3.2. Traveller’s story

1. Look through the phrasal vocabulary; find the transcription in the dictionary if it is necessary. Match the columns

a check-in a flight attendant to be late to take a taxi to sit in a traffic jam to miss the plane to arrive in time to stand in a queue to go through passport control to board the plane

пропустить рейс стойка регистрации опаздывать прибыть вовремя борт проводник проходить паспортный контроль поймать такси сесть в самолет стоять в пробке стоять в очереди

2. Read and translate the text, look for more words and phrases for your vocabulary

My name is Irina and I hate flying. It's the worst way to travel. First of all, your plane leaves at 10 o'clock in the morning. Fine. But you have to be there at 8. You live 50 miles from the airport. So, you leave home at 6. That means getting up at 5. Crazy!

You don't want to be late, so you take a taxi. The trains are terrible, but the traffic is awful! You sit in a traffic jam for 45 minutes. Are you going to miss your plane?

No. You arrive just in time. But now you stand in a queue at the check-in for another half an hour. In front of you is a noisy family of eight and an elderly couple who can't find their passports. Then you stand in another queue at passport control for 15 minutes. You are not happy!

Finally, you go through passport control. You have exactly 8 minutes to buy something from the duty-free shop before it's time to board the plane. Then you have a long journey in front of you. The seats are very small. The person sitting next to you is very fat. He wants to tell you his life story....

That's what normally happens. But yesterday it was different. Yesterday the person sitting next to me on the plane was a tall thin man with long black hair and dark glasses. He didn't say a word to me for over an hour. When the flight attendant brought drinks, he refused. When she brought lunch, he refused again.

Suddenly, the man stood up. He took something out of his travel bag. It was a gun. People started to scream. The flight attendant came over to us.

"Can I help you, sir?" she asked.

"Take me to Havana - or I'll blow the plane up!"

The flight attendant smiled.

"Please sit down, sir. Havana's where we're going. Now, what would you like to drink?"

3. Answer the questions

1. What is Irina’s opinion about travelling? Does Kate like to travel?

2. What problems Irina is speaking about?

3. How much time does Irina spend on every action?

4. What was different in this trip for Irina?

4. Now look at these phrases from the text. Write the missing words

1. Noun + Noun

Traffic jam; _____ control; _____ attendant; _____ bag

2. Verb + Noun

_____ home; _____a taxi; _____ your plane; _____ the plane

3. Verb + Preposition + Noun

You stand ___ a queue.

You go ___ passport control.

You buy something ___ the duty-free shop.

4. Time Expressions

Your plane leaves ___ 10 o'clock ___ the morning.

You sit in a traffic jam ___ 45 minutes.

5. Common Adjectives

A tall thin ___ with long black .___ and dark ____ .

6. Phrasal Verbs

You leave home at 6. That means getting ____ at 5!

Suddenly, the man stood ___ .

"Take me to Havana or I'll blow the plane ___ !"

7. Useful Expressions

" ____ I help you?"

"Please sit ___".

"What would you ___ to drink?"

5. Can you find some more useful words and expressions? Write

them down

6. Study the text for more useful lexis

First you go to the check-in desk where they weigh your luggage. Usually you are permitted 20 kilos, but if your bags weigh more, you may have to pay excess baggage (=you pay extra). The airline representative checks your ticket and gives you a boarding card for the plane with your seat number on it. Then you go through the passport control where an official checks [NOT controls] your passport, and into the departure lounge. Here, you can also buy things in the duty-free, e.g. perfume, alcohol and cigarettes. About half an hour or forty minutes before take-off, you are told to go to a gate number, e.g. 14, where you get on the plane. When you board (=to get on) the plane, you find your seat. If you have hand luggage, you can put it under your seat or in the overhead locker above your seat.

The plane then taxis (=moves slowly) towards the runway, and when it has permission to take off, it accelerates along the runway and takes off.

During the flight you may want or need to understand certain announcements; these come from the captain (=the pilot) or from the flight attendants:

Please fasten your seat belt and put your seat in the upright position. We are now cruising (=flying comfortably) at an altitude (=height) of 10,000 metres.

May we remind passengers (=ask passenger to remember) that there is no smoking until you are inside the terminal building (=where passenger arrive and depart).

The cabin crew (=air stewards) are now coming round with landing cards (you sometimes have to fill it in when you enter certain countries).

Arrival. When the plane lands (=arrives on the ground), you have to wait for it to stop. When the doors are open, you get off the plane and walk through the terminal building and go to the baggage reclaim where you collect your luggage. You then pass through customs (green = nothing to declare; red = goods to declare; blue = European Union citizens). If you are lucky, you can then get a bus, taxi or train to the centre of town without waiting too long. You can also hire a car (=rent a car) at most airports.