Views #257 | Intermediate 4

Austria

Sarah talks about her time in Austria.

Script
Vocab
Quiz


Sarah	Todd

Todd: Sarah, can you talk about your time in Austria?

Sarah: Austria is.. I worked for a language school where you go to a normal school in Austria for one week and you take one particular year group and you teach them English for that one week. And then you move onto another school the next week so you're moving around every week which is good because you get to go to Vienna and Innsbruck and you're constantly moving around the country, so it's an interesting lifestyle.

Todd: What's Vienna like?

Sarah: Great. I like Vienna. It's very, very easy to get around. Very friendly place. The transition from England to Austria is very, very easy one and there's a lot to do in Vienna. Quite similar to London in that way.

Todd: Like for example what things?

Sarah: It's very cultural and a lot of museums and art galleries. It's quite historical. It's an historical city.

Todd: OK. Can you tell a little about the history of Vienna or why it's historical?

Sarah: No.

Todd: No? I'm sorry. That's a tough question. How about the food? How about Austrian food?

Sarah: I don't like Austrian food actually, I have to say. It's quite heavy. It's very heavy. A lot of sausages, a lot of meat. They're very much into their meat but they also have a lot of Italian food because of course, they're on the border. So they have a lot of influence from other cultures, so they like curry and Italian food as well. It's very, very big.

Todd: And what's the landscape like in Vienna?

Sarah: In Vienna?

Todd: I mean.. I'm sorry, in Austria?

Sarah: The landscape is beautiful. That is one of the main reasons why I went there. It's very mountainous and the Tirol which is very beautiful.

Todd: I'm sorry the Tirol?

Sarah: The Tirol. It's like.. it's just a long journey through the mountains that you go through. It's called the Tirol.

Todd: Did you go hiking?

Sarah: No. I went skiing a few times, not hiking.

Todd: Good. Good ski slopes?

Sarah: Very good, yeah!

Learn vocabulary from the lesson!

[What is Vienna like?] I like Vienna.

If you ask what something is 'like' you are looking for a description. Notice the following:

The streets are like a circus.
It isn't at all like back home.

move around

I like working as an English teacher in Vienna because I get to move around every week.

When you 'move around' you change from one location to another. Notice the following:

Children learn best when they have the opportunity to move around the classroom.
They are moving our offices around at work.

get around

It's very easy to get around in Vienna.

'Getting around' is transporting yourself from one place to another, maybe by walking, driving or taking public transport. Notice the following:

Most of the time I can get around by walking.
A bicycle helps me get around more quickly.

historical

Vienna is a historical city; it has a lot of museums and art galleries.

A 'historical' place has a lot of old buildings or locations that were important in the past. Maybe famous events happened there or there is a cultural significance. Notice the following: