VIDEO SCRIPTS
7.9 (DVD 2); CD 3 Track 9
UNIT
7 Page 61, exercises 5 and 6B
7.8 (DVD 2); CD 3 Track 8
Page 60, exercises 3 and 4B
S = Simon, P = Penny
S: Hello, and welcome to Learning Curve. I’m here in the UK and with
me today is one of my co-hosts, Penny, from our studio in New York.
Today, our programme is on commuting. How do you get to work?
What’s your commute like? Do you walk, cycle or do you drive? Today,
we look at how people commute all around the world. Penny? Penny
was going to give us some information on …
P: The traffic! It was terrible! Sorry I’m late. I usually run to work from
the gym, but today, I took a taxi! It’s still rush hour and, as usual,
there was a traffic jam! This city is always crowded with cars, taxis
and lorries, you know, trucks! We’re running out of space! Right.
Commuting. Maybe some people who don’t drive to work don’t
mind it! How do people commute in big cities in different countries?
Around the world, many people use public transport to get to
work. In Tokyo, for example, there are thirteen commuter subway
lines. These underground trains take people back and forth to work
very quickly. Shinjuku is the busiest subway station in the world! A
new study has found that, worldwide, the average journey time to
work is 40 minutes. In Barcelona, Spain, this is shorter. It only takes
commuters about 24 minutes. But, for others, it’s far longer than 40
minutes. Let’s look at some of the worst cities for commuting time.
Can you imagine spending two hours commuting to work? That’s
the average in Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand. The worst of it
is at rush hour, between 7.30 and 9.30 in the morning. In a city of
eight million people, the traffic jams can be terrible. Commuters in
Bangkok say it’s the most difficult part of their day. Why are those
people wearing white gloves? Well, that’s because it’s their job to
push people from the platform onto the trains. Pushers wear white
gloves to show respect for commuters, but also that they care for
their appearance. Tokyo’s train system carries 40 million passengers
a day. If they didn’t have pushers at rush hour, those doors would
never close! In New Delhi, India, seven million cars come into the
city every day. It is very difficult to find a place to park. Often, people
argue over spaces at car parks. Twenty-four percent of people in New
Delhi say they have argued over a parking space in the last year. And
if you find a space in one of Delhi’s large car parks, you might want
to draw a map to your car! Some can have up to 820 cars. They’re
so big that many people have trouble finding their cars in these, as
Americans say, parking lots, at the end of the day. Now let’s find
out about commuters in London. Simon is out on the streets this
evening. Simon, our viewers want to know: how do people in this city
commute and how long does it take? And what’s the rush hour like?
B1 Pre-Intermediate
B1  STUDENT'S BOOK
Si = Simon, M = Mike, P = Penny, Sa = Sandra, L = Lorena
Si: Excuse me, excuse me. Hi, I’m Simon from Learning Curve.
M: Can I help you? Er, Mike. Is that a mic?
Si: Thank you, Mike. Yes, it is. May I ask how you get to work every day?
M: I take the train.
Si: Oh, so you aren’t on your way to work right now?
M: Yes, I am. Oh, right. Um, I ride my bike to the station, carry it onto the
train, and then I cycle to work when I get off the train.
Si: How long does that take you?
M: About fifteen minutes to the station, then I spend about half an hour
on the train. And after that, it’s about another ten minutes to the
office, so er, about an hour altogether, if I time it correctly.
Si: What time do you set off?
M: Usually about 4.00 p.m. I work from five to midnight at the gym.
Si: Oh! Evenings! So, do you have any problems with your commute?
M: Yes, a lot. Er, rain. You know, cycling can get a bit dangerous when
the roads or pavements are wet, especially if a cyclist is going fast. So
when it rains, I leave a bit earlier, about 3.30 p.m., because I need to
go a little slower. The second thing is traffic lights.
Si: Why are traffic lights a problem?
M: My biggest problem is pedestrians. Sometimes, they stand behind
street lights and then try to cross the street! They don’t always look
out for us. And the last thing, parked cars. If someone opens a door,
uh-oh! Anyway, it isn’t raining today and the light has just changed to
green, so, bye!
Si: Oh. He’s off then! Penny’s now out on the street in New York City.
Penny? What’s it like for morning commuters there?
P: Well, it’s late morning here, but there is still a lot of traffic. I’m here in
front of our building in New York. Hi, what’s your name?
Sa: Oh, hello! I’m Sandra.
P: Hi, Sandra. Do you drive to work every day? How do you feel about
your commute?
Sa: Oh, I love my commute. It’s really the only chance I get to chat with
my good friend, Bonnie. We car pool every day.
P: Bonnie? Sorry, is she in the back?
Sa: Oh, she’s not with me today. She’s at home.
P: Not many people enjoy commuting. You are one of the few.
Sa: Well, you see, Bonnie and I have such great chats. If there’s a delay
because of traffic, we can talk longer. Today, I’m just listening to my
car radio. It’s so amazing. It continues playing even after you turn off
the car!
P: I think you’re the only person in the world who likes traffic! Or car
radios.
Sa: Well, I try to stay positive. Sometimes Bonnie and I sing in the car.
It makes the drive seem faster. I always give her a lift because she
doesn’t drive. And we also share the cost of gas, so it works out well.
P: Oh, you share petrol costs. Good idea! So, how far do you drive each
day?
Sa: Oh, about fifteen to twenty miles, I think. It isn’t really that far.
P: No, it isn’t. Do you ever have any problems getting to work?
Sa: The biggest problem is always parking! I can never find a parking spot
near my job.
P: Oh, car parks and parking! It’s a problem everywhere!
Sa: I usually leave my house about twenty minutes earlier so I’m not,
oops, late! I’m late! Nice chatting with you!
P: Uh oh, well, off you go then, Sandra! Nice to chat with you! So,
Simon, it seems that parking is one of the most annoying things
about commuting! Who is with you now, Simon?
1 Personal Best B1 © Richmond 2018
 VIDEO SCRIPTS B1  STUDENT'S BOOK

Si: Thanks, Penny. I think you’re right about parking. It’s a problem
everywhere. I’m here in the streets of London with Lorena. Lorena,
are you a commuter?
L: Well, I don’t work. I’m at university so I attend classes every day. But I
suppose I am a commuter, sort of.
Si: How do you get to university?
L: I go on foot. Every day!
Si: How long does it take?
L: Hmm, about 40 minutes each way.
Si: Wow! That’s a lot of walking!
L: True! I’ve already worn out two pairs of trainers this year.
Si: That sounds expensive!
L: Well, I don’t spend any money on the Underground, Tube, or
anything, so I just spend it on really good trainers. I also have this app
on my mobile. See? It counts my steps. I try to fit between fifteen and
twenty thousand steps in every day. It’s really great exercise.
Si: Wow, that’s a lot of steps! And a lot of miles. Can you show me that
app?
L: Sure.
Si: So, how many steps is it from home to university, usually?
P: Well, Simon’s gone for a bit of a walk! And that’s all the time we have.
So, what’s your commute like? Do you cycle or walk? Do you spend
time on public transport, or do you drive? Let us know! Thanks for
watching. See you next time.

B1 Pre-Intermediate 2 Personal Best B1 © Richmond 2018