Dialogue 2: At a Travel Agency

A: Good morning. Can I help you?

B: Yes, I’d like to book a coach tour, please.To Holland.

A: In which month, please?

B: June or July.

A: I see. And for how long?

B: Two weeks, if possible.

A: Two weeks? Right. We have trips to Amsterdam on June 3^rd, June 18^th, July 5^th

and July 20^th.

B: Did you say June 5^th?

A: No, the 3^rd. It’s July 5^th.

B: Oh, I see. Well, the one on June 3^rd sounds all right. I’ll take that.

A: June 3^rd . Yes, we have a room. How many of you will therebe?

B: Just me.

A: Right. Now if I could just have some details from you ...

3.18. a) Insert the questions into the dialogue according to the answers given. b) Practice the conversation with a partner paying attention to the phrases used for talking on the phone. Add more details to your dialogue.

How long are they staying?

Are there any seats available?

When can the tickets come?

When do they plan to leave?

What are the options?

Are there any British Airways flights about that time?

Susan: Grand Tour Agency. Susan Sharp speaking.

Hans:Hello, Susan. This is Hans Bradly. I need to send two our sales managers to

Rome next week._____________?

Susan: Ok, _______________________?

Hans: Monday, October 14^th.

Susan: And if you want to book return flight I must ask you: ____________?

Hans: Four days. They would like to come back on the 17^th night. ________?

Susan: Let me have a look. There is a flight at 8.50 p.m. with British Airlines.

Hans: _______________?

Susan: Fortunately, there are. I’ve just called it up onto the screen. Shall I reserve

you two right now?

Hans: Yes, please. And make it Business Class, OK? __________________?

Susan: $440. Your name and address?

Hans: Mr. Bradly, 30 Park Avenue, London.

Susan: And your telephone number?

Hans: (171) 897 67 487

Susan: Will you pay by credit card?

Hans: Yes, by Master card. Number 324 76545 876. Valid until January, 2009.

__________?

Susan: In three or four days.

Hans: Shall I call you then to check up?

Susan: No need. I’ll send them to you as soon as they arrive.

Hans: Thank you so much.

Susan: You are most welcome.

3.19. Look at the pictures and discuss the questions below with a partner.

Questions:

1. What kind of tourists might go to the places in the pictures, and what could they do there? What problems can they face? What might they enjoy most?

2. What holidays would you prefer? How would they be different from the holidays you usually have?

3.20. What country (countries) would you like to visit in you lifetime? Plan a round-the-world holiday and say which six countries you would like to visit and why. Before discussing your choice in class, do the short questionnaire below.

1) I am most likely to spend a Saturday night … 2) I enjoy spending time with …

a) at a coffeehouse with friends; a) teenagers;

b) at home with a book; b) college students;

c) having people over for dinner. c) people of all ages.

3) Choose the most appealing menu … 4) My friends would describe me as:

a) potato dumplings; a) social;

b) stir-fried chicken; b) bookish;

c) lamb stew. c) adventuresome.

5) The thought of not having hot water for a week …

a) scares me to death;

b) means I’d have to boil it on the stove;

c) hot water is for wimps.

6) I have always wanted to visit …

a) a European Castle;

b) The Great Wall;

c) Red Square.

Answer Key:

Which letter did you check most often?

a - you might prefer the hustle, bustle and high culture of Central Europe;
b - you might enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of China;

c - you might appreciate the joys and challenges of Russia, or the countries of the former Soviet Union.

3.21. Work with a partner and think what pieces of advice you would give to a stranger in the following situations in Russia? In a foreign country?

(a) How to find Luggage Check-In.

(b) How to find Cart Rental.

(c) How to check in at the airport.

(d) What kind of travel card to buy and why.

(e) How to find First Class Carriage at a railway station.

(f) How to ask a clerk about train departure.

(g) How to find a cafeteria.

(h) What to do and where to go after landing.

3.22. Choose the best means of transport for the following people. Discuss your choice in class.

- for a business man;

- for a retired well-to-do couple;

- for students traveling across Europe;

- for traveling from New York to Siberia;

- for traveling from China to Australia.

3.23. Read the dialogues with a partner and make up a dialogue on any situation at the airport.

1.

Passenger: How much weight is allowed to take on board the plane?

Check-in clerk: As you are flying economy class, sir, the weight of your baggage must not exceed forty-five pounds. You will be charged for any excess weight you have.

Passenger: Oh, I don’t think my things will weigh that much. See, it’s only forty-one pound. Could I have my handbag with me?

Check-in clerk: Certainly. We shall attach a tag “carry-on baggage” to it. But the suitcase will have to go to the overhead baggage compartment. And now please would you step over to the departure lounge. You will hear your flight and destination announced.

2.

Flight attendant: May I have your seat number? It is in your boarding pass.

Passenger: Here you are.

Flight attendant: Thus way, please. Your seat is over there – third row on the right, next to the porthole. You may put your hat and raincoat on the rack.

(to all the passengers a bit later) Ladies and gentlemen, please put your seats in the upright position and fasten your seatbelts.

Passenger: At what altitude are we going to fly?

Flight attendant: The altitude will be about 25,000 feet.

Passenger: Thanks.

Flight attendant: (some time later) How is the flight? Quite comfortable?

Passenger: Yes, thank you. When do we get to London?

Flight attendant: We should touch down shortly after three, very soon now.

(before landing): Ladies and gentlemen. In 10 minutes we shall be landing at Heathrow. Please remain seated with safety belts fastened and with the seats in the upright position until the plane has come to a compete halt. Thank you.

3.24. a) Match the six announcements made over the public address system of an airport to a type of a message. b) Make up similar announcements of different types.

Types of messages:

- staff announcement - warning

- advertisement - flight cancellation

- delayed flight departure - delayed night arrival

- security announcement - final flight call

Announcement 1

Passengers are reminded that smoking is not permitted in any part of the terminal building.

Announcement 2

Will passenger Eckber from Miami please go to Airport Information where your tour leader is waiting. Passenger Eckber to Airport Information.

Announcement 3

This is a staff call. Will Roger Broom, please, go to the Baggage Hall immediately. Roger Broom to the Baggage Hall.

Announcement 4

This is the final call flight IB763 to Madrid. Will any remaining passengers, please, proceed immediately to Gate number 14 where the aircraft is about to depart.

Announcement 5

British Airways regret to announce the delay of flight BA008 to New York. Passengers should report with their boarding cards to the BA desk where vouchers for refreshments will be given. We would like to apologize for any inconvenience.

Announcement 6

This is a security announcement. Passengers are reminded not to leave baggage unattended at any time. Any unattended baggage will be removed and may be destroyed.

3.25. a) Read the text and explain how the system of domestic and international flights is organized in the US? What makes it effective?

Domestic flights in the USA are organized

on the principle of hubs and spokes, like a bicycle

wheel which has a hub at the centre and lots of

spokes radiating out from it in all directions. One

such a hub is Houston in Texas: flights to over 100

other airports radiate out in different directions from

there and half of these are non-stop flights.

For example, if you want to get from

Miami to Los Angeles, you can catch a

Continental Airlines flight from Fort Lauderdale,

change planes at Houston and fly on to Orange

County.

The hub and spokes network has made flights cheaper and means that even quite small places are connected to each other by a major airline or feeder service. Another advantage of the system is that connecting flights are to some extent guaranteed. If one incoming flight is up to one hour late, all the connecting flights (up to 30 or 40) will be held until it arrives so if you are on a delayed flight, that’s good news - but it’s bad news for everyone else because they all have to wait for your plane to land. From the point of view of overseas connections, many hubs also operate as entry points or “gateways”, where passengers flying in from another country can join the hub and spoke system. The same type of system does operate in other parts of the world: for example, you can fly from one part of Europe to another via Frankfurt or Paris, or Amsterdam, or London, but the difference in other parts of the world is that the fares are not any cheaper so there’s no special advantage.

	b) What do you think about the problem of national security on airplanes and other kinds of transport? Have you heard about “air marshals” on US planes? What steps do the USA and other countries take to prevent hi-jacking and terror acts? Should there be a global spying system introduced? Is it possible to set up the fine border between providing security and invasion of privacy?
	3.26. a) Study the information about the customs allowance. b) Work with a partner and discuss the suggested situations.

a) The Customs’ Allowance