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Lesson Info

Post Type
Article
Level
Level 1 / A1
Published
Title
Baby Born in Waymo Taxi
Webpage
https://eslnewsstories.com/articles/2026-01-09-baby-born-in-waymo-taxi/

In this lesson:

  • Warm-up Prediction task and general discussion questions.
  • Vocab List Useful words and meanings.
  • Reading Read the main text.
  • Listen and Fill Gaps Listen for missing words.
  • True or False Check understanding.
  • Put Events in Order Arrange events from the story into the order they happened.
  • Vocab Match Connect words to meanings.
  • Sentence Completion Think about tense, subject-verb agreement, and prepositions to complete sentences.
  • Discussion Questions Open speaking questions for discussion (or writing practice).
  • Answers Answer key for the printed tasks.

Think Ahead: What do you think makes this birth unusual?

a) The baby is born in a car.

b) The baby is born on an airplane.

c) The baby is born in a restaurant kitchen.

A taxi on a city street.
A taxi drives on a city street.

Ask: (1) Do you ride in a car or a bus more often? (2) Is there a hospital near your home? How far is it?

VOCAB LIST

Taxi (n.) ā€” A car you pay to ride in.
Company (n.) ā€” A business or group that makes or sells things.
Hospital (n.) ā€” A place for sick people.
Driver (n.) ā€” A person who drives a car.
Worker (n.) ā€” A person who does a job.
Safe (adj.) ā€” Not dangerous.

Reading

San Francisco has special taxis. The taxis have no driver. The taxis are self-driving. They are called Waymos. Alphabet is a company. Alphabet owns Google. It owns Waymo, too.

A woman in San Francisco was in a Waymo. She went to the hospital but she was late. She had a baby in the Waymo. Waymo workers knew something was wrong. The workers called her. They called 911, too. How did the Waymo workers know? Alphabet did not explain this.

The taxi got to the hospital. The mother and baby were safe. Waymo said this was not the first baby. More than one baby was born in a Waymo. Waymo is happy. They help riders. Riders can be very young. Riders can be very old.

Baby Born in Waymo Taxi

Level 1 Source: apnews.com

Warm-up ā†’ Read & Listen ā†’ Check Understanding ā†’ Language ā†’ Use It

A taxi on a city street.
A taxi drives on a city street.

San Francisco has special taxis. The taxis have no driver. The taxis are self-driving. They are called Waymos. Alphabet is a company. Alphabet owns Google. It owns Waymo, too.

A woman in San Francisco was in a Waymo. She went to the hospital but she was late. She had a baby in the Waymo. Waymo workers knew something was wrong. The workers called her. They called 911, too. How did the Waymo workers know? Alphabet did not explain this.

The taxi got to the hospital. The mother and baby were safe. Waymo said this was not the first baby. More than one baby was born in a Waymo. Waymo is happy. They help riders. Riders can be very young. Riders can be very old.

Speaker: American Female  Duration: 1:13  Watch on YouTube

Two ways to use this audio:

  • Method 1: Listen for the main idea: what is the article about in one sentence? Listen a second time for more details, then try the Understanding activities below.
  • Method 2: Read the article first to learn the vocabulary and ideas. Then look at the gap-fill sentences to see what to listen for, and listen to fill them in.

Listen and Fill Gaps

Listen to the audio on eslnewsstories.com and complete the gaps below:

San Francisco has special taxis. The taxis have no (1) . The taxis are self-driving. They are called Waymos. Alphabet is a company. Alphabet owns Google. It owns Waymo, too.

A woman in San Francisco was in a Waymo. She went to the (2) but she was late. She had a baby in the Waymo. Waymo workers knew something was wrong. The workers called her. They called 911, too. How did the Waymo workers know? Alphabet did not (3) this.

The taxi got to the hospital. The mother and baby were (4) . Waymo said this was not the first baby. More than one baby was born in a Waymo. Waymo is happy. They help riders. Riders can be very young. Riders can be very old.

True or False

Answer each question by selecting True or False, then click CHECK to see your results.

  • A woman had a baby in a Waymo taxi.
    She had the baby in the taxi.
  • The taxi had a driver.
    The taxi had no driver.
  • She went to the hospital but she was late.
    She went to the hospital but she was late.
  • Waymo workers called her and 911.
    They called her and 911.
  • Alphabet explained how the taxi knew.
    Alphabet did not explain this.
  • This was the first baby in Waymo taxis.
    It was not the first baby in Waymo taxis.

True or False

1. A woman had a baby in a Waymo taxi. TRUEFALSE True

2. The taxi had a driver. TRUEFALSE False

3. She went to the hospital but she was late. TRUEFALSE True

4. Waymo workers called her and 911. TRUEFALSE True

5. Alphabet explained how the taxi knew. TRUEFALSE False

6. This was the first baby in Waymo taxis. TRUEFALSE False

Put Events in Order

Put the events from the story in the correct order from first (1) to last (3):

  • A woman rides in a Waymo taxi.
  • She has the baby in the taxi.
  • The taxi gets to the hospital.
  1. A woman rides in a Waymo taxi.
  2. She has the baby in the taxi.
  3. The taxi gets to the hospital.
Vocab Match

Loading vocabulary activity...

Vocab Match

Write each vocabulary word next to its matching definition.

1. Taxid) A car you pay to ride in.

2. Hospitalc) A place for sick people.

3. Workerb) A person who does a job.

4. Companya) A business or group that makes or sells things.

a) A business or group that makes or sells things.

b) A person who does a job.

c) A place for sick people.

d) A car you pay to ride in.

Sentence Completion

  1. Use the past tense.

  2. Use the past tense.

1.
1.

Sentence Completion

Choose the correct word for each gap:

  1. The woman A) a baby in the taxi.

    Use the past tense.

    A) have / has / had

    The woman had a baby in the taxi.

  2. The taxi B) to the hospital.

    Use the past tense.

    B) go / goes / went

    The taxi went to the hospital.

Discussion Questions

  1. Are taxis or buses better for you? Why?
  2. When did you take a taxi? Where did you go?
  3. Do you like talking to a taxi driver?
  4. Do you want to ride in a car with no driver? Why or why not?
  5. Do you have a baby? Do you want to have a baby?
  6. Where is a good place to have a baby?
  7. The emergency telephone number in the USA is 911. What is it in your country?

Answers Baby Born in Waymo Taxi / Level 1

Think Ahead: a

Listening: (1) driver, (2) hospital, (3) explain, (4) safe

True or False:

  1. True. She had the baby in the taxi.
  2. False. The taxi had no driver.
  3. True. She went to the hospital but she was late.
  4. True. They called her and 911.
  5. False. Alphabet did not explain this.
  6. False. It was not the first baby in Waymo taxis.

Put Events in Order:

  1. A woman rides in a Waymo taxi.
  2. She has the baby in the taxi.
  3. The taxi gets to the hospital.

Vocabulary:

  1. Taxi: A car you pay to ride in.
  2. Hospital: A place for sick people.
  1. Worker: A person who does a job.
  2. Company: A business or group that makes or sells things.

Sentence Completion:

  1. A) had
  2. B) went

eslnewsstories.com