ielts speaking - traffic topic

- light traffic: giao thông thưa thớt 

- fast, fast-flowing traffic 

Ex: Thanks to most people staying home, the highways had fast-flowing traffic this morning, allowing me to make it to work much quicker than usual.

 

- Congested = crowded = jam-packed = full of traffic (adjective) 

ex: the school is jam-packed with lots of students 

ex: Ho chi minh city is always full of traffic

 

- Traffic Jam (n)  [dʒæm] 

= traffic congestion = gridlock (AmE) = tailback (BrE) = hold-up (noun) 

Ex: gridlocked rush-hour traffic often delay my commute to work 

Ex: The bus was delayed in a 2-km jam

Ex: Sorry I'm late. There was a hold-up on the motorway

 

- free-for-all (noun)

a situation in which there are no rules or controls and everyone acts for their own advantage: tình huống hỗn loạn

+ During the afternoon rush hour, the traffic was a messy free-for-all

 

- As the crow flies  /kroʊ/: đường chim bay

+ it is 2 km as the crow flies from here to the park. However, you have to spend 1 hour to get there during the rush hour

 

Những động từ - collocations thường dùng

 

- be caught in/get stuck in/sit in a traffic jam: bị kẹt xe 

- experience/face lengthy delays

 

- cause congestion/tailbacks/traffic jams/gridlock: gây ra kẹt xe 

Ex: traffic accidents often cause gridlock in the city center. 

- beat/avoid the traffic/the rush hour: tránh giờ cao điểm 

 

- weave: len lỏi /wiːv/

+ cyclists are weaving in and out of the traffic

 

- inch along: di chuyển rất chậm

 

- At a snail's pace: với tốc độ rất chậm

Ex: due to a massive traffic jam, The cars inched along the freeway at a snail's pace

- tail back (phrasal verb)

If traffic tails back, it forms a long line and moves very slowly or stops: nối đuôi nhau

+ Traffic tailed back five miles from the scene of the accident

 

- bumper-to-bumper (adj): nối đuôi nhau

+ bumper-to-bumper traffic

+ The cars were bumper-to-bumper on the road to the coast

 

- grind to a halt: trở nên tắt nghẽn

Ex: Due to the accident, all cars ground to a halt. 

 

Traffic-calming measures: các biện pháp cải thiện giao thông

+ built obstacles + traffic hump  

+ road extensions 

+ raise awareness of road safety

 

Chất lượng mặt đường

+Pothole ổ gà

+bumpy road: đường mấp mô  # smooth road

Traffic violations

break/(NAmE) drive the speed limit

be caught on (BrE) a speed camera

stop sb for/pull sb over for speeding

(both informal) run/ (BrE) jump a red light/the lights

 

be arrested for/charged with (BrE) drink-driving/(both US) driving under the influence (DUI)/driving while intoxicated (DWI)

 

be banned/ (BrE) disqualified from driving

Describe a time when you were stuck in a traffic jam

You should say:

When and where it happened?

How long you were in the traffic jam?

What you did while waiting?

And explain how you felt when you were in that traffic jam.

Bài mẫu

Introduction

When talking about traffic, I have quite a lot negative experience, so today I will talk about a time when I was stuck in a traffic congestion which happened 2 years ago in HCM city.

 

Situation 

The gridlock/hold-up took place when I was having a trip to HCM city. Actually I was assigned to attend an important conference on that day. I suppose that I underestimated the rush hours and traffic jam in this bustling/busy metropolis. Despite trying to be on time, I ended up facing a lengthy delays lasting up to half an hour in the street and obviously was late for the meeting.

 

Details

I guess a minor traffic accident was a main culprit of this bumper-to-bumper traffic. You know … as the road surface was basically bumpy along with some potholes, There was a man stumbling on it and falling into the street. Then the situation deteriorated into a traffic free-for-all. In fact, most vehicles began grinding to a halt and bikers tended to weave in and out of the traffic … they even tried to ride on the sidewalks …

 

Things only got better when the traffic police officers appeared … but It was too late for me.  it is only 2 km as the crow flies from here to the meeting venue, but It was like 20km to me during that time.

 

Solution + wish

To be honest, I learned a valuable lesson after the incident that day … I was more cautious when it comes to similar situations. I wish the local authorities could come up with some solutions to tackle the problems because as you can see, traffic congestion is definitely the pet peeve of everyone in there …

 

PRACTISE

Part 1

- tell me about the traffic in your area

- have you ever got caught in the traffic jam?

 

Part 3 (2020)

1. What are the main causes of traffic jams

2. what are potential solution for traffic jams

3. can public transport be imProved further

4. How can traffic jams be reduced in cities?

5 Will road extensions reduce traffic problems?

 

Part 3 (2023)

- Which vehicles are more likely to be in traffic jam? 

- Which one you prefer: bus or car?

- What do you think when people prefer to drive their car/ride motorbike, even when they can use public transport easily?

- What should government do to reduce this situation? 

 - call in sick