Types of Travel
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Friend
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Simon
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Simon: Like many people, I like to travel and there are many ways you can travel, uh, many forms of transportation. Probably the main three that I wanna talk about now are by car, by train and by airplane. Now each of these forms of transportation
have there pros and cons. Would you agree?
Friend: Indeed, I would.
Simon: So, what's your favorite form of transportation, of those three?
Friend: I would have to say the automobile.
Simon: Um, well, tell me some of the, the pros of traveling by car.
Friend: That would be mainly freedom. Freedom of movement. Freedom of stop. Freedom to go. Freedom to, yeah, freedom basically.
Simon: OK, uh, what about a train? What are the advantages of being of a train?
Friend: Ah, I would say, good views of the countryside. You can move around on a train. You're not stuck in a car. You can go for a cigarette. You can get something to drink. You can go to the bathroom, which you cannot do in a car.
Simon: OK, and let's talk about the airplane. Why, what are some of the advantages of flying?
Friend: Speed.
Simon: That's it?
Friend: That's all I can say about that, speed.
Simon: OK, uh, let's talk about the disadvantages, the cons. So what, what are some things that a train has, that is not that great?
Friend: There's nothing I can say bad about a train, except, yeah! Train's good.
Simon: OK!
Friend: Price!
Simon: Yeah, price, in many countries train travel is expensive. Uh, we are traveling in Japan, so the train is very fast and efficient, however, it is expensive, and another thing is, you're confined by schedule and things like that. How about the disadvantages of a car?
Friend: Ah, pollution, accidents, cost, yeah, cars can be expensive, too, maintenance, gas.
Simon: And how about the plane?
Friend: The disadvantages of a plane. The lack of view,and yeah, that stale, stale air.
Simon: Oh, yeah, also, I could sort of say the fear factor, yeah, and being confined to a small space. Yeah that's it.
pros and cons
Each of these forms of transportation have their pros and cons.
'Pros and cons' is another way to say 'positives and negatives.' Notice the following:
- Before you make a decision, you need to think about the pros and cons.
- There are more pros than cons in my new job.
freedom
The pros of traveling by car would be mainly freedom.
When you have 'freedom,' you can do whatever you want, whenever you want to do it. Notice the following:
- This is his first year living alone and he's enjoying his freedom.
- Having your own company gives you a lot of freedom.
stuck
You can move around on a train, whereas you're stuck in a car.
When you are 'stuck' someplace, you can't move to where you want to go. Notice the following:
- I hate being stuck in the house.
- We have been stuck in this meeting for almost 2 hours.
confined
When you travel by train, you're confined by schedule; when you travel by plane, you're confined to a small space.
If you are 'confined' to something, you are restricted by its limitations. Notice the following:
- The dog is confined to those two rooms.
- My legs hurt from being confined to this chair all day.
stale air
The disadvantages of the plane is the lack of view and that stale air.
'Stale air' does not feel fresh. It feels like it has recirculated many times. Notice the following:
- Stale air makes me feel like I can't breathe.
- We should open a window, because this room is full of stale air.
Vocabulary Quiz
confined to • stale
