Ric Elias had a front-row seat on Flight 1549, the plane that crash-landed in the Hudson River in New York in January 2009. What went through his mind as the doomed plane went down? At TED, he tells his story publicly for the first time.
Self-study activity:
Watch the short talk and answer the questions below. The activity is suitable for intermediate students.
1 What explanation did the flight attendant give to Ricky about the noise?
2 How far was the plane from New York?
3 What three things happened at the same time?
4 What three things did Ricky learn that day?
5 What are the important things in his life now?
6 What gift was he given on that day?
You can check your answers by reading the transcript below.
Imagine a big explosion as you climb through 3,000 ft. Imagine a plane full of smoke. Imagine an engine going clack, clack, clack, clack, clack, clack, clack. It sounds scary. Well I had a unique seat that day. I was sitting in 1D. I was the only one who could talk to the flight attendants. So I looked at them right away, and they said, "No problem. We probably hit some birds." The pilot had already turned the plane around, and we weren't that far. You could see Manhattan. Two minutes later, three things happened at the same time. The pilot lines up the plane with the Hudson River. That's usually not the route. He turns off the engines. Now imagine being in a plane with no sound. And then he says three words -the most unemotional three words I've ever heard. He says, "Brace for impact." I didn't have to talk to the flight attendant anymore. I could see in her eyes, it was terror. Life was over. Now I want to share with you three things I learned about myself that day.
I learned that it all changes in an instant. We have this bucket list, we have these things we want to do in life, and I thought about all the people I wanted to reach out to that I didn't, all the fences I wanted to mend, all the experiences I wanted to have and I never did. As I thought about that later on, I came up with a saying, which is, "I collect bad wines." Because if the wine is ready and the person is there, I'm opening it. I no longer want to postpone anything in life. And that urgency, that purpose, has really changed my life.
The second thing I learned that day -and this is as we clear the George Washington Bridge, which was by not a lot - I thought about, wow, I really feel one real regret. I've lived a good life. In my own humanity and mistakes, I've tried to get better at everything I tried. But in my humanity, I also allow my ego to get in. And I regretted the time I wasted on things that did not matter with people that matter. And I thought about my relationship with my wife, with my friends, with people. And after, as I reflected on that, I decided to eliminate negative energy from my life. It's not perfect, but it's a lot better. I've not had a fight with my wife in two years. It feels great. I no longer try to be right; I choose to be happy.
The third thing I learned -and this is as your mental clock starts going, "15, 14, 13." You can see the water coming. I'm saying, "Please blow up." I don't want this thing to break in 20 pieces like you've seen in those documentaries. And as we're coming down, I had a sense of, wow, dying is not scary. It's almost like we've been preparing for it our whole lives. But it was very sad. I didn't want to go; I love my life. And that sadness really framed in one thought, which is, I only wish for one thing. I only wish I could see my kids grow up. About a month later, I was at a performance by my daughter -first-grader, not much artistic talent ... yet. And I'm bawling, I'm crying, like a little kid. And it made all the sense in the world to me. I realized at that point, by connecting those two dots, that the only thing that matters in my life is being a great dad. Above all, above all, the only goal I have in life is to be a good dad.
I was given the gift of a miracle, of not dying that day. I was given another gift, which was to be able to see into the future and come back and live differently. I challenge you guys that are flying today, imagine the same thing happens on your plane -and please don't- but imagine, and how would you change? What would you get done that you're waiting to get done because you think you'll be here forever? How would you change your relationships and the negative energy in them? And more than anything, are you being the best parent you can?
lunes, 19 de mayo de 2014
domingo, 18 de mayo de 2014
Extensive listening: Vancouver Island
Wildest Islands is a documentary series that explores the wildlife on different islands or archipelagos around the world, showing all the diversity that they boast. The islands (Zanzibar, Caribbean, Galapagos, Sri Lanka, Hebrides) are in different oceans and conditions, and in them wildlife, human populations and geology often interact significantly with insular and/or continental neighbours.
This episode of the series deals with Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. Vancouver Island is a vast and wild island with mountains running its length. The largest island off the west coast of North America, its glaciers fuel the flow of some of Canada's tallest waterfalls and an endless network of rivers and creeks make it the ideal habitat for the Pacific salmon. Turkey vultures gather for the migration south as they head for warmer weather in winter.
This episode of the series deals with Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. Vancouver Island is a vast and wild island with mountains running its length. The largest island off the west coast of North America, its glaciers fuel the flow of some of Canada's tallest waterfalls and an endless network of rivers and creeks make it the ideal habitat for the Pacific salmon. Turkey vultures gather for the migration south as they head for warmer weather in winter.
sábado, 17 de mayo de 2014
Sample writing for your exams
One of the sections of My That's English! we are more proud of is the series Writing workshop, where we followed a step-by-step guide on how to improve students' writing skills with a view to improving their performance in exams.
At the time we considered it unsuitable to provide samples for the different types of composition tasks that we were dealing with because we felt some students might fall into the temptation of using those samples for their school work. That is the main reason why we have very much been debating whether to post about Sample writing for your exams, a blog created by Johanes Djogan which focuses on providing samples for the different types of tasks English students may come across in different kinds of exams (Cambridge, IELTS, TOEFL).
This is the way Johanes Djogan introduces his blog:
"Examwriting is a blog focused on delivering free material for self-preparation. If you need to take IELTS, FCE, CAE or TOEFL, you have come to the right place. Plenty of essay examples, formal or informal letters, reports, descriptions are at your disposal.
The most important factors that can affect your overall score are your expressions, vocabulary and sentence structures. It is crucial that your ideas are logically organised and with sufficient argumentation. Read our sample essays and descriptions to improve your performance and use them as a means of maximizing your results."
So, Examwriting will help you get out of the box for a while and get a wider picture of the different types of writing tasks you might come across in exams, together with samples which might throw some light on the way you should tackle them.
At the time we considered it unsuitable to provide samples for the different types of composition tasks that we were dealing with because we felt some students might fall into the temptation of using those samples for their school work. That is the main reason why we have very much been debating whether to post about Sample writing for your exams, a blog created by Johanes Djogan which focuses on providing samples for the different types of tasks English students may come across in different kinds of exams (Cambridge, IELTS, TOEFL).
This is the way Johanes Djogan introduces his blog:
"Examwriting is a blog focused on delivering free material for self-preparation. If you need to take IELTS, FCE, CAE or TOEFL, you have come to the right place. Plenty of essay examples, formal or informal letters, reports, descriptions are at your disposal.
The most important factors that can affect your overall score are your expressions, vocabulary and sentence structures. It is crucial that your ideas are logically organised and with sufficient argumentation. Read our sample essays and descriptions to improve your performance and use them as a means of maximizing your results."
So, Examwriting will help you get out of the box for a while and get a wider picture of the different types of writing tasks you might come across in exams, together with samples which might throw some light on the way you should tackle them.
viernes, 16 de mayo de 2014
Butlering at Buckingham Palace
Find out about Lindsay Steele, who has become the first person in the UK to obtain an NVQ Diploma in Butlering.
Self-study activity:
Watch this two-minute video and answer the questions about it.
The activity is suitable for intermediate students.
1 How many people will be attending the luncheon honour of the Lebanese president?
2 Which word is used as a synonym of butlers?
3 Which two events did Lindsay have to deal with in the same week?
4 What has Lindsay been a pioneer of?
5 What five qualities she mentions are necessary to be a good butler? (You may need to stop the video to note them down.)
6 When and where will students be able to obtain the diploma to become a butler?
You can check your answers by reading the transcript below.
The Duke of York is due to host a luncheon honour of the Lebanese president. A table is being set for 27 guests in the State Dining Room at Buckingham Palace and everything has to be perfect.
I’m just… doing a final check of the table and everything, all the plates are straight and in line, make sure that the napkins are folded correctly, there's no cutlery missing.
Lindsay Steel has been a footman or butler here for two years. It is her dream job.
When I first started I was definitely a little star-struck, I tried not to show it but it's just natural, you can’t help it, but now I am, I think I can handle it pretty professionally. Lately we had a Mexican state visit where I had to look after it directly, they were very pleasant, very nice people, but during that week we also had the G20 summit, where they all had state in one reception, it was quite [an] intense week.
At 27 and female she's a long way from the stereotype of Jeeves the butler. She is the modern face of the profession and has a certificate to prove it. Lindsay has just become the first person in the country to pass her butler's diploma, a nationally recognised qualification that was designed by her boss at the Palace.
What does it take to be a good butler?
It takes dedication, passion to just provide a good standard of service, no matter who you're serving, organization skills, discretion and good communication skills, all those things.
Not everyone can train within the grand corridors and staterooms of Buckingham Palace but they can now learn what it takes as this course brings royal standards to the masses. From September the diploma will be available nationwide, and students will become adept at coordinating travel plans as they will at setting a tea tray. The aim is to nurture a new generation of elite butlers who provide service fit for a queen.
Self-study activity:
Watch this two-minute video and answer the questions about it.
The activity is suitable for intermediate students.
1 How many people will be attending the luncheon honour of the Lebanese president?
2 Which word is used as a synonym of butlers?
3 Which two events did Lindsay have to deal with in the same week?
4 What has Lindsay been a pioneer of?
5 What five qualities she mentions are necessary to be a good butler? (You may need to stop the video to note them down.)
6 When and where will students be able to obtain the diploma to become a butler?
You can check your answers by reading the transcript below.
The Duke of York is due to host a luncheon honour of the Lebanese president. A table is being set for 27 guests in the State Dining Room at Buckingham Palace and everything has to be perfect.
I’m just… doing a final check of the table and everything, all the plates are straight and in line, make sure that the napkins are folded correctly, there's no cutlery missing.
Lindsay Steel has been a footman or butler here for two years. It is her dream job.
When I first started I was definitely a little star-struck, I tried not to show it but it's just natural, you can’t help it, but now I am, I think I can handle it pretty professionally. Lately we had a Mexican state visit where I had to look after it directly, they were very pleasant, very nice people, but during that week we also had the G20 summit, where they all had state in one reception, it was quite [an] intense week.
At 27 and female she's a long way from the stereotype of Jeeves the butler. She is the modern face of the profession and has a certificate to prove it. Lindsay has just become the first person in the country to pass her butler's diploma, a nationally recognised qualification that was designed by her boss at the Palace.
What does it take to be a good butler?
It takes dedication, passion to just provide a good standard of service, no matter who you're serving, organization skills, discretion and good communication skills, all those things.
Not everyone can train within the grand corridors and staterooms of Buckingham Palace but they can now learn what it takes as this course brings royal standards to the masses. From September the diploma will be available nationwide, and students will become adept at coordinating travel plans as they will at setting a tea tray. The aim is to nurture a new generation of elite butlers who provide service fit for a queen.
jueves, 15 de mayo de 2014
10 Questions for Stephenie Meyer
This is an interview of Time Magazine with Stephenie Meyer, the author of Twilight, for their feature 10 Questions for last year.
I know it is a difficult video clip for intermediate students, even strong ones, but I also think the interview gives us a chance of getting to know one of the best-selling writers of the moment. Let's use this interview to show ourselves that we are able to understand some of the main ideas when we come face to face.
Self-study activity:
Watch the interview and say whether the statements below are true or false.
1 Stephenie Meyer only writes about vampires.
2 Stephenie doesn't participate in the films based on her books.
3 Stephenie prefers writing about young women.
4 Stephenie uses her characters as role models.
5 Religion influences the way she writes.
6 Stephenie is fascinated by Jane Austen.
7 Stephenie wrote 50 Shade of Grey.
8 She misses The Twilight world.
9 There won't be a sequel to The Host.
Stephanie Meyer is the author behind the mega phenomenon known as Twilight, but she doesn’t just write about vampires. In her bestselling novel The Host, an extraterrestrial soul struggles to find the balance with a human whose body it inhabits.
Human bodies take a lot of getting used to. They’re not like the others we’ve inhabited. Their emotions are powerful. If their will has survived along with their memories, she may resist from within.
The movie of The Host is in theatres March 29th and Stephanie Meyer is here to talk to us about it. Thanks for being here, Stephanie.
Thank you for having me. I liked that description, I may have to write that down.
So in addition to being the author of The Host, you’re also the producer of the movie as you were on the last two Twilight movies. How much creative input do you get on the movies?
On this one, a very great deal. We didn’t have a studio, and so it was basically me and one other producer, and the director, making all the creative decisions. That was a new experience for me to be that involved, and it was very cool.
Your heroine in The Host is a young woman and… so you’ve written a lot about young people and teenagers. What draws you to them as characters?
I write a book based on the story I want to tell, the ages in the book are usually, really shaped because of the story and what age the character needs to be to make things happen in a certain way. With Bella I wanted someone who was falling in love for the first time. So you can’t be too old. I mean, if you’re in your 20’s you probably had your heart broken a couple of times and you don’t throw yourself into relationships the way you do when you’re, it’s the first time and then with Melanie, I liked the hardship of her being young, and being a mother, and a survivor at the same time, you know, kind of having to take care of her brother that way, when she should be a kid and be able to, you know, live a happy normal life. There’s a little extra element of tragedy that she’s so young, and things she has to sort of tries to.
So when you have a book or movie about young people, I’m sure the question of role models comes up. And I know with Twilight some of the criticism we heard was about whether Bella was a pushover or Edward was sort of too aggressive. How do you think Melanie holds up as a role model for young women?
You know, I like to write about stories that I think are interesting. I never stop and think, you know, oh this is a role model for people. It’s fiction. The main character’s an alien. The main character isn’t a teenage girl. It’s an alien who is in a teenage girl’s body. I don’t really feel like we should be looking for our role models in fiction. That being said, Melanie is a pretty tough person. And I find Wanda, the alien, pretty aspirational. She’s a very good person, she’s kind of who I would want to be, if I always did the right thing and always thought of other people before myself. So I think they’re both really good people, but I still don’t think you should be using fictional characters as role models.
But if you have to have an alien in your body, you probably want Wanda.
Wand would be a good choice.
So also in The Host, the universe you’ve created is one in which the earth is just one of several inhabited worlds, and that reminds me a lot of sort of the Mormon view of cosmology. How does your faith influence the worlds that you create?
I think that being a religious person, sort of seeps in unconsciously into what you’re writing. I think that the way it comes out the most is that my characters think about what comes next. I think I find it kind of shallow in a character if, and it feels like they’re very much on the same page if they don’t have that kind of wonder and, and idea about the world and where they belong and where they’re going to go, because it’s something that I think about, so I think the people do, but that’s just my own specific thing. And so that’s where I think about mostly in what I write.
So another project you worked on recently was Austen Land, which was a big hit at Sundance, and that’s a movie about a woman who is obsessed with Jane Austen. Do you see any commonalities between obsessive Jane Austen fans and Twihards?
Well, the reason that I was drawn to that story is because I’m the obsessive Jane Austen fan so I never really looked at it from, oh, that reminds me of my fans, it was always that’s like me. I’m the crazy fan girl who would, I would love to go and stay at a regency theme park, where I got to dress up all day and ask like a Jane Austen character. That would be perfect as far as vacation goes for me. So, it’s I’m the crazy fan. So that’s why that movie resonates for me.
So I have to ask you about 50 Shades of Grey. How does it make you feel that E.L. James took something that you sort of created and used it as inspiration for something that’s pretty raunchy and made her a lot of money.
Well, I mean, for one thing it doesn’t, I don’t, I don’t think they’re like connected to me. I haven’t read it so I don’t know. I’m glad that she is doing well and succeeding and that’s cool. The raunchy part I wished that wasn’t attached to Twilight, just ‘cos I don’t like to think of it that way but, you know, it doesn’t, doesn’t hurt Twilight. Twilight is its own thing and it’s separate and it’s fine.
Is it weird for you that the protagonist, Christian, shares your husband’s first name?
I hadn’t even thought about that. I guess not. You pointed that out, that’s kind of weird.
Do you think you’ll ever return to the Twilight universe, and maybe pick up midnight sun?
You know, when the Twilight saga movies ended I kept thinking I was going to be really sad and I just felt nothing but relief. And I don’t miss that world at all, there’s so many other worlds that I’m excited about and I’m more interested in.
And what about The Host? You have sequels in the works for that, don’t you?
I’m working on the sequel, well not while I’m doing this, but that’s my plan when I get home is to shut myself in and lock the door and work on that.
Do you know what’s going to happen already or…?
Oh, yeah. Yeah. I’ve had the outline for that for literally years, that they’ve been sitting there waiting to be done.
Thanks so much, Stephanie.
Thank you.
Key:
1F 2F 3F 4F 5T 6T 7F 8F 9F
I know it is a difficult video clip for intermediate students, even strong ones, but I also think the interview gives us a chance of getting to know one of the best-selling writers of the moment. Let's use this interview to show ourselves that we are able to understand some of the main ideas when we come face to face.
Self-study activity:
Watch the interview and say whether the statements below are true or false.
1 Stephenie Meyer only writes about vampires.
2 Stephenie doesn't participate in the films based on her books.
3 Stephenie prefers writing about young women.
4 Stephenie uses her characters as role models.
5 Religion influences the way she writes.
6 Stephenie is fascinated by Jane Austen.
7 Stephenie wrote 50 Shade of Grey.
8 She misses The Twilight world.
9 There won't be a sequel to The Host.
Stephanie Meyer is the author behind the mega phenomenon known as Twilight, but she doesn’t just write about vampires. In her bestselling novel The Host, an extraterrestrial soul struggles to find the balance with a human whose body it inhabits.
Human bodies take a lot of getting used to. They’re not like the others we’ve inhabited. Their emotions are powerful. If their will has survived along with their memories, she may resist from within.
The movie of The Host is in theatres March 29th and Stephanie Meyer is here to talk to us about it. Thanks for being here, Stephanie.
Thank you for having me. I liked that description, I may have to write that down.
So in addition to being the author of The Host, you’re also the producer of the movie as you were on the last two Twilight movies. How much creative input do you get on the movies?
On this one, a very great deal. We didn’t have a studio, and so it was basically me and one other producer, and the director, making all the creative decisions. That was a new experience for me to be that involved, and it was very cool.
Your heroine in The Host is a young woman and… so you’ve written a lot about young people and teenagers. What draws you to them as characters?
I write a book based on the story I want to tell, the ages in the book are usually, really shaped because of the story and what age the character needs to be to make things happen in a certain way. With Bella I wanted someone who was falling in love for the first time. So you can’t be too old. I mean, if you’re in your 20’s you probably had your heart broken a couple of times and you don’t throw yourself into relationships the way you do when you’re, it’s the first time and then with Melanie, I liked the hardship of her being young, and being a mother, and a survivor at the same time, you know, kind of having to take care of her brother that way, when she should be a kid and be able to, you know, live a happy normal life. There’s a little extra element of tragedy that she’s so young, and things she has to sort of tries to.
So when you have a book or movie about young people, I’m sure the question of role models comes up. And I know with Twilight some of the criticism we heard was about whether Bella was a pushover or Edward was sort of too aggressive. How do you think Melanie holds up as a role model for young women?
You know, I like to write about stories that I think are interesting. I never stop and think, you know, oh this is a role model for people. It’s fiction. The main character’s an alien. The main character isn’t a teenage girl. It’s an alien who is in a teenage girl’s body. I don’t really feel like we should be looking for our role models in fiction. That being said, Melanie is a pretty tough person. And I find Wanda, the alien, pretty aspirational. She’s a very good person, she’s kind of who I would want to be, if I always did the right thing and always thought of other people before myself. So I think they’re both really good people, but I still don’t think you should be using fictional characters as role models.
But if you have to have an alien in your body, you probably want Wanda.
Wand would be a good choice.
So also in The Host, the universe you’ve created is one in which the earth is just one of several inhabited worlds, and that reminds me a lot of sort of the Mormon view of cosmology. How does your faith influence the worlds that you create?
I think that being a religious person, sort of seeps in unconsciously into what you’re writing. I think that the way it comes out the most is that my characters think about what comes next. I think I find it kind of shallow in a character if, and it feels like they’re very much on the same page if they don’t have that kind of wonder and, and idea about the world and where they belong and where they’re going to go, because it’s something that I think about, so I think the people do, but that’s just my own specific thing. And so that’s where I think about mostly in what I write.
So another project you worked on recently was Austen Land, which was a big hit at Sundance, and that’s a movie about a woman who is obsessed with Jane Austen. Do you see any commonalities between obsessive Jane Austen fans and Twihards?
Well, the reason that I was drawn to that story is because I’m the obsessive Jane Austen fan so I never really looked at it from, oh, that reminds me of my fans, it was always that’s like me. I’m the crazy fan girl who would, I would love to go and stay at a regency theme park, where I got to dress up all day and ask like a Jane Austen character. That would be perfect as far as vacation goes for me. So, it’s I’m the crazy fan. So that’s why that movie resonates for me.
So I have to ask you about 50 Shades of Grey. How does it make you feel that E.L. James took something that you sort of created and used it as inspiration for something that’s pretty raunchy and made her a lot of money.
Well, I mean, for one thing it doesn’t, I don’t, I don’t think they’re like connected to me. I haven’t read it so I don’t know. I’m glad that she is doing well and succeeding and that’s cool. The raunchy part I wished that wasn’t attached to Twilight, just ‘cos I don’t like to think of it that way but, you know, it doesn’t, doesn’t hurt Twilight. Twilight is its own thing and it’s separate and it’s fine.
Is it weird for you that the protagonist, Christian, shares your husband’s first name?
I hadn’t even thought about that. I guess not. You pointed that out, that’s kind of weird.
Do you think you’ll ever return to the Twilight universe, and maybe pick up midnight sun?
You know, when the Twilight saga movies ended I kept thinking I was going to be really sad and I just felt nothing but relief. And I don’t miss that world at all, there’s so many other worlds that I’m excited about and I’m more interested in.
And what about The Host? You have sequels in the works for that, don’t you?
I’m working on the sequel, well not while I’m doing this, but that’s my plan when I get home is to shut myself in and lock the door and work on that.
Do you know what’s going to happen already or…?
Oh, yeah. Yeah. I’ve had the outline for that for literally years, that they’ve been sitting there waiting to be done.
Thanks so much, Stephanie.
Thank you.
Key:
1F 2F 3F 4F 5T 6T 7F 8F 9F
miércoles, 14 de mayo de 2014
Talking point: Golden moments
This week's talking point is golden moments, which refers to the way we celebrate big events in our life. Before getting together with the members of your conversation group, go over the questions below so that ideas come to mind more easily the day you get together with your friends and you can work out vocabulary problems beforehand.
1 Whose birthday party was it?
2 How old did he turn?
3 What was special about the party?
4 What kind of party was it?
5 What was the theme of the party?
6 Why?
7 What fancy dress did she wear?
8 Where was the party held?
9 How many people turned up at the party?
10 Did she know everybody?
11 What did they eat?
12 What did they do all night?
13 Who did she dance with at the end of the night?
Key:
1 Her brother’s 2 Nineteen 3 It was a surprise party 4 A fancy dress party 5 The letter G 6 Her brother’s name is Ges 7 Lady Gaga 8 At her sister’s house 9 Forty-five 10 No, just a handful. All of her brother’s friends were there 11 Pizza, burgers and chicken wings because they had a barbecue 12 They played music and danced 13 A twenty-one-year-old
- How often do you get together with family and friends to celebrate events?
- What are the reasons for the celebration? (Think about the following, but you can add your own ideas: birthdays; moving to a new home; getting engaged/married; anniversaries; getting a new job or being promoted; graduating from university; the birth of a child; retirement)
- How do you prefer to celebrate big occasions?
- Do you usually exchange presents?
- Have you ever been the protagonist of a celebration?
- Choose one of the following: A moment in your life when you won something; or a day you will never forget; or an embarrasing moment; or the best day in your life. What happened?
1 Whose birthday party was it?
2 How old did he turn?
3 What was special about the party?
4 What kind of party was it?
5 What was the theme of the party?
6 Why?
7 What fancy dress did she wear?
8 Where was the party held?
9 How many people turned up at the party?
10 Did she know everybody?
11 What did they eat?
12 What did they do all night?
13 Who did she dance with at the end of the night?
Key:
1 Her brother’s 2 Nineteen 3 It was a surprise party 4 A fancy dress party 5 The letter G 6 Her brother’s name is Ges 7 Lady Gaga 8 At her sister’s house 9 Forty-five 10 No, just a handful. All of her brother’s friends were there 11 Pizza, burgers and chicken wings because they had a barbecue 12 They played music and danced 13 A twenty-one-year-old
martes, 13 de mayo de 2014
Madrid Teacher series: Tell me about your last vacation
Two Madrid teachers are discussing the last holiday of one of them.
Self-study activity:
Watch the video through and note down the questions the boy asks the girl.
Watch the video again and note down the girl's answers.
The activity is suitable for strong Básico 2 students and for Intermediate 1 students.
You can read the transcript below to check your answers.
Tell me about your last vacation.
Well, my last vacation was in Vietnam. I was in Vietnam for three weeks.
And how was it?
It was fantastic. It’s a beautiful country.
And what did you do?
Many things. Vietnam is a country that is very diverse, so the south is very different from the north. In the south, you can go to the beach and I went swimming in the ocean. It’s very hot. In the north, I went to the mountains where it’s very cold and I went hiking.
And how was that?
It was beautiful. It was the scenery was beautiful, and they have many different ethnic groups in the north. So, it’s very interesting to meet all the different people.
Did you go alone?
No, I went with a friend.
And, what, who did you meet along the way?
We met many families and children. We met many people who were farmers. They were working in the rice fields. We also were lucky to have a tour guide, who was from the local area and could show us all of the sites of the local area.
So, did you pay a guide?
Yes, yes we did.
And how did you do that?
He gave us, he gave us a standard rate of how much we had to pay. And so, we went to the, to the cash machine and we took out the money and we paid it to him.
And was the entire trip very expensive?
No, Vietnam is not an expensive country. I think for a three-week holiday we only spent around one thousand five hundred dollars, US dollars.
One thousand five hundred?
Yes.
Plus transportation to get to and from Vietnam?
Plus, yes, yes, plus the cost for the flight.
And where did you stay at night?
It’s very easy to find accommodation in Vietnam. So, each time we arrived in a new city, we asked at the bus station or the train station, and someone took us to a, to a hostel.
You always stayed in a hostel?
We, we always stayed in a hostel or, or a, a, a cheap hotel.
And did, did you eat the local food?
Yes, we did. It was delicious. They have very fresh ingredients. And, I like the Vietnamese food, I liked the Vietnamese food very much because it’s not very fried, it’s very fresh. We ate a lot of salad and these kinds of things.
Did you get sick?
No. Both of us were very lucky. We didn’t get sick, and we ate a lot.
Do you recommend it?
Yes, I thoroughly recommend it. It was a wonderful trip.
Self-study activity:
Watch the video through and note down the questions the boy asks the girl.
Watch the video again and note down the girl's answers.
The activity is suitable for strong Básico 2 students and for Intermediate 1 students.
You can read the transcript below to check your answers.
Tell me about your last vacation.
Well, my last vacation was in Vietnam. I was in Vietnam for three weeks.
And how was it?
It was fantastic. It’s a beautiful country.
And what did you do?
Many things. Vietnam is a country that is very diverse, so the south is very different from the north. In the south, you can go to the beach and I went swimming in the ocean. It’s very hot. In the north, I went to the mountains where it’s very cold and I went hiking.
And how was that?
It was beautiful. It was the scenery was beautiful, and they have many different ethnic groups in the north. So, it’s very interesting to meet all the different people.
Did you go alone?
No, I went with a friend.
And, what, who did you meet along the way?
We met many families and children. We met many people who were farmers. They were working in the rice fields. We also were lucky to have a tour guide, who was from the local area and could show us all of the sites of the local area.
So, did you pay a guide?
Yes, yes we did.
And how did you do that?
He gave us, he gave us a standard rate of how much we had to pay. And so, we went to the, to the cash machine and we took out the money and we paid it to him.
And was the entire trip very expensive?
No, Vietnam is not an expensive country. I think for a three-week holiday we only spent around one thousand five hundred dollars, US dollars.
One thousand five hundred?
Yes.
Plus transportation to get to and from Vietnam?
Plus, yes, yes, plus the cost for the flight.
And where did you stay at night?
It’s very easy to find accommodation in Vietnam. So, each time we arrived in a new city, we asked at the bus station or the train station, and someone took us to a, to a hostel.
You always stayed in a hostel?
We, we always stayed in a hostel or, or a, a, a cheap hotel.
And did, did you eat the local food?
Yes, we did. It was delicious. They have very fresh ingredients. And, I like the Vietnamese food, I liked the Vietnamese food very much because it’s not very fried, it’s very fresh. We ate a lot of salad and these kinds of things.
Did you get sick?
No. Both of us were very lucky. We didn’t get sick, and we ate a lot.
Do you recommend it?
Yes, I thoroughly recommend it. It was a wonderful trip.
Suscribirse a:
Entradas (Atom)