Around the Globe Malaysia visit

Travel
Culture
Do you like travelling? Why / Why not?
What is the difference between a tourist
and a traveller?
In your opinion, what are the most
significant aspects of culture in a society?
Discuss:
an article about a traditional ceremony
a text advertising a holiday destination
a text about an ancient king
a text discussing a journey ‘out of this world’
Flick through the module and find...
talk about travel, holidays and different aspects of
culture
learn how to use appropriate tenses to talk about
past events and situations
learn how to define people, places, things and
ideas, and give additional information about them
expand your vocabulary by learning prepositional
phrases, verbs describing movement and sight,
idioms related to feelings/attitudes, etc.
learn how to write descriptive articles and semiformal
letters
acquire skills and strategies that will help you in
exams
In this module you will...
79
A
Malaysia is a country with a multi-ethnic, multicultural,
and multilingual society. It is a bustling melting pot
where Malays, Indians, Chinese and many other ethnic
groups all live together in perfect harmony.
Malaysia is home to some of the most prominent
structures in the world. The Petronas Twin Towers, one
of the world’s tallest twin towers, and the KL tower,
one of the tallest communications towers in the world,
are just two examples of contemporary architecture
in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur. Visitors to this
vibrant city are struck by the extreme contrasts; towering
skyscrapers look down upon traditional wooden houses
built on stilts, and luxurious five star hotels with all their
opulence stand several metres away from ancient reefs.
Nearby, cool and serene hideaways in the highlands,
where one can find peace and tranquility, roll down to
warm, sandy beaches.
And speaking of beaches, Malaysia’s shores offer more
idyllic locales than one could explore in a lifetime. Lapped
by clear crystal waters, the beaches range from powdery
stretches of sand that characterise the eastern coastline
of Peninsular Malaysia to the black sand beach of Pantai
Pasir Hitam and the smooth pebble beach of Pantai Batu
Kerikil. The beaches are havens of breathtaking coral and
lush tropical views served by some of the most elegant
and enchanting resorts in Asia.
With the diversity of races living here, Malaysia’s
gastronomic heritage has drawn from each of its
constituent cultures as well as from neighbouring states
to produce one of the most delicious cuisines of the
world. Excellent and inexpensive food can be found
almost anywhere thanks to the countless food stalls.
Dining at a roadside stall may not sound exciting but in
Malaysia it’s a very common practice. The best stalls are
as popular and as crowded as any restaurant.
From delightful indulgence to tranquil charm, there is
something to appeal to everyone. Sumptuous elegance
and exceptional service, it is all here. For the perfect
holiday full of surprises, eclectic cultures and natural
wonders, visit Malaysia!
1. pre-reading
2. reading for gist
Read the texts A and B quickly. Both of them are
related to travelling. Where might you find each of
these texts?
3. reading for details
Read the texts A and B again and answer the questions
1-4. Choose a, b, c or d.
Look at the list of some of the benefits of travelling.
Place them in order of importance beginning with the
most important.
• enables you to get first-hand experience of new places
• broadens your mind
• enables you to learn about new cultures
• gives you the opportunity to try out foreign cuisine
• helps you get away from your daily routine
Humanity cannot remain in its Earthly cradle forever. Earth is
full to the brim and it’s creaking. We’re facing climate change
and we’re running out of essential resources such as oil, coal and
fresh water, to name just two urgent issues. Perhaps we could
learn to live within our means on the planet. But we would have
to sacrifice not just population growth, but economic expansion
too, which, let’s face it, is highly unlikely to happen. It is our
inability to compromise on issues such as this that will lead to
our ultimate migration to the stars.
Earth is just one world in a sky full of worlds. There is water
on Mars, minerals waiting to be mined from the asteroids, and
whole moons made of ice further out. And we’re even beginning
to detect planets that may be similar to the Earth orbiting other
stars.
Our first footsteps off Earth may be taken in search of
resources off the planet to sustain our civilisation back home.
But once we get started, it’s unlikely we would stop there.
A Galactic empire has been a dream of science fiction from
the days of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series in the 1950s. But
even travelling at lightspeed, it would take years or centuries to
reach the nearer stars, and a hundred thousand years to reach
the far side of our galaxy. And that’s almost as long as humanity
has existed.
What effect will these immense scales in space and time have
on our future history? If we leave Earth, will we conquer the
Galaxy - or will the Galaxy conquer us?

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