The Truth About Auir Travel

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G narrative tenses, p a st p e rfe c t continuous; so / such...that V air tra v e l P regular and irregular p a st form s, sentence rhythm

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The tru th about air travel

1 LIS TEN IN G & V O C A B U L A R Y air travel a

I don't have a fear o f flying; I have a fear o f crashing. Billy Bob Thornton, US a c to r and singer

b Listen again. W hat word or phrase do the fligh t attendants use to m e a n ...?

2 2))) Listen to som e in-flight announcem ents and match them

1 2 3 4 5

to pictures A -D . W hat inform ation or instructions are the passen gers being given?

small bags and suitcases the storage area above your seat put on your seat belt phones, tablets, etc.

the doors where you can get out o f the plane quickly if there is a problem 6 the thing you have to put on i f the plane is going to land on water 7 to blow air inside something

c

> - p .1 5 4 Vocabulary Bank A ir travel.

2 READING

Air Travel: Air Babylon is ə best-selling book, co-written by Imogen Edwards-Jones and anonymous airline staff members whose identities must remain secret. It tells the "inside story” about flying and answers all these questions and many more... Is it re a lly w o rth lis te n in g to th e s a fe ty d e m o n s tra tio n te llin g you how to p u t your life ja c k e t on? Why is th e re u s u a lly a big m irro r w hen you are go in g th ro u g h C ustom s? W hy can you s o m e tim e s sm e ll ro a ste d chicken in a plane w hen th e y are se rvin g you fish? Why do a irp o rt s ta ff m e m b e rs g e t annoyed w ith som e p a sse n g e rs w ho a s k fo r a w h e e lch a ir?

a

R ead the back cover o f a book about air travel. C an you g u ess the answ ers to any o f the questions?

b N ow read the extract from Air Babylon. W hat are the answ ers to the questions, according to the text? c

N ow read the extract again and m ark the sentences T (true) or F (false). Underline the p art o f the text that gave you the answer. 1 M ost airline passengers believe that the life jacket could save their life. 2 The passengers who inflated their life jackets too early didn't survive. 3 C ustom s officers can see through the m irror in Custom s. 4 Passengers are often caught by customs officers because o f their body language. 5 Sm all birds are more dangerous for planes than big birds. 6 Passengers get confused because what they can smell is not on the menu. 7 There aren’t enough wheelchairs for all the people who need them. 8 One flight attendant som etim es makes sarcastic comments about passengers who don’t really need a wheelchair.

d Did you find any o f the inform ation su rp risin g? W hich? D o you believe it at all?


ost airline passengers think it is laughable that a small yellow lifejacket with a whistle will make any difference if the plane crashes into the water. However, in some cases, like when a hijacked Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 767 landed in the Indian Ocean in 1996, it did. Despite instructions from the cabin crew not to preinflate their lifejackets inside the plane, several passengers did. They were unable to escape the rising water inside the plane. But others, who followed the pilot’s instructions, survived. So it is probably a good idea to look up from your magazine when the flight attendant is giving the safety demonstration.

M

3 M IN I G R A M M A R so / such...that a

The passenger is usually so embarrassed that he disappears as quickly a s he can. When this happens, there is often such a strong smell of roasted bird that passengers on the plane think that chicken is being cooked. We often use so / such...that to express a consequence. • Use so + adjective The flig h t was so bumpy (that) we all fe lt sick. • Use so + adverb The taxi driver drove so quickly (that) we g o t to the airport on time. • Use so much / so many + noun There was so much tra ffic th a t we almost missed our flight.

C

ustoms officers are watching everywhere. They are watching you from the moment you walk off the plane, while you are standing in Baggage claim waiting for your bag, and especially when you come out the other side of Customs, which is when people who are trying to smuggle something finally let their guard down and get caught. The large two-way mirror in Customs, (behind which customs officers sit and watch) is part of that process. As you walk past, it makes you look taller and thinner. So you feel good about yourself and you relax and smile. That’s when a customs officer suddenly appears and asks you to open your suitcase...

irds are one of the major problems for any airport when planes are taking o ff and landing. Any large bird can easily cause an accident. It flies into the engine, totally destroying itself and the machinery. Smaller birds are less of a problem. In some cases they can do some damage, but usually they are just roasted. When this happens, there is often such a strong smell of roasted bird that passengers on the plane think that chicken is being cooked, and they are often surprised when they’re given a choice of fish or beef at dinner!

Look at these tw o sentences from the Air Babylon extract.

• Use such a + adjective + single countable noun It was such a great hotel (that) we want to go back there next year. • Use such + adjective + uncountable noun We had such terrible weather th a t we didn't really enjoy our vacation. • Use such + adjective + plural noun They were such uncomfortable seats (that) I couldn't sleep a t all.

b C om plete the sentences with so, so much / many, such, or such a. 1 The flight w a s_______ long that I got really bored. 2 I had_______ noisy child sitting next to me that I couldn't sleep at all. 3 My suitcase w as_______ heavy that I had to pay an excess baggage fee. 4 I slep t_______ badly on the flight from New York that the jet lag was worse than usual.

B

5 We were served_______ terrible food that I couldn’t eat a thing. 6 There w ere_______ people at check-in that we had to stand in line forever. 7 We h ad _______ luggage that we had to get another cart. 8 The people we met on vacation w ere_______ nice people that we kept in touch with them.

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SPEA K IN G

In pairs, ask and answ er the questions. heelchairs are a big problem for airline staff. Not only is there always a shortage of them for the people who really need them, but what is worse, some of the people who request them often don't need them at all. I've lost count of the number of tim es I have pushed someone through the airport, taken them through Customs and Passport Control, gotten a porter to pick up their luggage, and then seen the person jump up in Arrivals and move quickly toward their waiting relatives. One flight attendant I know gets so annoyed when this happens that as soon as the passenger gets out of the chair she shouts to the other passengers, “ Ladies and gentlemen! Another miracle, courtesy of the airline industry! After years in a wheelchair, he walks again!" The passenger is usually so embarrassed that he (and it’s usually a “ he") disappears as quickly as he can.

W

From Air Babylon by Imogen Edwards-Jones

1 How do you feel about flying? 2 How often do you fly? W hat for? 3 When w as the last flight you took? Where did you fly to? 4 Have you ever... • been very delayed at an airport? How long for? • m issed a flight? Why? • been stopped in Custom s? Were you carrying anything that you shouldn't have? • had very bad turbulence on a flight? How did you feel? Was anyone on the flight injured? • taken a long-haul flight? Did you get jet lag? • flown or been upgraded to business class? W hat w as it like? • been on a flight where there was an emergency? W hat happened? • sat next to a scream ing baby on a flight (or a child that kept kicking your seat)? What did you do?

Online Practice ■

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V O C A B U LA R Y BANK

Air travel

3 TRAVEL, TRIP, OR JOURNEY?

1 AT T H E AIRPO RT a

M a tc h th e w o rd s a n d d e fin itio n s . 1 2 3 4 5

A a irp o rt term in al bag(gage) d ro p o ff

b aggage claim check-in desk cu sto m s

6 7 8 9 10

a

D

1 2

b

c

A

H o w lo n g w a s y o u r ____________ a c ro s s C h in a ?

B

It w a s a b o u t tw o m o n t h s lo n g , a n d i t w a s a m a z in g .

3

D o y o u h a v e t o ____________m u c h f o r y o u r jo b ?

4

H a v e a g o o d ____________ . S e e y o u w h e n y o u g e t b a c k .

2 5))) L i s te n a n d c h e c k . W h a t a re th e d iffe re n c e s b e tw e e n th e th r e e w o rd s ?

4 PHRASAL VERBS RELATED TO AIR TRAVEL

w h e r e y o u ta k e y o u r lu g g a g e to c h e c k it in i f y o u w h e r e th e y c h e c k t h a t y o u a r e n o t t r y i n g t o ta k e

liq u id s o r sh arp objects) o n to scan n in g y o u r carry-on luggage a n d

p r o h ib ite d ite m s (e.g., t h e p la n e , b y

W e 're g o in g o n a fiv e -d a y trip________ to th e m o u n ta in s .

a b u i ld i n g a t a n a i r p o r t d iv id e d in to

a lr e a d y h a v e y o u r b o a r d i n g p a s s E

o r journey.

d e p a rtu re s b oard gate runw ay secu rity V IP lounge

A rriv als a n d D e p a rtu re s (dom estic a n d in tern atio n al fligh ts) B a n e le c tr o n ic d is p la y s h o w in g flig h t tim es a n d i f th e f li g h t is on tim e, b oard in g, closed, o r delayed C w h e r e y o u h a n d i n a n y c h e c k e d b aggage ( b a g s , s u itc a s e s , e tc .) a n d a r e g iv e n a b o ard in g p a ss A

C o m p l e t e t h e s e n t e n c e s w i t h travel ( v e r b o r n o u n ) , trip,

a

C o m p le te th e s e n te n c e s w ith a p h r a s a l v e rb fro m th e l i s t i n t h e p a s t te n s e .

m a k i n g y o u w a l k t h r o u g h a m e ta l d e te c to r F

w h e r e p a s s e n g e r s w h o a r e tr a v e lin g

checkin take o ff

b u sin e ss o r first

c la ss c a n w a it f o r t h e i r f lig h t G

w h e r e y o u s h o w y o u r b o a r d i n g p a s s a n d ID a n d

b oard

1

take o ff a n d land w h e r e y o u collect y o u r lu g g a g e o n a r r iv a l, a n d t h e r e a r e u s u a lly c a rts f o r c a r r y in g h e a v y s u itc a s e s w h e r e y o u r lu g g a g e m a y b e checked t o se e i f y o u a re b r in g i n g illegal g o o d s i n to t h e c o u n tr y

2

H w h e r e p la n e s

]

b

fill out

M y h u s b a n d dropped

get o ff

m e o ff

get on

pickup

a t th e a irp o rt

t w o h o u r s b e f o r e th e flig h t.

y o u r f lig h t

I

d ro p o ff

I _______________________o n l in e t h e d a y b e f o r e I w a s g o in g t o fly.

3

A s s o o n a s I ______________________ t h e p la n e , I s a t d o w n in th e f i r s t e m p ty s e a t.

4

T h e p l a n e ______________________ la te b e c a u s e o f th e b a d w e a th e r .

2 3))) L i s t e n a n d c h e c k . 5

I _______________________t h e i m m i g r a t i o n f o r m f o r t h e U S , w h ic h th e c a b in c r e w g a v e m e s h o r t l y b e fo r e

2 ONBOARD

la n d in g . 6

a

C o m p l e t e t h e t e x t w i t h t h e w o r d s i n t h e lis t.

W h e n I _______________________th e p la n e , I felt e x h a u s te d a f t e r t h e lo n g flig h t.

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aisle a i l/ cabin crew /'ka eb an k r u / seat belts / 's it b e lts / connecting flig h t k a 'n c k t ig f l a i t / turbulence 'to rb y a la n s / direct flig h ts ditrcki flait s je t lag 'd.yct teg/ long-haul flig h ts 1ɔŋ h o i f la i l s /

W h e n I ______________ ________ m y lu g g a g e a t b a g g a g e c la im , I b u m p e d i n to a n o ld f r ie n d w h o h a d b e e n o n t h e s a m e flig h t!

b

2 6))) L i s te n a n d c h e c k .

I o f te n fly t o C h i l e o n b u s in e s s . I a lw a y s c h o o s e a n 'aisle s e a t, so t h a t I c a n g e t u p a n d w a lk a r o u n d m o r e easily . S o m e tim e s t h e r e is 2____________ w h e n t h e p la n e f lie s o v e r t h e A n d e s , w h ic h I d o n ’t e n jo y , a n d th e 3____________ te lls t h e p a s s e n g e r s t o p u t t h e i r 4____________ o n . T h e r e a r e n 't m a n y 3____________ t o C h ile f r o m P a r is , so I u s u a lly h a v e t o g e t a 6____________ in A tla n ta . W h e n e v e r I ta k e ____________ I a lw a y s s u ff e r f r o m 8_____________b e c a u se o f th e tim e d if f e r e n c e , a n d I fe e l t ir e d f o r s e v e ra l d a y s. b

2 4))) L i s t e n a n d c h e c k .

Online Practice

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