Unit 5. Air Travel

WORD BANK ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■

aircraft — самолет air-hostess — стюардесса airline ticket — авиабилет aisle — проход между радами

baggage allowance — предельный вес багажа, провозимый без доплаты к стоимости билета to board the aircraft — взойти на борт самолета; сесть на самолет

boarding pass — посадочный талон

carrier — авиакомпания; грузовой или почтовый самолет

certificate of vaccination — справка о прививке

check-in desk — регистрация

consumption — потребление, расход топлива

crew — экипаж

customs — таможня

to delay an aircraft — задерживать самолет domestic flight — внутренний рейс Е.Т.А. — Expected Time of Arrival E.T.D. — Expected Time of Departure to embark — принимать на борт; сесть на самолет; грузить (ся)

EU — European Union

excess luggage — излишек багажа

excess baggage charge — плата за* излишек багажа

formalities — формальности, процедура

to get a visa — получить визу

to go first class/second class — лететь первым/вторым клас­сом

hand luggage — ручная кладь

in transit — в пути, по пути, при перевозке

incoming — прибывающий

international flight — международный рейс

to issue tickets — выписывать билеты

to land — приземлиться landing — приземление leg — отдельная часть путешествия luggage tag — ярлык, бирка на багаж navigation — самолетовождение, кораблевождение open round-the-world ticket — международный билет с от­крытой датой outgoing — отбывающий port (side) — левый борт porthole — иллюминатор rear — задняя, хвостовая часть самолета seat-belt — ремень безопасности shuttle flight — авиарейс между двумя пунктами starboard — правый борт to take off — взлетать, отрываться от земли tarmac — предангарная бетонированная площадка terminal (two meanings) — конечный пункт, пункт выгруз­ки; здание аэропорта waiting room — зал ожидания

TEXT 1 ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■шва

Making the best of journeys

I’ve been shocked, but not altogether surprised, when I think of the efforts the human race (adult variety) has made, and makes to keep itself from being bored on journeys. Look what happens when it crosses the sea in a great ship. Everything is organized to prevent boredom — games and concerts and swim­ming baths and cinema shows — all sorts of things go on, day in day out. Airports have huge bookstalls and everybody busily buys magazines and papers to read. In the air there’s a contin­ual succession of meals and drinks and sweets brought by help­ful airhostesses. No station except the smallest is complete with­out its railway bookstall, and if you make a journey along any main line for any length of time and look at your grown-up companions you’ll find them always hiding behind their papers and magazines.

Nowadays even those who go by motor-car can’t do with­out the radio — at least a lot of adults can’t. It’s all part of the general idea that journeys are deadly and that they have got to drug themselves with something to get through. Very few peo­ple over the age of thirty look out of the window.

Not long ago I was traveling by air from London Airport to Prestwick in Scotland. It takes ages to get into the air, these days — three-quarters of an hour to get through the London traffic in the bus, perhaps another half-hour at the airport until the flight is ready. On some air journeys you spend as much time on the ground as you do in the air between terminals! Waiting for the flight to be announced on the loudspeaker, I looked at the passengers who were going to travel in our aircraft. They were all slumped about in chairs, idly turning over the leaves of magazines, muttering to each other, obviously bored stiff.

All, that is, except the passengers who were in their teens or younger. These were buzzing round the waiting-room with a great deal of zeal — indeed, impatience — looking closely at all the maps of air-routes, working through the time-tables of the different services.

When the flight was at last announced, a boy of about fif­teen slipped, quite politely, to the head of the queue, and was one of the first to board the aircraft when we were out on the tarmac. I knew he’d travelled by air before when I saw he’d bagged a seat in the rear of the aircraft, by a window that I knew was one of the best for a view of the world below. I sat down behind him. Just after we’d taken-off, and everybody had loos­ened their seat-belts, we both fished travelling atlases of Britain out of our bags.

“Mine’s the same as yours,” I said, over his shoulder. “I like following the flight; and it’s a good day for seeing the ground,” he said.

It was a good day; we flew all the way to Scotland between six and eight thousand feet, and t^iere was not a cloud in the sky. Now and then we got up to look out of the port window, to pick up an expected town, or wood, or lake.

We were not far from Birmingham when the captain of the aircraft came through on one of his periodic visits to the pas­sengers. George was looking out qf the window and mumbling away on his running commentary. The captain tapped him on the shoulder. “Navigator, eh?” he said. “You seem to know where we are — would you like to meet our navigator and look at his plot?”

“Would I?” said George. You couldn’t see his tail for smoke as he scuttled forward through the crew door.

On most longish flights captain once or twice passes a bit of paper down to the passengers which gives the aircraft’s speed, height, position, and E.T.A.; or else he announces it over the loudspeaker; or he does both. After some time a voice came over the speaker:’’Shortly,” it said, “we will see Windermere to our right — I mean starboard. Below us now, on our port side, is Morecambe Bay.” It sounded rather a young voice. Sure enough, along came Windermere, a silver ribbon in a landscape of great green hills, crowned with spring snow. And the voice told us when we were flying over Sea Fell, the highest mountain in England, and showed us Carlisle and the Solwayestuary, and the hills of the Lowlands, also powered with snow. Some of the grown-ups even put down their magazines for a moment and looked out of the window.

Just before the air-hostess warned us to fasten our safety-belts for landing, George came back with a beaming face. “Wizard show,” he said, “the navigator’s a good type; he showed me all his things and even let me give the position on the loudspeaker.”

Comprehension questions:

1. Where was Mr. Fisher travelling to one day? Was he trav­elling by sea or by air?

2. What were the passengers doing while waiting for the flight to be announced on the loudspeaker?

3. Why were the young travellers buzzing round the waiting- room?

4. What did a fifteen-year-old boy do when the flight was

announced?

5. Why did the boy choose a seat in the rear of the aircraft?

, 6. Where was Mr. Fisher’s seat?

7. What did the boy do when the plane was high up in the air?

8. What was the weather like on the day of the flight?

9. Why did Mr. Fisher and his young fellow-traveller get up from time to time to look out of the window?

10. What did the pilot suggest George should do?

11. What did George announce over the loudspeaker?

12. What did Windermere look like from above?

13. Which is the highest mountain in England?

14. When did the air-hostess warn the passengers to fasten their safety-belts?

15. When did George return to his seat? Why was his face beaming?

TEXT WORK

1. Phonetic Drill. Transcribe and pronounce correctly:

queue, tarmac, rear, periodic, commentary, navigator, crew, to scuttle, height, crowned.

2. Give Russian equivalents of:

Adult variety; everybody busily buys magazines; a continual succession of meals and drinks; journeys are deadly; working through the time-tables of the different services; the head of the queue; we fished traveling atlases out of our bags; to pick up an expected town, or wood, or lake; came through on one of his periodic visits to the passengers; passes a bit of paper down to the passengers; powdered with snow; he’s a good type.

3. Give English equivalents of:

Самолет (2); кресло (в самолете); место; пояс (на кресле в самолете); пилот; штурман; стюардесса; команда; аэ­ропорт; воздушная линия; расписание самолетов; взлетать (подниматься в воздух); садиться (приземляться); лететь самолетом; полет; воздушное путешествие; посадка; взлет; скорость; высота; предполагаемое время прибытия.

4. Give synonyms to the following words:

t

Aircraft, obvious, route, timetable, crew, mutter.

5. Agree or disagree with the following statements. Give your reasons.

Use:

For disagreement Nothing of the kind. Not in the least. Definitely not.

For agreement I fully agree.

I think so.

That’s quite right.

1. When the flight was at last announced, a boy of about 13 slipped, quite politely, to the head of the queue.

2. It was a good day; there was not a cloud in the sky.

3. We were not far from Edinburgh when the captain of the aircraft came through on one of his periodic visits to the passengers.

4. George was reading an interesting book.

5. The captain tapped him on the shoulder.

6. On most longish flights the captain once or twice passes a bit of paper down to the passengers.

7. The paper gives the aircraft’s speed, height, position and E.T.A.

8. After some time a woman’s voice came over the speaker.

9. Some of the grown-ups even put down their magazines for a moment and looked out of the window.

10. George came back with a tearful face.

6. Fill in the blanks with prepositions:

1. It takes ages to get ... the air, these days-three-quarters ... an hour to get... the London traffic ... the bus, per­haps another half-hour ... the airport until the flight is ready.

2. ... some air journeys you spend as much time ... the ground as you do ... the air between terminals.

3. Waiting ... the flight to be announced... the loudspeaker, I looked ... the passengers who were going to travel... our aircraft.

4. These were buzzing round the waiting-room ... a great deal... zeal-indeed, impatience-looking closely ... all the maps ... air-routes, working through the time-tables... the different service.

5. When the flight was ... last announced, a boy fifteen

slipped, quite politely,... the head ... the queue, and was

one ... the first to board the aircraft when we were

the tarmac.

6. I sat... behind him.

7. Now and then we got... to look the port window, to

pick ... an expected town, or wood, or lake.

8. George was looking the window and mumbling ...

... his running commentary.

9. The captain tapped him... the shoulder.

10. Sure enough, along came Windermere, a silver ribbon... a landscape ... great green hills, crowned ... spring snow.

7. Give all the derivatives to the words:

Some, announce, air, snow, expect.

8. Give antonyms of the following words:

To take off; to loose one’s seat-belt; starboard; rear of the aircraft; ETA.

9. Explain the meaning of the following words and phras­es. Use them in questions of your own and ask your classmates to answer these questions:

(1) aircrash (2) non-stop flight (3) to hit an air-pocket (4) forced landing (5) safety card (6) cabin crew (7) ground steward.

10. Retell "Making the Best of Journeys" on the part of George.

DIALOGUE 1

Read and dramatize the dialogue.

BOOKING AIR TICKETS

Travel agent: Good morning, sir. May I help you?

Traveller: Good morning. I’d like an airline ticket from

London to Paris, from Paris to New York, and from New York to London.

Travel agent: When are you planning to travel?

Traveller: On July, 8^th from London to Paris. On July, 15^th

from Paris to New York. And on July, 22^nd from New York to London.

Travel agent: First class or economy?

Traveller: Economy class is fine.

Travel agent: It will cost you $1300, total price.

Traveller: That’s fine with me.

Travel agent: Is the ticket in your name, sir?

Yes, please. My name’s P.A. White.

Traveller: TYavel agent:

Traveller:

Here is your ticket, sir. There are three coupons for each leg of your journey. The carrier is Brit­ish Airways. The code Y is for economy. The bag­gage allowance is 20 kg.

Thanks.

Give a summary of the information.

DIALOGUE 2 ■*■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■

FLIGHT RESERVATIONS

IVavel clerk: Good morning. Gan I help you?

Tourist: Good morning. I want to book a flight from Bar­

celona to Rome.

Travel clerk: Yes, sir. When would you like to travel?

Tourist: Is there a flight on Friday evening?

Travel clerk: Friday evening... Yes. Iberia fly to Rome on Fri­day evening.

Tourist: Oh, good. I’ve got an open round-the-world tick­

et, starting in New York.

Thivel clerk: Have you got the ticket with you? There may be some restrictions.

Tourist: Sure. There you go.

TVavel clerk: Thank you. Could you wait a minute while I’ll check availability?

Tourist: Yes, sure.

Tlravel clerk: ... Yes, that’s fine. There are no restrictions on this ticket. Can you give your contact address and telephone number in Barcelona?

Iburist: Yes. It’s the Hotel Goya and the number’s ...

2018550.

Havel clerk: Fine. The flight leaves at half past eight. Would you please check in one hour before departure? Here’s your ticket. Have a good flight.

Tourist: Thank you very much.

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