BEP88 Telephoning: Booking a Travel Ticket

Booking tickets on the phone is a basic part of business travel. In this intermediate¹ Business English Podcast, we will practice useful phrases and language for making travel arrangements on the telephone.

Viva is an Italian manufacturer² of ladies’ apparel, or clothing. Marco and Francesca, Viva employees, are on a business trip. After visiting customers in the UK, they are now heading to Las Vegas in the United States to meet with their American distributor – the company that sells their product there. Marco calls a travel agent to book tickets for them.

Listening Questions:
1) When does Marco want to leave and when does he want to return? Will he and Francesca be flying first class, business class or economy?
2) Does Marco ask the travel agent to “hold the fare” or does he pay for it immediately?
3) Does Marco need to pick up his and Francesca’s tickets at the travel agent’s office?

1 intermediate   

adj.中间的，居间的，中级的；n.中间体，媒介物

参考例句：

• This country is now at an intermediate stage of development.这个国家目前正处于发展的中间阶段。
• Gray is intermediate between black and white.灰色介于黑色和白色之间。

2 manufacturer   

n.生产厂商，制造公司，厂主

参考例句：

• A manufacturer can amplify the demand of a product by advertising widely.厂商能用大做广告的方法来扩大人们对产品的需求。
• Prices are laid down by the manufacturer.价格是由厂商制定的。