3 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

4 recruit   

n.招聘，新兵，新成员；v.恢复，补充，招募

参考例句：

• The country's first act would be to recruit for the navy.国家的第一个行动是为海军征募新兵。
• This is a nationwide campaign to recruit women into trade unions.这是一次吸收妇女参加工会的全国性运动。

5 recruiting   

招聘( recruit的现在分词 )； 吸收某人为新成员； 动员…（提供帮助）； 雇用

参考例句：

• We are recruiting a sales manager with responsibility for the European market. 我们正在招聘负责欧洲市场的销售经理。
• "Hoist the recruiting flag and hungry men will come. “插起招军旗，就有吃粮人。”

6 slumped   

大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的过去式和过去分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下]

参考例句：

• Sales have slumped this year. 今年销售量锐减。
• The driver was slumped exhausted over the wheel. 司机伏在方向盘上，疲惫得睡着了。

7 organisation   

n.组织，安排，团体，有机休

参考例句：

• The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
• His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。

8 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

9 salon   

n.[法]沙龙；客厅；营业性的高级服务室

参考例句：

• Do you go to the hairdresser or beauty salon more than twice a week?你每周去美容院或美容沙龙多过两次吗？
• You can hear a lot of dirt at a salon.你在沙龙上会听到很多流言蜚语。

10 massage   

n.按摩，揉；vt.按摩，揉，美化，奉承，篡改数据

参考例句：

• He is really quite skilled in doing massage.他的按摩技术确实不错。
• Massage helps relieve the tension in one's muscles.按摩可使僵硬的肌肉松弛。