Interviews

High-intermediate

Which method do you enjoy most: bus, train, or plane? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

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

seedy (adjective): dirty or in bad condition
– The restaurant is in a seedy part of the city, so I’m not sure we should go there.

classy (adjective): very good or high-class
– We stayed at a very classy hotel on our vacation. The place had everything.

put something out there (verb): propose something
– Let me put an idea out there about our vacation. How about staying at a hotel along the beach? What do you think?

keep something in mind (idiom): remember something
– Please keep money and time in mind as we plan our vacation. We are limited on both.

gravitate to/toward something (idiom): be attracted by something
– I think the kids will gravitate toward the idea of visiting Disneyland this summer.

keep up your feet (idiom): relax
– My son left his toys on the floor after the birthday party, and our dog ruined them.
– We had planned to have a fun party outside, but the bad weather ruined our plans.

Now, watch the interview and answer the comprehension questions. You can also turn on the automatically-generated captions for the video once you start it.

Randall: In this video, Aubrey. Let’s talk more about travel Imagine you have time and money to travel to New York City from where we live in Utah, and you have the option of traveling by bus, train or plane. First of all, what could be the benefits of each one, and which would you choose in the end?

Aubrey: Yeah. So I guess money is a big thing, right? ‘Cause that’s gonna determine how you travel. I imagine the bus would be cheapest, but it sounds miserable. Sounds awful. No, thank you.

Randall: In what way does that sound? Miserable.

Aubrey: Oh, you’re going to be trapped with, okay, so, it’s like a seedier experience, right? It’s not as classy. First. Right.

Randall: Right.

Aubrey: And it’s gonna take forever. And there’s not, like, if you’re taking like a Greyhound, you’re not getting a first-class bus experience. Right? That sounds terrible. No, thank you.

Randall: Okay. And what about (a) train? I think some people would prefer a train.

Aubrey: I think,

Randall: What are some possibilities of that?

Aubrey: Yeah, I might consider it if I could get a first-class car, you know, cabin. Right? That might be nice and relaxing. You just do nothing and just hang out for a while. Right? Maybe do some sightseeing on the way. But again, it’s gonna take forever. So the way to go might be by plane. Downfalls of plane(s) though, you have to go through all that terrible airport security.

Randall: Right, right.

Aubrey: Right? And you can’t bring your favorite soda with you ’cause, you know, that’s more than three ounces of liquid. So you’re gonna have to buy it for ten times the price once you get in the airport.

Randall: Right.

Aubrey: Right? But since you did mention hat I have the money, right?

Randall: Money’s not an object.

Aubrey: I’m gonna fly luxury class. And I’m I just want to put this out there that I’m more than happy to go on a trip with you should you fly me first class.

Randall: Okay.

Aubrey: ‘Cause you know how much I don’t like traveling, but you know first class, and I’ll go with you.

Randall: Yeah, I, I, uh, yeah, I, I will keep that in mind. And I just want to make one last point. When I think about the difference between plane and train and bus, I would gravitate, because I’ve never done that much of riding on a long-distance train, being able to look out the window, especially, uh, to see parts of the country that I don’t normally visit. That certainly could be one benefit. As long as I have a separate cabin, I don’t, I think I would like that option of having, I think you mentioned, having your separate cabin where you can

Aubrey: Definitely

Aubrey: actually, you know, spend the time, sleep, relax, you know, kick up your feet and enjoy. Well, thank you, Aubrey, for sharing your thoughts on travel. And just look for your first class plane ticket in the mail.

Describe the answers to these questions:

1. Where did you go on your last trip?
2. How did you get to your destination, and how long did it take?
3. How did you like your vacation and the trip getting to your destination?
4. Will you use this method of travel for a future trip? Why or why not?

The following activities deal with related topics to give you additional language practice.

• Airplane Travel
• Airplane Trips
• Bus Transportation
• Bus Travel
• Bus Trip
• Riding the Train
• Commuter Trains
• Train Trip Planning
• Train Tickets