Unit 1: Listening Task #1
Interview with Belen Sy
|
Q: Thanks for coming here to talk about the Philippines. A: My pleasure. The Philippines is a great place to visit and I hope more people will learn about it. A: OK. To start with, how much does it cost to get to the Philippines? A: Well, flights from Taipei to Manila are usually NT$ 6,000 - $8,000. Flights from Kaohsiung are slightly cheaper. Q: And where do you recommend visiting in and around Manila? A: Well, Fort Santiago is one popular place. This huge fort has a museum in honor of Jose Riyal - a national hero. In fact, Fort Santiago is part of a park in honor of Jose Riyal, which is along Manila's waterfront. Q: So Fort Santiago and the park along the waterfront are both worth seeing. How about outside of Manila? Any interesting things to do there? A: If you enjoy scuba diving, Batangas province is worth seeing. Q: Batangas province? A: Yeah. It's a few hours drive south of the capital. There are many places to scuba dive there. Q: OK. So Batangas province is good place for scuba diving. A: That's right. And the Philippines also has lots of great golfing. There are 11 golf courses in the Metro Manila area and 14 golf courses south of Manila. Q: So golfing is popular among many tourists? A: Yes. Q: OK. Let me ask some practical questions. How much does a meal in the Philippines usually cost? A: Of course, that depends on the type of restaurant. A first class dinner at an expensive restaurant can cost as much as NT $3000. However, an average meal at a typical restaurant will cost NT $200 - and some restaurants are much cheaper. Q: OK. So meals in the Philippines run from anywhere between from NT $200 to over NT $3000. That's higher than I expected. A: Prices aren't so different from Taiwan. And a NT $3000 meal is really a luxury feast. Q: Now let me ask you about hotels. How much are hotels per night in the Philippines? A: Again, there is a big price range. A budget hotel can run as low as under NT $300 per night. A first class hotel can run over NT $4,000 per night. An average hotel is probably somewhere around NT $1,500 per night. Q: Those prices are a bit higher than I expected . . . they aren't much different from Taiwan. A: It's probably worth spending extra money for a safe hotel, especially in a big city. Q: A different question, if I may. How widely understood is Chinese in the Philippines? A: Well, at some top hotels you can find a person who speaks Mandarin. Generally, however, people speak English and Pilippino. Mandarin is not widely understood. Q: Finally, what do you feel are the biggest problems in the Philippines today? A: Hmm. Of course, different people have different answers. Certainly population is a big problem. The population is growing at 2.5% a year - a very high rate. Another problem is pollution. Many of the islands are getting too polluted. Q: So overpopulation and pollution are two big problems. A: Yeah. And corruption is another big problem. I'm afraid that government corruption is widespread. Q: I see. Thanks for sharing your time with us, Belen. A: My pleasure. I hope you will visit the Philippines someday. Taiwanese will notice many similarities - and some contrasts. |
- return to main listening tasks -
- Practical English 5 -
UNIT 1 * UNIT 2 * UNIT 3 * UNIT 4 * UNIT 3 * UNIT 6 * UNIT 7 * UNIT 8
copyright (c) 2000 by Ming Chuan University
Ver. 2.0 - Updated 23 Feb. 2000
www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Field/1087/mcu/PE5-1lis1.htm