Background: This ESL podcast is about someone getting ready for their first airplane flight. We hear an amusing conversation between two passengers as they are boarding the plane. Listen to this English learning Podcast and learn real life English listening skills in a very realistic situation. Tell us what you think on the discussion forum linked below.
Discussion forum Lesson Below
English Learning Conversation
| A: Excuse me. Do you know if this is the flight to Toronto?
B: Yes it is. It says so right on the big sign over there. A: Oh ya. Stupid question. I guess I’m just a bit nervous. It’s my first flight. B: Really. Wow. Ok. Well, there’s nothing to be nervous about. It’s about as safe as driving. The only thing you should be nervous about is the airplane food. It’s hardly appetizing. A: I’m just worried about how boring it’s gonna be. 12 hours crammed into that tiny seat. I know I won’t be able to sleep. I also get motion sickness sometimes too. B: Here. Take some Gravol. It’s perfect for motion sickness and it will help you sleep too. You should also chew gum during take off and landing so that your ears don’t pop with the pressure changes. A: Thanks a lot! By the way, do you find it difficult to sleep on the plane? B: I don’t have any problems because I fly first class. A: Wow. Those tickets are really expensive. B: Ya, but it’s worth it. I wouldn’t be caught dead flying cattle class.
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Phrases and Vocabulary used:
Airplane food: This is the kind of food that is served on airplanes during flights. It’s common for people to complain about airplane food. So when you hear “airplane food” you can imagine that the food they are talking about isn’t very tasty.
Hardly appetizing: If food is “appetizing” it means it is good and makes you feel like eating more. If some food is described as being “hardly appetizing” it means that it isn’t good and it won’t make you feel like eating.
Motion sickness: This is a kind of sick feeling that some people get when they are in a moving car, bus, or airplane. If it is severe, it makes some people throw up or almost throw up. It is a very unpleasant feeling.
Gravol: This is the brand name of a popular type of medicine, which is given to people to relieve motion sickness. It also works if you have an “upset stomach” for some other reason like being too nervous. Some people also like to take it during a long airplane ride because it helps them to relax and makes it easier to sleep.
“Chew gum so that your ears don’t pop with the pressure changes”: Some people’s ears feel a kind of pressure or pain while on an airplane. This is because the air pressure in the airplane is different when the airplane is on the ground and in the air. If you are bothered with this “ear popping” feeling, it helps to chew gum when the airplane is both taking off and landing.
I wouldn’t be caught dead…: If someone says that they “wouldn’t’ be caught dead” doing something, it means that they really would hate to do that thing and would be really embarrassed if someone knew they did it. Someone might say, “I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing a shirt like that”. It means, they really don’t like the shirt and would be really embarrassed for someone to see them wearing it.
Cattle class: This is an uncommon phrase that I heard someone say once. I thought it was funny so I included it in the dialog. Cattle are cows. “Cattle class” here refers to “economy class”. Economy class tickets are the regular plane tickets that most people buy. His joke was that he wouldn’t want to ride in the same place with all the cows. He was referring to the regular passengers as being cows. It’s not nice but it sounded funny as a joke.
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