GETTING INTERNATIONAL.- Session 1.- Passport to London.

Situation
Read the text and listen to the situation.
Narrator: Lourdes and Susana always wanted to go abroad. They were born in a small quiet
village in the South of Spain and they always dreamt about exploring new countries and getting to
know other cultures, however, they didn't know how. Years passed and the two girls saw how their
dream disappeared till one day, everything changed!
They finished secondary school and they didn't feel like going to university, so they decided to try
some Vocational Training. They were very enthusiastic about it and they finally chose Business,
since they thought it would be great one day to work within a company or even start their own!
However, what they had never thought about was that that decision would definitely change their
lives.
They passed their first year with really good grades and it was time for them to decide where to do
their FCT internship. They thought about many companies till suddenly Lourdes came up with an
idea!
Lourdes: Why don't we do our internship in London?
Narrator: Susana was shocked! She had never thought about that before!
Susana: In London? Holy cow! You must be joking! (surprised)
Lourdes: Why not? Gema tried the same thing three years ago, and now she's working for a great
British company in London, why don't we apply for an internship in her company?
Narrator: They discussed about that crazy idea for hours, they thought about the pros and cons and
even about their families' opinion, but they finally took a decision: They were going to London!
(narrator very enthusiastic).
Lourdes and Susana: Yeaaaaah! We're going to London!! (screaming, very happy).
Think about it
And you? Have you already decided where to do your FCT internship? What about London or
Ireland so that you can practice your English? Enter the forum, introduce yourself and share your
opinion with your classmates.
Through this module you will have the opportunity of following Lourdes and Susana's experience in
London, and by the end of your academic year you may decide to go to London for your FCT, who
knows?

1.- What to say: Getting to places.

Quotation
"Be curious always! For knowledge will not acquire you: you must acquire it."Sudie Back
Situation

After an hour and 50 minutes' flight, Lourdes and Susana finally get to London City airport. During
the flight, they were so nervous that they couldn't even ask for an orange juice to the flight
attendant. They were so excited that they couldn't stop thinking about how their new lives will be
like. When they land, they take a quick look around and everything seems really different to what
they are used to. "Am I dreaming? This looks like a film!" Susana thinks. Lourdes on the contrary
cannot utter a word.
They follow the sign "baggage claim"; they pick up their baggage and go to the exit to look for a taxi
and start their adventure. However when they get to the entrance, there are no taxis around; they
look and look and there are no signs around, what would you do?
Of course! Ask someone for help!

1.1.- Asking for directions.

When you are lost, do you know how to ask for directions?
First, relax and breathe deeply. Think that the most important thing is to get your ideas across.
Below you will find some useful phrases that you may need to know to find your way.

Asking for directions. Useful vocabulary

COMMON EXPRESSIONS

TRANSLATION

Excuse me, could you tell me how to get a taxi,

please?

Perdone, podra decirme por favor cmo

puedo conseguir un taxi?

Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to the

British Museum, please?

Perdone, podra decirme por favor cmo

llegar al Museo Britnico?

Sure! Go straight on this street/ Go ahead this

street.

Claro! Siga recto por esta calle.

Cross the street/ road.

Cruce la calle/ carretera.

Then, turn right/ left.

Luego, gire a la derecha/ izquierda.

Pass the roundabout/ traffic-light.

Pase la rotonda / el semforo.

Until you get to the corner.

Hasta que llegue a la esquina.

You'll find the taxi stand opposite to you.

Encontrar la parada de taxis delante de

Asking for directions. Useful vocabulary

COMMON EXPRESSIONS

TRANSLATION

usted.

Behind you.

Detrs de usted.

Next to the Caf.

Al lado de la cafetera.

Between the Caf and the tube station.

Entre la cafetera y la estacin de metro.

Thank you very much!

Muchas gracias!

You're welcome! / No worries!

De nada!

Think about it
Enter the forum and describe briefly how to get from your home to the nearest supermarket.

1.2.- Now you put it into practice (I).

You should know
Make it real! Click on this link to listen to someone asking for directions then, answer the
questions below.
Asking for directions. Text summary

If you can't follow it, don't worry and click below to read the transcript while listening.

Click to read the Transcript.

Asking for directions. Tapescript. (0.02 MB)
Now it's your turn
Let's see if you understood what you listened to:
If you go up to the fifth floor, you'll find his office________your right as you come out of the
elevator.
on
in
by
Go to the end of the road and ____ left by the traffic lights.
bend
turn
twist
_____ a right just after the supermarket.
Have
Take
Give
You ____ his house, it's painted bright pink!
cant find
cant miss
cant lose
Go ____ on to the end of the road.

straight
near
towards

2.- How to say it: The present: Simple and Continuous.

Think about it
Read these two sentences carefully, what is the main difference between them?

My boss always speaks English to his partner in London.

My boss is speaking English with his partner.

As you already know the Present continuous is used to express:

Actions that take place at the moment of speaking E.g.

o

I'm checking my emails at the moment.

Mr. Parker is having lunch right now.

Sometimes we use the present continuous to talk about the future. We use it when we want
to talk about what we have already arranged to do.
o

I'm meeting my colleagues tomorrow at 7.30 a.m.

My boss is travelling to China on Friday morning.

HOW TO MAKE THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS:

Affirmative Form:

Subject+ Verb To Be + main Verb + ING Paul is talking on the phone.

Negative Form:
Subject+ Verb To Be + NOT + main Verb + ING Joseph isn't reading the newspaper.
Interrogative Form:
Verb To Be + Subject + main Verb + ING + Complements + ? Is he working at the moment?
Common Present Continuous Time Expressions:
At the moment, now, today, this week, this month, tomorrow, next week (for future arrangements),
currently.

2.1.- Now you put it into practice (II).

Now it's your turn
Choose the correct verbal tense.

1. What

your sister

2. Math

in a factory at the moment till he finds a better job. (work).

3. Molly always

at the canteen on Fridays. (have lunch).

4. After work, he often

5. Apple

6. My boss

for a living? (do).

down to the gym round the corner. (go)

a new IPOD in two weeks. (launch).

a videoconference with his partner in Tokyo right now. (have).

7.

John

to the office today? (come).

8. Paul and Rachel

always

9. I am at the bank. I

about her job. (complain).

here, I

just

some money. ( not

work / withdraw).
10. She

the new manager. He is very demanding. (like).

11. The dollar

12. I

13.

against the Euro. (fall).

like doing all this stuff today. (not feel).

you

a lot for business? (travel).

Now it's your turn

Complete this text with the correct present tense.
My name
(to be) Peter, I
(to live) in the suburbs of Boston with my family.
Most people

(believe) we

a big house. But our family

Maggie, my wife,

(to be) rich because we

(to live) in

(to seem) to be like any other one. Have a look:

(to love) cooking. She

with her friends. At the moment she

(to enjoy) being in the kitchen

(to make) a cake and you can't talk to her. What

really

(to worry) her is our daughter, who

computer instead of cooking with her.

Like many teenagers, Jenny
think)

always
(to

(to complain) about her parents and

she

(to

she

(not + to go to) see later than listening to her parents.

It's 5 p.m. Paul, my son,

it

(to prefer) to chat in front of her

be)

easier

to

get

advice

(to play) basketball in the garden and I

watch) TV, waiting for that delicious cake that Maggie

from

someone

(to

(to cook). I told you, a family like

yours.
Peter.

2.2.- Stative verbs.

According to grammarians, there are two types of verbs: Stative and Dynamic. That is, those verbs
that cannot be used in the present continuous and those that can be used in any verbal tense.
Here you have a list of the verbs that cannot be used in the present continuous.

Like.Know.Belong.Love.Realise.Fit.
Hate.Suppose.Contain.Want.Mean.Consist.
Need.Understand.Seem.Prefer.Believe.Depend.
Agree.Remember.Matter.Mind.Recognise.See.
Own.Appear.Look. (=seem)Sound.Taste.Smell.
Hear.Astonish.Deny.Disagree.Please.Impress.
Satisfy.Promise.Surprise.Doubt.Think (=have an opinion).
Feel (=have an opinion).Wish.Imagine.Concern.Dislike.
Be.Have.Deserve.Involve.Include.Lack.
Measure. (=have length etc)Possess.Owe.Weigh. (=have weight).
A step ahead
To learn more about Stative verbs, watch the following tutorial.
Text summary

2.3.- Revision of Grammar.

A piece of advice
Why don't we revise some of the main grammar points we've seen in this unit? Take a look at the
following presentation. You might find it interesting.
Text summary

2.4.- Pronunciation. The third Person Singular: Voiceless

sounds.
Look and learn.
The -(e)s of the simple present tense is pronounced as /s/ after a voiceless sound, except /s/, /sh/,
and /ch/. The voiceless sounds are sounds that are produced with no vibration of the vocal chords.
The voiceless sounds in English are:
/f/, /k/, /p/, /s/, voiceless th (as in with), ch (as in watch), sh (as in wash)
Examples: laughs, talks, stops.
Translation
Click here to read the Spanish version.
Now it's your turn
-(e)s pronounced as [S].
Read these words aloud. Make an effort to pronounce the final (e)s sound:
Attacks AttemptsAttractsBeeps.
BlinksBoastsBreaks Circulates.
CitesCoastsConflictsConfronts.
ConsistsCorruptsCoughsDefeats.
DemonstratesDetectsDevelopsHits.
IrritatesJumpsKnocksLaughs.
LeapsRatesReactsReflects.
ResentsRetreatsRisksShapes.
SitsSleepsSnapsStacks.
SticksStopsSwapsTapes.
Thanks ThinksTypesWinks.
HitsQuotesPuffsProps.
You should know

Click on the website below to listen to the pronunciation of the previous words.
Pronunciation exercise.

3.- Words you need: At the airport.

When you get to airport there is some useful vocabulary that you should know to move around. Take
a look and try to learn the most important ones.
Useful vocabulary at the airport

ENGLISH WORDS

TRANSLATION

Air steward.

Auxiliar de vuelo.

Airline counter.

Mostrador de la compaa area.

Arrivals.

Llegadas.

Aisle-seat.

Asiento de pasillo.

Baggage claim.

Recogida de equipaje.

Boarding gate.

Puerta de embarque.

Boarding card.

Tarjeta de embarque.

Cabin crew.

Personal de abordo.

Carry-on luggage.

Equipaje de mano.

Check-in desk.

Mostrador de facturacin.

Customs.

Aduana.

Departures.

Salidas.

Departures are delayed on Schedule.

Las salidas estn retrasadas / en horario.

Direct flight / non-stop flight.

Vuelo directo.

Duty free.

Libre de impuestos.

Emergency exit.

Salida de emergencia.

Flight attendant.

Azafata, auxiliar de vuelo.

Flight number.

Nmero de vuelo.

Jet lag.

Descompensacin por la diferencia horaria.

Landing.

Aterrizaje.

Life vest.

Salvavidas.

Meeting point.

Punto de encuentro.

One-way trip.

Viaje de ida.

Overbooking.

Sobreventa (De Asientos).

Overweight.

Sobrepeso.

Pilot.

Piloto.

Restroom / lavatory.

Sanitarios.

Round trip.

Viaje de ida y vuelta.

Seat.

Asiento.

Seat belt.

Cinturn de seguridad.

Shuttle bus.

Autobs de traslado.

Stopover.

Escala.

Take-off.

Despegue.

Time of arrival.

Hora de llegada.

Time of departure.

Hora de salida.

To get on board.

Abordar.

To check-in.

Facturar el equipaje.

To fasten the seatbelt.

Abrocharse el cinturn de seguridad.

To land.

Aterrizar.

To take off.

Despegar.

Take-off.

Despegue.

Tourist.

Turista.

Travel agency.

Agencia de viajes.

Trolley.

Carrito.

Window seat.

Asiento del lado de la ventanilla.

3.1.- Now you put into practice (III).

Now it's your turn
Fill in the gaps with previous words.

1. When I travel by plane, I always ask for a

. I love looking through the

window and see the landscape.

2. The flight- attendant told us that it was compulsory to

during take-off and

landing.
3. When I went to the USA I had a terrible headache due to the terrible

4. My

is G-22, what about yours? Is it the same one?

5. When our flight was cancelled, we went to the

6. I love buying items at the airport. With the

to ask for an explanation.

they are much cheaper.

7. When you get to the airport, the first thing you have to do is to

luggage.
8. In case of an emergency, your

is the yellow item under your seat.

your

9. If you want something to drink, call the

they will come immediately to your

seat
10. Though we usually buy our tickets directly on the internet, when we went to London, we
arranged our journey through a

Autoevaluacin
Match the words on the left to their definition on the right.
Matching exercise

Word

Match

Definition

PASSENGER.

A. The process of moving a plane down onto the ground at the

end of a journey.

DEPARTURE
TIME.

B. A card that each passenger has to show before they are

allowed to get on a plane or a ship.

TAKE OFF.

C. A strong belt in a car or plane that you fasten around yourself

to hold you in your seat.

Matching exercise

Word

Match

Definition

LANDING.

D. A bus, train or plane that makes frequent short journeys

between two places, especially at the airport.

CHECK-IN.

E. To arrive at an airport and show your ticket to an official.

BOARDING
CARD.

F. Go on a journey to a place and come back again.

MEETING
POINT.

G. Someone who travels in a motor vehicle, aircraft, train or ship

but it is not the driver or one of the people who works on it.

SEAT BELT.

H. A point at an airport or railway station where people can

arrange to meet.

SHUTTLE BUS.

I. When a plane leaves the ground and starts flying.

ROUND TRIP.

J. The time when a bus, plane or train leaves.

GETTING INTERNATIONAL.- Communicative activities.

Situation

Read the text and listen to the situation.

Script
It's Saturday morning and Lourdes and Susana have been in London for a really long week. In just
seven days, they have moved to a foreign country, started their FCT in a company and started to
live on their own with no parents around. Too many changes for such a short period of time. The
girls feel weird, on the one hand they are excited because at last, they are exactly where they
wanted to be, however on the other, they miss their family and friends and the idea of not seeing
them for a long time makes them really sad, especially Susana.
Lourdes: Come on Susana, cheer up! Look around you: we are in London! This is our dream! I
know you miss your family and so do I, but this is a unique opportunity; this only happens once in
life! Let's enjoy our time here; Christmas is almost round the corner, you'll see!
Susana: I know. You are right but ugh! Till Christmas, it's a long time, we are just at the beginning
of September!
Lourdes: Don't think about that Susana! Let's live day by day; let's enjoy every second as if it were
the last and, who knows? Maybe by the end of the year, we will be like Gema, looking for a job
because we don't feel like coming back!
Susana: I see what you mean but OK, you are right, Lourdes, no more tears! Let's enjoy this
great opportunity; we have plenty of time to be at home listening to our mum telling us to do things!
Let's have fun, we are in London!
Narrator: The girls hug each other and suddenly
Susana: Oh no Lourdes!
Lourdes: What's wrong?
Susana: Did you notice that we've been in London for a week and we haven't visited any
monuments yet? We haven't even seen Big Ben from a distance!
Lourdes: Are you thinking the same as I?
Lourdes and susana: Yes. Let's go sightseeing!

1.- Reading Exercise.

Situation
Lourdes and Susana tell Gema about their plans, but she cannot go with them because she s got
things to do. She gives them a travel card for the underground and tells them how to get to the
nearest Tourist information Office. The girls take all their stuff, camera included, and leave the house
ready to enjoy their first day off in London! When they get to the Tourist Office, they find a long

queue ahead them, so they take a brochure about the Tower of London and read it while they wait
to be helped.

Tower of london, U.K.

The Tower of London is one of London's most popular and iconic tourist attractions. Built by William
The Conqueror in the early 1080s the Towers role has been as a fortress, palace and prison.
One of the main reasons to visit the Tower is to see the working collection of Crown Jewels. There
are 23,578 in the collection including one of the world's most famous diamonds. Find out who dared
to try and steal the Jewels in 1671 and whether they succeeded.
Many people lost their heads in the Tower and the Prisoners exhibition looks at some of the Towers
more infamous inmates including Anne Boleyn, Edward V, Guy Fawkes and Sir Thomas More. The
Tower's history as a prison continued during the two world wars and still held executions.
There is so much to see at the Tower including the 'Yeomen of the Guard', the Ravens, Henry VIII's
armour, instruments of torture in Lower Wakefield Tower and the Traitors Gate.
The nearest tube station is Tower Hill on the Circle and District underground lines. The Tower
Gateway station on the Docklands Light Railway is also within easy walking distance.
Text adapted from: http://www.tourist-information-uk.com/tower-of-london.htm#ixzz1JyG42fEJ
Opening Times

November to March:

March to October:

Tues Sat 9:00 - 16:30.

Tues - Sat 9:00 - 17:30.

Sun/Mon 10:00 - 16:30.

Sun/Mon 10:00 - 17:30.

The Tower is closed 24-26 December and 1 January.

Now it's your turn

Who built the Tower of London?
William The Conqueror in 1080s.
Anne Boleyn in 1671.
Edward V in 1080.
If it is April 19th (Sunday), what time does The Tower open and close?
It opens at 10:00 and closes at 16:30.
It opens at 9:00 and closes at 17:30.
It opens at 10:00 and closes at 17:30.
How many roles did the Tower have in the past?
It was a Palace and a holiday resort.
It was a fortress and a key tourist point.
It was a Palace, a fortress and a prison.
If you are a student and you are visiting the Tower with a child and a 70 yeared-old person,
how much would it be?
50.
37,50.
46.

2.- Listening Exercise.

Situation
The girls are still at the tourist office, they have been waiting for more than ten minutes and they are
really nervous since they will have to use their English to ask for the information they want to
know, do you think they will be able to do so?
Listen to the following situation at the Tourist Information Office. Then, answer the questions
below.
(Read the script only after you have answered the questions).Script
Now it's your turn
Choose the correct word in bold to make true sentences. The tourist asks for a of the city
centre.
postcard.
map.
First of all, the tourist would like to visit the
Science Museum.
Natural History Museum.
Next they would like to go to the

zoo.
fair.
Now it's your turn
Complete the directions given to the tourist with the words below.
Right map left traffic lights station down turn metres marked opposite.
"Turn

out of the hotel and continue for 250

of

until you arrive at a set

right at the lights on to Museum Street. Continue

street for a few minutes and you will see the Natural History Museum on the

this

hand side,

3.- Speaking Exercise.

Imagine you are sitting down in a pub in London having a delicious and refreshing pint of
beer! Next to you, there is a really attractive person you would like to meet. Introduce
yourself to that person in the forum of the unit.

Say hello and at least your name, age, nationality, hobbies, studies, and telephone number!

Remember to follow an order, and be natural.

4.- Writing Exercise.

You have been to London for about a week and want to send a few lines to your English
teacher in Spain telling him/her about your experience. Fill in the postcard below and send it
in the forum to your teacher.
Dear Mr./Ms.
_______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________