2009年ESL之旅行交通购物 11 Going on a Cruise（在线收听）

11 Going on a Cruise

GLOSSARY

cruise – a vacation where one sleeps, eats, and is entertained on a very largeship

* They went on a six-day cruise around the Hawaiian Islands.

embarkation – the process of getting on a ship

* Embarkation will happen between 8:00 and 11:30. Don’t be late!

on board – on a ship; on a boat

* We can’t leave until everyone is on board.

cabin – a small room where one sleeps on a large ship

* Their cabin was very tiny, with room for only a small bathroom and a single bed.

on deck – on the large, flat, top part of the boat or ship where there is no ceilingor roof

* Betsy spent all day lying in the sun on deck, and now she’s sunburned.

bridge – the part of a large ship that is higher than the rest of the ship, wherepeople work to control the boat’s speed and direction

* Normally the bridge is closed to the public, but there will be a special tour thisafternoon.

captain – the leader of the group of people who work on a boat, ship, or plane

* The captain welcomed us onto the ship and promised we’ll have a good time.

purser – a person who works on a ship and whose job is to make sure that thepassenger are having a good time and are comfortable

* If you need anything else in your room, please contact the purser.

steward – a person who works on a boat and whose job is to bring food anddrink to people

* He asked the steward for a glass of iced tea.

never mind – a phrase used to show that something is not important or thatsomething is no longer important, usually because one has already found theanswer

* I was going to ask for your help moving these boxes, but never mind, I think Ican do it by myself.

no worries – a phrase used to show that there is no problem and no need toworry about something, because everything is under control

* I think you’re going to do really well on the test. No worries!

buffet – a style of eating where many different foods are placed on a long tablein a restaurant and people can put what they want on their plates, going back asmany times as they want

* Kaitlin was really happy when she saw that the buffet included more than 20types of desserts.

seating – a time when many people go into a restaurant and sit down at thetables, so that all people begin eating at the same time

* Would you like me to sign up for the 7:00 or 9:00 breakfast seating?

to set sail – for a boat to leave land and beginning moving out over the water

* Everyone began waving as the boat set sail.

seasick – motion sickness on the water; the feeling of nausea (ill in one’sstomach) and dizziness that some people have when they are on a boat or ship

* The doctor gave Jubel some special pills to take so he won’t get seasick again.

port of call – one of the places where a cruise ship stops for a period of time sothat people can get out and explore the area on land

* When we get to the first port of call, we need to call our parents and let themknow we’re safe.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. Where would you expect someone to sleep on a cruise ship?

a) In a cabin.

b) On deck.

c) In the bridge.

2. What does Connie mean when she says, “That’s the ship setting sail”?

a) The ship is slowing down.

b) The ship is leaving.

c) The ship is changing its direction.

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WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

cabin

The word “cabin,” in this podcast, refers to a small room where one sleeps on alarge ship: “There was so much to do on the ship that they were in their cabinonly to sleep.” A “cabin” is also a small wooden home in the mountains or in aforest, usually used for vacation: “They rented a cabin in the woods where theycould spend all day in nature.” Or, “Little House on the Prairie is a book about alittle girl who grew up in a log cabin.” On an airplane, a “cabin” is one part of aplane: “Have you ever sat in the first-class cabin?” Or, “There were too manyscreaming children in our cabin of the plane.”

bridge

In this podcast, the word “bridge” means the part of a large ship that is higherthan the rest of the ship, where people work to control the ship’s speed anddirection: “We were scared when we saw the frightened captain running towardthe bridge.” Normally a “bridge” is the part of a road that goes over a river: “Driveover the bridge and then turn left.” The “bridge of (one’s) nose” is the top part ofone’s nose, between one’s eyes: “Her glasses always slide down the bridge ofher nose.” “Bridge” is also a challenging card game played by four people: “Doyou prefer playing bridge or poker?” Finally, a “bridge” is a tiny piece of metalthat holds an artificial tooth next to a real tooth: “The dentist says I need twobridges.”

CULTURE NOTE

Many Americans enjoy going on vacation cruises. Cruises are usually “allinclusivepackages,” meaning that everything is included. The lodging, meals,and entertainments are included in the price, so people only have to pay forairfare and alcohol once they’ve paid for the cruise.

Many single adults and couples enjoy going on “luxury cruises,” where everythingis very comfortable and pleasant – and usually expensive. On a luxury cruise,people might expect to go to nice bars and restaurants, shop for fine jewelry or“liquor” (expensive alcohol), or get a massage. Luxury cruises also have“casinos” (large rooms where people can gamble, or play games for money) andtheaters with live performances. People might “get dressed up” (wear very niceclothing) for special dinners on a luxury cruise.

Most families with young children prefer “family cruises” that are designed “withchildren in mind” (while thinking about children). Many of these cruises are“themed” (reflecting one major idea), such as Disney cruises where children canenjoy vacation with their favorite characters like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck.

On a family cruise, there are many games, contests, and other organizedactivities for children. There are also many pools with “slides” (long pieces ofplastic that one sits on and moves down before falling into the water).

Other types of cruises “cater to” (serve) specific types of people. For example, a“singles cruise” is designed for people who are not married and are looking for aromantic relationship. A “retirement cruise” is designed for older people whohave stopped working.

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Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – a; 2 – b

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 509: Going on aCruise.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 509. I’m your host, Dr.

Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development inbeautiful Los Angeles, California.

Our website is eslpod.com. Go there to download a Learning Guide for thisepisode. The Learning Guide will help you improve your English even faster, andmake you just a little bit younger than you really are – try it, it works!

This episode is called “Going on a Cruise.” It’s an episode that has a dialoguebetween Connie and Robert using vocabulary you would use if you went on a bigship going on a vacation, which is what a cruise is. Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Connie: I’m so excited! We’re finally taking a cruise. Are you sure this is theembarkation area?

Robert: Yes, I’m sure. We go on board right here, see? Come on, let’s find ourcabin.

Connie: Okay, but I want to go up on deck as soon as possible and look aroundthe entire ship. Do you think they’ll let us go on the bridge and meet the captain?

Robert: I don’t think so. You know, I think we’re going the wrong way. I can’tfind our cabin number.

Connie: Let’s see if we can find the purser or a steward to help us. Oh, nevermind, here it is! Wow, this cabin is really small.

Robert: No worries. We won’t be spending much time in the cabin. When do weeat?

Connie: We can go down to the buffet right now for lunch, and I put us down forthe main seating at 7:00 for dinner.

Robert: Whoa, what’s that?!

Connie: That’s the ship setting sail. You’re not going to be seasick, are you?

Robert: I don’t think so, but I’m really looking forward to our first port of call!

[end of dialogue]

Connie begins our dialogue by saying, “I’m so excited! We’re finally taking acruise,” a vacation where you eat, sleep and are entertained in a very large ship.

Here in Los Angeles, you can take a cruise down to Mexico, you can take acruise up to Alaska, you can take a cruise to South America or to Hawaii; all ofthese are places where you can go on a cruise. I’ve been on a cruise once, itwas the worst experience of my life as a vacation. But, hey, doesn’t mean youwill have a bad time! Connie says, “Are you sure this is the embarkation area?”

“Embarkation” is when you get on the ship; it’s the process of getting on the shipwhen you first get to the ship. You park your car, or you get out of your taxi, andthen you walk onto the ship; that’s the embarkation.

Robert says, “Yes, I’m sure. We go on board right here, see?” “To go on board”

means to be on the ship, or it could mean on a boat, but here it means the bigcruise ship. Robert says, “Come on, let’s find our cabin.” Your “cabin” is yourlittle room (and I do mean little room – small, very small) where you sleep.

Connie says, “Okay, but I want to go up on deck as soon as possible.” “To go ondeck” means to be on top of the ship. It’s a large, flat top of the ship. There’snothing above you in other words – there’s no roof, no ceiling. By the way,“cabin” has a couple of different meanings in English; take a look at our LearningGuide for some additional explanations of that word and our next word, which is“bridge.” Connie says she wants to look around the entire ship and asks, “Doyou think they’ll let us go on the bridge and meet the captain?” On a large ship,the “bridge” is the highest part of the ship, usually, where people are, and theseare the people who control the ship; they control its speed and direction. That’swhere you would find the captain. So, the captain is on the bridge; notice wedon’t say “in the bridge,” we say “on the bridge.” The “captain” is, of course, theleader of the people who work on the ship – the person who is in charge, who’sthe boss.

Robert says, “I don’t think so,” I don’t think we can meet the captain. “You know,”

he says, “I think we’re going the wrong way. I can’t find our cabin number.”

Connie says, “Let’s see if we can find the purser or a steward to help us.” On aship – on a cruise ship, the “purser” (purser) is the person who works on the shipand whose job it is to help you have a good time and to make you morecomfortable. Usually, the purser is assigned a certain number of cabins. In other words, they’re responsible for everyone in, say, these 20 cabins. The “steward”

is the person who brings food and drink to people in their cabins. On Americancruise ships, you usually can eat as much as you want; they have buffet lunches,dinners, and breakfast. On many cruise ships you can also order food; you canhave food delivered to your little room (your cabin) for free. It’s not good food,but they definitely deliver it!

So Connie says, “Oh, never mind, here it is!” meaning she’s found their cabin.

“Never mind” means what I said before isn’t important or is no longer important,don’t worry about it. She doesn’t need to find the purser and the steward in otherwords, because she found her cabin. And what does she say when she sees hercabin? “Wow, this cabin is really small.” She should have asked me, I couldhave told her!

Robert says, “No worries.” The expression “no worries” has become popular alot in the last 10-15 years in the United States. It means no problem, there isnothing to worry about, or simply don’t worry about it. Robert says, “We won’t bespending much time in the cabin (we won’t be here very much). When do weeat?” That’s a good question, because that’s pretty much all you do on a cruiseship. You eat and eat and eat, and watch other people eat!

Connie says, “We can go down to the buffet right now for lunch.” The “buffet” is,you may know, a style of eating where you have a long table and you put all thefood on the table, and everyone comes and takes as much food as they wanttypically. Connie says, “I put us down for the main seating at 7:00 for dinner.”

Because there are so many people on a cruise ship, they assign you (or giveyou) a time when you can come and eat, if you are going to eat in the dinningroom, in the main area where people eat.

Connie says she put her and her husband down for the main seating at 7:00 fordinner. “To put them down” means to sign them up, oddly enough it means thesame. “To put us down” means to write our name down or to say that’s when wewant to do something. Or if you’re volunteering for something, you would putyour name on a list for example. The expression “put me down” can also usedwhen, for example, someone is selling something to you and you need to order it,and then they’ll go and get it. You might use this expression, for example, if myniece is selling cookies for her Girl Scout troop (group of girls that get togetherand – I don’t know what they do). Anyway, you would say perhaps, “Put medown for three boxes of mints,” a type of chocolate cookie. But here, Conniemeans that she simply signed them up, or wrote their name down, for the mainseating. “Seating,” here, means the time that you go into a restaurant and sitdown to eat. As I said before, on a cruise ship they have different times – different seatings for each meal because there are too many people on the shipfor everyone to fit; there’s no room in the dining room for everyone at the sametime.

Robert says, “Whoa, what’s that?!” “Whoa” means I’m surprised; I’m, perhaps,scared. Connie says, “That’s the ship setting sail.” “To set sail” is for a boat toleave the land and go out into the water. Connie says, “You’re not going to beseasick, are you?” “To be seasick” is a type of motion sickness when you are onthe water in a ship; you feel nauseous, your stomach doesn’t feel good, you feeldizzy, and so forth. Some people take special pills to prevent them from beingseasick. I got seasick when I went on a cruise, even though I took the pills. So,doesn’t help me – but I’m sure you’ll have a good time!

Robert says, “I don’t think so (I don’t think I’m getting seasick), but,” he says, “I’mreally looking forward to our first port of call!” Your “port of call” is a place wherethe cruise ship stops, usually for a short period, but it could be overnight or more.

It allows you to get off the ship and to visit the place where it is stopped, and thenyou go back on the ship, and then you go somewhere else. If you take a cruiseship around the Mediterranean, the sea between Africa and Europe, you couldgo to many different ports of call – many different places you could stop and visit.

Now let’s listen to the dialogue at a normal speed.

[start of dialogue]

Connie: I’m so excited! We’re finally taking a cruise. Are you sure this is theembarkation area?

Robert: Yes, I’m sure. We go on board right here, see? Come on, let’s find ourcabin.

Connie: Okay, but I want to go up on deck as soon as possible and look aroundthe entire ship. Do you think they’ll let us go up on the bridge and meet thecaptain?

Robert: I don’t think so. You know, I think we’re going the wrong way. I can’tfind our cabin number.

Connie: Let’s see if we can find the purser or a steward to help us. Oh, nevermind, here it is! Wow, this cabin is really small.

Robert: No worries. We won’t be spending much time in the cabin. When do weeat?

Connie: We can go down to the buffet right now for lunch, and I put us down forthe main seating at 7:00 for dinner.

Robert: Whoa, what’s that?!

Connie: That’s the ship setting sail. You’re not going to be seasick, are you?

Robert: I don’t think so, but I’m really looking forward to our first port of call!

[end of dialogue]

The script for this episode was written by the captain of our ESL Podcast ship,Dr. Lucy Tse.

If you’d like to support us, become a member of ESL Podcast, or send adonation. You can go to eslpod.com for more information.

From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan. Thank you for listening. Comeback and listen to us next time on ESL Podcast.

English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse,hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan, copyright 2009 by the Center for EducationalDevelopment