Have you ever travelled in an airplane?

Divide into two groups — people who have flown before and people who have not.

The people who have flown before should discuss these ques­tions:

1) Who has had the longest flight?

2) Who has flown the most times?

3) Who gets bored and who gets excited on flights?

4) What part of the flight do you enjoy (dislike) most?

5) Has anyone had any frightening experiences on a flight?

The people who haven 7 flown before should discuss these ques­tions:

1) Would you like to fly? What would you like (not like) about flying? 2) Which part of the flight do you think would be most ex­citing? Which part would take you most nervous? f3) What would be the best place to sit in an aeroplane — aisle seat, window seat or in the middle of the row? At the front or at the back of the plane?

Discuss your answers with people from the other group.

2. Which job would you like most — pilot, flight attendant, or air-traffic controller? Which is the most difficult?

How many of these pieces of advice/recommendations are worth following? Why?

a) Never get to the airport too early in case the plane is late.

b) Always take a good long book to read on a journey.

c) Always try to get some sleep on the plane.

d) Never take more then one suitcase on a journey.

e) Always try to do some work on the plane — there won't
be any phone calls to interrupt you.

0 Never drink alcohol on a plane.

4. You and your friend are looking forward to a trip to...in summer. You insist on flying, but your friend wantsto travel by train. Discuss the advantages and disadvan­tages of travelling by air and by train.

5. Discuss the following:

1. What makes travelling by air almost as safe as travelling by rail?

2. Do the passengers go straight to the plane? What do theyhave to do first?

3. When do students and schoolchildren pay reduced pric­es for tickets?

4. What information is usually given to the passengers on board a plane?

DIALOGUE 3

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL

Colin Knapp is talking about traveling to the Far East.

Interviewer: Colin, do you travel on business very often?

Colin Knapp: 1 travel to Thailand about two to three times per year.

Interviewer: And how long is the flight from England to Thai­land?

Colin Knapp: The flight is about twelve hours.

Interviewer: Uh, huh. Do you enjoy that long flight?

Colin Knapp: It's, it is OK as long as I take plenty of reading, and they normally have three to four films.

Interviewer: And do you watch all the films?

Colin Knapp: I watch all the films because I find it very diffi­cult to sleep on a plane.

Interviewer: OK. Do you suffer from jet lag* after the flight?

Colin Knapp: Er, I suffer jet lag. In Thailand it lasts for about one day.

Interviewer: Uh-hu... and when do you return to England?

Colin Knapp: It is worse, for some reason, and is about three days.

Interviewer: So traveling back to England is less pleasant?

Colin Knapp: It is less pleasant, but that apparently is quite common.

Interviewer: OK. Erm... and what's the reason for your visits to Thailand?

Colin Knapp: It's to teach and to do some business with the University.

Interviewer: Why do you travel to Thailand to do business? Why can't you do that by telephone or fax?

Colin Knapp: Because our discussions are quite complex and it is too complex for telephone and fax.

Interviewer: OK. When you visit Thailand do you experience a culture gap?

Colin Knapp: There is a culture gap, yes.

Interviewer: Erm... can you give me any examples of that?

Colin Knapp: They are very polite people, and so there are times when you may think they agree with you, but they say "yes" because they think it is polite.

Interviewer: Ok. So the way people communicate is different?

Colin Knapp: They communicate in a different way, yes.

Interviewer: Ok. And also can you give people visiting Thai­land any tips for their visit?

Colin Knapp: Erm... always try to be polite, and be respectful, and on first meeting try not to look the person in the eye too often...

* jet lag — tiredness after flying to a place where the time is different.

1. Comprehension questions:

1) How often does Colin travel on business?

2) Which country does he visit regularly?

3) How long is the flight?

4) What two things does he do during the flight?

5) Does he suffer from jet lag?

6) Is jet lag different traveling west-east and east-west?

7) Why does he travel to the Far East instead of doing busi­ness by telephone or fax?

8) What example of a culture gap does he give?

9) What tips does he give for visiting this country for the first time?

2. Work in groups and discuss the following:

— Do you like or dislike flying?

— Do you sleep on a plane or do you prefer to read? Do you always watch the in-flight films?

— What do you know about jet lag?

— Have you experienced cultural differences when you trav­el?

— What are the advantages of face-to-face meetings com­pared to doing business by telephone, fax or computer?

3. Think about your own town or city and discuss the
questions:

1) Where is the nearest international airport?

2) Where is the nearest main train station?

3) How do you get to the airport from your college or place of work? By bus or train?

4) How do you get to the main train station?

5) What routes would you take to the airport and station by car?

Work in pairs playing the roles of a Visitor and a Local Res­ident. Ask and answer questions. Take the roles in turns.

Use:

— How do I get to the airport from here?

— What's the best way to get to the train station from here?

— The best thing to do is...

— The quickest way to get to...

— If you take the... it'll take about... minutes and it'll cost...

— It's not a good idea to... because... (give reason)

TALKING POINTS (2)

1. International Airport. Read the information about To­kyo Narita Airport. Answer the following questions:

1) How long does it take to get from the airport to down­town Tokyo by train?

2) How much does the taxi ride cost?

3) Is it a good idea to take the bus to the centre?

4) How much time should you allow to make any connec­tion with an internal flight?

5) What's the beat way to get to downtown Tokyo from the airport?

TOKYO NARITA

Narita Airport is 65 km east of downtown Tokyo. The cab ride takes at least 90 min, but much longer at busy times of day (and it costs a small fortune). Far cheaper than a cab is Airport Limousine Bus, which will take you to the Tokyo City Air Ter­minal. The Narita Express train to Tokyo Station in downtown Tokyo takes around 30 min. The Skyliner train to Keisei Ueno Station takes 45 min.

All flights from Narita leave from the same terminal. Most Japanese domestic flights leave from Haneda Airport (80 km away on the other side of the city). The inter-airport bus takes at least 2 hours but it may be quicker to take the Narita Express to Tokyo Station, transfer to a suburban train there and finally transfer to the monorail at Hamamatsucho.

Work in pairs and make up a dialogue using this in­formation.