In the conversation, parking is not permitted between ____...

6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

The man says he didn't see the no-parking sign because ___.
His view was obstructed
it was nighttime when he parked
it wasn't there earlier in the day

The man supposedly parked his car to ____.

Donate some items for the needy
pay a utility bill for his home
buy some home cleaning supplies

The fine for parking illegally is _____...

$115
$105
$150

The man tries to influence the police officer into not giving him a
ticket by ____.
Offering her free food
offering her free admission to an event
praising the officer on her appearance
Idioms
"bail out" = assist someone out of a difficult, often financial, situation
"If your car is towed away, don't expect me to bail you out."

"be in a jam" = be in a difficult situation

"We were in a real jam yesterday when our car was towed away, and we had to
get home without a ride."

Man: Hey. Hey. Hey, hey, hey!! What are you doing?

Police Officer: Uh, what does it look like I'm doing? I'm having your car towed
away for parking illegally.

Man: Officer. You can't do that. That's not fair.

Police Officer: What do you mean it's not fair? You parked your car in a no-
parking area.

Man: What? What do you mean?

Police Officer: Look, sir. There's a sign right there that says [Where? Where?] . .
. right there! It says, "Tow away zone. No parking between the hours of 7 a.m.
through 6 p.m."

Man: Oh, that one? Those tree branches are covering it.

Police Officer: Sorry, you're going to have to take that complaint up with the
city. I'm just doing my job. I'm just here to uphold the law. Anyway, you can
clearly see it once you get out of your car.

Man: But, but . . . my car was only here (for) five minutes. [Sorry.] I had to just
run into this building to . . . to drop off some clothing at the homeless shelter.
Just trying to help people in need.

Police Officer: Sir. The homeless shelter? It's six blocks down the road.
Anyway, look, here's your ticket, and the address where you can pick up your
car is found on the back.

Man: What? A hundred and fifty dollars? That's outrageous. I mean,

completely ludicrous.

Police Officer: Sorry. Don't park your car illegally!

Man: So, you mean that you're going to have my car towed away. I'm standing
right here. Look. How about two tickets for a lecture on the history of the English
language tomorrow night at the library? Anything.

Police Officer: Sir. It's illegal to bribe an officer.

 Man: Wait, wait wait, or how 'bout some coupons for a free burger at that
restaurant across the street.? [You've got to be kidding me.] Buy one and get the
second one half price.

Police Officer: You know sir, you'd probably better leave now. Have a good
day.

Vocabulary and Sample Sentences

• tow (away) (verb): remove a vehicle
- Several cars were towed away after the terrible accident.
• zone (noun; also verb): an area set aside for a specific purpose from other
surrounding areas
- You can't park here because it is a construction zone, and workers need to
keep the sides of the road clear of vehicles.
• uphold (verb): defend (a law or policy)
- The police need to uphold these laws to preserve the peace.
• shelter (noun): a building designed to provide a place to live
- Unfortunately, my friend had no place to live, so his car served as shelter for
about a month.
• ludicrous (adjective): unreasonable or without good sense
- The fine for parking illegally was so ludicrous that my roommate decided to
fight it in court.