Файл: ПРАВКА_методичка диалогичка переделка.doc

Discussion area

Look through the text. Get ready to discuss.

How-to-ask-for-directions instruction

• Admit that you're lost. The first step in getting help is recognizing that you have a problem. If you've passed that gnarled, spooky oak tree three or four times, the odds are you've been going in circles for the past hour-and if your girlfriend insists, "We should have reached that exit 45 minutes ago," you're probably not only on the wrong road, but in the wrong state.

• Ask someone knowledgeable. As a general rule, anyone who has to think more than 2 or 3 seconds after you ask, "Hey, do you know where Mahopac Road is?" has either wandered away from his day home's field trip or is trying to be "helpful" in a way that'll get you even more lost than before. Try not to ask directions from kids younger than 10, elderly ladies dressed in 19th-century bustles or stray dogs.

• Be respectful. Popping your head out of your Jaguar's window and yelling, «Hey, old-timer! Can you tell me what road I can take out of this two-bit town?» is a one-way ticket to plunging your car over an abandoned bridge. Of course, any healthy male you buttonhole will instantly disdain you for not having a sense of direction, but that's the price you pay for not bringing a map.

• Write the instructions down. «Hang a right at the next light and head down to Old Sutter's Mill» may be the entirety of the directions you receive, but they may just as well continue "then take a left, another left, a right, go «round the traffic circle, pass that abandoned 7-11, close your windows (don't ask why, just trust me) for two or three miles, then make a sharp left when you see a sign that says ...»

• Know better. Just because you've stopped and asked for directions doesn't mean your male ego has been beaten into unconsciousness. If you suspect the person you've asked doesn't know what he's talking about, feel free to ignore his instructions and take that «shortcut» you've been arguing with your wife about. You may not get where you're going for another 17 hours, but hey, it'll make a great story to share with your grandkids!

Read and translate the text.

How not to get lost in a big city

The simplest, most convenient and certainly the laziest way of seeing the main sights of any major city is simply to go with the flow and follow the crowds of tourists like a piece of flotsam bobbing along on the stream.

However, for the more adventurous visitors who want to penetrate the hidden gems or for those who aren’t too comfortable in the midst of big, noisy crowds following tourist guides like frantic sheep, there’s always the option of heading out alone. The main problem with this is that it can be remarkably easy to get lost, whether you’re based in a holiday rental flat, a hotel or guesthouse in the city.

Besides, getting lost can actually be a good way of exploring the city. Even so, it’s a good idea to be prepared with a few strategies for finding your bearings so as not to waste too much time during a limited stay.

Try to plan your route. You can navigate your way around the backstreets or hotspots of the city much easier if you have a handy pocket atlas or a map on you. It usually details all of the city’s streets and tube stations. You can pick one up at any bookshop or at a tourist information centre. In addition, buy a guide, in which every interest is photographed and described. It is very useful when exploring the city.

If you’re more up-to-date you could try using an application such as Google Maps for getting around. This will have the added advantage of pointing out the relevant sights and best places to stop off for a snack.

Avoiding the tourist crowds isn’t always possible, especially around the more famous places, but there are a few things you can do to minimize the likelihood of getting swept away in the mad rush. Time your visits for less popular times, such as very early morning or late afternoon. This will give you more elbow space in. The light is often better at such times as well, so the photo opportunities will be improved.

The best way to get around the city is to seek advice from the locals. As they say a clever tongue will take you anywhere. It’s absolutely harmless to ask locals how to get to your destination. It saves a lot of time. Do not be shy to ask, because anyone asks!

There’s nothing worse than panic. This feeling paralyzes you and makes you helpless. Feel free to use any help offered. Do not panic and take the new city as an adventure and challenge!

Give the summary of the text.

A survivor’s guide to public transportation

1. Use the most reliable public transportation system when you can. New Yorkers, for example, take the subway to work when they can, not the slower and less reliable busses.

2. Use the route with the fewest possible transfers, even if it adds some time to your trip. Transfers where you have to wait are the number one way to add time to your trip. The fewer the transfers, the fewer chances for wasted time.

3. Use the cheaper route only if it is reasonably fast and stress-free. You can take nine hours by train to go from Edinburgh to London, or you can take 30 hours by bus. The bus is cheaper, but you'll have to decide for yourself if it's worth it.

4. Make a plan. Have your route mapped out beforehand. It's easier and less stressful to change a prearranged plan than to fly blind from the beginning. Use trip planners for your particular public transportation network online. Be careful about relying on them too much, as they don't always give you the fastest or most straightforward route.

5. Be productive. Lots of people bring music along for the ride, which helps pass the time. But it doesn't help with that nasty feeling of wasted time. To combat this, try bringing along a book or educational application that you've been meaning to read or listen to but haven't had the time. If you feel that you're doing something productive, you can make your commuting time feel more positive. Standing around waiting, feeling that time is slipping through your fingers, is one of the most stressful parts of using public transportation.

6. Be nice. Everybody that uses the public transportation system is in the same boat. "Excuse me", "Please" and "Thank you" go a long way, even when you're shouting them at people who seem absolutely determined not to move out of the way when you're trying to get out the door of the subway train or bus at your stop. It also wouldn't kill you to give up your seat for the very young, the very old, the very pregnant and the handicapped.

7. Speaking of stress, nothing in this modern world quite illustrates Jean Paul Sartre's famous quote, "Hell is other people", like public transportation. Overcrowded busses and trains, complainers, drunks and bullies rate high on the stress meter for commuters. But you can use this to your advantage. Look at these distractions as opportunities to practice your patience, tolerance and conflict management skills, or at the very least, your ability to count silently to ten.

8. Finally, walk when you can. It's good for you and can help you make a short cut between transport options. How far and long you're willing to walk is up to you, but if you work it into your plan, you can get some needed exercise and fresh air while still arriving where you need to go in a reasonable amount of time.

Dialogue area

Read and translate the following dialogues.

***I***

A: Would you mind giving me some directions?

B: What are you looking for?

A: The Central Exhibition. Do you know where it is?

B: The Central Exhibition? Well, it's pretty far from here. You'd better take a bus.

A: Is it a long ride?

B: About ten minutes by bus.

A: Which bus do I take to get there?

B: Let me think. It's probably best of all to take Bus 5 on Second Street.

A: And where is Second Street, please?

B: Walk down this street to the next intersection and turn right.

A: You will be on Second Street.

B: The bus stop will be near a small park on your right.

A: Thank you.

B: Anytime. Have a nice day.

***II***

A: Could you tell me where the Science Museum is, please?

B: It is on the corner of Seventh Street and Lincoln Road.

A: How do I get there from here, please?

B: Go down this street and turn right at the traffic light.

A: Walk two blocks and turn right onto Seventh Street.

B: Go past the department store and the flower market, and you'll see the Science Museum across the street. It is a large red-brick building. You can't miss it.

A: Is it far from here?

B: No, it's just a ten-minute walk.

A: Thank you very much.

B: You're welcome.

***III***

Bob can't find his way to Alex's home. Alex gives him directions on the phone.

A: Hi, Bob. Where are you? At the corner of Taylor Avenue and Duke Street? Wait there. I'll be there in five minutes.

B: It's not necessary. I drove the car from New Haven. Give me the directions. I'll find my way.

A: All right. Go north on Duke Street to Shore Drive. You can't miss the large supermarket there. Turn left there. Continue on Stevenson Avenue to Fourth Street. Make a right turn and go to the middle of the block. I'll wait for you in front of the house.

B: I got it. See you soon, Alex.

10 minutes later

B: I'm afraid I’m lost.

A: You'd better ask for directions.

B: Okay. I'll ask at the next gas station.

Stopping in front of a gas station

B: How do we get to York Village?

C: You're going west, but you should be going east.

B: Should we make a U-turn?

C: Yes. Make a U-turn and go straight. Then turn to the right at the traffic lights. That's interstate 95. Take interstate 95 for about 15 miles and then get off at Roundview. You can't miss your destination.

B: Thank you very much.

***IV***

A: Can you show me the way to the subway station?

B: Sure! You walk along the Fifth Avenue and then turn

right.

A: How long do I go?

B: Two blocks of houses. There is a Pepsi cola building on the left side of the street.

A: O.K., I get it!

B: Then you go straight along the Twenty Fourth Street and turn left at the traffic lights.

A: Is the subway station near the traffic lights?

B: No. You go along the Seventh Avenue up to the City Bank building. There is a bus stop there. Take bus seven and go three stops.

A: Where do I get off?

B: At the City Hall.

A: Is the subway station near the City Hall?

B: Yes, it's right outside the City Hall, on the left.

***V***

A: Let me see now. Which train do I need to get on?