Unit 6 By Bus or by train?
PartⅠ Getting ready
If you are not travelling for a long distance, you can take a train which is more comfortable than a plane. If you want to wander around a city, the bus service is usually very helpful. Big cities generally have a rather extensive system of bus lines. If you are afraid of the complicated bus routes, you can take a taxi. But taxis are very expensive in almost every city worldwide.
A The following words and phrases will appear in this unit. All of them are related to travelling especially by bus and by train and some are frequently used in railway announcements. Listen carefully and study the definitions.
1. transfer: move or change from one vehicle to another in the course of a journey
2. fare: the price charged to carry a person by bus, train, taxi, etc.
3. via: travelling through a place on the way
4. cab: a taxi
5. platform: a raised flat surface built along the side of the track at a railway station for travellers getting on or off a train
6. alteration: something changed
7. call at: stop at a particular place for a short time to allow people to get on or off
8. inter-city train: a type of British rail train which carries passengers quickly from one city to another with fewer stops and better service than other trains
9. automobile: a car
10. car pool: an agreement made by a number of car owners to take turns driving each other to work, school, etc.
B You are going to hear some short conversations. Supply the missing words.
1. Passenger: Excuse me, driver. Does this bus _________ the exhibition centre?
Street: No, not this bus. You'll have to _________ downtown.
Passenger: Which bus do I take from there?
Street: I _________ it's the number _________ bus.
2. Passenger: This bus will _________ me to the Holiday Inn, _________ it?
Driver: Yep. It sure will.
Passenger: How much is the _________?
Driver: _________ cents. Exact _________.
Passenger: Here you are.
Driver: Don't give it to me. _________ it in the _________.
3. Customer: How much is the _________ to San Francisco _________Los Angeles?
Agent: It's _________.
Customer: Can I ________ in Los Angeles for a few days?
Agent: Sure. Your ticket is _______ for three weeks.
4. Passenger: Is this cab _______?
Driver: No. Where are you going?
Passenger: To the Park Apartments. They're on _________ Street.
Driver: I _____ where they are. _______in.
C You are going to hear a tourist guide about Hong Kong's most exciting new shopping centre. Write down every word as a dictation. It will be read three times. In the first reading, you will hear the whole passage from beginning to end. In the second reading, you will hear a pause after each sentence or just part of a sentence. During the pause, you must write down what you have just heard as quickly as possible. You can check what you have written with the third reading.
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
Part Ⅱ At the railway station
If you are travelling by train, it is always important and necessary for you to pay close attention to the loudspeaker announcements at the railway station because they not only confirm the facts which you should already know like the departure time of your train, the platform number, its destination and stopovers but also give information about alterations to the expected situation such as delays and platform alterations.
A You are going to hear some railway announcements. While you listen, tick all the names of places you hear on the tape.
Bristol Parkway Keynsham Reading
Bridegwater Leamington Spa Severn Beach
Cardiff Nailsea Swindon
Didcot Newport Taunton
Exeter Oldfield Park Weston-super-Mare
Filton Paddington London York
Gloucester Path Spa
Hereford Plymouth
B Now listen to the announcements again. Complete the following chart. Note that where there is a dash (?, there is nothing to write.
Destination Platform Time Stopover(s) Delay
Number
____________ ________ ______ Keynsham, _______ -
Severn Beach ________ ______ - -
____________ - ______ Newport _______
____________ ________ ______ Bristol Parkway
Gloucester ________ ______ Filton, ________ -
________ and
Plymouth ________ ______ - -
Paddington
Lodon ________ ______ ________, Reading ________
C Now try this: listen to some more authentic versions of the announcements. After listening answer the following questions with the help of the above chart.
1. You are going to Plymouth. When are you going to leave? Which platform do you want?
__________________________________________________________
2. You want to go to Oldfield Park. It is on the line to Bath Spa. Which train do you want?
__________________________________________________________
3. You are waiting on platform 5. Is it possible for you to catch the train to Severn Beach? If not, what do you have to do?
__________________________________________________________
4. You are standing on platform 5 waiting for the 15:29 to Gloucester. Someone asks you if he should take this train for Newport. What is your answer?
__________________________________________________________
5. You are intending to travel to Cardiff on the 15:20. Will you be able to get there on time? Why? If you don't want to be too late what should you do?
__________________________________________________________
6. You are in a hurry to get to Bristol Parkway and you are waiting on platform 5 for the 15:29 train. Can you get there any earlier and if so, from which platform?
__________________________________________________________
7. You are leaving for Didcot on the 11:10. Do you have to change anywhere and if so, where?
__________________________________________________________
Part Ⅲ Why are we waiting here?
When a train comes into the station where you are waiting, you cannot always be certain that is the one you want. Don't hurry. Listen carefully to the station announcement first or you may get on a wrong train.
A Mr. and Mrs. Bashford, a very snobbish couple, are sitting on a train. The train is waiting at the station. You are going to listen to a conversation among Mr. Bashford, Mrs. Bashford and the guard. While listening for the first time, add more key words if you can in the left-hand column. After the second listening, fill the gaps in the summary in the right-hand column with the help of the notes.
Summary
Mr. and Mrs. Bashford are planning to leave for ________ by the ________ train which leaves from platform ________. Now they are on the train. But it is already ________, and the train is still waiting at the station. Mr. Bashford gets so angry that he shouts at a ________. To his surprise, the guard tells him that the train is not going to leave until ________. He wonders why the ________ train should leave ________ minutes later without letting them know. And then, the guard realises that they have made a terrible mistake. Instead of going to platform ________, they go to platform _____, so the train they are onis the ________ to ________ not the ________ to ________.
B Now try this: listen to a more authentic version of the conversation. Pay more attention to its language. After listening answer the following questions by completing the sentences.
1. What is Mr. Bashford's first question about the train?
When is this train __________________________________?
2. What does Mrs. Bashford say when Mr. Bashford gets impatient?
Well, don't _____________, darling.
3. What exactly does Mr. Bashford say when the guard repeats his question?
Don't just __________________! ______it.
4. What does the guard say when Mr. Bashford gets angry?
Now ____________, sir. Don't _________!
5. From which sentences can we see that Mr. Bashford is a very snobbish person?
Now ________! I'm a _____________ man and I have some ______________ friends. One of them is the ____________ and I'm going to _______________.
6. What does the guard say when Mr. Bashford says he is a very important person and that he is going to tell the head of the railway about all this?
I don't ________________, sir, or ________________.
7. Mr. Bashford thinks the guard's last question is stupid. What does he say?
Don't __________. Of course I ______! Why __________ I'm on this train?
Part Ⅳ More about the topic: Automobiles in the USA
Energy crisis is a global concern now. Many countries have already made great efforts in cutting their energy consumption, some even passed legislation on energy saving. Automobiles are to be blamed now and then. They not only use up a lot of energy but also produce severe pollution. So people are advised not to use their automobiles as often as they presently do. Car pools emerge as the times require.
The following short passage is about automobiles in the USA. Supply the missing words while listening.
The United States is full of automobiles. There are still families _______ cars, but some families have _______ or even _______. However, cars are used for more than ________. They are a _________ part of life.
Cars are used for _______. They are driven to _______ and _________ by workers who have no _______ way to get to their _______. When salesmen are _______ to different parts of the city, they have to drive in order to _______ their products. Farmers have to drive into the city in order to get _______.
Sometimes small children must be driven to _______ In some cities school _______
are used only when children live more than _______ from the school. When the children are too young to walk that _______. their mothers take ________ driving them to school, One mother drives on _______, taking her _______ children and the _______ children as well. Another mother drives on _______, another on _______, and so on. This is called forming a car pool. Men also form _______ pools, with _______ or _______ men taking turns driving to the place where they all work.
More car pools should be ______ in order to put fewer ________ on the road and to use less gasoline. _______ is a great problem, and so is the traffic ________ and ______ cities. Too many cars are being driven. _________ will have to be done about the use of cars.
Part Ⅴ Memory test: Bus Information
Almost all American cities have bus services within the city. Some bus companies even have special telephone numbers with taped messages for some popular routes. If you want information about bus travel, you can call those numbers.
In this section you are going to hear two tapes, each made by a different bus company, in a different city, and for a different route (preferably only one time). While listening fill in as much information as possible into the following two charts.
Chart 1
Greyhound Schedule and Fare Information
Leave Houston Arrive New Orleans
___________________________ _____________________________
___________________________ _____________________________
___________________________ _____________________________
___________________________ _____________________________
___________________________ _____________________________
___________________________ _____________________________
___________________________ _____________________________
___________________________ _____________________________
___________________________ _____________________________
___________________________ _____________________________
___________________________ _____________________________
Fares
Beaumont: One-way ______ Round trip ________
Port Arthur: One-way ______ Round trip ________
New Orleans: One-way ______ Round trip ________
For additional information, call __________________
Chart 2
Trailways
Pittsburgh Philadelphia Baltimore Washington D.C.
Departure time __________ ____________ _________ _______________
Travel time __________ ____________ _________ _______________
One way fare __________ ____________ _________ _______________
Round trip fare __________ ____________ _________ _______________
For further information, call ______________________
Part Ⅵ Reminder of key points in this unit
Verb & Verb Phrase Noun & Noun Phrase Other
PartⅠ go past downtown exact
transfer Holiday Inn via
believe fare exciting
drop change intimate
relax cab first-class
apartments
fashion
designer
accessory
chef
selection
night club
karaoke lounge
Part Ⅱ call at platform due in
report alteration approximately
run inter-city train
apologise
Part Ⅲ repeat darling impatient
mean guard calm
care head stupid
Part Ⅳ take turn automobile necessary
form pleasure own
park salesman
product
supply
school bus
neighbour
car pool
gasoline
Part Ⅴ port additional
citizen automatic
discount further
senior
