RETHINKING TRAVEL in episode of the BBC's Rethink podcast, ‘Seb Emina: Rethinking Travel’ Source: Focus: Listening, Word forms * Would you consider yourself to be a'travel lover’? What do you love about it, specifically? * What feelings and experiences can you have when travelling that you cannot have at home? + Ist possible to replicate these feelings without leaving home? + Have you felt frustrated during this pandemic at the limitations placed on travel? How have you changed or adapted to these limitations? + What are the disadvantages of travel? Think in terms of individuals, communities and the environment. + Do you ever feel guilty about travelling? + What is a ‘staycation’ and why are they becoming increasingly popular? Have you ever been on a staycation? + What kind of virtual reality (VR) could be developed to recreate the experience of travel without leaving the house? + Do you think that VR could ever replace travel fully? Why or why not? + What impact has social media had on our perspec- tive of travel? VOCABULARY #1 Match the words and phrases in the list with their definitions. A. Aturning point /tz:ninjpoint/ B, Immersion /ama3en/ . Fumes /fjumz/ D. To signify /srg.na.fat/ E, Namely /nermn.li/ F, Simulation /si.mjeletfan/ G. To facilitate /fa'st.la.tert/ H.To survey /saver/ 1. To distinguish /dastin.gwaf/ J. Prototype /prav.tautarp/ K, Sensory /sen.sa.ri/ L. To monopolise /mano.pa.laiz/ 1. To mean; to be a sign of something Il, To make something possible, or easier IIL, The first example of something, which can later be used to develop a real product IV. Atime at which something starts to change in an important way V. Strong, unpleasant and dangerous gas or smoke VI. To know or notice the difference between two things VIL. To have complete control of something so that. others are prevented from sharing it Vill. A situation that is designed to look and seem real, butisn’t IX. To look at or examine something carefully X. Connected with the physical senses of touch, smell, taste, hearing and sight XI. Used before you are about to give more specific detail of something you've just said XI. A situation where you are completely involved in, something VOCABULARY #2 Use the words or phrases from the list in the sentences below. You might need to change the tense or form of the word to fit into the grammar of the sentence. 1. Although social media can certainly social interaction and connect us with others, it seems that it has the potential to our attention, drawing us away from real interactions. 2. Engineers have released a ofa battery-powered plane, but this technology is far from being viable. 3, Language is preferable for people who hope to learn quickly, particularly when it comes to speaking. 4, When I first went to Circular Quay in Sydney, I ___the scenery. It was more that what I saw, though. Travel is a truly experience, with sounds, smells and tastes all playing a part. It would be difficult to create a of those aspects of travel with technology. 5. The created by travel are truly concerning, those emitted by planes. 6. My sister and I look so similar that it’s hard to between us from a distance. 7. The Covid pandemic has major changes to how we think about travel. Indeed, itis a real in the industry, which is probably a good thing! ENGLISHDOTCOMMUNITY.COM10, What experience does he think might simulate travel in the near future? Listen to the episode of the BBC's Rethink podcast, Seb Emina: Rethinking Travel’. Make notes on the main ideas you hear. 11. What do we really seek when we travel? 12, What should we all try some time? Read the following sentences from the podcast, and Listen again and answer these questions: complete them with the most suitable word or phrase from the box. (Note that some of the words do not fit in). Then 1. Why have travel-overs been feeling guilty about their stem again and check your answers. passion for travel? literally connected pleasures start realistic getting worse laughable monument 2, Where did Seb Emina ‘go’ earlier today? How did he go there? far-fetched suspecting totally Swedes justify so-called breathtakingly deep-down horrible Inject pandemic replicate difficulties easing up 3, What is the reason for creating VR travel? 1, Those of us who have found foreign travel to be one of the great of life have, in recent years, felt ever-more guilt. 4, What word did he use to describe the experience? 2 The even have a word for it, ‘flygskam, or ‘flying shame’ 3. Butas Emina explains, there are remarkable new 5. What's full-dive’ VR? What does it involve? technologies that create the sensation of seeing the wonders of the world without. seeing them. 4. Earlier today, I went to the Taj Mahal. I've never been 6. What's ‘smart skin’? before. Itwas____—_—beautiful. 5. The most severe phase of lockdown may finally be , but the idea of long-haul travel still 7. What might ‘brain machine interfaces’ someday Seems allow? 6. Knowing what we know about the environmental impact of flying, it's becoming difficult to getting on a plane just because we want to see some great or astonishing natural wonder. 7. Virtual reality has a long way to go before it can authentically the elusive assortment of activities we are talking about when we say the word ‘travel’ 8, What are the three philosophical questions he asks: 9. What point does he make about the ‘virtual reality’ that already exists? 8. If that all seems quite well that’s because it is, at least for now. 9. Elsewhere, there are start-ups hard at work on ‘brain machine interfaces’.10. If know that this beach is fake, NOUN Vere Javvective] ADVERB wonttit kind-of ruin it for me, no matter how real it appears? - - Temporary 11. In a world where we can sensory Fascinating data directly into our consciousnesses, won't the Pilosopical concept of travel mean something completely different anyway? : : Unerpected 12. In fact, when I think about that last question, I find beng myself that virtual reality already may exists. 13. Haven't we all been surprised during lockdown by Basti how we stil felt? Remarkable - - Lateral - ‘presale Breathing Beat + Do you think that the pandemic could be a real Ta turning point for individuals and society when it - - aly comes to travel? Why or why not? - Severe + The speaker described his VR experience at the Laughate ‘boring, ? Taj Mahal as ‘boring’ Is this surprising to you! cm Why or why not? + What do you think about the more advanced VR = Namely technology mentioned, like the ‘second skin” - Convincing Do you think you'd be willing to try it? 7 Tage + Given the environmental damage created by air "aoa travel, do you think that people will begin to sing make different choices around flying in the Wonder future (once it becomes possible again, of Toma course)? Why or why not? Borin + Reconsider the speaker's final point: “I have this a suspicion that the spirit of travel, or part of it, will theta become available simply by walking out of the Te {front door with no devices to hand.” What does this mean? What is your perspective? Sinaiatod 2 Dieety - Tue LANGUAGE FOCUS #1: WORD FORMS imporanty Sensary This podcast contained a lot of describing words (adverbs a ‘and adjectives). - oe Different A) Read the words in the table, Do you know what they mean? If not, use your dictionary to check. Parpetoat Comected - ) Complete the table with the other forms of the words in the table, Inereasingly - tapityLANGUAGE FOCUS #2: EXAM-STYLE TASK This task is based on the Cambridge ‘Use of English’ paper Task 3. Complete each space with an appropriate form of the word in bold. Social media is 1) (PERPETUATE) bombarding us with information about where our friends are, where we should go, and, most 2) (IMPORTANCE), where we are not. It often 3) (CONVINCING) us that all of our friends are off in an exotic location having a fantastic time, taking in 4) (BREATH) scenery and having 5) (EXCITEMENT) new experiences, while we are stuck at home. We are 6) (INCREASE) made to feel that in order to live a full life, we too need to travel constantly. The 7) (TRUE) is that although travel can be absolutely 8) (WONDER), itis not without its challenges. Cultural 9), (DIFFERENT) can cause us stress, long waits in airports 10) (BORING) us to tears, and the food that looks and smells so appealing can 19) (LITERAL) send back to our hotel bathroom for days! An 12) (AUTHENTICITY) travel experience always seems to involve a lot of difficulty. We can 13) (LAUGHABLE) about these things later or edit them for social media, but at the time, travel definitely isn't all it’s, cracked up to be. And then there's the 14) (ENVIRONMENT) impact to consider. 15) (NAME), the enormous quantity of fumes released into the atmosphere every year thanks to out travel addiction. It’s 16) (IMPORTANCE) that we all face the fact that we are having an i) (ASTONISH) negative impact on the planet. This may be an 18) (SETTLE) truth, but it's one we need to acknowledge. We need to ask ourselves with compete 19) (HONEST, is travel really worth it? Should we give up the idea of travel 20) (TEMPORARY) or altogether? These are deep 21) (PHILOSOPHY) questions we will all need to ask ourselves sooner or later.RETHINKING TRAVEL Source: An episode of the BBC's Rethink podcast, ‘Seb Emina: Rethinking Travel’ Focus: Listening, Word forms VOCABULARY #1 AI DUT ou pm B)xII EX HX KX ov Avil) VE VIL VOCABULARY #1 1. facilitate; monopolise 5. fumes; namely 2. prototype 6. distinguish 3. immersion 7. signified; turning point 4, surveyed; sensory; simulation LISTENING #2: SHORT ANSWER 1. Because of the environmental impact of travel {emissions from planes) 2, He went to the Taj Mahal in India via a virtual reality headset. To reduce the environmental impact of fiying Boring 5. Asimulated travel experience that authentically replicates travel, in which a fake experience would be impossible to distinguish from a real one. 6. Something worn on the skin to enable the sensation of touch to be broadcast to the body via technology. 7. They might allow places (like a beach, in the exam- ple) to be beamed directly into our brains. 8, IFT know that the beach is fake, won't it ruin the experience? How am I supposed to find a local cafe to let me feel I've discovered the true place? Won't the concept of travel start to mean something very different anyway? 9. He thinks that social media is a version of virtual reality, but that it wasn't what we expected VR to look like Walking out the front door with no devices Asense of disconnection from the noise of our everyday lives 12, Leave the house without our phone 10. " LISTENING #3: SENTENCE COMPLETION 1. pleasures 6, justify; 10. deep-down 2. 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