How do I get to
London???
Do you want to
travel far???
Then only
with:
One First
Class ride,
please!
‘Over a dollar for a
gallon? You
kidding???’
Air Transport – A2
UNIT OVERVIEW
This unit focuses on the field of air transport (mainly the field of civil aviation, not
military) and issues connected with using it. Our students will improve their use of
vocabulary related to air traffic and revise the use of present and past tenses. The
main goal of this unit is introducing students to situations they can encounter while
travelling by plane or when discussing air transport with foreign colleagues or
friends. The basic strategy is to expose them to materials and situations as authentic
as possible (e.g. air-ticket on-line booking systems, air-crash news reports, airline
web-presentations), even though some of the materials (unmodified and unabridged)
can appear too difficult for A2 level students at first. However, in real life preintermediate students have to encounter situations like these very often – this
material choice should help them find effective strategies of ‘getting by’.
After completing this unit our students should be able to deal with a range of these
situations independently and should also be able to predict what they can encounter
linguistically so that they feel more comfortable using English. To give an example,
they should be able to reserve an air-ticket with a ticketing officer, change flight
reservation, hold a short conversation with an airport check-in officer or they should
be able to understand relevant information and pass it on – such as in-flight or
airport announcements.
SELF-ASSESSMENT GRID
These are our goals in this unit, READ them carefully. After completing the unit, REREAD them and CIRCLE the appropriate answer:
Listening
Reading
Spoken
Interaction
Spoken
Production
Writing
I can understand phrases and the highest frequency vocabulary related to the
area of air transport (e.g. basic flight plan and delay information, ticket sales
information, national airlines, types of planes). I can catch the main point in
short, clear, simple phone messages or announcements.
I can read short, simple text about air transport. I can find specific, predictable
information in simple material such as prospectuses, on-line booking site and
timetables and I can understand short simple e-mails.
I can communicate in simple and routine tasks such as asking for plane
information or buying tickets. I can handle very short social exchanges such as
with co-travellers but I can’t usually keep the conversation going myself.
I can use a series of phrases and sentences to describe basic aircraft types or
the characteristics of air transport. I can describe my educational background
and my present or most recent job.
I can write short, simple notes and messages relating to air transport or simple
work issues. I can write a very simple personal e-mail, for example thanking or
inviting someone.
Yes/No
Yes/No
Yes/No
Yes/No
Yes/No
INTRODUCTION – listening - speaking
LOOK at this picture and ANSWER the following questions together with your
partner.
What can you see in the picture?
Do you know how we call the
people working at this place?
What other jobs related to this place
do you know?
Do you prefer this way of travelling
to others? Why/ why not?
Do you have an interesting story
about flying?
Grammar - READING
Text A
TYPES OF AIRCRAFT
An aircraft is any machine that is able to fly in the atmosphere. There are two basic
categories for these machines – heavier than air (AERODYNE) and lighter than air
(AEROSTAT). In the first category there are helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft – airplanes.
The fixed-wing aircraft use an INTERNAL-COMBUSTION engine or a TURBINE engine to
provide the energy to move the craft forward through the air (THRUST). But the plane
cannot only move forward, it needs to move up as well. The energy moving the aircraft up is
called a LIFT and it is produced by the air moving over the body of the plane’s wings
(AIRFOIL). The second category includes so-called AEROSTATS that usually are hot air
BALLOONS and AIRSHIPS. The difference between these two is that an airship can control
its motion, while a balloon goes with the wind.
We can also divide aircraft according to its usage. The main distinction is between
MILITARY aviation (e.g. uses of airplane for COMBAT, PATROLLING or SEARCH and
RESCUE) and CIVIL aviation (e.g. uses of airplane for transport of passengers, round trips,
farming). Some civil aircraft have been produced in special models for military use. There
are two basic types of civil aviation: scheduled airline flights and general aviation. General
aviation includes all kinds of private and commercial use, here are some examples: flight
training, policing, crop dusting or medical transport.
LISTENING – SPEAKING
Discussion points:
TALK to your partner and ANSWER these questions:
What are the different grammatical tenses used in the text? Underline examples.
What are the two basic categories of aircraft? What is the difference?
Can you simply explain how it is possible that an airplane can fly? Use information from the text.
What is the different usage of aircraft?
DISCUSS these questions with your partner, then FIND another pair and COMPARE your
ANSWERS:
Choose three examples of general civil aviation from the text and create definitions that explain them.
Have you ever had a chance to try a different kind of flight than a scheduled airline flight? Describe it
to your partner.
Text B
HISTORY of BOEING
The company was founded in Seattle on July 15, 1916 by William E. Boeing and George C.
Westervelt and was
named B&W. A year later,
the
company
started calling itself ‘Boeing
Airplane Company’.
William Boeing had studied
at Yale University
and
wood
(TIMBER
industry). His knowledge of
wooden
structures
helped him later when he
was
designing
airplanes. In 1927, Boeing
did
business
with
created an airline called Boeing Air Transport (BAT) and joined Pacific Air Transport and
Boeing Airplane Company into one corporation (MERGED). However, 3 years later the
company had to split into three smaller ones again because of one anti-monopoly law. After
this happened, William Boeing sold his shares in the company. Shortly after, the Boeing
Airplane Company made an agreement with Pan American World Airways to build a
commercial FLYING-BOAT to carry passengers over the ocean. The aircraft was called
Boeing 314 Clipper and its first flight was in June 1938. It was the largest civil aircraft of its
time and was able to carry up to 90 passengers.
These days, Boeing introduced new aircraft
called 787 ‘Dreamliner’. It was first formally
announced at the Paris Airshow earlier this
year. It has already entered flight-testing and the
first airplane will be delivered to Pakistan International Airlines next year (2006).
LISTENING – SPEAKING
Discussion points:
TALK to your partner and ANSWER these questions:
Who and when founded the company?
What did William Boeing do before he started his airplane company?
What was the largest civil aircraft of the 1930’s? Can you describe it?
What do you know about the newest model of Boeing?
DISCUSS these questions with your partner, then FIND another pair and COMPARE
your ANSWERS:
Who do you think is the greatest competitor of Boeing these days? Can you
compare these two companies?
Do you think airplanes are the safest means of transport? Why/ why not?
READING – SPEAKING – LISTENING – WRITING
Work with your Text B – History of Boeing and RE-TELL the whole story in present tense to your
partner - every version will be a little different.
Ex:
‘It is now the year 1916 and a man called William Boeing decides to start a new airplane
company with his friend …’
When you are finished, WRITE down some facts about your life in short notes on a piece of paper.
Ex:
- born 1968
- Sept. 1, 1974 first day at school …
EXCHANGE your notes with your partner. READ your partner’s notes and orally (do not write)
PREPARE a STORY about her/his life in complete sentences.
Ex:
Jana was born in winter 1968 … She first went to school in 1974 and she remembers her
teacher was …
When you have prepared your story, FIND another classmate and TELL them the whole story. Your
classmate will TAKE NOTES while listening. Then you will CHANGE ROLES and you will listen and
take notes too.
Ex:
- Jana, born 1968
- first at school 1974 …
Last task you have to do is to FIND the person whose story you heard and CHECK if your notes are
correct. Do not show your notes to the person, you can only ASK questions starting with Wh- words
and tick your notes if correct.
Ex:
You: ‘When were you born?’
Your classmate: ‘I was born in 1962.’
- you check your notes …
READING – LISTENING – SPEAKING
READ these sentences and put them in the right order by giving them numbers.
You check the departures board for your gate number.
You check in your luggage and get a boarding pass.
You go trough passport control.
You arrive at the airport.
You board the plane.
You wait in the departure area.
You get a trolley for your luggage.
LISTEN to the following airport announcements and COMPLETE the chart.
Flight Number
BA 516
SK
AF
LH
VS
Destination
Geneva
Gate Number
4
Remark
Last Call
Delayed
Now boarding gate
Now boarding gate
Wait in departure hall
CHECK your chart with your partner.
LISTENING – SPEAKING - READING
Work in pairs. Choose a destination and find a return ticket dates and price
information on the web. Keep the website on your screen so that one of you can you
the information for your dialogue.
MAKE a DIALOGUE with your partner. One of you is calling a ticket agency asking
for a flight, the other one is a ticketing officer who will help you choose your flight
details. When you have finished CHANGE ROLES.
USEFUL EXPRESSIONS: - I need a flight to … next month.
- Single ticket or return?
- Can you find me a flight without any stop-over?
- Do you have any special requests?
- Is it a problem if it’s a really early flight?
- How do you want to pay?
- Can I have your credit card details, please?
- How much will it cost to change my departure date?
- How many kilos can I take with me?
READING – SPEAKING – LISTENING – WRITING (note-taking)
WEB QUEST: work in two groups. One group will find as much information as
possible on the newest plane by Boeing and the other will do the same about the
newest model by Airbus. WRITE notes. When you are ready, find a partner from the
other group and PRESENT your information. DECIDE together which plane would
be better to buy for CSA and why. You can also use the links under the pictures.
?????
A380
787
Paris Airshow
HOMEWORK: MAKE NOTES about the Czech Airlines/Lufthansa/KLM/British
Airways/Air France (decide which airline you will work on and tell your classmates),
PRESENT to class. Mention these points:
- brief history
- destinations
- fleet
- organisation structure
- domestic airport (size, number of terminals, number of customers per year
…)
EXTRA ACTIVITIES and MATERIALS
LISTENING - SPEAKING (pronunciation) – READING - WRITING
[English Language Library – V1003 Meeting People 2/D1005 Social talk during flight to
London, W1005 Getting to know people; V1004 Meeting People 3/G1007 Present Perfect ‘I
have been’, D1008 Social talk during flight to Manchester; V2002 Requesting. Socialising
2/D2011 Changing a flight, W2011 Buying a plane ticket, L2006 Telephone conversation:
Changing a flight.]
Nautical Transport – A2
(Transport and Society)
UNIT OVERVIEW
This unit focuses on the field of transport and society, ship transport and issues
connected with traffic safety and traffic psychology. Our students will improve their
use of vocabulary related to these areas and revise the grammatical structures that
have been studied so far. The main goal of this unit is introducing students to
situations they can encounter if they wish to read about current transportation issues
or discuss them with foreign colleagues or friends. The basic strategy is to expose
them to materials and situations as authentic as possible (e.g. a train timetable, a
dining car menu, web quest), even though some of the materials (unmodified and
unabridged) can appear too difficult for A2 level students at first. However, in real life
pre-intermediate students have to encounter situations like these very often – this
material choice should help them find effective strategies of ‘getting by’.
After completing this unit our students should be able to deal with a range of these
situations independently and should also be able to predict what they can encounter
linguistically so that they feel more comfortable using English. To give an example,
they should be able to hold a short conversation about various general issues
concerning the social dimension of transport or they should be able to understand
relevant information and pass it on.
SELF-ASSESSMENT GRID
These are our goals in this unit, READ them carefully. After completing the unit, REREAD them and CIRCLE the appropriate answer:
Listening
Reading
Spoken
Interaction
Spoken
Production
Writing
I can understand phrases and the highest frequency vocabulary related to the
area of transport and society, ship transport and car safety (e.g. basic types of
transportation and their differences, current issues in transportation – domestic
and international, national transport systems). I can catch the main point in
short, clear, simple phone messages or announcements.
I can read short, simple text about general transport issues. I can find specific,
predictable information in simple material such as prospectuses, magazines
and information web-sites and I can understand short simple e-mails.
I can communicate in simple and routine tasks such as explaining the basic
facts about the Czech transportation system and ask a foreign colleague or
friend about it. I can handle very short social exchanges such as with cotravellers but I can’t usually keep the conversation going myself.
I can use a series of phrases and sentences to describe basic transportation
types or its characteristics. I can describe my educational background and my
present or most recent job.
I can write short, simple notes and messages relating to general transport
issues or simple work issues. I can write a very simple personal e-mail, for
example thanking or inviting someone.
Yes/No
Yes/No
Yes/No
Yes/No
Yes/No
INTRODUCTION – speaking
Take a look at this picture and GUESS what is in it. If you know before other students
do, do not tell them the answer. When you are sure about the picture, ANSWER the
questions below.
What
is
the
typical
means
of
transport
in
the
Czech
Republic/Holland/Italy/China/USA?
Have you ever been to the USA? Is the way people travel very different from the
Czech way?
What is a popular and traditional means of transport in Latin America? And the
Sahara desert?
What is good about riding an animal and what is bad about it?
Have you ever ridden an animal? Tell the others about it.
Grammar – READING
Text A
CAR SAFETY
Every year there are thousands of people dying in car accidents. The number of people who
die (DEATH TOLL) in accidents in the USA every year is 40,000. There are two basic ways
to make driving safer: preventing accidents from happening (AVOIDANCE) and minimising
the damage if the accident happens (DAMAGE CONTROL).
To avoid accidents, cars have many things to help drivers concentrate and understand what
other drivers want to do on the road (CAR SAFETY FEATURES). The basic example is the
lights to show a change in direction (TURN SIGNALS) and to show the car is stopping or
slowing down (BRAKE LIGHTS). There is a special brake light on some cars at the top of
their rear window (CENTER HIGH MOUNTED STOP LAMP) for better visibility. To prevent
the brakes from locking and losing control there is Anti-lock braking system (ABS). This
system also shortens stopping distance.
To minimise damage in accidents, car producers study the types of collisions. In any kind of
collision the SEATBELT is the elementary safety feature of a car. FRONT AIRBAGS are
used for HEAD ON collisions. For side collisions there are SIDE AIRBAGS – in case of TBONE collision, and CURTAIN AIRBAGS – to protect the passenger’s head.
LISTENING – SPEAKING
Discussion points:
TALK to your partner and ANSWER these questions:
How do we call the number of people killed in an accident?
Which are the two ways of making driving safer?
Can you name and explain some of the car safety features?
What are the different types of airbags? Name and explain them.
DISCUSS these questions with your partner, then FIND another pair and COMPARE your
ANSWERS:
What are the most dangerous situations for drivers? Have you ever been in any of these
situations? Can you describe what happened?
Do you have a car? What make is it (e.g. Ford, VW) and what safety features does it have?
Text B
RMS QM2
The Queen Mary 2 is a PASSENGER SHIP named after an English queen. When she was
constructed in 2003, she was the largest passenger ship ever built. But she will lose this title
to a ship called Freedom of the Seas next year. The Queen Mary 2 has 15 restaurants and
bars, five swimming pools, a casino, a ballroom, and a planetarium. She makes regular trips
across the Atlantic Ocean (TRANSATLANTIC CROSSINGS) and she was constructed to
replace the Queen Elizabeth 2 ship which travelled across (SAILED) the Atlantic from 1969
to 2004. The three letters in front of the name of the ship (SHIP PREFIX) ‘RMS’ were
originally used for ‘Royal Mail Steamer’ which means a ship moved by (PROPELLED) steam
and carrying letters and other postal documents (MAIL STEAMER). Now it changed to mean
‘Royal Mail Ship’ because the QM2 is not a steamship anymore. She is powered by GAS
TURBINES and DIESEL GENERATORS which produce energy for her four electric motors.
It is important to know the QM2 is a ship that crosses the ocean (OCEAN LINER) not just a
ship that travels close to land (around the COAST) and stops very often in coastal towns
(HARBOURS). Such ships are usually smaller than ocean liners and are called CRUISE
SHIPS. There are larger ships than the QM2 that carry CARGO, these are called
SUPERTANKERS.
LISTENING – SPEAKING
Discussion points:
TALK to your partner and ANSWER these questions:
In the picture above you can see both the QM2 and the QE2. Can you tell which is which?
How do we call ships that carry passengers and ships that carry cargo?
What does ‘RMS’ mean now? What did it mean in the past? Why did it change?
In the text there are five names for different types of ships. Can you name them and explain what
each name means?
Can you name the luxuries the QM2 has?
DISCUSS these questions with your partner, then FIND another pair and COMPARE your
ANSWERS:
What are the advantages and disadvantages of ship transport (passengers and cargo) when
compared to other types of transport?
If you could choose how to get to New York, would go by plane or by ocean liner? Why?
READING – WRITING – Speaking – Listening
READ this data chart and GUESS what the words mean. Look at the photo of QM2
and together with your partner MATCH these words with the ship body. Then WRITE
definitions that explain all the words in the chart. For help use the Vocabulary
Support for this unit.
SHIP DATA: Ordered – 6 November 2000
Laid down – 4 July 2002
Launched – 25 September 2003
Christened – 8 January 2004
Maiden Voyage – 12 January 2004
===================================
Tonnage – 150,000 gross tons
Displacement – 76,000 tons
Length – 345 m (1,132 ft)
Beam – 41 m (135 ft) waterline
Draft – 10 m (32 ft 10 in)
Height – 72 m (236.2 ft) keel to funnel
Passengers – 2620
Crew – 1254
To order a ship:
To lay down a ship:
To launch a ship:
To christen a ship:
Maiden Voyage:
Tonnage:
Displacement:
Length:
Beam:
Crew:
Draft:
Height:
Waterline:
Keel:
Funnel:
Passengers:
Now join another pair and PLAY a guess game. READ one definition, the other pair
has to GUESS the word. Take turns and count your score of correct answers.
READING – SPEAKING – Listening – Writing
READ the following and MATCH the appropriate expressions. Which expressions on
the right can be used with only one expression on the left? Which can be used with
more than one?
Wing
Stop
Station
Platform
CAR
Carriage
BUS
Conductor
PLANE
Seatbelt
TRAIN
Bonnet
SHIP
Ticket machine
TRUCK
Lane
METRO
Line
TRAM
Freight
Commuter
Keel
Driver
Aisle
Windscreen
Work with your partner and complete the CHART, the first example has been done
for you.
TYPE
VEHICLE Passenger
Cargo
of transport
COST
COST
Road
car
cheaper<plane,higher>
more
truck
expensive>bus
Comfort
Safety
And Speed
slower<train,safer>bike,
more
more
comfortable>dangerous>
bus
plane
SPEAKING – Listening
JOIN another pair and COMPARE your charts. In groups of four COMMENT on your
charts saying what is typical about each type of transport – e.g. which is the safest,
the most comfortable etc.
WRITING – Reading
WRITE a short vocabulary TEST for your partner. You should use all the units we
have studied so far and create 10 multiple choice questions. When you have
finished, exchange your tests (e-mail it to your partner) and start answering the
questions. We will CHECK the correct answers TOGETHER.
FINAL TEST
Multiple choice question example:
1.
People who travel to work by train from one town to another are …
A/ stupid
B/ trippers
C/ train-goers
D/ commuters
HOMEWORK:
Write a short message to your English friend inviting him/her to
canoe down a Czech river with you. You can briefly explain how we
do it. You can describe the equipment and explain what clothes
he/she will need to take.
EXTRA ACTIVITIES and MATERIALS
LISTENING – SPEAKING (pronunciation)
[English Language Library – V1004 Meeting People 3/D1008 Social Talk during flight to
Manchester, G1007 Present Perfect, C1003 Addressing people, Letter writing, L2007
Telephoning an English client]
VOCABULARY SUPPORT (see below, under B1)
Public Transport – A2
UNIT OVERVIEW
This unit focuses on the field of public transport and issues connected with using it.
Our students will improve their use of vocabulary related to public transport and
urban planning and revise the use of comparatives and superlatives. The main goal
of this unit is introducing students to situations they can encounter while travelling in
cities or when discussing public transport with foreign colleagues or friends. The
basic strategy is to expose them to materials and situations as authentic as possible
(e.g. city transport maps, city guides, hotel booking, web quest), even though some
of the materials (unmodified and unabridged) can appear too difficult for A2 level
students at first. However, in real life pre-intermediate students have to encounter
situations like these very often – this material choice should help them find effective
strategies of ‘getting by’.
After completing this unit our students should be able to deal with a range of these
situations independently and should also be able to predict what they can encounter
linguistically so that they feel more comfortable using English. To give an example,
they should be able to book a hotel (telephonically or via internet), confirm
reservation, understand and get oriented in a system of city transport and use it
effectively or help someone else use it (e.g. in their home town). They should also
be able to compare and describe elementary differences between various types of
public transport or between transport systems in different cities.
SELF-ASSESSMENT GRID
These are our goals in this unit, READ them carefully. After completing the unit, REREAD them and CIRCLE the appropriate answer:
Listening
Reading
Spoken
Interaction
Spoken
Production
Writing
I can understand phrases and the highest frequency vocabulary related to the
area of public transport (e.g. basic timetable information, ticket sales
information, city transport systems, types of public transport). I can catch the
main point in short, clear, simple phone messages or announcements.
I can read short, simple text about public transport. I can find specific,
predictable information in simple material such as prospectuses, maps and
timetables and I can understand short simple e-mails.
I can communicate in simple and routine tasks such as asking for transport
information or buying tickets. I can handle very short social exchanges such as
with co-travellers but I can’t usually keep the conversation going myself.
I can use a series of phrases and sentences to describe basic public transport
types or the characteristics of city transport. I can describe my educational
background and my present or most recent job.
I can write short, simple notes and messages relating to public transport or
simple work issues. I can write a very simple personal e-mail, for example
thanking or inviting someone.
Yes/No
Yes/No
Yes/No
Yes/No
Yes/No
INTRODUCTION – speaking
LOOK at this picture and ANSWER the questions below:
What is in the picture and what does it mean? Which country/city was the picture
taken in?
What is the logo of the Prague Metro?
Do you travel by public transport? Do you prefer trams to metro? Why/ why not?
Do you have a funny story about travelling by public transport in a foreign country;
can you tell the others about it?
Grammar - READING
Text A
LONDON UNDERGROUND
The London Underground is a system of transport for people in cities (PUBLIC
TRANSPORT NETWORK). It has ELECTRIFIED trains that run underground in tunnels in
the centre of London or above the ground outside the centre (in the SUBURBS). The name
Metro that we use in the Czech Republic comes from the word METROPOLITAN. In London
they call it the Underground or, even more popular name, the TUBE. The London Tube is
the oldest metropolitan underground transport in the world. It started operating in 1863.
There are now about 274 open STATIONS and over 400km of active LINES. This means
there are many more stations and the lines are much longer in London than in Prague.
There are two types of lines in London. One is closer to the ground (SUB-SURFACE) and
one is deeper in the ground (DEEP-LEVEL). The sub-surface lines were built by a method
called CUT-AND-COVER and they are as close to the surface as 5metres. The deep-level
lines were built by TUNNELLING and they can be more or less than 20metres under the
ground. There is one big problem with these lines. Because the Tube is so old there is no
air-conditioning and in summer the temperatures in the trains can be higher than outside.
This makes the Prague Metro much more comfortable to travel with.
LISTENING – SPEAKING
Discussion points:
TALK to your partner and ANSWER these questions:
What are the different names for this type of public transport?
When was the Tube first opened?
How many stations and lines does the Tube have?
What types of lines can the Tube have?
Do you understand the method called cut-and-cover in the text? Describe or explain it.
DISCUSS these questions with your partner, then FIND another pair and COMPARE your
ANSWERS:
What are the differences between the London Tube and the Prague Metro?
Does the Prague Metro offer a good service and why/why not? What can they do better?
Have you ever travelled by metro in a foreign country? Can you compare it to Prague and
explain the differences?
Text B
BOSTON ‘T’
Boston city has the oldest underground (SUBWAY) system in North America. The first train
started running in 1897. There are four subway lines in Boston: Red, Green, Orange and
Blue. All lines go to and out of the city centre. The subway system is helped by buses that
go further out of the centre than the subway trains. Also late at night the buses work longer
than subway. In Boston there are two types of lines: the Red, Blue and Orange are
traditional with THIRD RAIL POWER (similar to Prague); the Green line is called LIGHT-
RAIL because it uses TROLLEY trains. This Green line is sometimes called the ‘drunk
express’ because it goes through little student towns (COLLEGE CAMPUSES).
The subway symbol – circled T – comes from 1960’s and represents such ideas as ‘transit’,
‘transportation’ and ‘tunnel’. Bostonians call their subway the ‘T’. The colour of every line
has its meaning. The Green line goes outside the city (into the SUBURBS) where there is
lots of trees and GREENERY. The Blue line runs along the ocean and also one of the
stations is the Oceanarium (something like a fish zoo garden). The Red line used to have its
TERMINAL at Harvard University whose school colour is dark red. The Orange line runs
along Washington Street which was called Orange Street in the past.
LISTENING – SPEAKING
Discussion points:
TALK to your partner and ANSWER these questions:
What is similar about the Tube and the ‘T’? What is different about them?
What different types of lines does the ‘T’ have?
Why is the subway called the ‘T’?
Do the line colours have any meaning?
DISCUSS these questions with your partner, then FIND another pair and COMPARE
your ANSWERS:
What are the advantages and disadvantages of the metro system? Give examples from
both texts (A/B) and your own examples?
What do you think about the job of a ticket inspector? Would you like to do it? Could they
do their job better? How?
SPEAKING - LISTENING
LOOK at the map and in pairs describe the metro lines – where they start, finish, which
are the changing stations. Then COMPARE them – how long and old each line is etc.
MAKE a DIALOGUE with your partner. One of you is a tourist who needs to get
somewhere (e.g. Prague Castle) from the centre (e.g. Mustek). The other one will give
directions. DESCRIBE two different routes – e.g. by metro if the tourist wants to save
time, by tram if he/she wants to see more. CHANGE ROLES when you’ve finished.
Map of Prague
USEFUL EXPRESSIONS:
- Excuse me. Could you tell me how to get to …
- How do you want to go there? On foot or by
metro?
- What do you think is better?
- You can see more if you take the …
- Do I need to change lines?
- How long will it take to get to …
- If you don’t have much time, you can …
Reading – SPEAKING - LISTENING
LOOK at this Key to lines of the London Underground and READ it with your partner. ASK
your teacher, if you don’t understand certain words. Then ANSWER the questions below.
Questions:
How many lines are there in the London Tube?
Can you name all the colours?
What is the symbol for an interchange station? Which are the
interchange stations in Prague?
What other means of transport are the three possible
connections of the Tube with?
Which line is closed on Sundays?
Now look at the London Tube map and describe the different lines. TAKE TURNS with your
partner.
Try and answer these points: - name and colour of the line
- name of first/last station
- the possible connections with other means of transport,
names of stations where you can change
- direction it goes: north-south, east-west (lines are either
Southbound-Northbound or Eastbound-Westbound)
Work with this section of the Central London Map. Your partner will give you two points on
the map and you will find the way of getting from one point to another using the Tube. TAKE
TURNS. Use both maps. Example: How do you get from Liverpool Street station to the St.
Paul’s cathedral?
READING – SPEAKING - LISTENING
FIND the basic information about different types of tickets for London transport by
clicking on the picture below and MAKE a DIALOGUE between a customer/traveler
who is in London for the first time and doesn’t understand the ticket system and a
ticket seller. If you need more information, go to this website www.tfl.gov.uk.
USEFUL EXPRESSIONS:
- Hello. May I help you?
- I’m afraid I don’t understand at all.
- Could you tell me which ticket is the best? I need
to go to...
- That’s no problem.
- How much money can you spend?
- Do you prefer long walking or travelling by public
transport?
- Are distances in London very long to walk?
- How can I validate my ticket?
- How many times can I use this ticket?
- Have you got any discount?
- Sorry, I don’t have any cash. Could you tell me
where the nearest cash machine is?
READING (web-search) – WRITING (note-taking) - SPEAKING - LISTENING
In pairs one of you chooses Prague and one of you London. USE the information
you already have or go back to the web-site and WRITE brief notes on the city
transport and ticket system. Then PRESENT your notes to your partner. Together
DISCUSS and COMPARE both the transport systems.
READING (web-search) – WRITING (note-taking) - SPEAKING - LISTENING
WEB QUEST - WORK in GROUPS of three. Each group chooses one European
capital city. FIND information about its transport system on the internet. WRITE your
notes into the first column of the chart below.
Name of our city/country/number
Name of other city - Name
–
of other city - –
of of citizens:
SIMILARITIES
DIFFERENCES
Types of transport:
Metro lines information:
Trams information:
Bus information:
Ticket information:
PRESENT your information to the other groups. When you LISTEN to the other
presentations complete the other two columns in your chart.
When your chart is completed, DISCUSS with others and COMPARE all the cities.
HOMEWORK:
Imagine your colleague is coming to Prague for a conference
and has sent you an e-mail asking for help. He/she arrives at the
Ruzyne airport and needs to get to a hotel at Zahradni mesto. He/she
doesn’t want to take a taxi. Write a short message explaining the way
from the airport, telling him/her about the bus and metro they have to
take and explain the ticket prices. Do not forget to send a copy to your
teacher.
EXTRA ACTIVITIES and MATERIALS
LISTENING - SPEAKING (pronunciation)
[English Language Library – V1001 Greetings/D1001 Greetings and Leave-taking (1,2);
G1001 Introduction to nouns an articles; L1001 Telephone conversation; C1001 Scottish?
English? Welsh?]