HIRING A TAXI

P: Taxi, taxi!
TD: Yes, sir? Would you like to hire 1 the taxi, sir?
P: No, I just want to make an enquiry. Where can I find a taxi for the airport?
TD: Well, you have it right here. I can take you to the airport. Which airport, sir?
P: Indira Gandhi Airport.
TD: Indira Gandhi International 2, or the other one for domestic 3 flights?
P: The International. What'd be the fare 4?
TD: I'll charge by the meter-reading. It'd come to between thirty and forty rupees 5.
P: Why between thirty and forty? Why not thirty or forty? You should be taking passengers to the
airport every day. You should know what exactly the fare will come to.
TD: I do, sir. And that's why I'm saying it'd come to between thirty and forty.
P: But why?
TD: Because the taxi doesn't cover exactly the same distance every time it goes from this taxi stand
to the airport.
P: But why? What's the mystery 6 there? You mean to say that the road from this point to the airport
is flexible 7? Does it expand 8 and contract 9 with the temperature like a rubber band, or
something?
TD: Come on 10, sir. There's no mystery at all, sir. It's straight and simple. The airport is quite far
from here. The distance travelled, as the meter records it, will depend upon the lane 11 you
travel in, the number of times you change lanes, the number of times you overtake 12, and so
on.
P: All right, all right. Let's go. Would you help me with these bags?
TD: By all means, sir. Let's put them in the boot 13, sir. Here . . . That's right. Now take your seat, sir
.. . Are you comfortable enough, sir? Can I start?
P: Yes, you can.
TD

Taxi-driver

7)

flexible: (something) that can be bent easily

Passenger

8)

expand: become greater in size

1)

hire: obtain the temporary use of (something) in return for

9)

contract: become smaller or shorter in size

payment

10)

Come on: here means: 'Don't be silly'.

2)

international: between two or more nations

11)

lane: any of the parallel parts into which wide roads are

3)

domestic: of one's home or one's own country

4)

fare: the money payable for a journey on public transport

5)

rupee: the basic monetary unit of India, Pakistan, Sri

Lanka, Nepal, Mauritius, and the Seychelles.

6)

mystery: (something) that cannot be explained or

understood

divided to keep fast and slow cars apart

12)

overtake: come up level with from behind and usually

pass

13)

boot: a box-like space at the back of a car for bags and

boxe

HIRING A TAXI
Taxi, taxi!
P
TD Yes, sir? Would you like to hire the taxi, sir?
No, I just want to make an enquiry.
P
Where can I find a taxi for the airport?
TD Well, you have it right here. I can take you to the airport.
Which airport, sir?
Indira Gandhi Airport.
P
TD Indira Gandhi International, or the other one for domestic flights?
The International. What'd be the fare?
P
TD I'll charge by the meter-reading.
It'd come to between thirty and forty rupees.
Why between thirty and forty?
P
Why not thirty or forty?
You should be taking passengers to the airport every day.
You should know what exactly the fare will come to.
TD I do, sir.
And that's why I'm saying it'd come to between thirty and forty.
But why?
P
TD Because the taxi doesn't cover exactly the same distance every time it goes from
this taxi stand to the airport.
But why? What's the mystery there?
P
You mean to say that the road from this point to the airport is flexible?
Does it expand and contract with the temperature like a rubber band, or
something?
TD Come on, sir.
There's no mystery at all, sir. It's straight and simple.
The airport is quite far from here.
The distance travelled, as the meter records it, will depend upon the lane you
travel in, the number of times you change lanes, the number of times you
overtake, and so on.
All right, all right. Let's go. Would you help me with these bags?
P
TD By all means, sir.
Let's put them in the boot, sir. Here . . .
That's right. Now take your seat, sir .. . Are you comfortable enough, sir?
Can I start?
Yes, you can.
P

har tksi
tksi, tksi!
js, s? wd ju lak tu ha tksi, s?
n, a st wnt tu mek n nkwari.
we kn a fand tksi f i ept?
wl, ju hv t rat h. a kn tek ju tu i ept.
wept, s?
Indira gndi ept.
Indira gndi nt()nnl, i wn f dmstkflats?
i nt()nnl. wtd bi fe?
al ba mit-rid.
td km tu btwin ti ndfti rupiz.
wa btwin ti nd fti?
wa nt ti fti?
ju d bitek psnz tu i ept vri de.
ju d n wtgzktli fe wl km tu.
a du, s.
nd ts wa am se td km tu btwinti nd fti.
bt wa?
bkz tksi dznt kvr gzktli sem dstns vritam t g
z frm s tksi stnd tu i ept.
bt wa? wts mstri e?
ju min tu se t rdfrm s pnt tu i ept z flksbl?
dz t kspnd ndkntrkt w tmpr lak rb bnd,
sm?
km n, s.
ez n mstri t l, s. ts stret ndsmpl.
i ept z kwat f frm h.
dstns trvld, z mit rkdz t, wl dpnd pn len ju
trvl n, nmbr v tamz ju en lenz, nmbr v tamz ju
vtek, nd s n.
l rat, l rat. lts g. wd ju hlp mi w iz bgz?
ba l minz, s.
lts pt m n but, s. h . . .
tsrat. na tek j sit, s .. . ju kmftbl nf, s?
kn astt?
js, ju kn.