General Listening Quiz

There are a number of beautiful national parks in the Mountain West of the United States including Zions National Park, Arches National Park, and Mesa Verde. What things do you consider most when planning a vacation to this area? Rank the ideas below from most important to least important:

• ___ price of trip
• ___ destination
• ___ accommodations
• ___ sites and attractions
• ___ length of stay
• ___ travel companions
• ___ language(s) spoken at destination

“in nothing flat” = immediately, without delay
“You used to be able to get through airport security in nothing flat, but it takes more time now because of increased security measures.”

“up in the air” = not decided yet
“Our travel plans are still up in the air, but we should know more by tomorrow.”

Listen to the recording and answer the questions. (See transcript)

Here are some words and expressions that appear in the recording:

• majestic (adjective): powerful and beautiful creating a feeling of great respect
  – My Japanese students were very moved by the majestic view at Dead Horse Point National Park in Southern Utah.
• serene (adjective): calm and peaceful
  – The serene expressions on the students’ faces told me they enjoyed the trip.
• scenic (adjective): having natural beauty
  – The drive home was very scenic, so we stopped several times along the way to take pictures.
• fabulous (adjective): extremely pleasing or wonderful
  – The hotel was fabulous. It has very nice furnishings, and the view was wonderful.
• remote (adjective): far away in distance
  – We had to drive to a very remote area to see the waterfall.
• ruins (noun): old buildings or structures in extremely bad condition, much which may have already fallen down
  – It’s a three-hour scenic hike to the ruins from the trailhead.
• preserve (verb): to maintain or protect in safe condition
  – The national park service has been trying to preserve the old trail to the ruins.
• gear (noun): equipment
  – We rented some camping gear for the backpacking trip.
• lodging (noun): places like hotels or inns to stay and sleep
  – That travel guide has a lot of information on lodging in that area.
• trek (noun): a long walk, often through the mountains
  – They estimate that the trek will take about a week.

Describe a trip that you have gone on with in the last year or so? Where did you go? What did you do and see? What is your image of the perfect vacation? Think about cost, destination, hotels, and your travel companions. Would you rather travel within your country or abroad? Discuss your ideas and reasons with a partner.

Adventure vacations have become very popular around the world (including Utah), and such trips can include river rafting, canyoneering, rock climbing, hiking, and skiing. However, not all companies provide the same services. Investigate two such companies that provide adventure tours and compare their services based on the experience and reputation of the company, range of services and travel options, ease and availability of trips, price, and even the refund policy.