Unit 18: Vacations

Expanding Tactics for Listening, 3rd Edition » Unit 18: Vacations

Word List

alone
backpacker
fascinating
free
jungle
outback
plays (n.)
practice
resort
safari
tourists
travelers
art galleries
colonial towns
do my own thing
dying to (do something)
end up in (a place)
get up to (a place)
motor coaches
off to (a place)
on my own
ski resort
spend time
start off in (a place)
straight on to (a place)
whitewater rafting

Vocabulary Worksheet

‣ Use the words in the box to complete the sentences.

a. safari
b. jungle
c. galleries
d. resort
e. practice
f. plays
g. backpacker
h. fascinating
i. free
j. on my own

While usually quite boring, today's astronomy lecture was actually _____.
We went to lots of museums and art _____ during our vacation.
We don't have much money, so we like to go to _____ concerts.
The hostel in Berlin was a great place to stay for penniless _____ like me.
I'll never become a famous musician if I don't _____ every day.
On our trip to the Caribbean, everything we needed was right there at the _____.
The best part of our trip was the day we went on a _____ in the savanna.
I love theater, so I go to _____ often.
At the hotel in Borneo, we could hear noises coming from the nearby _____ all night long.
I decided that I would be happier _____ than with a group of people.

Answer Key

Would you like to take any of these vacations? Check (x) your answers and compare them with a partner.

	Yes	No
a tour of Europe	_____	_____
a trip to the beach	_____	_____
a whitewater rafting trip	_____	_____
a trip to Disney World	_____	_____
an African safari	_____	_____
other: ___	_____	_____

Listening 1

Listening 1 ‣ People are discussing vacation plans with their friends. Which trip do they prefer? Listen and circle the correct answer.

- a. a trip to the Caribbean
- b. a trip to the Philippines
- a. a ski vacation
- b. a Malaysian jungle trip
- a. a Nile River trip
- b. an Australian outback trip
- a. a Grand Canyon rafting trip
- b. an African safari
- a. a Southeast Asian trip
- b. a China tour
- a. a European bus trip
- b. a Russian train trip

Listening 2

‣ Task 1

People are talking about their vacation plans. Where will they go? Listen and check (x) yes or no.

	Yes	No	How long?
1. Asia
Taipei	⁽¹⁾	⁽²⁾	⁽³⁾
Seoul	⁽⁴⁾_____	⁽⁵⁾_____	⁽⁶⁾_____
Hong Kong	⁽⁷⁾_____	⁽⁸⁾_____	⁽⁹⁾_____
Beijing	⁽¹⁰⁾_____	⁽¹¹⁾_____	⁽¹²⁾_____
Thailand	⁽¹³⁾_____	⁽¹⁴⁾_____	⁽¹⁵⁾_____
Tokyo	⁽¹⁶⁾_____	⁽¹⁷⁾_____	⁽¹⁸⁾_____
Malaysia	⁽¹⁹⁾_____	⁽²⁰⁾_____	⁽²¹⁾_____
2. Europe
London	⁽²²⁾_____	⁽²³⁾_____	⁽²⁴⁾_____
Oxford	⁽²⁵⁾_____	⁽²⁶⁾_____	⁽²⁷⁾_____
Cambridge	⁽²⁸⁾_____	⁽²⁹⁾_____	⁽³⁰⁾_____
France	⁽³¹⁾_____	⁽³²⁾_____	⁽³³⁾_____
Germany	⁽³⁴⁾_____	⁽³⁵⁾_____	⁽³⁶⁾_____
Switzerland	⁽³⁷⁾_____	⁽³⁸⁾_____	⁽³⁹⁾_____
Italy	⁽⁴⁰⁾_____	⁽⁴¹⁾_____	⁽⁴²⁾_____
3. The United States
Los Angeles	⁽⁴³⁾_____	⁽⁴⁴⁾_____	⁽⁴⁵⁾_____
San Francisco	⁽⁴⁶⁾_____	⁽⁴⁷⁾_____	⁽⁴⁸⁾_____
Denver	⁽⁴⁹⁾_____	⁽⁵⁰⁾_____	⁽⁵¹⁾_____
Chicago	⁽⁵²⁾_____	⁽⁵³⁾_____	⁽⁵⁴⁾_____
Washington, D.C.	⁽⁵⁵⁾_____	⁽⁵⁶⁾_____	⁽⁵⁷⁾_____
New York	⁽⁵⁸⁾_____	⁽⁵⁹⁾_____	⁽⁶⁰⁾_____
Boston	⁽⁶¹⁾_____	⁽⁶²⁾_____	⁽⁶³⁾_____

‣ Task 2

Listen again. How long will they stay in each place? Write the correct answers in the charts.

Listening 3

‣ Task 1

People are talking about vacations they'd like to take. What does each person want to do? Listen and circle the correct answer.

- a. travel alone
- b. travel with a friend
- c. take a group tour
- a. visit small towns
- b. visit big cities
- c. stay in expensive hotels
- a. have a boring vacation
- b. stay in cheap hotels
- c. see and do everything
- a. spend time on a quiet beach
- b. spend time in Bangkok
- c. see and do everything
- a. spend a month in Mexico City
- b. visit a small town
- c. travel with other tourists
- a. stay in cheap hotels
- b. stay in expensive hotels
- c. travel alone

‣ Task 2

Listen again. Why do the people want to take the vacations they describe? Write the correct letter.

She
He _____
She _____
He _____
She _____
She _____

a. has been busy at work.
b. wants to practice speaking Spanish.
c. heard the beaches are great there.
d. wants to be free.
e. need some excitement.
f. needs to go somewhere quiet.

✺ Pronunciation

Linking vowel sounds

Pronunciation Help

When a word ends in a vowel and the next word begins with a vowel, a w sound often links them.

‣ Task 1

Listen and repeat.

1. I'm so _{_} excited about my trip.
2. Did you do _{_}a lot of fun stuff?
3. You _{_} and I should take a trip somewhere.
4. Let's do _{_} it!
5. I want to go _{_} on vacation soon.
6. Who _{_} are you going with?

‣ Task 2

Read the sentences to a partner. Be sure to link the vowel sounds.

✺ Dictation

‣ Task 1

Listen to the conversation. Write the missing words.

A: Didn't you ⁽¹⁾_____ ⁽²⁾_____ ⁽³⁾_____ last month?
B: Yeah, I did. Joe and I went to a great beach resort in the Caribbean.
A: Wow! ⁽⁴⁾_____ ⁽⁵⁾_____ ⁽⁶⁾_____ a lot of sightseeing?
B: No. We mostly just relaxed on the beach.
A: That sounds like fun. Did you do anything else?
B: Not really, but we ⁽⁷⁾_____ ⁽⁸⁾_____ ⁽⁹⁾_____ to dinner every night.
A: Were the restaurants good?
B: ⁽¹⁰⁾_____ ⁽¹¹⁾_____ ⁽¹²⁾_____! And we went to a different one each night.

‣ Task 2

Practice the conversation with a partner. Be sure to link the vowel sounds.

✺ Conversation

Work in pairs. Think about a vacation you took. Tell your partner where you went and what you did.

Answer Key

Favorite Books

Basic Tactics for Listening, 3rd Edition

Tactics for Listening Third Edition is an activity-rich listening course with proven success in building skills in listening and conversation. Now with Tactics for Testing, it provides plenty of practice in testing and exam techniques. The result is confident listeners - and exam success.

Developing Tactics for Listening, 3rd Edition

Table of Contents