AELA_E1002_SESI_SG

Tony: A studio, please. __________________?

Receptionist: $150.

Tony: ______________?

Receptionist: Yes sure.

Mei: Do you have a pool?

Receptionist: Yes, we do. On the 2nd floor. Here’s your key. Your room number is 401. Mei: Thank you!

3.1.2 Exercise

Choose the correct responses according to the context of the conversation. Mei: Hi, do you have any free ______________ (carts/maps/cards) of the city? Helpdesk Executive: Yes, we do. And we also have a free information booklet. Mei: Great. Could we ____________ (have one/ make one/give one) please?

Helpdesk Executive: Sure, here you go.

Mei: We’re only here for three days. What ____________ (you talk/do you recommend/you want) that we see?

Helpdesk Executive: Well, there are a host of places to visit in Dubai such as the Dubai museum, Wafi mall, spice spouk, the Wild Wadi Water park and the Burj Al Arab. You can also go on a desert safari.

Mei: Sounds interesting!! Can you recommend a good tour _______ (operator/operation/ person)?

Helpdesk Executive: Our hotel has a tie-up with ABC Travels who offer tailor made packages. Here’s their card.

Mei: Great! We’ll ________________ (see/ look/ check) it out. Thank you! Helpdesk Executive: You are welcome. Hope you have a pleasant stay.

3.1.3 Exercise

Choose the correct responses according to the context of the conversation.

Mei: Can you _________________ (suggest/ recommend/say) a good restaurant around here? Volunteer: Hmm... there aren’t any restaurants around here...

Mei: What about _________________? ( in the city/ in city/nearby)

Volunteer: There are a lot of good restaurants there. If you go to Sheikh Zayed Road, you’ll see about 10 different restaurants, all of which are highly recommendable.

Mei: Great! How do we _________________ (come to /get to/arrive) Sheikh Zayed Road from here?

Volunteer: When you exit the parking lot, turn left on Sheikh Zayed Road. Keep driving for about 10 blocks and you’ll come to Sheikh Zayed Road. Turn right. The restaurant zone is about five blocks from there.

Mei: So, we have to ________________ (go right/make a right turn/move right) on Sheikh Zayed Road?

Volunteer: That’s correct. Would you like me to draw you a map?

Mei: No, thanks, I think _______________. ( we’ll be fine/we will go/we will see). Thank you!

3.2 Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF)

3.2.1 Opinion

1.Do you like going to shopping festivals?

2.Which is your favourite festival?

3.Which is your favourite shopping destination?

4.Have you heard of the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF)?

3.2.2 Conversation

Asif Khan is the marketing director of the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF). Listen to him talk about the festival and its key attractions.

Interviewer: What is the Dubai Shopping Festival all about?

Asif: Well, Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) is a shopper’s paradise where you get world’s best brands at the lowest prices imaginable. True to its theme ‘One Family, One World, One Festival,’ it’s a time where the celebrations last a month and the memories, a lifetime.

Interviewer: How did it start?

Asif: Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF), known in Arabic as ‘Layali Dubai’, was first started in February 1996 by the Dubai government. It was initially supposed to be purely a retail event to promote trade in Dubai. But, over the years it has become an annual shopping, entertainment and cultural extravaganza that promotes tourism and attracts people from around the world.

Interviewer: How is the DSF this year different from those of previous years?

Asif: Each year, we strive to bring about something better than what was offered the previous year. We have lined up some spectacular shows this year. For instance, the 2nd International Jazz Festival features some of the biggest names in jazz from around the world.

Shops, malls and special outlets will make shopping an extremely lucrative and economical experience. The raffle draw that has the world stunned each year is back again, with the Lexus draws. The daily winner will win 2 Lexus cars and 150,000 Dirhams in cash.

Interviewer: What was the visitor turnout last year and what are your projections for this year?

Asif: The projections for this year are a 5 percent increase over figures of last year. Studies have shown that the total number of visitors to various DSF attractions was 3.5 million last year.

Interviewer: What is your visitor profile in terms of percentages from India, Middle East and Europe? Do you have any break-up of the profile of visitors from the Middle East?

Asif: We do not concentrate on breakdown of visitor numbers by nationality. We receive a great mix of visitors, much like the multi-cultural society in which we live in Dubai. We have people from all over the globe who visit us, some repeatedly over the years.

Interviewer: What was the retail trade turnover during the last DSF? Is this year going to be

better?

Asif: The total spending seen in Dubai last year was 5.12 Billion Dirhams. Considering the graph has only risen upward during all the preceding festivals and looking at the great response we have been receiving from many travellers, we are sure that this year is going to be an improvement on last year.

Interviewer: How has the DSF helped to promote other sectors like tourism and business?

Asif: Total spending, which is considered a key reflector of the festival’s success, increased by 11.3 percent. The shopping expenditure increased by 13 percent and eating out and entertainment expenditure showed a remarkable increase of 18.5 percent. This is a clear indicator of the quality of events being held in the city. The numbers prove that the success is not enjoyed by any one sector alone, but is spread over the entire business community in Dubai.

Interviewer: What do you enjoy most about organising DSF?

Asif: I guess it’s just actually being around so many happy people. During the course of the festival I get a lot of people coming upto me and telling me how much they are enjoying themselves and what a great time they are having. This makes me feel really good and makes all the effort and sleepless nights seem worthwhile.

3.2.3 Exercise

Listen to Asif Khan’s interview again and state whether the following sentences are true or false.

1.DSF is a shopper’s paradise. ________ (True/False)

2.It was started by Asif Khan. ________ (True/False)

3.The visitor turnout has increased over the years. ________ (True/False)

4.Celebrations last for one week. ________ (True/False)

5.DSF promotes the tourism sector only. ________ (True/False)

3.2.4 Exercise

Based on Asif Khan’s interview, answer the following questions.

1.Where is the shopping festival being held?

2.What is the theme of the festival?

3.What are the prizes for the raffle draw?

4.How many visitors did DSF have last year?

5.By what percentage did the total spending increase?

3.2.5 Class Activity

You have just returned from a trip where you experienced various performing arts.

Tell your friend about it, but remember to use the following words in your sentences:

3.3 Likes, Dislikes and Preferences

3.3.1 Preference Phrases

During conversations, we use several phrases to indicate what we like and what we dislike. In official communications too, we tend to indicate our preferences using phrases that are of moderate tone.

Givenherearesomeofthekeyphrasesusedwhile expressing likes, dislikes or preferences. Observe the highlighted text in these sentences.

3.3.2 Exercise

Arrange the following phrases from the most positive to the most negative.

a.She likes …

b.She loves …

c.She doesn’t like …

d.She hates …

e.She is not keen …

f.She really likes …

g. She can’t stand …

3.3.3 Exercise

Complete the conversation using the given options.

Keya: Do you ______ (1) this song?

Yusuf: I ___________ (2) it very much. Do you? Keya: Yes, I do. I _______ (3) it!

Yusuf: What kind of music do you enjoy? Keya: I ______ (4) listening to soothing music.

Yusuf: So do I. What do you prefer country music or soft rock?

Keya: I ______ (5) country music.

Yusuf: No way! Who’s your favourite singer? Keya: Kenny Rogers.

Yusuf: Mine too!

3.3.4 Class Activity

Assume that you and a friend are at the Dubai Shopping Festival. Talk to your partner and discuss how you would like to spend the day.

Here are a few questions to help you get started.

1.What do you want to do today?

2.Where do you want to go shopping?

3.Do you want to go on a desert safari?

4.Which cuisine do you prefer, Mediterranean or Chinese?

5.Do you wish to go sightseeing?

6.How often do you go to the races?

UNIT

Changing Course 04

Objectives

The learner will be able to:

Identify challenges associated with a change in career.

Use Past Simple and Past Continuous verbs during conversation.Use intonations during conversation.

Communicate past experiences.

4.1 Career Change

4.1.1 Opinion

If given a choice, would you like to change your career? Would you like to start your own business? Why or Why not?

4.1.2 Interview

Alicia Lee is a renowned chef who recently opened her own restaurant in Singapore. She talks about her profession and experience of setting up her business. Listen to the interview.

Interviewer: What first inspired you to pursue cooking professionally?

Alicia: At the age of 25, I was working as a sales manager at a retail unit. I used to spend 13 hours at a job I didn’t love. I soon got bored. I used to not get any time to cook for my family.

I was never happy with ordering food as I felt it was not healthy for my kids. That’s when the idea came up. I decided to open a restaurant that served the kind of food mothers would make if they had the time. I started spending all my spare time reading about food, talking about food and catering; I didn’t care how little I made, I had to follow my passion. I was willing to take the risk.

Interviewer: It must have been difficult to change your profession?

Alicia: It was challenging, but I liked taking risks so it was not too much of a big deal. Then, to make my dream a reality I enrolled at ‘The Culinary Institute of America’ at the age of 31. After that I worked in France for a few years.

Interviewer: How did you get to open your restaurant in Singapore?

Alicia: Well, it’s destiny. I met Bob at a common friend’s house. He had come from Singapore on business. He was very impressed with the food I had prepared. He presented a business proposition I couldn’t resist. So I moved to Singapore and opened my own restaurant, ‘Mum’s Kitchen’ in January 2006. I set up the place in one month.

Interviewer: One month! That’s extremely quick!

Alicia: Yes, but I must say that Bob was a great help. Since he had been in the restaurant business for 20 years, he knew exactly what needed to be done and how.

Interviewer: Did being a mother change your ideas about what kind of business you wanted to run?

Alicia: Absolutely. I think that a lot of chefs have no idea what a family might want to eat. They know what their clientele wants to eat but that rarely includes children. Once you’ve been a mother, cooking is low cost and doesn’t take a long time to prepare, so it bodes well for family members that won’t always arrive at the table at the same time.

Interviewer: What would you attribute your success as a chef and a business owner to?

Alicia: My hard work. I knew how to cook, but I was adamant about wanting to go to cooking school, work in good restaurants and work the line—and that’s what led to my success—the understanding that it doesn’t happen overnight. I set out to learn it before starting my own restaurant.

Interviewer: What’s the biggest challenge facing your restaurant?

Alicia: Serving quality food for every guest every day is a challenge in and of itself. On Saturdays and Sundays, we cater to around 750 people for brunch. I always say Mr. 500 does not care that 499 people were fed before him and therefore I’m constantly here. I always taste the food and make sure it is prepared well. The biggest challenge is serving quality while still doing quantity.

Interviewer: What’s next?

Alicia: Cutting back. I need to start living life. Life is too short and I need to start living it. I have been working too hard. I need a break.

4.1.3 Exercise

Based on Alisia’s interview, state whether the following statements are true or false.

1.Alicia Lee is a chef. _________ (True/False)

2.She believed that ordering food was healthy for her kids. _________ (True/False)

3.She enrolled at the culinary institute at the age of 25. _________ (True/False)

4.She opened her dream restaurant in Spain. _________ (True/False)

5.She attributes her success to hard work. _________ (True/False)

4.1.4 Exercise

Listen to Alisia’s interview again and answer these questions.

1.Why did Alicia leave her job as a sales manager?

2.What is the name of her restaurant?

3.What is different about Alicia’s restaurant?

4.How long did it take Alicia to set up her restaurant?

5.What is the biggest challenge facing her business?

4.2Past Simple and Past Continuous

4.2.1 Definition

We use Past Simple and Past Continuous when we refer to completed actions in the past, especially when discussing life experiences.

Examples:

We use the Past Continuous when we want to emphasise the continuity of the action.

Examples:

Remember, we make Past Continuous with the ‘was/were’ and ‘-ing’ form of the verb. When we use these two forms in the same sentence, we use the Past Continuous to talk about the ‘background action’ and the Past Simple to talk about the shorter completed action.

4.2.2 Exercise

In the following sentences, highlight the verbs in the Past Simple and Past Continuous.

1.I was willing to take the risk.

2.We used to order food.

3.I started spending all my spare time reading about food.

4.I set up the place in one month.

5.Once you’ve been a mother, cooking doesn’t take time.