Episode 48

EPISODE 48
LEVEL A1.2/A2.1

 

READING COMPREHENSION

 

AT THE AIRPORT

When we arrive at the airport, we go to the check-in desk where we show our ticket and weigh our luggage (= see how heavy our luggage is). We need to remember that our bags cannot be too heavy, otherwise we will have to pay excess luggage (= pay extra for too much luggage). Then we decide if we want a window or an aisle seat (= a seat next to a narrow space between the rows of seats) and we get our boarding pass (= a special document with the number of our seat). Next we go through passport control and security check where our luggage must be X-rayed to see if there is anything dangerous in our bags. At this point we can make our way towards the departures lounge (= an area where we wait for our flight) where we can buy some duty-free goods (= things on which we don’t pay government tax). We can see all the necessary information about our flight on the departures board (= a big screen with the flight number etc.) when we wait before getting on the plane.

 

More contexts for the new words:

• He is a very important person in this company. He is on the board of directors.
(= He is one of the group of people who make decisions in the company)
• I usually buy a monthly pass.
(= I buy a special ticket which allows me to travel by bus for one month)

 

EXERCISE 1

Match the expression halves

duty-free                   a. your luggage
the departures         b. excess luggage
security                     c. desk
boarding                  d. seat
an aisle                     e. pass
check-in                   f. check
pay                            g. lounge
weigh                        h. goods

 

 

EXERCISE 2

Add the missing vowels (a, e, I, o, u). Example: BNN = banana. Then answer the questions.

1. Do you prefer to sit in a WNDW ST or in an SL ST?
2. Do you ever buy DT-FR GDS? What did you buy last?
3. What do you do to kill time in the DPRTRS LNG?

 

 

ENGLISH IN USE

 

Let’s have a look at a sentence from the text:

Our luggage must be X-rayed.

This is an example of PASSIVE VOICE with a modal verb.

As you already know, when we use PASSIVE VOICE, we need a form of „to be” and a past participle, but this time we will also need „must”.

Remember that after „must”, we use a basic form of the verb, so logically we don’t need „is” or „are” in this construction, but only „be”.

More example are:

The letter must be written.
The car must be cleaned.
The dog must be walked.

IDIOM CLOSE-UP

 

A/ Why didn’t they catch the burglars?
B/ They TOOK FLIGHT when they heard the alarm.

If you take flight, you escape.

 

 

PHRASAL VERBS CLOSE-UP

 

1. When a plane TAKES OFF, it starts flying.

 

The plane should take off on time.
My plane took off at 8.30 a.m.

 

2. When a plane TOUCHES DOWN, it lands.

 

The plane touched down in Sydney at midday.

 

 

EXERCISE 3
Decide if these sentences are true or false. Correct the false ones.

1. ‘Take off’ and ‘touch down’ are opposites.
2. ‘Take off’ and ‘touch down’ can be used about cars.
3. When you take flight, you run towards something.

 

 

NEWS

 

AIRLINE BANKRUPT

Another cheap airline went bankrupt last week. Cheapie Air, based in Ireland, was forced to declare bankruptcy after newspaper reporters discovered a huge debt the company had. The airline owed money to fuel suppliers, airports, pilots, flight attendants, just about everyone! The failure can be attributed to the cut-throat competition in the industry, as well as the soaring fuel prices and, of course, global economic crisis. The spokesperson of the airline assures the passengers who have bought tickets in advance that they will get their money back. But nobody knows when…

 

 

 

GLOSSARY
– debt – money you owe (= have to give back) to sb
– flight attendants – stewards and stewardesses
– cut-throat – very aggressive
– soaring – increasing very fast

 

 

 

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