2011年ESL之旅行交通购物 07 Types of Views（打印版）

2011年ESL之旅行交通购物 07 Types of Views（在线收听）

07 Types of Views

GLOSSARY

to book – to reserve; to make arrangements to have or do something at aparticular date and time in the future

* The earlier you book your flight, the cheaper it will be.

city view – the ability to see the buildings in a city from a particular window orposition

* One of the most famous city views in New York City is probably of TimesSquare.

panoramic view – the ability to see a very wide area of one’s surroundings froma particular window or position

* Once we reach the top of the mountain, we’ll enjoy a panoramic view of nearbylakes.

highway robbery – overpriced; something that is extremely expensive, costingmore than one believes it is worth

* The way airlines charge passengers high fees to check their luggage ishighway robbery!

steep – very expensive; at a very high price

* Tuition at universities is so steep that some students are deciding not tocontinue their education.

courtyard – an outdoor area that is completely surrounded by buildings, usuallydecorated with plants, trees, and benches or tables and chairs

* On nice days, most of the office workers eat their lunch in the courtyard.

obstructed – blocked; not able to be seen or accessed because another objectis in the way

* If you go the theater, don’t sit in 24J! Your view of the stage is completelyobstructed by a pillar.

peek-a-boo – a partial view of something, especially if another object moves in away that allows one to see the more distant object only some of the time

* This window gives us a peek-a-boo view of the lake, as long as the wind isstrong enough to push those branches out of the way.

ocean view – the ability to see the sea from a particular window or position

* At first they were really excited to buy a home with an ocean view, but then theyrealized how windy it was that close to the sea.

to end up with – to ultimately have or get a particular thing, especially after aperiod of waiting or making an effort

* How did you end up with a degree in basket weaving?

ground floor – first floor; the lowest, first floor of a building, at the same level asthe ground outside

* During an earthquake, is it safer to be on the ground floor or on the top floor ofa tall building?

back and forth – going in two different directions repeatedly; moving forwardsand backwards

* He walked back and forth in the hospital’s waiting room while waiting to hearthe results of his daughter’s surgery.

upper – high; above; not the bottom

* The dentist says I have three cavities in my upper teeth.

preference – a desire to do or have one particular thing instead of another

* My preference would be to see a romantic comedy, but it’s your turn to choosethe movie.

penthouse – the nicest, most expensive room or group of rooms in a hotel orapartment building, almost always on the top floor

* The bathroom in their penthouse apartment is bigger than our entire house!

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. What is Andrea trying to do?

a) She’s trying to read about all the different hotel rooms.

b) She’s writing a review of hotel room views.

c) She’s deciding which hotel room to reserve.

2. Why doesn’t George want a room on the ground floor?

a) Because he doesn’t like people walking past his room.

b) Because he doesn’t want to spend that much money.

c) Because he doesn’t like to stay in a dirty room.

______________

WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

steep

The word “steep,” in this podcast, means very expensive: “That restaurant is toosteep for me! Let’s go to a deli instead.” The word “steep” can also refer to arapid change in the amount of something, either an increase or a decrease:

“What caused the steep fall in stock prices?” Or, “Is it legal for the landlord tohave such steep rent increases?” When talking about a road, hill, or mountain,“steep” refers to the angle and how quickly it increases or decreases in heightover a particular distance: “This trail is really steep, so only experienced hikersshould use it.” Finally, as a verb, “to steep” means to put something solid into ahot liquid so that the liquid obtains the same flavor: “How long should I let thisteabag steep?”

upper

In this podcast, the word “upper” means high or above, not on the bottom: “Theykeep medicine on the upper shelves of the closet, where their children cannotreach it.” The phrase “to have the upper hand” means to have an advantageover another person: “Soriah has been playing poker for 20 years, so she has anupper hand over the younger players.” The phrase “a stiff upper lip” refers tosomeone’s ability to control his or her emotions and not let other people knowthat one is sad or upset: “He has a stiff upper lip, and even when his wife died henever let anyone see him cry.” Finally, an “upper” can be an illegal drug thatmakes someone feel happy and energetic: “Is she naturally that happy, or is shetaking uppers?”

CULTURE NOTE

Special Hotel RequestsWhen “booking” (reserving) a hotel room, the “reservations agent” (the personwhose job is to process reservation requests) needs to know how large of a roomis needed and when. But callers can make many other requests, too.

Some people want to make sure they have a room that is “wheelchairaccessible.” These room have wider doors that can “accommodate” (make roomfor; be big enough for) a “wheelchair” (a chair with wheels on the bottom, used bypeople who cannot walk) and do not have any steps or stairs. Wheelchairaccessiblerooms also have “grab bars” (long, round pieces of metal attached toa wall) in the bathrooms to help people move from their wheelchair to the toilet orbathtub.

Other people make special requests to reduce the amount of noise they hearduring their hotel “stay” (period of time in a particular place). They might requesta room away from the elevators, lobby, swimming pool, or other public places.

They might also request a room that is not on the ground floor, or away from theparking lot.

Other requests are related to the guest’s “comfort” (pleasant, calm feelings basedon what is around oneself). Guests might request a “non-smoking room” if theydon’t want to smell “stale” (old and exposed to air) cigarette smoke. In nicerhotels, they might request a particular type of “mattress” (the large, soft objectpeople sleep on) or pillow.

Finally, people make special requests to save money. If many people arebooking rooms for a single event, they might ask for a “large-party discount”

(reduction in price). People can also ask if there are discounts for members ofcertain organizations, such “AAA” (the American Automobile Association),“frequent flyer programs” (programs that reward people who fly often), or themilitary.

______________

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

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 690: Types ofViews.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 690. I’m your host, Dr.

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

Support this podcast by becoming a member of ESL Podcast. Go to our website,eslpod.com, to find more information on becoming a member and getting theLearning Guide that comes with each episode.

This episode is called “Types of Views.” “Views,” here, refers to what you cansee out your window from a home or hotel room. Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Andrea: Help me decide on which type of hotel room to book.

George: I want the one with a bed.

Andrea: Very funny. We have a choice of different views, and each one is adifferent price. For instance, a room with a city view is 175 dollars a night and apanoramic view is 275 dollars a night.

George: 275 dollars a night?! That’s highway robbery!

Andrea: If you think that’s too steep, there are a few other options. We can get acourtyard room with no view for 120 dollars a night or a room with an obstructedor peek-a-boo ocean views for 130 dollars a night.

George: I don’t really care which type of room we get as long as we don’t end upwith a room on the ground floor. I don’t like having people walking back and forthoutside my window all night.

Andrea: Okay, I can request a room on an upper floor. You really don’t have apreference?

George: No, not really.

Andrea: There is a penthouse room for 400 dollars a night.

George: What?! For that price, I’d better get a view of the Eiffel Tower, theParthenon, and the Great Wall of China!

[end of dialogue]

The dialogue begins with Andrea saying to George, “Help me decide on whichtype of hotel room to book.” “To book,” as a verb, means to reserve, to makearrangements to have something done at a particular date or time in the future.

For example: “I book a hotel room,” meaning I am reserving that room; I amsaying that I am going to use that room on a certain date.

George says, “I want the one with a bed.” He’s saying that he wants a hotelroom that has a bed in it. George, of course, is trying to be funny. Andrea thensays, “Very funny,” which here means that’s not very funny, you are joking when Iam trying to be serious. She says, “We have a choice of different views, andeach one is a different price.” “For instance,” she says, meaning for example, “aroom with a city view is 175 dollars a night and a panoramic view is 275 dollars anight.” A “city view” is a, in this case, hotel room that gives you a view of thebuildings of the city. If you ever go to New York City and you stay in Manhattan,the downtown area, you will have from any hotel room a city view. That is, youwill be able to see the lights of the city – of other buildings in the city. A“panoramic view” is where you have the ability to see a very wide area, usuallybecause you are high up in the building or you have lots of windows around theroom that allows you to see a much wider portion or section of whatever it isyou’re looking at. That’s a “panoramic (panoramic) view.”

George is surprised at the price; he says, “275 dollars a night?!” Notice “a night”

here means per night or each night. He says, “That’s highway robbery!”

“Robbery” is when someone steals something from you. A “highway” is a road,usually one where you travel fast. But the expression “highway robbery” refers toprevious times, where people traveled and it wasn’t safe to travel; you might berobbed by someone as you were traveling down the road. That’s what Georgethinks the price of the hotel is; he says it’s “highway robbery,” meaning it is tooexpensive, it cost more than it should.

Andrea says, “If you think that’s too steep, there are a few other options.”

“Steep” (steep) means very expensive here, at a very high price. “Steep” hassome other meanings as well; you can find those in the Learning Guide for thisepisode. Andrea says, “We can get a courtyard room with no view for 120dollars a night.” A “courtyard” (one word) is an outdoor area that is completelysurrounded by buildings. Usually, a courtyard is square or rectangular. There are sometimes plant or trees inside the courtyard. When you have a courtyardroom, of course, you are looking just at other rooms in the same building, sothere really isn’t a view. That’s why Andrea says, “We can get a courtyard roomwith no view for 120 dollars a night.” She says they could also get a room withobstructed or peek-a-boo ocean views for 130 dollars a night. “Obstructed”

(obstructed) is blocked, not able to be seen because something else is in theway. In some theaters or stadiums there are things in front of your seat thatblock your view, that do not allow you to see what is on the other side. Thatwould be an “obstructed view.” “Peek-a-boo” (peek-a-boo) is actually a child’sgame, or a game that an adult plays with a very young child or baby. “Peek-aboo”

is when you hide yourself so that the child can’t see you, and then suddenlyyou put your head in a position where the child can see you, and then backagain. And, small children often find this amusing; they think it’s fun. A “peek-abooview” would be a view that you would have sometimes and sometimes not.

It’s a partial view of something, similar to obstructed but not obstructed all thetime. Perhaps there is a tree in front of the window, and when the wind blowsyou can see through, so sometimes you can see. This is a “peek-a-boo oceanview,” a view of the ocean or the sea, such as the Pacific or Atlantic.

George says, “I don’t really care which type of room we get as long as we don’tend up with a room on the ground floor.” “To end up with” means to get aparticular thing after waiting or making an effort. It’s a very broad, generalexpression that can be used in many different instances. For example if you areselling something at your store, at the end of the day after many hours someonemay say to you, “Well, how much did you end up with today?” meaning afterworking those many hours how much money did you have. The expression hererefers to what will happen after Andrea makes the reservation, after they travel tothe hotel, once they get to their room. What did they end up with? What did theyfinally or ultimately get? What George does not want to end up with is a room onthe ground floor. And, in the U.S. the “ground floor” is the first floor, the floor thatis the lowest in the building not including what is below ground, the basement.

George does not want a room on the ground floor. He says, “I don’t like havingpeople walking back and forth outside my window all night.” “Back and forth”

means going in two different directions repeatedly, moving in one direction andthen walking back in the other direction. He’s saying that he doesn’t want otherpeople at the hotel walking by his window throughout the night, as would beperhaps more common on the ground floor. I’m not sure if that’s true, but that’swhat George thinks.

Andrea says, “Okay, I can request a room on an upper floor.” “Upper,” here,would mean above the first floor, high up in the building. “Upper” has a couple ofdifferent meanings; take a look, again, at our Learning Guide for some more explanations. She then says, “You really don’t have a preference?” meaningthere isn’t one particular kind of room that you want besides an upper room orupper-floor room. George says, “No, not really.” Andrea says, “There is apenthouse room for 400 dollars a night.” The “penthouse,” especially in anexpensive hotel or condominium building, is the highest floor, usually muchbigger than the other rooms. It is also, of course, the most expensive.

George says, “What?! For that price (for 400 dollars), I’d better get a view of theEiffel Tower, the Parthenon, and the Great Wall of China!” Once again, Georgeis making a joke here. He’s saying that if he has to pay 400 dollars a night, heshould have a view of some of the great landmarks or places in the world. Heshould be able to see the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Parthenon in Athens, or theGreat Wall of China. Obviously, George doesn’t stay in expensive hotels veryoften!

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