Do the preparation task first. Then listen to the audio and do the exercises.
Preparation
Transcript
Dave: Jean, hi!
Jean: Hi, Dave. How are you?
Dave: Good, good.
Jean: Wait a second, I'm not calling you in Canada, right? You're back now, aren't you?
Dave: Yeah, I got back two days ago.
Jean: Oh good, phew. Because I wouldn't want to be calling you long distance without realising it and suddenly ...
Dave: You've spent a fortune on a long-distance call. No, I know, it's OK. I actually wouldn't answer the phone while I was over there if I saw the call was coming from England. But no worries, we're in the same country now.
Jean: Yeah. So, how was the trip? Did you meet your long-lost uncle?
Dave: I did, actually. It was very good. I flew to Toronto and stayed there for a few days. At first I was really worried about my accommodation because I kept reading these appalling stories about rental flats going all wrong.
Jean: Oh, was it one of those?
Dave: Yeah.
Jean: My friend had a disastrous experience in Barcelona with one of them. The place didn't look anything like the photos, and all the neighbours hated that there was a holiday flat in their building. Awkward situation. Urgh.
Dave: Right. So, as I was saying, I was really worried because I heard these stories. And at first I couldn't find the place. Turns out I was in the wrong building. It was next door, and on the top floor, and … wow. Jean, this place was fabulous! Really spacious, with these floor-to-ceiling windows and the most scenic views of the city. I could see the lake and the whole city skyline and skyscrapers from my bedroom. I had to pinch myself to prove I wasn't dreaming.
Jean: Sounds pretty cool. So, what's it like? The city, I mean. I've always wanted to go to Canada.
Dave: It's nice. I mean, it's another big, vibrant, modern city. But it's really clean, and there's lots of parks. One of the things I liked was the multiculturalism. We visited Chinatown, Little Italy, Greektown, Little India … umm, I can't remember the others but it was sort of a new area every three or four blocks, you know?
Jean: Hey, is it true that there's a whole part of the city that's underground? I read that somewhere about Toronto, or saw it on some TV show.
Dave: It's true! I asked about that. They call it the PATH. There's, like, almost 30 kilometres of restaurants, shops, cinemas and stuff all underground. In the middle of the downtown area.
Jean: Amazing!
Dave: Yeah, but actually once you're down there it's not that noticeable. There's actually a lot of natural light. I forgot we were underground. It's mostly useful to get out of the cold weather.
Jean: What temperature was it while you were there?
Dave: It was still only November, but it was getting cold. We had at least a day where it was less than zero. My uncle told me that in January and February it can go down to 20 below zero.
Jean: Oh, wow. I think I'd die!
Dave: Yeah, and the worst thing was what they call the 'wind-chill' factor. So they say the temperature is zero degrees, but minus eight with the wind chill. So it feels like minus eight. And my uncle said the wind-chill factor can go down to minus 40.
Jean: Stop it! You're making me feel cold just thinking about it. So, how was meeting your uncle? The famous Uncle George.
Dave: That was great too. He lives outside of Toronto, in a cottage by a lake. Really tranquil and unspoiled nature.
Jean: I'm dying to see photos. You want to meet up soon? Or are you too jet lagged still?
Dave: Yeah, I'm actually free tomorrow if you like.
The last place that I traveled was san diego, Anaheim and Los Ángeles, I recommend it 100%, the persons, the environment, the lifestyle they have there, is just of another planet compairing to México.
I'm wondering whether it's correct way to say '' there's lots of parks...'' Appreciate it.
Hello jbeetea10,
It is non-standard - the grammatically standard form would be 'there are lots of (a lot of / many) parks' as the verb should agree with the following noun, which is plural. However, when speaking informally a lot of native speakers use this kind of non-standard form. My advice would be that it's fine to say this in an informal context but I wouldn't put it in writing or use it in a more formal setting when I'm trying to make a good impression.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
The last place I visited was the Guadeloupe Island in the Carribbean, I would recommend it because it was so beautiful and the weather was nice. People were so relaxed and I loved the ambiance. The food was good too!
The last place I travelled to was Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia. I enjoyed the laidback lifestyle, the unspoiled nature and of course, the delectable street food! My adventurous partner and I ventured into an old Chinese cemetery out of curiosity. We became feasts for the mosquitoes!
I would highly recommend a trip there to immerse yourself in the unique culture, sights, and sounds.
Actually, the last place that I visited is Sudan.
I really recommend to you due It was unexciting place and natural.
Although there are many places that u have visited instance Art National Museum, Mara mountain moreover the Alkhalfa street worth visit.Despite of that the people are very kindly and hospitality they can let u pay any think from my experience I went with my money back.
I forget to mentioned that there are more than 200 pyramids in Sudan❤️
Hi everyone,
The last place I travelled to was Ica in Peru. I recommend to visit this department because the food is delicious, also their sweets. And of course, you can visit La Huacachina, a oasis in the desert, and have a good experience in the Natural Reserve in Paracas, where you can see marine wildlife. Amazing!
It was Istanbul. yes it is a excellent tourist city. It is multiculturalism and dynamic city. I feel life goes on in this city.
Hello learnEnglish team,
What's the meaning of "Catching up after a trip"
Thanks
Hello Moses Habarugira,
'Catching up' here means to find out what has been happening recently. You can catch up after a trip because you haven't seen someone for a while, for example. You can also use 'catch up' with 'on' and an object: catch up on the news, catch up on the latest football results etc.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team