4 Transportation in Hong Kong
A How many kinds of public transportation do you have in your city? Does your city have any of the types in these pictures? subway cable car rickshaw ferry
B Read about transportation in Hong Kong. Match the photos in part A to the descriptions. Hong Kong has an excellent transportation system, both old and new. If you fly there, you will arrive at one of the most modern airports in the world. And during your visit, there are many ways to get around Hong Kong.
1. _______________________________________________________________________ This word comes from the Japanese jinrikisha. It is a two-wheeled vehicle that is pulled by one person. Today, there are still a few of them in Hong Kong, but they are only for tourists.
2. _______________________________________________________________________ Take one of these to cross from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon or to visit one of the other islands. You can also use them to travel to Macau and Guangdong. They are safe and comfortable, and one of the cheapest boat rides in the world.
3. _______________________________________________________________________ Hong Kong's underground railway is called the MTR—the Mass Transit Railway. It is the fastest way to get around. Two tunnels cross under the harbor and go from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon.
4. _______________________________________________________________________ These are found on Hong Kong Island and take you to the top of Victoria Peak—548 meters (about 1.798 feet) above sea level. The system is over 100 years old. In that time,there has never been an accident. Two cars carry up to 120 passengers each.
C Which kind of transportation would you prefer to use? Why?
5 Complete these conversations. Use the words in the box. □ bus station
□√duty-free shop
□ sign
□ cash machine □ schedule
1. A: Could you tell me where I can buy some perfume? B: You should try the duty-free shop. 2. A: Can you tell me where the buses are?
B: Yeah, there's a ________ just outside this building. 3. A: Oh, no. I don't have enough money. B: There's a ________ right there.
4. A: Do you know what time the last bus leaves for downtown? B: No, but I can check the ________ for you. 5. A: Could you tell me where the taxi stand is? B: Sure. Just follow that ________
6 Complete the questions in this conversation at a hotel Guest: Could you tell me where the gym is? Clerk: Sure, the gym is on the nineteenth floor. Guest: OK. And can you ________?
Clerk: Yes, the coffee shop is next to the gift shop.
Guest: The gift shop? Hmm. I need to buy something for my wife. Do you ________?
Clerk: It closes at 6:00 P.M. I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow. It's already 6:15.
Guest: OK. Oh, I'm expecting a fax to arrive for me. Could you ________? Clerk: Don't worry. I'll call you when it arrives.
Guest: Thanks. Just one more thing. Do you ________?
Clerk: The airport bus leaves every half hour. Anything else? Guest: No, I don't think so. Thanks.
7 Rewrite these sentences. Find another way to say each sentence using the words given.
1. There are too many cars in this city. (fewer) There should be fewer cars in this city. 2. We need fewer buses and cars downtown. (traffic) ________________________________ 3. Where's the subway station? (Could you) _________________________________
4. There isn't enough public parking. (parking garages) __________________________________ 5. How often does the bus come? (Do you) __________________________________
6. What time does the last train leave? (Can you) ___________________________________
8 Answer these questions about your city or a city you know. The streets are closed to cars in a traffic-free zone.
1. Are there any traffic-free zones? If so, where are they located? ____________________________________ 2. How do most people travel to and from work? ____________________________________ 3. What's the rush hour like?
____________________________________ 4. What's the city's biggest problem?
____________________________________ 5. What has the city done about it?
____________________________________ 6. Is there anything else the city could do?
_____________________________________
3 Time for a change!
1 Opposites
A Write the opposites. Use the words in the box. □ dark □ old □ expensive □ safe □√ inconvenient □ small
□ noisy □ spacious
1. convenient / inconvenient 5. bright / ________ 2. cramped / ________ 6. modern / ________ 3. dangerous / ________ 7. quiet / ________ 4. big / ________ 8. reasonable/ _______
B Rewrite these sentences. Find another way to say each sentence using not.., enough or too and the words in part A.
1. The house is too expensive.
The house isn't reasonable enough. 2. The rooms aren't bright enough. ____________________________
3. The living room isn't spacious enough for the family. _____________________________ 4. The bathroom is too old.
_____________________________ 5. The yard isn't big enough for our pets. ______________________________ 6. The street is too noisy for us.
______________________________ 7. The neighborhood is too dangerous. ______________________________ 8. The kitchen isn't convenient enough. ______________________________
2 Add the word enough to these sentences. Grammar note: enough
Enough comes after adjectives but before nouns. adjective + enough enough + noun It isn't spacious enough. There isn't enough space. The rooms aren't light enough. It doesn't have enough light.
1. The apartment isn't comfortable∧enough. 5. The neighborhood doesn't have street lights. 2. There aren't bedrooms. 6. There aren't closets. 3. It's not modern. 7. It's not private. 4. There aren't parking spaces. 8. The living room isn't spacious.
3 Complete this conversation. Use the words given and the comparisons in the box. (Some of the comparisons in the box can be used more than once.)
just as many... as many... as almost as... as not as... as
Realtor: How did you like the house on Twelfth Street?
Client: Well, it's not as convenient as the apartment on Main Street. (convenient) Realtor: That's true, the house is less convenient.
Client: But the house is ________ the apartment. (cramped) Realtor: Yes, the house is more spacious.
Client: I think there are ________ in the apartment. (closets) Realtor: You're right. The closet space is the same.
Client: The wallpaper in the apartment is ________________ in the house. (shabby) Realtor: I know, but you could change the wallpaper in the house.
Client: Hmm, the rent on the apartment is ________________ the house, but the house is much bigger. (expensive) Oh, I can't decide. Can you show me something else? 4 Home, sweet home
A Complete this questionnaire about where you live and find your score below. How does your home measure up? The outside 1. Are you close enough to shopping? 2. Is there enough public transportation nearby? 3. Are the sidewalks clean? 4. Are there good restaurants in the neighborhood? 5. Is there a park nearby? 6. Is the neighborhood quiet? 7. Is the neighborhood safe? 8. Is there enough parking nearby? 9. Is the building in good condition? The inside 10. Are there enough bedrooms? 11. Is there enough closet space? 12. Is the bathroom modern? 13. Is there a washing machine? 14. Is there enough space in the kitchen? 15. Do the stove and refrigerator work well? 16. Is the living room comfortable enough? 17. Is the dining area big enough? 18. Are the walls newly painted? 19. Are the rooms bright enough? 20. Is the building warm enough in winter? To score: How many “yes” answers do you have? 16-20
Yes □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ Yes □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ No □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ No □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □
It sounds like a dream home! 11-15
Great! All you need now is a swimming pool! 6-10
Well, at least houseguests won't want to stay too long! 0-5
Time to look for a better place to live!
B Write two short paragraphs about where you live. In the first paragraph describe your neighborhood, and in the second paragraph describe your home. Use the information in part A or your own information.
__________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 5 Wishes
A Which words or phrases often go with which verbs? Complete the chart. □ my appearance □ happier □ no homework □ my job □ more free time □√ healthier □ somewhere else □ to a new place
be change have move healthier ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________
B Describe what these people would like to change. Use I wish and words or phrases in part A.
1. I wish I were healthier. 2. ___________________ 3. ___________________ 4. ___________________ 5. ___________________ 6. ___________________ 6 Wish list
A Find six things Don would like to change in his life. Write sentences with He wishes.
I used to enjoy life more. Nowadays, I just go to work in the morning and come home in the evening. I don't enjoy my job anymore, but I must say the money is good. I don't go out as often as I used to. I used to go to the movies once a week. Now I go to the movies only once a month. And I used to visit my friends all the time. Now I never see them. My weekends are really boring, too. I spend my time cleaning the house and watching TV. Why don't I go out more often? I guess I just got lazy. Perhaps I should buy a car. Yeah, I've saved a lot of money. I'll go buy a new car right now!