| Level | Topic | Speakers | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Difficult | Plane Flights | Man | 00:32 |
Pre-Listening Exercise
Airplane flights come and go at airports everyday. What kinds of public announcements would you expect to hear at an airport while waiting for your flight? Write down your ideas before beginning the listening.
- Airport announcements are sometimes hard to understand.
- Inflight announcements should be shorter and simpler.
- All airport announcements should be made in more than one language.
- It’s better to listen to flight updates on your phone than wait for announcements.
- Inflight safety announcements are often ignored by passengers.
- Too many announcements can make people feel nervous.
- Airport announcements should always include updates about delays.
- Some inflight announcements feel more like advertisements than helpful information.
- Flight attendants should speak slowly during safety announcements.
- Most travelers stop paying attention once they hear the same announcement many times.
Idioms
“hot under the collar” = get angry
“Many of the passengers got really hot under the collar when they found out the plane would be delayed another two hours.”
“strike up” = begin a conversation
“He struck up a conversation with another passenger and found out that they attended the same high school. “
Listening Exercise
Listen to the recording and answer the questions. (See transcript)
Vocabulary and Sample Sentences
Here are some words and expressions that appear in the recording:
-
inclement (adjective): severe
– The game was canceled due to inclement weather. -
crew (noun): an organized group of workers
– The ship’s crew were very helpful during the cruise. -
deice (verb): make or become free of frost or ice, defrost
– You need to deice the windshield this morning. It dropped below freezing last night. -
overbook (verb): too many seats, for example, have been reserved in advance
– Airlines tend to overbook seats on their flights which can be an inconvenience to some passengers. -
complimentary (adjective): free, gratuitous
– This hotel provides a complimentary breakfast for all its guests. -
board (noun): to get on an aircraft, ship, train, bus, etc.
– We should board the train at least ten minutes before departure.
Post-Listening Exercise
Have you ever had to wait for a delayed flight? What was the reason? What other reasons can you think of that would cause the flight to be delayed or canceled? Would you be satisfied if the airline offered you a free flight to another destination for future travel if they had to cancel your current flight until the next day? Why or why not?