UNIT 11 At the Information Desk of a Travel Agency

Integrated Skills Development

Dialogues

A. I Prefer Warm Places
Nowadays more and more people are interested in spending their holidays abroad. So Mr. Wu is at a travel agency.
Agent: Good morning, sir. Can I help you?
Mr. Wu: I'd like to spend my holidays abroad.
Agent: Yes, sir. What place would you like to see?
Mr. Wu: I have no idea. I'm just bored with my hard work and want to relax.
Agent: Maybe you can take your holiday in Switzerland. You may enjoy skiing.
Mr. Wu: But it's too cold, I prefer warm places.
Agent: Then what about Australia? There is a lot of sunshine there all year round.
Mr. Wu: Good idea. And I can practice my English as well.

B. Where to Spend Our Holiday
This is the first summer vacation Wang Ping and Chen Wei, two overseas students, have in the United States, but they don't know where to go, so they come to the information desk of a travel agency.
Wang: We are on our holidays here. Could you give us some suggestions on what places to see?
Agent: Maybe you'll like the West Coast, L.A. and San Francisco.
Chen: What are they like?
Agent: Lovely.
Chen: What's there to see?
Agent: Hollywood, Universal Studios and Disneyland in L.A.
Wang: How is San Francisco?
Agent: It's probably the most beautiful town in the U.S. — all those hills, the bay, attractive old Victorian houses, and cable cars.
Wang: Thank you for your advice.

Passage
How Can you Get Travel Information?

There are several ways you can find out about the countries and places you wish to visit. If your friends have been there, you can talk to them. They may give you detailed and vivid descriptions about the place. Most important of all, they can offer some valuable advice for the trip. For example, which part is more interesting than others? How can you enjoy yourself better? What should you pay more attention to? The advice is all from their own experience.
Another way is to consult a travel agency. An experienced agent may offer you a lot of information. Above all, they are always ready to help.
Besides, you can also read travel books. They are helpful too. Sometimes, they are better than a friend or a travel agency, because you can always read them whenever you want.

New Words and Expressions

abroad
ad. 在国外，到国外

advice
n. 劝告，忠告

agency
n. 代理处

agent
n. 代理人，代理商

bay
n. 海湾

besides
ad. 此外，还

bored
a. 厌烦的，厌倦的

cable
n. 缆车

consult
v. 请教（人），咨询

description
n. 叙述，描述

detailed
a. 详细的，

experienced
a. 有经验的

helpful
a. 有帮助的，有益的

information
n. 消息，资料

probably
ad. 很可能

relax
v. （指人）放松，轻松

ski
v. 滑雪

suggestion
n. 建议

sunshine
n. 阳光

vacation
n. 假期

vivid
a. 生动的

whenever
conj.无论什么时候

have no idea
不知道

be bored with
对……感到厌烦

all year round
常年，一年到头

as well
也

information desk
问讯处

cable car
缆车

most important of all
最重要的是

enjoy oneself
尽情快乐，过得愉快

pay attention to
注意

above all
最重要的，尤其

Merry Learning

A Roddle

It runs up the hill, And runs down the hill, But in spite of all, It still stands still.
(Road)

Phonetics

ch在单词中的读音：
chip lunch chicken
change

ache chemist headache
character Christmas

mustache machine

Pronunciation and Intonation

A: Where did John go?
B: He went to the boot store.
A: To the bookstore?
B: No, I said he went to the boot store.
A: Oh, I misunderstood you. I thought you said the bookstore.