unit9.ppt

Unit  9        Going on Vacation

Part A

Communicative Function         Making Reservations    

Telephones are used extensively nowadays. People use the telephone to make reservations when booking tickets, hotel rooms, tables and so on.

Listen to the telephone conversations and write down the major points of the calls.

1.

Name of the guest                       Mrs. Faber     

Arrival time                                Oct. 20th

Length of stay                             Three nights   

Type of room                              One double room  

Price                                          $130 including breakfast      

2.

Name of the passenger              Mr. Green      

Time                                          8:00 tomorrow morning

Destination                                 Pudong Airport     

Address                                      Room 804, Park Hotel

Script

1.  Agent:  York Hotel. Can I help you?

       Woman:  Yes. I’d like to book a room for three nights.

       Agent:     When will you be arriving?

       Woman:  We’ll arrive the day after tomorrow. That’s Oct. 20^th.

Agent:     Yes, madam. Single or double?

       Woman:  One double room.

       Agent:     All right. One double room until 23rd.

       Woman:  How much will that be?

       Agent:     $130 a night, including breakfast.

       Woman:  That'll be fine.

       Agent:     May I have your name, please?

       Woman:  Faber, F-a-b-e-r, Faber, Mrs. Faber.

       Agent:     Thank you, Mrs. Faber. Goodbye.

       Woman:  Bye.       

2.    Woman:  Hello, Qiangshen Taxi Company.  

       Man:       Hello. I'd like to book a taxi to Pudong Airport for tomorrow morning.

       Woman:  When exactly?

       Man:       I have to be there by 9:30.

       Woman:  I see. Your address, please.

       Man:       Room 804, Park Hotel.

       Woman:  So we'll have to pick you up at about 8:00.

       Man:       Yes, that would be fine.

       Woman:  Could you tell me your name, please?

       Man:       Green, Mr. Green.

       Woman:  OK, Mr. Green. 

       Man:       Thank you very much.

       Woman:  You're welcome.

Listening   Strategy

Identifying  Dates

       In English we can say the dates in three ways. For example, the first day of November can be spoken as November the first, or the first of November, or November first.

Listen to the conversations and write down short answers to the questions you hear.

1.  March 21st.

2.  May 2nd.

3.  25 days.

4.  June 9th.

Script

1.  M:    You have just arrived, haven't you?

       W:   No. We arrived three days ago. That's March 6th.

       M:   How long will you be staying here?

       W:   We are leaving on 21st.

       Q:    When will the woman leave?   

2.  M:    Have you been here long, Judy?

       W:   Just 6 days. We arrived on the 2nd of May.

       M:   And how long will you be here?

       W:   Until 23rd.

       Q:    When did the woman arrive?  

3.  W:    Are you planning to stay here long, Mr. Ford?

       M:   Until 28th.

       W:   I see. And when did you get here?

       M:   We got here on the 3rd of this month.

       Q:    How long will the man be staying?  

4.  M:    Today is June 5th.

       W:   So what?

       M:   In another 4 days Jane will have a birthday party.

       W:   Oh, yes. It's her 20th birthday, isn't it?

       M:   I think so.

       Q:    When is Jane's birthday?   

Notes

"So what?" (or "So?") is a colloquial expression, indicating that the woman didn't think what the man said was important and therefore not worth mentioning.

Part  B  

Pre-listening Task

Questions for Discussion

You are going to talk about traveling. Read the following questions and discuss them with your partner.

1.         Do you like traveling?

2.         What places have you been to? Which one impresses you most?

3.         Travelers are always discoverers. Do you think this statement is true? Why or why not?

4.         Do you know anything about Thailand? What is its capital?

5.         What is the climate like there?

6.         What is the major religion practiced in Thailand?

Demo

1. Do you like traveling?

      Yes, I love traveling. There are many advantages about traveling and I think traveling can change our life and enable us to get a better view of other cultures, religions and so on. Perhaps one reason I'm learning English is to have the chance to get in contact with people all over the world. After graduation, I want to take a lot of journeys: traveling in Mexico, in Turkey, in Egypt, in Italy, in England, in France and in the Netherlands. I will also take a lot of pictures about the places that I've visited.

3. Travelers are always discoverers. Do you think this statement is true? Why or why not?

      I think it's very true. There's no question about it. Even without leaving where we live, we tend to find something new from time to time so long as we can see and hear. How can a traveler not discover something new if he or she is visiting a new place? As to what kinds of discovery a traveler makes, that would be a different story. People with different cultural backgrounds, education, experience and interest would surely make different kinds of discovery. We would understand this much better when we are traveling ourselves.

Language Focus    

Here are some useful sentences and structures that you might find handy in discussing the above questions: 

l  Traveling helps us to broaden our minds / increase our knowledge / identify ourselves with nature.

l  The world is a classroom. When we travel, we can learn so much.

l  A visit to an aquarium introduces us to a great variety of fish and other water animals.

l  A walk through a forest opens our eyes to interesting trees, plants and birds.

l  A trip to a foreign land can give us an insight into local cultures and customs.

l  Traveling enables us to see new places / meet new people / learn about new cultures.

l  I travel for travel’s sake. The important thing is to go, not to go anywhere in particular.

l  Thanks to modern means of transportation, it is possible to travel across the country/to remote areas/abroad.

l  Among the places I have been to, … impresses me most/ is most unforgettable/ has left the deepest impression on my mind.

l  I like visiting small villages/ hiking in the mountains/ going to seaside resorts.

l  Taking some time from work/ study makes us feel refreshed and energetic enough to go back to work/ study again.

l  Thailand is a country located in Southeast Asia and Bangkok is its capital

l  As Thailand has a long coastline, it is not surprising that tourism / fishery plays an important role in its economy.

l  The great majority of people in Thailand believe in Buddhism.  And Buddhist temples can be seen everywhere in the country.

Listening Tasks

A Conversation

A Visit to Bangkok

Word Bank

architecture     n.   the style or manner of building  建筑式样，建筑风格

incredible       a.   wonderful 奇妙的，极好的  

spicy           a.    hot  辛辣味的

tropical         a.   of the tropics  热带的

sticky          a.   humid and hot  湿热的

resort          n.    tourist spot, vacation place 游览胜地，度假地

talk sb. into sth.          to persuade sb. to do sth. 说服某人做某事

Buddhist temple       佛寺

Bangkok             曼谷 [泰国首都]

Pattaya               芭堤雅[位于泰国湾东岸一处著名风景区]

Phuket              普吉岛 [泰国西南部一岛名]

Thailand              泰国

Script

A  Visit  to  Bangkok

A: Hi, Ellen. How was your vacation?

B: Great! I went to Bangkok.

A: Really? Why did you decide to go there?

B: Well, I have a cousin who lives there. She's been trying to get me to take a vacation down there for a long time, and so, finally, she talked me into it.

A: I've seen some pictures of Bangkok--the architecture there is really interesting, isn't it?

B: Yes, it's incredible, especially the Grand Palace. The Buddhist temples, too, are very impressive. And I love the spicy Thai food and tropical fruits there.

A: How was the weather when you were there？

B: That’s about the only thing I didn’t enjoy. It was really hot and sticky. In fact, April is its hottest month. The best time to go is during the cool season, which lasts from November to February.

A: Did you go to some other places besides Bangkok?

B: Sure. I went to Pattaya. It’s a famous resort, only two hours’ drive from Bangkok. There’s plenty to enjoy: fine sand, blue sky, clear water, colorful night life …

A: Well, it sure sounds like you had a great time.

B: Oh, I sure did. And I plan to go back there next year. I’d like to visit Phuket, the biggest island of Thailand. It’s world-famous as a seaside resort.

Language and Culture Notes

1. Thailand  A country in Southeast Asia with an area of 514,000 sq. km. and a population of about 60 million. The country used to be an absolute monarchy but a coup in 1932 changed it to a constitutional monarchy. Its capital is Bangkok and its major languages are Thai, Chinese and English. Thailand is also a Buddhist country, with 94% of its population believing in Buddhism. Thailand is famous for its fine beaches, beautiful architecture, tasty food and rich culture, which attract millions of tourists from around the world every year. As a result tourism accounts for the largest source of its foreign exchange.

2.    the Grand Palace   The residences of the royal family, built in 1783. Now it also houses government offices. The world famous Chapel Royal of the Emerald Buddha in the palace is a major tourist attraction.

3.    the weather  It is always hot and humid in Thailand. The average temperatures in Bangkok are 25˚C in December and 30˚C in April. 

4.    Pattaya  A seaside resort on the eastern coast of the Gulf of Thailand, is a cosmopolitan city dedicated to the pursuit of excitement, pleasure and adventure. It was developed from a recreation site for American soldiers in the Vietnam War. The city is famous for its sand beach, which is studded with numerous hotels, bars and restaurants.

5.    Phuket  An island in southern Thailand, famous for its unpolluted beautiful scenery.

Exercise 1:  Listening for general understanding 

Listen to the conversation once and choose the right answers to the questions you hear.

1. What are the two speakers talking about?

a. A visit to Phuket.

b. A visit to Pattaya.

c. A visit to Bangkok and Phuket.

d. A visit to Bangkok and Pattaya.

2. Which of the following were discussed in the conversation you’ve just heard?

  a. Reasons to visit Bangkok.

  b. Ellen’s plan to visit Phuket next year.

  c. The weather in Bangkok.

  d. All of the above.

Exercise 2: Listening for details

Now listen to the conversation once again and choose the right answers to the questions you hear.

1. Why did Ellen decide to go to Bangkok?

   a. She loves the food there.

       b. She enjoys the weather there.

       c. She was persuaded to do so.

       d. She was invited by a close friend of hers.

2.    What do you know about Thai food from Ellen?

       a. It's sour.

       b. It's sweet.

       c. It's bitter.

       d. It's hot.

3.    In which month do you think Ellen went to Bangkok?

       a. February.

       b. April.

       c. August

       d. November.

4.    Which of the following did Ellen not like?

       a. Thai food and fruits.

       b. The weather in Bangkok.

       c. The Grand Palace and the Buddhist temples.

       d. Night life in Pattaya.

Speaking   Tasks

Pair Work

Listen to the conversations and repeat after the recording. Practise the conversations with your partner, playing the role of A or B. Then create your own conversations by replacing the underlined parts with your own words. 

Conversation  1

A:    Is there anywhere you'd like to go this summer vacation?

B:    Nowhere in particular. Do you have anything in mind?

A:  Well, some of us are thinking about going to 1) Huangshan Mountains. Would you like to join us? 

B:    Is it very 2) expensive?

A:  3) Not very, but not cheap, either, around 600 yuan.  If we go as a group, we can cut the cost.

B:  OK. I'd love to go. 4) I enjoy climbing mountains.

A:  Me too. 5) Besides, you'll be fascinated by the beautiful scenery there.

B:  Really? I'm starting to feel excited about going already. By the way, 6) what should I wear?

A:  7) Bring warm clothes. It gets chilly in the mountains, especially in the evening.

B:    Anything else?

A:  8) A camera if you have one. 9) Don't you want to take pictures of the mountains?

B:    Sure. 10) I want to take lots.

Conversation  2

A:    Hi, 1) Xiao Jin. How was your vacation?

B:    Great!  I went to 2) Hainan Island.

A:    Really?  Who did you go with?

B:  3) My cousin. 4) He'd been longing to go there for months, and he persuaded me to go with him.

A:  I heard 5) the island is warm all year round.

B:  That's true. 6) It's so cold here this time of year, while there the temperature stays in the mid-twenties.  It's really a good place to escape 7) the winter cold.

A:    Have you been to the beaches?  I hear they're beautiful.

B:  Yes, they're 8) incredible. 9) Fine white sand, blue sky and clear water.  You'd have enjoyed them.

A:   Wow! This I must see.

B:    It's really worth going.