Island Fun
 |  |
Shuan | Todd |
Todd: So, Shuan, you took a cruise and the cruise left he U.S.
Shuan: It left yeah. It left Florida.
Todd: OK, and did you only stay at sea or did you make stops on your cruise ship?
Shuan: We actually made 4 different stops. I cannot remember the last place but the first place we stopped was Key West. The second place we stopped was Peurta Vearta, and the third place was Cancun, and the last place I just can't remember the name.
Todd: Actually, what about Key West? Is Key West a nice place?
Shuan: Key West is a really nice place: all the different buildings and stores are actually constructed to make, or constructed to look like historical buildings. They are all made out of stone and wood.
Todd: Oh, I see, so they are supposed to look like the first people that came from Europe that built.
Shuan: Yeah, they look almost Gothic in style.
Todd: Now Key West, is that the U.S. or is that it's own little territory.
Shuan: Ah, Key West. I don't know.
Todd: I don't know. I don't know either and I'm American, so
Shuan: I actually, if I think back, I do believe that everybody drove on the left-hand side of the road, and I think I recall somebody saying that it was part of the U. K.
Todd: Oh, really. OK, interesting. So anyway, besides the buildings, what's Key West like? Is it like a good place for adventure, a good place for night life?
Shuan: It's a good place for outdoor sea sports.
Todd: Oh, yeah, for example, like what can you do?
Shuan: Well, to tell the truth I was really sunburnt the day I got to Key West because I spent too much time on the cruise ship on the top deck.
Todd: Oh that's terrible.
Shuan: So I had to get in the water and I had to get in quick so the very first day we went to, me and my friend Jason, we just went to beach and swam around for most of the day. We went with snorkels and flippers. We basically just dived down to as deep as we could to avoid the sunlight.
Todd: Oh, smart move. Oh, that's nice. So did you actually do any scuba diving when you were in Key West?
Shuan: That's what I did on the second day, yeah. Jason and I, we really wanted to go and try some scuba diving, although we had to go with an instructor, it was still a really good experience.
Todd: So then you go down in the water. What happens? You go down in the water and what do you see and what's it like being underwater.
Shuan: To breathe underwater is one skill that I really wish I had and, but it was magnificent in Key West. We saw all these different kinds of fish. It was just so many colors, and it was just beautiful, the water was just sky blue all the way down and it was just absolutely, yeah, just beautiful.
Todd: Are there any dangers when you're down under the water?
Shuan: Well, they say that sharks are dangerous. We actually did get shark knives in case any sharks did approach us, but in most cases sharks think that you're big and they do try to avoid you.
Todd: Oh, I got it. But you say you have a shark knife that there's an actual knife you can stab a shark with?
Shuan: It's a knife that you use to cut yourself free from lines, from ropes. If you need to you can stab a shark with it. Yes, but
constructed
The buildings in Key West are actually constructed out of
stone and wood.
What something is 'constructed' out of is what it is made from. Notice the following:
- Did they use bricks when they constructed your house?
- Most of the buildings in this area are constructed with
cement, so they stay cool.
historical buildings
The structures are constructed to look like historical
buildings.
A 'historical building' would be one that was built a long time in the past or was important in the past. In this case, the buildings weren't actually old, but were built to look the like original buildings. Notice the following:
- Big Ben is one of the most famous historical buildings in
this area.
- You can spend about a week looking at all the historical
buildings around the city.
territory
I'm not sure if Key West is a US territory or not.
If an area of land is a 'territory' of another country, it means that the other country owns it. A territory is usually separate from the mainland of the country that owns it. Notice the following:
- This half of the Virgin Islands is territory of the U.K.
- Puerto Rico is actually a U.S. territory.
besides
Besides the buildings, is Key West a good place for
adventure?
'Besides' can be replaced with 'other than.' Todd is using the word 'besides' to ask for additional interesting things about Key West. Notice the following:
- Besides your family, did anyone else come along?
- There isn't much to do here besides walk on the beach.
sunburned
I was really sunburned because I spent too much time on the
top deck of the cruise ship.
When you spend a lot of time in the sun and you are not protected with sunscreen, you will get sunburned. This happens when your skin turns pink and hurts. Notice the following:
- You should put a hat on. I think you're getting
sunburned.
- My feet actually got sunburned from being out on the
boat all day.
Vocabulary Quiz
besides • sunburned
