Listening test: My old car died

Listen to Melanie telling us the story of how her old car died and complete the blanks in sentences 1-8 with up to three words. 0 is an example.

listen to ‘My old car died’ on audioBoom

Example:
0 Melanie’s old car died last October.

1 Melanie noticed the problem when she was driving around doing …………………………… .

2 The car kept moving to the left although she was driving in …………………………… .

3 Her father explained to Melanie that the rods, which are part of …………………………… , had rusted.

4 Having the car repaired would have cost more than the car …………………………… .

5 These days scrapyards are called …………………………… .

6 When Melanie bought it in 2001 the car was …………………………… .

7 Melanie doesn’t really need a car because she …………………………… .

8 She might buy a second-hand car because they are more …………………………… .

Photo: English Teacher Melanie

My car died last October. I was sad, but I wasn’t surprised. I knew my car was on its last legs. It happened on a Wednesday while I was driving around doing some errands. As I was driving, I noticed that the steering wheel was slowly moving to the left on its own, even though I was driving in a straight line and the wheels weren’t turning. I could also hear something rattling underneath the car. I finished my errands and got home safely, but I knew it was the last time I would ever drive my car. It’s hard to explain what went wrong with my car, because I don’t know a lot about cars.
Here’s what my dad explained to me. There are small rods underneath the car that are part of the steering system. These rods are important, because they connect the front wheels to the steering mechanism. The rods underneath my car had rusted and part of one had broken off, which meant that I couldn’t completely control the front wheels with the steering wheel. There was no point in getting it fixed because the repairs would have cost more than the car was worth.
I sold the car to the scrapyard. Nowadays scrapyards are called auto recycling companies, or auto recyclers. They pay cash for scrap cars, which are broken-down cars that can no longer be driven. The rest of the car was still in great condition, especially the interior, so the scrapyard will take the car apart and sell the parts to other customers.
It was a sad day when my car was towed away to the scrapyard. I loved my car. I bought it brand new in 2001 and I drove it everywhere. It was the only car I’ve ever owned. I haven’t bought another car yet. I work from home, so a car isn’t a necessity. I’m thinking about buying a one- or two-year-old used car. That’s more affordable than buying a brand new car.

Key:
1 (some) errands
2 a straight line
3 the steering system
4 was worth
5 auto recycling companies (or auto recyclers)
6 brand new
7 works from home
8 affordable