Going places

Going places
In this module you will...
learn language related to travelling by plane
learn to make requests and ask for permission
learn to express ability
learn to express obligation, lack of obligation
and prohibition
learn to ask for information using indirect
questions
learn to write an e-mail asking for information
discuss different types of holiday and holiday
destinations
learn to make comparisons
talk about cities and places and the facilities
they include
learn to write a description of a place
a brochure about a region in China
an unhappy passenger
an interview with a caving expert
different places to stay when travelling
a city in Saudi Arabia
Flick through the module and find...
33
What’s your destination?
• Do you find travelling enjoyable or stressful? Why?
• What’s the worst thing that’s happened to you while travelling?
A. Discuss.
B. Look at the man in the picture. How does he feel? What do you think
has happened to him? Listen and check your answers.
1.LISTENING & READING
Check-in clerk Good afternoon. Where are you flying to?
Passenger London Heathrow.
Check-in clerk May I see your passport, please?
Passenger There you go. Could I have an
aisle seat?
Check-in clerk Sure. How many bags are you
checking in?
Passenger Just this one. Can I take this
smaller one on the plane with me?
Check-in clerk Let me see. Could you put it on
the conveyor belt?
Passenger There.
Check-in clerk Hmmm... I’m sorry, but it’s too
heavy for hand luggage. You have
to check it in.
Passenger Check-in clerk Sorry.
At the check-in desk in Madrid...
But I have important stuff in there.
At lost luggage in London Heathrow...
Attendant I have some good news and some bad
news. The good news is that we were able
to find your bag.
Passenger At last! You know, I didn’t even want to
check that one in. What’s the bad news?
Attendant Well, there’s been a bit of a mix-up. Let
me explain. The airport code for London
Heathrow is LHR, but the baggage
handler thought your bag had LHP on it.
An easy mistake to make.
Passenger LHP? What airport is that?
Attendant Lehu.
Passenger Le where?
Attendant It’s in Papua New Guinea.
Passenger What!?
Attendant We’ve arranged to fly your bag directly
here as soon as possible. Can you give me
an address here in London? We can
arrange for a courier to bring it to you.
Passenger Yes, I’ve written the address in my
notebook... Oh no!
Attendant Is there a problem?
Passenger Yes. My notebook is in Papua New Guinea!
C. Read the dialogues and answer the questions.
1. Where would the passenger like to sit on the plane?
2. How many bags does the passenger check in?
3. What is LHR?
4. What’s the bad news?
5. Where is Lehu?
6. Who is going to bring the passenger’s lost luggage
to him?
7. What is in the passenger’s lost bag?
34
Read the situations and form sentences using the
words in brackets.
1. You want to borrow your friend’s mobile phone.
What do you say?
(can)
2. You couldn’t meet your brother at the airport
yesterday. Apologise to him.
(able)
3. You’re thirsty. Ask the flight attendant for some
water.
(could)
4. You are not able to find your boarding card. Tell the
clerk.
(can)
5. You want to use your laptop on the plane. Ask for
permission.
(may)
3.GRAMMAR
Read the examples below and decide what the words
in bold express: ability, permission or request.
• May I see your passport, please?
• Can I take this smaller one on the plane with me?
• We can arrange for a courier to bring it to you.
• The good news is that we were able to find your bag.
• Could you put it on the conveyor belt?
CAN, COULD, MAY, BE ABLE TO
Grammar Reference p. 128
We use can or is/are able to to express
ability in the present.
We use could or was/were able to to
express ability in the past.
NOTE
4.PRACTICE
Student A: Imagine that you are the check-in
clerk and that Student B is a passenger
checking in his/her luggage. Discuss
using the prompts in the box and answer
Student B’s questions.
where / fly / to?
passport and ticket / please?
how many / bags / check in?
put on / conveyor belt / please?
5.SPEAKING
ROLE PLAY
Talk in pairs.
Student B: Imagine that you are a passenger
checking in your luggage and that
Student A is a check-in clerk. Discuss and
use the prompts in the box to ask Student
A questions.
have / aisle-window seat / please?
check in / this bag / too?
take / laptop, mobile phone, etc. / on plane?
2.VOCABULARY
WORDS RELATED TO TRAVELLING BY PLANE
Read the text and try to guess the meaning of the
words/phrases in bold.
Lee arrived at the airport at 6am. He was going away
on a business trip but before leaving, he wanted to
see his friend, Oliver. Oliver was coming back from
a trip abroad and was arriving at 6:15. Lee waited for
him at arrivals. When Oliver’s plane landed, they
went to a café. When it was time for Lee to leave,
he went to departures and checked in his suitcase.
Unfortunately, there was a two-hour delay. However,
while he was waiting, he fell asleep. Luckily, someone
woke him up just before his plane took off! He ran to
the gate and was the last passenger to board the plane.
He showed his boarding card to the flight attendant
and went to his seat.
To guess the meaning of an unknown word:
• read the words before and after the unknown word and
think of the situation.
• try to figure out what part of speech (verb, noun, etc.) the
unknown word is.
• see if the unknown word is similar to other words in
English or in your own language.
TIP
Before you speak, make sure you understand
the task and how you should use the prompts.
35
1.
Well, up until the late 19th century, scientists explored
caves for study. In 1889, Edouard-Alfred Martel used ropes
and ladders to go down vertical caves over 100m deep
because he liked exploration. Today, we call these caves
‘potholes’ and they are the most popular with cavers.
2.
It’s the thrill of the unknown and discovering new places.
Sometimes, you have to walk through waist-high water or
climb a slippery rock face, and you think, ‘What am I doing?’
But then you discover a huge underground cave with
beautiful rock formations and it all seems worth it.
Of course, half the fun is trying to get back out of the cave.
3.
Most caving clubs have special programmes for
beginners. They must learn the basic skills above ground
first. They aren’t allowed to take part otherwise. You have
to be physically fit for caving and the minimum age for
club members is usually 16.
4.
Never explore caves alone, always in groups. And you
mustn’t go without an experienced caver. Also, it’s
a good idea to leave a note of your trip and the time
you expect to return with someone. Caving can be
dangerous. It’s very easy for accidents to happen, but
rescuing people is very difficult, sometimes impossible.
5.
Without light you are lost. So, each person must
have a headlamp and at least one extra, as well as
batteries. You need some strong ropes and a first-aid
kit is necessary, too. You don’t have to wear special
clothing, as long as what you wear is warm and
waterproof.
They’re dark, cold, wet and dangerous places.
So, why do people explore them?
Who better to ask than the country’s top caver
Clive Stewart!
ESM
EXTREME SPORTS MAGAZINE
Caving
I N T E R V I E W
Clive Stewart
3b Dos and don’ts
• Do you like exploring new places?
• How does it make you feel?
A. Discuss.
B. Read the text quickly and match the
questions a-e with the paragraphs 1-5.
1.READING
a. Do you need special training?
b. How did it all start?
c. Apart from strong boots and helmets,
what safety equipment do you need?
d. Why is caving so popular?
e. What’s the most important thing to remember?
ESM »INTERVIEW
C. Read again and write T for True or F for False.
1. Scientists started cave exploration in the
19th century.
2. Cavers enjoy getting into caves more than
getting out.
3. You do the first part of the training in a cave.
4. Teens under 16 can’t go cave exploring.
5. Only experienced cavers should explore
caves alone.
6. All members of a group must have more
than one light.
7. Special clothes are necessary.
1. vertical
2. thrill
3. formations
4. beginners
5. the minimum
6. waterproof
D. Look at the highlighted words in the text and match
them with the meanings a-f.
a. excitement
b. shapes
c. going straight up or down
d. not letting water in
e. people starting to learn
f. the smallest possible
E. Discuss.
• Would you like to start cave exploration?
Why? / Why not?
Caving
36
2.VOCABULARY
WORD BUILDING
Look at the nouns below and write the verb which
they derive from.
1.  formation
2.  excitement
3.  appearance
4.  exploration
5.  performance
6.  preparation
7.  survival
8.  improvement
9.  discussion
10.  communication
11.  arrival
12.  organisation
3.GRAMMAR
Read the examples and decide what each of them
means. Choose a, b or c.
You have to be physically fit.
You don’t have to wear special clothing.
Each person must have a headlamp.
You mustn’t go without an experienced caver.
You need to have safety equipment.
Experienced cavers don’t need to take a training
course.
You needn’t buy special clothing.
a. It is necessary.
b. It isn’t necessary.
c. Don’t do it!
HAVE TO, DON’T HAVE TO, MUST, MUSTN’T,
NEED TO, DON’T NEED TO, NEEDN’T
Grammar Reference p. 129
5.SPEAKING
Work in groups of four. Look at the places below.
One student chooses one of the places and the
other three in the group have to find out which
place it is by asking questions about what you
have to, don’t have to, mustn’t, etc. do there.
Use the ideas in the box.
4.PRACTICE
GAME
train plane school
stadium park gallery
wear seat belt eat use mobile
buy tickets take pictures
Look at the signs and make sentences using have to,
don’t have to, need to, don’t need to, must or mustn’t.
Do you have to wear a seat belt there?
No, you don’t.
Can you eat there?
NOTE
A lot of nouns are formed by adding a suffix
(-ion, -ation, -ment, -ance, -al) to a verb.
form
NO BIKES
ALLOWED IN
THE PARK
Channel
Funpark
37