Speaking

Travel Arrangements (Speaking I)

—  Hotel Reservation

—  Useful phrases:

—  I’d like to reserve a room for two on the 21^st of March

—  Let me check our computer here for a moment

—  We have one suite/ room/ penthouse available

—  How much is that

—  Do you have a cheaper room available, around 20^th or 22^nd

—  Would you like the smoking or non smoking room

—  80 dollars plus the 10% room tax

—  Could I have your name, please

—  We look forward to seeing you on March 20^th

—  Buying Tickets

—  Useful phrases:

—  I’d like to buy two tickets to Vienna for January 13

—  What are the facilities in the plane?

—  It’s air conditioned, and each passenger gets a blanket, private movie collections, food and beverages, and roomy seats.

—  Which class are you taking sir?

—  Okay, your departure time is 7.56 flight number 2QU7Y seat number B76

Useful expressions

—  How do you (usually) get to work/school?

—  I usually take the subway.

—  How long does it take (to get there)?

—  It takes about ______ minutes/hours.

—  What's the best way to get to _____?

—  By train/bus.

—  Do you take public transportation?

—  I walk or ride my bike.

SPEAKING

v  A Surprising Fact

Sometimes the best way to support an argument is to come up with an unexpected fact.

The following paragraph contains some surprising facts (given in italics)

Read the paragraph aloud and introduce each of these facts with one of the phrases from the top list and add a qualifier from the bottom list.

Example:

TV plays a very large part in British life. (There were 2.3 TV’s per household in Britain in 1987.)

Do you realize that there were on average 2.3 TV’s per household in Britain in 1987? Normally TV is an important part of British life.

TV has a tremendous effect on children. (Children spend more time watching TV than doing anything else in their waking hours.) Early in life, children learn from TV to influence their parents about what to buy – not just in the area of toys, but also at the supermarket. (Women buy more snack foods when accompanied by children.) Also, when parents don’t limit their children’s TV watching, they become so dependent on television for their entertainment that they begin to lose their potential for creativity. (A study has shown that children without TV who are left to themselves develop their own creative powers.) Many people are also worried about the high percentage of programmers that highlight violence. (Children have been shown to learn violence from TV.) In short, the negative effects of TV probably outweigh its possible positive influence in presenting the world to the growing child.

•         Surprising News

Speaking

            First, each student tries to think of some good and bad news. Make a list.

            Each student then takes his turn presenting the news to the class.

            Remember to use the phrases in the list.