B: Tina? Has anything happened to her? S: Not yet. But I’m worried it might. B: What do you mean? S: Well, she wants to travel round the world for a year. B: That sounds great. All young people should travel before they settle down. They can learn so much that’ll help them in the future.
Listen again and find the answers to these questions.
1.Why does Mei Jie want to stay in youth hostels? Give three reasons.
Youth hostels are cheap to stay in, she will meet with other young travellers and she can cook some of her own meals to save money, and there are usually cheap restaurants near youth hostels.
Listening task
Answer key for Exercise 2:
1. She wants to travel around the world for a year. 2. Sandra thinks travelling is dangerous.
3. Brain thinks it is good that Tina wants to travel as she will learn a lot that will help her in later life. 4. Brian suggests Tina should travel with a companion, preferably with someone who is more experienced than her.
T: Won’t you have to share a room with other people in a hostel? M: Yes, but that’s all right because I’ll meet lots of other travelers. And youth hostels always have a common room where you can sit and chat. I’ll get to meet people from everywhere. T: Mmm … That sounds good. So your accommodation won’t cost too much. What else do you need to budget for?
Brian knows the daughter’s name and also something about what kind of person she is so he has met her more than once. Brian may be older than Sandra or have a higher status in the company or it may just be that Sandra often asks Brian for advice. Evidence: Sandra listens to Brian’s advice carefully and appears to value it.
M: As far as I can. I’ve written down how much I think it’ll cost for accommodations, food and transport each day. Then I added some spending money for things like entry fees to museums , souvenirs, telephone calls home, etc. I’ve also included some emergency money in case of problems or difficulties. T: So , you’re almost ready to go? M: No, no. There’s still lots to do. I’ve still got to apply for my passport and visa and I must get some travel insurance…(fading out)
M: Yes, but there’s a lot of planning to do. T: Like what? M: Well, I have been working out how much money I’ll need. T: Oh! M: I’ve decided to stay in youth hotels because they are a lot cheaper. T: How do you find out where they are and how much they cost? M: I’ll show you. See, this site lists hotels, how much they cost, how to get there and so on. And you can book the accommodations online too.
T：You have been on the Internet a long time. What are you doing? M: I’m doing research on my holiday. T: What holiday’s that? M: I’m going to France and Italy for three weeks. T: Really? When? M: Oh, in July. During the holidays. T: But that’s nearly three months away!
M: Well, there’s food. Most hostels have kitchens, so I plan to cook some meals for myself to save money. But anyway there are usually cheap restaurants nearby. T:OK, anything else? M: There’s transport. I’ve been looking up a site for rail journeys and fares, and I’ve found I can get fares much cheaper because I’m under 26. T: So you’ve worked out your budget, have you?
Listening
Mei Jie has been on the Internet for some time and her friend Tim asks her what she is doing. Listen to their conversation and answer the questions.
1.What has Mei Jie been doing on the Internet? She has been doing research for her holiday.
2.Where is Mei Jie planning to go for her holiday?
She is planning to go to France and Italy.
• Observe how the people around you behave towards you. • Learn how to tell who you can and can’t trust. • At first travel with a more experienced companion.
Listening task P 82 Suggested Answers to Ex. 1:
Brian and Sandra are probably work colleagues who know each other reasonably well. Evidence: They greet each other with “Morning”, a common greeting at the beginning of a workday. They call each other by their first names
MOTHER’S WORRIES Tina’s mother, Sandra (S), is worried about her daughter. Listen to her talking to Brian (B) about her concerns. B: Morning, Sandra. S: Morning. B: You don’t look very happy. What’s wrong? S: Well, actually I’m worried about my daughter.
2.How is she going to save money on food?
Mei Jie will cook some meals for herself.
3.How is she going to travel in Italy and France?