9.1 Warming up activity. Discuss the following questions in pairs:

1) Have you ever gone out to explore any new town or city? What places have you visited?

2) What difficulties did you face there?

 

Exercise 9.1.1 Read and come up with the most suitable title for it

When you tell people that you’re moving to a new city, let alone a new country, there are certain phrases you become used to hearing over and over again.  I found this out first hand when I left my family home in London for Lyon, France this summer.  While the, “You’re so brave!” and “You’re going to have the best year ever!” comments are lovely and more than welcome, there are some things that no one can ever prepare you for when moving abroad. I suppose the thing with moving country is that everyone’s experience is unique and it really is only as good as you make it.  Of course, it helps if you fall in love with the place, make friends and speak the language but the thing I’ve loved the most so far is the time I’ve dedicated to exploring Lyon.  As soon as I stepped out of the metro, I knew Lyon was the right place for me (not even the sweat dripping off me from lugging 2 suitcases up 3 flights of stairs in a winter coat in 25 degrees heat was going to put me off!)  It was then that I decided that I would spend at least one day a week simply discovering all that Lyon has to offer-be it one of the many bouchons (typical Lyonnais restaurants), a museum or just strolling through the beautiful streets. 

The problem for me is that because I’m actually from London I often take the city for granted.  Yes, I understand that it’s undoubtedly one of the most beautiful and exciting cities in the world but does it make me want to get up on a Sunday morning and visit Buckingham Palace or the National Gallery? No.  Instead, I waste the day away in my pyjamas watching films I’ve already seen hundreds of times.  In Lyon, however, I appear to be a changed girl.  Since my arrival, I’ve already visited 2 museums, go the market every Sunday morning without fail, have taken a cooking class and have sampled far too many of the wonderful restaurants Lyon has to offer for my own good (and my waistlines...). So, whether you’ve recently moved to another country or still live in your hometown, I seriously recommend a day out simply exploring your town.  You’ll be amazed how many places you’ve never noticed before when you simply open your eyes and take in all your wonderful city has to offer.

 

Reference [8]

 

Exercise 9.1.2 Vocabulary:

1) find out – выяснить, понять, обнаружить;

2) unique – уникальный;

3) fall in love – влюбляться;

4) so far – до сих пор, пока;

5) dedicate – посвящать, посвятить;

6) step out – выйти, выходить, развлекаться;

7) sweat – пот, испарина;

8) drip – капать, падать каплями;

9) strolling – шатание, разгуливание;

10) undoubtedly – несомненно, безусловно;

11) sample – производить отбор, тестировать, пробовать;

12) be amazed – удивиться, изумляться, диву даваться.

 

Answer the questions

 

1. Why did the author like the time spending in Leon?
2. What things has she done since her arrival in Leon?

3.Why did the author change while being in Leon?

4. Do you agree with the statement: “everyone’s experience is unique and it really is only as good as you make it”?

 

Exercise 9.1.3 Read and translate some typical questions, which can be asked in a new place:

1) Where to find something?

2) Excuse me, could you help me, please

3) Pardon me, can you help me, please

4) May I ask you a question, please?

5) I'm new in this town. I'm a tourist.

6) Where can I find a map of Chicago?

7) I'd like to know where the Sheraton Hotel is, please

8) How do I get to the Hilton Hotel, please?

9) Excuse me, do you know where Benson Street is, please?

10) Where is the bus stop, please?

11) How do I get to the center of the city, please?

12) Does this bus go to the train station? (to the center of the city, to the university, to the park, etc.)

13) How much is the fare, please? What is the fare, please?

14) Could you give me change for ten dollars, please?

15) Is there a bank near here?

16) Could you tell me where the nearest bank is?

17) When does the bank open?

18) When does the bank close

19) When does the train leave?

20) When does the train arrive?

21) Where is the nearest supermarket, please? (grocery store, food store, bakery, department store, restaurant, etc.)

22) Is the food market open today?

23) When is the best time to go there

24) What time is it?

25) Could you tell me where the restrooms are? (in a public place)

26) What is the telephone number of the police department? (of the fire department, of the ticket office, etc.)

27) Do you know the telephone number of the hospital?

28) Could you call a taxi for me, please?

29) Where are you going? Can I go with you?

30) How long will it take to get there?

31) Excuse me, how do I get out of here?

32) Where is the exit, please?

 

Exercise 9.1.4 Read the dialogue and say what difficulties Henry faced in New York

Henry: …Looks like I’m lost and it’s even harder to find the way when you’re lost in Chinatown. The majority of people here don’t speak English. What shall you do?

Stranger: Can I help you?

Henry: Yes, please. I’m trying to find the way to the nearest metro. I’d like to take the train to Brighton Beach.

Stranger: I can’t say I’m an expert, but I can help you to get to the metro. If you follow this street till the end and then turn left, you’ll need to walk two blocks down and then turn left again, and here you are. You’ll see the metro station. To find the Brighton Beach you’ll need to follow the metro map, as I don’t remember where it is. But if I’m not mistaken, it’s on the orange line.

Henry: Thank you so much! I thought nobody here spoke English.

Stranger: You’re almost right. It’s a special quarter, called Chinatown and all residents here speak mainly Chinese. They might know English, but they don’t seem to need it in everyday life.

Henry: I see. Once again, thanks a lot.

Stranger: No problem. Enjoy your trip to Brighton.

 

Exercise 9.1.5 Work in pairs: using the questions from exercise 7.4 make a dialogue “In a new city”.

                                             

9.2 Read and translate descriptions of cities presented by two speakers on the site www.ielts-mentor.com and say which of these two cities seems to be more attractive for the tourists. Why?

Speaker 1: I have visited several cities before, and they were all amazing in their own rights. However, there was one city which, I think, should be specifically mentioned here because I was not too sure about visiting it until the last moment. In fact, I heard a lot of negative comments about this particular city before visiting it about a year ago, but I was proved wrong when I actually visited it. The name of this city is “Milan”. I think that we all know where the city of Milan is. But, still, just to refresh our memory a little about this city, it is one of Italy’s major metropolis cities in its northern Lombardy region.

Milan is also a major financial hub which is known for its high-end shops and restaurants. And, of course, it is known as the capital of the fashion world also. Anyway, I visited this city recently, about a few months ago. Contrary to popular belief, Milan has a lot of wonderful and modern architectures for a city which was bombed rather heavily during the Second World War.  Besides, visiting Lake Como, which was only an hour (by train) from Milan, was one of my best experiences ever. In fact, Lake Como, in my opinion, is one of the most beautiful places on earth with its mountains and colourful villas. Milan has also some of the most beautiful and green public parks in the world, in my opinion. One of my favourite green spaces in Milan was the Library of Trees, which contains more than 100 species of trees. However, there is one thing that I didn’t like about Milan was that it was rather expensive. Anyway, all in all, I would say that visiting Milan was a great experience. Even though it is a bustling city with a lot of activities, I think that there is a lot of life in it and people in its different neighbourhoods tend to enjoy their life to the fullest. I think that I would go back to visit that city again in future.

 Speaker 2: "Sydney" is undoubtedly my favourite city among the cities I have visited so far. Sydney is the state capital of New South Wales of Australia. This city is situated on the bank of the Tasman Sea and has around 4.6 million people. I have visited this city in 2008 after I finished my graduation and loved my stay there. Sydney had many attractive natural areas, botanic gardens, parks, and high rising buildings. This city has many heritage-listed buildings that attract tourists and visitors. The Sydney Opera House is one of the most recognised landmarks in Australia and is a great place to visit. This city is known for the dynamic cultural hub and it has many famous museums, galleries and art galleries as well. Because of the great architecture, warm weather and hundreds of tourists attraction more than 11 million international and domestic tourists visit this city each year. I had been there for about 15 days and I really enjoyed everything about this city. I stayed at a 2-storied hotel that offered a really amusing view. The transportation system of the city is better than many other cities and I could have been maintaining the track and time of my schedule because of that. I loved being at open & wide spaces in the gardens and parks. People are welcoming and friendly there. A tourist can get necessary help both from people and the authority and can roam easily without any interruption. I saw 2/3 art museum and some cultural festivals and those were awesome.
There are so many places to be, so many things to do in Sydney. Some of the attractive places are Royal Botanic Garden, Hyde Park, Queen Victoria Building, Sydney Townhall, Macquarie Lighthouse, Australia Square, Sydney Opera House and so on. I had a tremendous vacation in Sydney and I liked most of the places there and I enjoyed so much that I did not even notice how quickly the 2 weeks scheduled time has passed.

 

Reference [9]

 

Exercise 9.2.1 Vocabulary:

1) specifically – конкретно, особенно;

2) to be proved – быть доказанным;

3) refresh – освежить, обновить;

4) financial hub – финансовый центр;

5) high-end – элитный, отборный, шикарный;

6) сontrary to – вопреки;

7) bustling – шумный, суетливый;

8) undoubtedly – несомненно, безусловно;

9) heritage-listed – культурно-исторический, достояние культуры;

10) maintain – хранить, поддерживать, защищать;

11) schedule – расписание, план, программа;

12) authority – власть, администрация;

13) tremendous – громадный, грандиозный, потрясающий;

14) neighborhoods – пригороды, окрестности;

 

 

 

Exercise 9.2.2 Are these sentences true or false? True/False

1) Milan is situated in northern Lombardy region. T/F

2) Milan is a very old city, which hasn’t any modern architectures. T/F

3) Milan was bombed heavily during the Second World. T/F

4) Library of Trees contains more than 150 species of trees. T/F

5) Queen Victoria Building is one of the most recognized landmarks in Australia and is a great place to visit. T/F

6) A tourist can not get necessary help from the authority in Sydney. T/F

7) Speaker 2 spent 10 days in Sydney. T/F

8) The only thing Speaker 1 didn’t like about Milan was high prices. T/F

 

Exercise 9.2.3 Match the antonyms:

1) tremendous;                                    a) tiny;

2) bustling;                                          b) noiseless;

3) maintain;                                         c) destroy;

4) public;                                             d) private;

5) include;                                           e) exclude;

6) сontrary to;                                      f) due to;

7) attractive;                                        g) ugly;

8) negative;                                         h) positive;

9) expensive;                                       j) cheap;

10) natural;                                         k) artificial.

 

Exercise 9.2.4 Using information from the text and internet resources fill in the following table:

City	Location	Main places of interest
Milan
Sydney
Paris
New York
Vienna

1) constitution; 2) referendum; 3) unitary state; 4) term of office; 5) bicameral parliament; 6) province; 7) court; 8) legislative power; 9) executive power; 10) judicial power; 11) akimat.

a) the branch of government which executes and enforces law; b) regional executive authority in Kazakhstan, district state administration in Kazakhstan; c) a system of government in which the legislature comprises two houses; d) place where legal matters are decided by a judge and jury or by a magistrate; e) a state governed as a single entity in which the central government is ultimately supreme; f) the branch of government which is charged with declaration of what law is and its construction; g) the term during which some position is held; h) the branch of government which makes laws for a political entity such as a country or city; j) the highest law; k) an administrative division within a country or state; l) a vote in which all the people in a country are asked to give their opinion about an important political or social question.