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ESL Podcast 1022 – Being Cited for a DUI

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1

GLOSSARY

attorney – a lawyer; a person who has earned a degree in the study of law and
is officially allowed to represent others in legal matters
* How much did you have to pay the attorney to write that contract?

DUI – driving under the influence; a citation (ticket given by police) for driving a
vehicle after having drunken too much alcohol or taken drugs
* If you don’t want to get a DUI, hand me the keys and I’ll drive you home.

to handle – to be responsible for something and process it or otherwise take
care of it
* How are we going to handle the costs of training the new employees?

case – a lawsuit; one legal argument between two parties
* Most of Deborah’s cases are related to family law and child custody.

penalty – a punishment for breaking a rule or law
* The penalty for returning a library book late is a late fee of $0.50 per book per
day.

first offense – the first time that one breaks a particular rule or the law, or the
first time that one is found to have done something illegal
* The judge chose a mild punishment because it was the boy’s first offense.

to fine (someone) – to tell someone that he or she has to pay a certain amount
of money, especially as a punishment for something he or she has done
* According to U.S. law, anyone who copies a DVD may be fined up to $250,000.

probation – a period of time when one would normally be held in jail, but is
released under supervision as a reward for good behavior or because the crime
is not very serious
* Chad was released on probation, but if he breaks any laws, he’ll have to go
back to jail for the remainder of his sentence.

restricted – limited in some way; not fully allowed; not free and able to do what
one wants
* Access to this information is restricted to people with special permission.

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ESL Podcast 1022 – Being Cited for a DUI

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2

mandatory jail time – a period of time that one must spend in prison as a
consequence of committing a crime, without the judge having any power to
shorten that period of time
* The crime has mandatory jail time of three weeks, but she might be in jail much
longer if the judge decides to issue a harsher sentence.

driver’s license – a small card that officially allows someone to drive a vehicle,
usually issued by the state government
* Shelley passed the driving test and got her driver’s license on her 16

th

birthday.

suspended – temporarily ended; without power or validity for a certain period of
time, especially as a punishment
* Ricardo has been suspended from playing on the team for the rest of the
semester because he was using illegal drugs.

severe – very harsh and serious; extreme in a negative way
* Cutting off someone’s hand for stealing a loaf of bread is a severe punishment.

to revoke – to take something away; to remove permission, undo a promise, or
break a commitment
* When the company was found guilty of corruption and attempted bribery, all of
its government contracts were revoked.

alcohol treatment program – a program that tries to help people break their
addiction to alcohol so that it no longer controls their life
* The alcohol treatment program teaches people to call their mentor when they
feel the need to drink.

deterrent – something that discourages someone from doing something; a
disincentive
* The store uses security tags on its most expensive items as a deterrent to
thieves.

behind bars – in prison; in jail
* Jesse was behind bars when his daughter was born, so he didn’t get to see her
until she was much older.

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ESL Podcast 1022 – Being Cited for a DUI

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these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

3

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. What happens the first time someone has a DUI?
a) His or her license is permanently taken away.
b) He or she has to pay money to the government.
c) He or she has to perform community service.

2. What happens in an alcohol treatment program?
a) People receive help to end their addiction to alcohol.
b) People learn about the benefits of drinking alcohol.
c) People learn how to make different kinds of alcohol.

______________


WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

to handle
The verb “to handle,” in this podcast, means to be responsible for something and
process it or otherwise take care of it: “Are you sure a single teacher can handle
30 kindergarten students in one classroom?” The verb “to handle” can also mean
to keep control of one’s behavior under difficult circumstances: “How do
astronauts handle living in such a small space?” Or, “As a new attorney, Darla is
struggling to handle the heavy workload.” Sometimes the verb “to handle” means
to hold something: “Have you ever handled a gun before?” Finally, when talking
about a car, the verb “to handle’ means to drive smoothly and to be easy for the
driver to control: “Wow, this sports car handles like a dream, even at very fast
speeds.”

behind bars
In this podcast, the phrase “behind bars” means in prison or jail: “If the court finds
that he committed the crime, he could be behind bars for the rest of this life.”
When talking about a playground, “monkey bars” are a structure that children
climb on and/or hang from: “Wyatt isn’t strong enough to play on the monkey
bars yet. He might fall down.” In gymnastics, the “parallel bars” are two wooden
bars that the athletes swing around and between: “It’s amazing to watch
Heather’s body twist and turn around the parallel bars.” Finally, “bars” are places
that serve alcohol, either as the main focus of a business or as a small part of a
larger restaurant: “They ate appetizers and drank cocktails at the bar until their
table was ready.”

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ESL Podcast 1022 – Being Cited for a DUI

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these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

4

CULTURE NOTE

Breathalyzers

The breathalyzer is a “device” (small machine) that analyzes an individual’s
“breath” (the air that is pushed out of one’s nose or mouth). First, the individual
breathes into the machine. Then the “readings” (information produced by a
device) are used to “estimate” (guess how much of something there is) the
individual’s “blood alcohol level” (a measure of how much alcohol is in one’s
body, used to determine how much one’s judgment will be affected).

The first “breathalyzer-like devices” (devices similar to the modern breathalyzer)
were developed in 1927 as a way for “housewives” (women who do not have a
job outside of the home) to determine whether their husbands had been drinking.
But beginning in 1931, the devices were being used to “assess” (measure;
determine) the blood alcohol level of “motorists” (drivers).

Modern breathalyzers are “non-invasive” (do not require that anything is placed
inside the body) and provide results almost instantly, so they are very
convenient. Police officers use breathalyzers in their daily work, and many
“establishments” (businesses, especially restaurants or hotels) that serve alcohol
make breathalyzers available to their customers. Customers can test their blood
alcohol levels themselves before deciding whether they think it is safe for them to
drive home.

Breathalyzer tests are not perfect, so high readings are often “verified”
(confirmed) with a “blood test” (a chemical analysis of one’s blood). Some courts
accept breathalyzer readings, but in a few state,s the results “are inadmissible in
court” (cannot be used as evidence in court), so the blood tests are required to
prove that someone was driving under the influence of alcohol.

______________

Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – b; 2 – a

English as a Second Language Podcast

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ESL Podcast 1022 – Being Cited for a DUI

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these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

5

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 1,022 – Being
Cited for a DUI.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 1,022. I’m your host, Dr.
Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in
beautiful Los Angeles, California.

Visit our website at ESLPod.com. Become a member of ESL Podcast and
download a Learning Guide for this episode. You can also take a look at our ESL
Podcast Store which has some interesting – and I think exciting – courses in
Business and Daily English. And why not like us on Facebook at
facebook.com/eslpod.

This episode is a dialogue between Susan and Jack about drinking and driving –
never a good idea. Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Susan: Hey, Jack, you’re an attorney. Do you know anything about DUIs?

Jack: Sure, I’ve handled a few DUI cases.

Susan: I was just wondering about the penalties for a DUI.

Jack: Well, if it’s a first offense, you’ll be fined and may be placed on probation.
You’ll need to attend DUI school, and your license will be restricted, which means
you can only drive to and from work and to and from DUI school.

Susan: That sounds serious, but what if it’s not your first offense?

Jack: Then the penalties get even more serious. With your second offense, you’ll
probably do mandatory jail time, anywhere from 96 hours to a year, depending
on the circumstances. Your driver’s license will be suspended, and you’ll be
placed on probation for several years.

Susan: Those are some severe penalties. But what if you already have two
DUIs?

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ESL Podcast 1022 – Being Cited for a DUI

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2014). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

6

Jack: Then you’ll get several months in jail, at least. Your license will be revoked
and you may be required to go into an alcohol treatment program. Why are you
asking me all of these questions? You’re not in trouble, are you?

Susan: No, I’m not. I just met a guy and I really like him, but I think he just got his
third DUI.

Jack: If that isn’t deterrent enough, you may think about what kind of relationship
you can have with him – from behind bars!

[end of dialogue]

This dialogue is between Susan and Jack. Susan says to Jack, “Hey Jack, you’re
an attorney. Do you know anything about DUIs?” Notice, Susan appears to be a
friend of Jack, because she says, “Hey.” That would be a word we would use
with a friend or someone we know well.

Susan says to Jack, “You’re an attorney.” An “attorney” (attorney) is a lawyer –
someone who studies the laws of a particular state or country and often
represents other people in legal actions. If you are arrested by the police, you will
probably want to get an attorney. In the United States, if you don’t have money
for an attorney, the government will pay for an attorney for you, although it won’t
necessarily be the best attorney – but you will get someone.

In our story, Jack is an attorney, and Susan is asking him if he knows anything
about DUIs. A “DUI” is when you are arrested for driving under the influence. The
“I” in DUI stands for “influence,” and that means that you are affected by
something. What are you affected by? Well, usually alcohol. So, “driving under
the influence” means driving under the influence of alcohol – driving while you
have alcohol “in your system,” we would say – in your body – and it is affecting
how you drive.

Obviously, if you drink too much, you get drunk, and then you aren’t able to drive
as well as people who are not drinking, or at least as well as most people who
are not drinking. DUIs, then, are offenses – things you can get arrested for. In the
United States, it’s a very serious offense nowadays. In the last, oh, maybe 30 to
40 years, the laws have become much tougher on people who drink and drive at
the same time. Definitely not something you want to do, not just for legal
reasons, but for safety reasons as well.

Jack says to Susan, “Sure, I’ve handled a few DUI cases.” “To handle” (handle)
as a verb means to be responsible for – to take care of or to manage something.

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ESL Podcast 1022 – Being Cited for a DUI

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these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

7

Here it means to have participated in and taken care of or been responsible for
something. A “case” (case) here refers to a legal process or legal matter –
something involving the law. Jack says he’s “handled a few DUI cases” – that is,
legal matters that involve people who were arrested for driving under the
influence.

Susan says, “I was just wondering about the penalties for a DUI.” A “penalty”
(penalty) is a punishment for breaking some rule or some law. Jack says, “Well, if
it’s a first offense, you’ll be fined and maybe placed on probation.” A “first
offense” is the first time that you break a law. An “offense” (offense) is when you
do something wrong, something, in this case, illegal. So, a first offense would be
the first time that you broke this law.

I should mention that the laws regarding DUIs relate not just to people who are
drinking, but also people who are taking any sort of drug that would affect their
ability to drive properly. If you’ve been drinking and driving, the police will
measure your blood alcohol level – the amount of alcohol in your body – and if it
is more than the acceptable amount, you will almost certainly be arrested (taken
in by the police) or at the very least you will be given a ticket – a notification that
you have broken the law – and have to pay some sort of penalty or be punished
somehow.

One way that you can be punished is to be fined. “To be fined” (fined) means to
have to pay money to the government or some official organization for something
you did wrong. The fines, which is the amount of money you have to pay for a
DUI, can be quite high – hundreds or perhaps even thousands of dollars.

Jack says, “You may also be placed on probation” (probation). “To be placed on
probation” means to be told that you can’t commit any more crimes or any similar
crime for a certain amount of time. The reason people are placed on probation is
to prevent them from committing the crime again, and if they do, then they will be
punished even more. So, if you are on probation for six months or one year and
you are arrested again for a DUI, your punishment will be much more severe. It
will be much greater than if you were not on probation.

Usually when someone is arrested for something serious, after they are released
from prison they are on probation – they have to basically not break any laws for
a certain amount of time, and if they do, they can sometimes be sent back to
prison. Jack says, “You’ll need to attend DUI school, and your license will be
restricted, which means you can only drive to and from work and to and from DUI
school.” “DUI school” is basically an educational program you have to undertake,
you have to participate in, that reminds you of the laws of driving.

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ESL Podcast 1022 – Being Cited for a DUI

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these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

8

“To have your license” – your driver’s license or permission – “restricted” means
that you can only drive certain places or under certain circumstances. So, you
can’t drive around the city just because you want to. You can only drive from your
house to your work, for example. That would be one possible restriction on your
driving privileges or driving abilities.

Susan says, “That sounds serious, but what if it’s not your first offense?” Susan
wants to know what if you have broken the law more than once. Jack explains,
“Then the penalties get even more serious. With your second offense, you’ll
probably do mandatory jail time.” A “jail” (jail) is the same as a prison. “Jail time”
means spending time in prison. “Mandatory” (mandatory) means it’s required. It’s
not voluntary or optional. You have to do it.

How much time will you have to spend in prison? Well, it depends on the state in
which you live. In our dialogue, Jack says it can be anywhere from 96 hours to a
year, depending on the circumstances. “Your driver’s license will be suspended,”
Jack says, “and you’ll be placed on probation for several years.” Your “driver’s
license,” as we explained, is your permission to drive. If your license is
“suspended,” you can no longer drive. You have to wait until your period of
punishment is over, which could be several years.

Susan says, “Those are some severe penalties.” “Severe” (severe) means very
strict or very serious. “Severe” refers to a situation that is very extreme in some
negative way. Susan says, “But what if you already have two DUIs?” What if you
been arrested twice for drunk driving or driving under the influence? Jack says,
“Then you’ll get several months in jail, at least,” meaning at minimum. “Your
license will be revoked and you may be required to go into an alcohol treatment
program.”

If your license is “revoked” (revoked), it is taken away from you completely.
Notice that you can have your license “suspended,” which means you can’t use it
for a certain amount of time, or you could have your license “revoked,” which
means you lose your license completely, and often you won’t be able to get
another license. An “alcohol treatment program” is a program that helps you get
over your problems with drinking. You could also go into a “drug treatment
program” if your problem is with some other sort of drug.

Jack says, “Why are you asking me all of these questions? You’re not in trouble,
are you?” Susan says, “No, I’m not. I just met a guy and I really like him, but I
think he just got his third DUI.” So, Susan has met some gentleman in whom
she’s interested romantically, but this gentleman has three DUIs.

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ESL Podcast 1022 – Being Cited for a DUI

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these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

9

Jack says, “If that isn’t deterrent enough, you may think about what kind of
relationship you can have with him from behind bars.” A “deterrent” (deterrent) is
something that discourages you from doing something – something that would
prevent you from doing something or give you a good reason not to do
something. Jack is saying that the fact that this man that Susan is interested in
has three DUIs should be a deterrent to her. It should prevent her or discourage
her from forming a romantic relationship with him.

The reason Jack says this is because it would be, for one thing, difficult to have
such a relationship if a man is in prison. The expression “from behind bars” (bars)
refers to being in prison. The “bar” here isn’t a place where you go to drink. The
“bars” are metal rods or sticks that are placed on the windows of a prison to
prevent people from leaving the prison.

Now let’s listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.

[start of dialogue]

Susan: Hey, Jack, you’re an attorney. Do you know anything about DUIs?

Jack: Sure, I’ve handled a few DUI cases.

Susan: I was just wondering about the penalties for a DUI.

Jack: Well, if it’s a first offense, you’ll be fined and may be placed on probation.
You’ll need to attend DUI school, and your license will be restricted, which means
you can only drive to and from work and to and from DUI school.

Susan: That sounds serious, but what if it’s not your first offense?

Jack: Then the penalties get even more serious. With your second offense, you’ll
probably do mandatory jail time, anywhere from 96 hours to a year, depending
on the circumstances. Your driver’s license will be suspended, and you’ll be
placed on probation for several years.

Susan: Those are some severe penalties. But what if you already have two
DUIs?

Jack: Then you’ll get several months in jail, at least. Your license will be revoked
and you may be required to go into an alcohol treatment program. Why are you
asking me all of these questions? You’re not in trouble, are you?

English as a Second Language Podcast

www.eslpod.com

ESL Podcast 1022 – Being Cited for a DUI

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2014). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

10

Susan: No, I’m not. I just met a guy and I really like him, but I think he just got his
third DUI.

Jack: If that isn’t deterrent enough, you may think about what kind of relationship
you can have with him – from behind bars!

[end of dialogue]

Dr. Lucy Tse handles all of our scripts here at ESL Podcast, and we thank her for
her wonderful service.

From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan – not behind bars – thanking
you for listening and inviting you to listen to us again right here on ESL Podcast.

English as a Second Language Podcast was written and produced by Dr. Lucy
Tse, hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan. This podcast is copyright 2014 by the Center
for Educational Development.