| Level: | Topic: | Speakers: | Length: |
| easy | train tickets | man – woman | 00:50 |
Pre-Listening Exercise
How do people find cheap or discount train tickets to get around your city in your country? What about train tickets for popular destinations like New York City, London, France, or Japan? Do foreigners in your country have a difficult time using public transportation in major cities? Why or why not?
Idioms
“catch a train” = get on a train
“I’m planning on catching the train at 3:10, so I don’t want to be late.”
“hold up traffic” = slow traffic
“The train tends to hold up traffic when it crosses this busy road in the morning.”
Listening Exercise
A. Listen to the recording and answer the questions.
Vocabulary Practice
Do the vocabulary quizzes with the words from the conversation for more practice:
Post-Listening Exercise
What kinds of public transportation do you have in your country and city? What are the advantages and disadvantages of using public transportation instead of taking your own car to get to school and work? Do universities or companies give their students or employees a pass for free? Discuss these ideas.
Online Investigation
Imagine that you receive $3,000 to take a three-week vacation to one or more of these cities: Las Vegas, Hawaii, or Paris, and one city of your choice. Use the Internet to find out the cost of airfare and train/subway travel to get there from your current location. Compare prices from different travel companies.