Practice FrenchB1Full sample
Le bus des langues
The Language Bus — After the bus microphone breaks, passengers begin sharing languages and turn the bus into a small community.
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Tous les matins, le bus numéro 12 traversait la ville du nord au sud. Il emmenait des élèves, des infirmiers, des cuisiniers et parfois des touristes perdus. Le chauffeur, Samir, connaissait presque tout le monde, mais il remarquait que les passagers se parlaient rarement.
Un jour, le micro du bus est tombé en panne. Pour annoncer les arrêts, Samir a demandé de l’aide aux passagers. Une étudiante italienne a annoncé la bibliothèque avec un grand sourire. Un boulanger portugais a annoncé le marché. Une grand-mère algérienne a expliqué en arabe que l’hôpital était le prochain arrêt, puis a répété en français.
Les passagers ont commencé à applaudir. Le lendemain, même si le micro fonctionnait de nouveau, Samir a gardé une minute spéciale après le troisième arrêt. Chaque jour, quelqu’un enseignait un mot dans sa langue : merci, pain, soleil, courage. Le bus numéro 12 n’était plus seulement un moyen de transport. Il était devenu une petite école roulante, où la ville apprenait à se reconnaître.
Vocabulary
- chauffeurdriver
- passagerspassengers
- en pannebroken / out of order
- arrêtsstops
- école roulanterolling school
Show English translation
Every morning, bus number 12 crossed the city from north to south. It carried students, nurses, cooks, and sometimes lost tourists. The driver, Samir, knew almost everyone, but he noticed that passengers rarely spoke to one another.
One day, the bus microphone broke down. To announce the stops, Samir asked the passengers for help. An Italian student announced the library with a big smile. A Portuguese baker announced the market. An Algerian grandmother explained in Arabic that the hospital was the next stop, then repeated it in French.
The passengers began to applaud. The next day, even though the microphone worked again, Samir kept a special minute after the third stop. Every day, someone taught a word in their language: thank you, bread, sun, courage. Bus number 12 was no longer only a means of transportation. It had become a small rolling school, where the city learned to recognize itself.
Comprehension questions
1. How does bus number 12 change?
- It becomes a place where passengers share languages.
- It stops carrying tourists.
- It becomes a restaurant.
- It only runs at night.
Show answer
It becomes a place where passengers share languages.
2. Why does Samir ask passengers to help announce stops?
- The bus microphone breaks down.
- He forgets the route.
- The passengers ask for music.
- The bus is too empty.
Show answer
The bus microphone breaks down.
3. Samir stops the language activity when the microphone works again.
Show answer
false
4. Complete with the bus’s original function before it became a rolling school: À la fin, le véhicule est devenu une école roulante plutôt qu'un simple moyen de ___.
Show answer
transport
5. What does “en panne” mean here?
- broken / out of order
- very loud
- almost empty
- new and clean
Show answer
broken / out of order
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