| Level | Topic | Speakers | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very Difficult | Travel | Man | 02:40 |
Pre-Listening Exercise
Many people choose overseas destinations for honeymoon cruises, discount tours, or study abroad. However, preparing for such experiences is very important. What concerns do you have in traveling to a new country (e.g., language, food, transportation, etc.)? What is the best way to relieve any of these feelings of anxiety?
- Taking photos is the best way to remember your travels.
- Writing a travel journal helps you remember more details than photos.
- Sharing travel experiences on social media makes the memories less personal.
- It’s better to focus on enjoying the moment than recording everything.
- Collecting souvenirs is a meaningful way to remember a trip.
- Videos capture travel memories better than photos.
- Traveling with friends creates better memories than traveling alone.
- Technology makes it easier to keep travel memories organized.
- Sometimes, it’s okay to forget about recording memories and just relax.
- Reading travel books before a trip helps you appreciate the experience more.
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:
-
at ease (adjective): a condition of comfort
– He feels at ease when speaking in Spanish. -
apprehension (noun): fearful or unpleasant expectation
– Experiencing some apprehension about meeting new people overseas is normal. -
immunizations (noun): protection, often in the form of vaccination or shots, against certain diseases
– Immunizations against certain diseases are strongly recommended when traveling to certain areas of the world. -
haggle (verb): intense bargaining over the price of goods
– We were finally able to haggle down the price of the rug. -
stare (verb): fix your eyes on something
– Even if you see something unusual, it is considered impolite to stare . -
disquieting (adjective): a feeling of discomfort
– I had a disquieting feeling about walking down this street at night. -
oddity (noun): something strange or unusual
– Eating snails and octopus is an oddity to some people in certain parts of the world. -
dodge (verb): make sudden moves in new directions to avoid something
– I had to dodge out of the way to avoid being hit by an oncoming car. -
knack (noun): a special way of doing something
– If you practice enough, you soon get the knack of speaking in a foreign language. -
chaotic (adjective): complete disorder and confusion
– The traffic is very chaotic during rush hour, so I always take the train. -
blasé (adjective): unconcerned and uninterested
– He felt the visit to the museum was so blasé, having been to many others over the past few days. -
dart (verb): move very quickly
– Taxis often dart in and out of traffic to take passengers to their destinations.
Post-Listening Exercise
Have you ever experienced similar feelings to those expressed in this travel log? What suggestions would you have for others who are considering a trip overseas?