A long trip

(01:35)

1. You are going to hear a story about a trip. Look at the pictures. What do you think happened?

2. Match the words and their definitions.

destination	someone who works for a company
record	the place you are heading for while travelling
settle down	the act of travelling from one place to another
employee	the best or fastest ever done
journey	stop travelling and live in one place

3. Listen to the story. Answer the following questions according to the listening.

1. How old is Masami Kono?

2. What is Masami Kono?

3. Where did he start his trip?

4. How many kilometers did he cycle?

5. How many continents did he cross?

6. What was his final destination?

7. Did he set up a new Japanese bicycle trip record?

8. How much longer was his trip than the previous Japanese record?

9. Did he spend all his savings during his trip?

10. How much money did he save for his trip?

11. How long did it take him to complete his trip?

12. Does he want to go on another long trip?

BEST COMMUTER

(01:28)

1. You are going to hear a story about going to work. Look at the pictures. Why do you think the man is being interviewed?

2. Match the words and their definitions.

cost of living	an organized event in which people try to win a prize by being the best, fastest, etc.
commuter	a holiday, especially when you are travelling away from home for pleasure
competition	the average amount of money people pay for food, clothing, housing, etc.
vacation	someone who travels to and from work or school every day

3. Listen to the story. Answer the following questions according to the listening.

1. What competition has Barry Haddow just won?

2. Why did he win the competition?

3. Was the competition organized by a TV program?

4. How far does he travel every day?

5. How long does it take him to get to work?

6. Does he travel most of the way by taxi?

7. How does he save time?

8. Why does he live in Wales?

9. Why doesn’t he want to live in London?

10. What prize did Barry Haddow win?

FALSE ALARM

(01:19)

1. You are going to hear a story about something that happened on a plane. Look at the picture. What do you think happened?

2. Match the words and their definitions.

false alarm	something dangerous or serious, such as an accident, which happens fast or unexpectedly
aisle	a person who is travelling on a vehicle
flight attendant	a dangerous arrival on the ground of an aircraft or boat
passenger	someone who looks after passengers on a plane
crash landing	a warning that something dangerous is going to happen, but it doesn’t
emergency	a long narrow passage between rows of seats

3. Listen to the story. Then check the best headline.

4. Before you listen again, read the sentences below. Then listen and number them in the order the events happened.

1. The message told the passengers they were going to land on water.

2. The passengers heard a taped message.

3. A plane took off in Portugal.

4. A flight attendant then explained that it was a false alarm.

5. The cabin crew rushed into the aisles.

6. It told them to get their lifejackets.

7. The plane started to cross the English Channel.

5. Listen to the story again and answer the following questions.

1. How long did the passengers prepare for a crash landing?

2. When did the false alarm happen?

3. Where was the flight going?

4. How many passengers were there on the plane?

5. What was the flight number?

6. How many message tapes were there?

A JOURNEY TO THE HIMALAYAS

(06:05)

1. Below are four groups of words each describing a class of geographical feature. Circle one word in each group which does not fit with the others and explain why it does not fit.

• confluence tributary oasis estuary

• glacier landslide subsidence avalanche

• valley gorge ravine cliff

• ridge pass summit peak

2. You are going to hear someone on the radio describing their journey along the Karakoram Highway in the north-west Pakistan. As you listen follow the route on the map below and at each place the speaker stops off at, note down what is happening and/or what can be seen.

1. ______________________________________________________________.

2. ______________________________________________________________.

3. ______________________________________________________________.

4. ______________________________________________________________.

5. ______________________________________________________________.

6. ______________________________________________________________.

7. ______________________________________________________________.

3. You and a friend have heard this programme (and may already know something about the Himalayas) and are thinking of taking a holiday in this area. Discuss the advantages and possible drawbacks of such a holiday. Below are some points to consider.

• accommodation

• possible risks/dangers to health

• getting there

• the language

• food/shops

• what to take with you

TOURIST ACCOMMODATION

(03:02)

1. You are going to listen to a travel agent explaining accommodation possibilities to a man and woman. Study the list of tourist accommodation possibilities and discuss the meanings of the word-combinations below.

self­catering accommodation

accommodation with meals provided serviced accommodation 

country hotel 

farm accommodation 

guest house 

B&B 

country cottage

restored farmhouse

castle

hostel 

dormitory 

campsite (a caravan / tent)

bunkhouse 

camping barn 

2. Listen to the conversation and answer the following questions. 

1. What tour would the woman prefer? 

2. Are they interested in self­catering accommodation? 

3.  What does the travel agent think of a self­catering cottage? 

4.  Would a dormitory be suitable? 

5.  Is hiring a caravan a bad idea?

3. Listen to the conversation again and complete the information about accommodation possibilities in Wales while listening.

Wales can offer a variety of accommodation possibilities: ________ accommodation or _______ accommodation away from the crowds.   

There’re ____________, which are usually ________ and in extensive grounds. 

A cheaper option in a ______ location would be __________ accommodation.  

This is similar to a _____ __________ or __________, but on a working farm.  

If you want to go self­catering, there are lots of _______, _____, even ______, 

available on a _______ basis. 

They’re probably not suitable if you want to__________ __________ Wales. 

Many hostels nowadays have __________ __________ as well as _________. 

There are plenty of __________ in Wales. 

Most campsites allow both __________ and __________ ___________.  

In the mountains there are ___________, which are like _________ but simpler. 

In the really ____areas there are camping barns.  These provide a place to sleep. 

You need to take everything with you – sleeping bag, food, even a __________. 

You can get you some ________________ to find out where all these places are. And you can get a lot of information from the Welsh ________ Board’s website.