Explorations in English

- Book One -
LESSON 4. Let's Take a Bus

GOAL: To use a public transportation in English.

A. REVIEW OF PREVIOUS LESSONS:
Answer the questions below -
  1. What's the cheapest way to get to the nearest station?
  2. How long is your next vacation?
  3. How do you pronounce your last name?
  4. Are you into tennis?
  5. What's your father like?
  6. Do you prefer your coffee black?
  7. When does your passport expire?
  8. How big is your family?
B. VOCABULARY FOCUS
Match the words on the left with the definitions on the right -
  1. transportation
  2. limo
  3. fare
  4. frequently
  5. roughly
  6. bucks
  7. destination

C. PRE-LISTENING QUESTIONS
Discuss these questions in small groups -
  1. Are there many bus drivers in this city?
  2. How high are taxi fares around here?
  3. Are there enough taxis here?
  4. How often do buses run in this area?
  5. Do buses run run late at night around here?
D. LISTENING/SPEAKING FOCUS

Kay has just arrived in Los Angeles. She's standing outside the terminal and wants to take a taxi to her hotel.

Part A - Read this dialog and try to guess the missing words, then listen to the dialog -

Kay:              Taxi!
Taxi Driver:   Where to?
Kay:              The ___________1 Hotel.
Taxi Driver:   What's the address?
Kay:             116 Graceland in Beverly Hills. Roughly how _______2 does it take to get there?
Taxi Driver:   Around thirty minutes in this traffic. Is this your first time here?
Kay:              Yep. I'm ___________3. Are there any places you recommend?
Taxi Driver:   Well, Universal Studios is popular. You might also want to see ___________4.
Kay:              Thanks for the info.
Taxi Driver:   [25 minutes later] Here we are.
Kay:              What's the fare?
Taxi Driver:   _____________5.
Kay:              Here's 25 bucks. Please keep the tip.
Taxi Driver:   Thanks. Have a ________6 day!

Later that day Kay takes a bus to Universal Studios.

Kay:              Excuse me. I want to get to ____________7. Which bus should I take?
Bus Driver:   Take any #6 bus from Platform _____8.
Kay:              Thanks. How often do those buses run?
Bus Driver:   Every ______9 minutes during the day.

Later, at Platform C

Kay:              Excuse me. Does this ______10 go to the ____________11?
Bus Driver:   Sure does. Step in.
Kay:              Which stop is Universal Studios?
Bus Driver:  Its the _________12 stop.
Kay:              Thanks.

Part B - Now practice the dialog with a partner. Look at your partner's face when you speak.

Part C - This time change the dialog to fit your own experience. Feel free to depart from the text and improvise.

E. CONTENT QUESTIONS:
Write the answers to these questions-
  1. How many times has Kay been to Los Angeles?
  2. What places in Los Angeles does the driver recommend?
  3. Where does the #6 bus leave from?
  4. Where is Kay trying to visit?
F. STRUCTURED CONVERSATION
Without looking at the sample conversation above,
follow the basic structure of this conversation with a partner:

TAXI --> DESTINATION? --> HOW LONG? --> FIRST TIME? -->
(SMALL TALK: RECOMMEND?, WEATHER?, ETC.) --> FARE? --> TIP

G. PRONUNCIATION FOCUS:
Japanese Gairaigo vs. English:
Circle the word you hear, then practice both sounds

1. takushii / taxi        2. hoteru / hotel           3. basu / bus        4. robii / lobby  
5. erabaataa / elevator   6. cheku autto / check out  7. chippu / tip.     8. sentaa / center
9. Rosu / Los Angeles    10. popyuraa / popular /    11. tenisu / tennis  12. koohii / coffee
H. ROLE PLAY

PERSON A: You are a taxi driver. Drive PERSON B to his/her desired destination.

PERSON B: You are a tourist and want to go the ABC Hotel.
*********Ask PERSON A to take you there.

I. COMMON MISTAKES
Correct these mistakes individually, then check together-
  1. ? The taxi fee is high.
  2. * Take a bus number seven there.

  3. ? I want to ride a bus to the market.
  4. ? I like to drive cars.
J. DISCUSSION
Talk with your partner(s) about travel, using these patterns:

* How often do you use a taxi?             * Do you often use a bus?
* Are taxi fares here high?                * Are buses here dependable?
* Would you like to be a taxi driver?      * How safe are buses around here?
* What's the difference between a "taxi" and a "limo"?    * Other . . .
K. FEEDBACK

Please write your comments about today's lesson in the space below.
Either Japanese or English is OK.


What was most useful about this lesson?
What was least useful about this lesson?
Any ideas, suggestions, or comments?


L. HOMEWORK
Option A -

Write about any taxis, trains, buses, ferries, or subways you have traveled on.

Option B -

1. Make sentences using the words listed in the left part of Exercise B.
2. Write the answers to the questions in Exercises #C and #M.


Explorations in English - Books 1, 2, 3, 4



Copyright (c) 1997, 2002 by Tim Newfields. All rights reserved.
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