Mark was driving home from work on a Friday evening. He was looking forward to the weekend. The traffic was light and the weather was nice. Suddenly, Mark heard a strange noise from the engine. The car started to shake and slow down. Mark quickly pulled over to the side of the road. He turned off the engine and got out of the car. There was smoke coming from under the hood. Mark opened the hood carefully. He could see that the engine was very hot. Mark did not know much about cars. He decided to call a mechanic. He searched for a nearby garage on his phone. He found one that was only five kilometers away. Mark called the number and a woman answered. 'Hello, this is Lisa from Quick Fix Garage,' she said. 'Hello, my car broke down,' Mark explained. 'There is smoke coming from the engine.' 'Where are you located?' Lisa asked. Mark gave her his location using the map on his phone. 'We will send a tow truck in about thirty minutes,' Lisa said. 'Thank you very much,' Mark replied. Mark sat in his car and waited. He called his wife to tell her what happened. 'Do not worry, I will be home later than usual,' he said. After thirty-five minutes, the tow truck arrived. A young man named Tom got out of the truck. 'Hello, I am Tom,' he said with a friendly smile. 'Let me take a look at your car.' Tom looked at the engine and checked a few things. 'I think it is the radiator,' Tom said. 'It looks like it is leaking water.' 'Is that a big problem?' Mark asked nervously. 'We need to take it to the garage to be sure,' Tom replied. Tom loaded the car onto the tow truck. Mark sat in the front seat of the truck with Tom. They drove to the garage together. At the garage, Lisa welcomed them. 'We will check your car right away,' she said. Mark waited in the small waiting room. There was coffee and some magazines to read. After an hour, Lisa came to talk to him. 'We found the problem,' she said. 'The radiator has a small hole and needs to be replaced.' 'How much will it cost?' Mark asked. 'About three hundred euros, including labor,' Lisa replied. Mark thought about it for a moment. It was not cheap, but he needed his car for work. 'Please go ahead with the repair,' he said. 'It will be ready by tomorrow afternoon,' Lisa said. Lisa called a taxi for Mark. The taxi arrived in ten minutes. Mark thanked Lisa and Tom for their help. He got into the taxi and went home. The next day, Mark received a call from Lisa. 'Your car is ready,' she said cheerfully. Mark took another taxi to the garage. His car looked as good as new. Tom explained that he had also checked the oil and the brakes. 'Everything else looks fine,' Tom said. Mark paid the bill and got his car keys back. He was happy that the problem was fixed. 'Remember to check your coolant regularly,' Lisa advised. 'I will do that from now on,' Mark promised. Mark drove home carefully, grateful that his car was working again. The weekend had finally begun, just a little later than expected.
English Story (A2)Car Breakdown
This A2 English story is designed for elementarys learning English. It includes simple vocabulary and short sentences to help you improve your reading and listening skills. Click any word to see translations and hear pronunciation.
About this story
Mark's car breaks down on his way home from work on a Friday evening. After pulling over, he discovers smoke coming from the engine and calls Quick Fix Garage for help. A tow truck driver named Tom takes the car to the garage, where Lisa diagnoses a leaking radiator. Mark pays for the repair and picks up his car the next day, grateful that the problem was fixed and ready to enjoy his weekend.
Translations in English
Linked wordUnderlined wordOther words
Comprehension Questions
4 questions
1
What did Mark notice coming from under the hood?
2
What did Tom identify as the cause of the car problem?
3
How much did the repair cost?
4
What advice did Lisa give Mark before he left the garage?
Vocabulary
30 words from this story
