UNIT 3 : traveling to china

READING

(The author describes a journey that he made on the great express train that travels through
Russia on its long journey to the heart of China.)

It is exciting to stand on a railway platform beside the great Trans-Siberian express and to
know that it is about to take you on eight days of solid travel. The tracks reach out into the
distance: those eight days will carry you only to the borders of China. You will have traveled
across one mighty continent to another, from West to East.

It is a very different journey from the comparatively short-timed, swift leaps across continents
that airplanes make. The airplane lets you see little of the world around you as it speeds high
above the earth. On board the train you can settle back in your seat while the desert plains
sweep past your window or are replaced by great forests that come crowding into the edge of
the track. Each day passes in a lazy examination of the land outside. Indeed, you cannot
escape from it.

I had made the journey two years before and knew what to expect. As soon as I stepped
aboard, familiar details met me. The dust of two continents, of West and East, still clung to
the tables in the dining-car. Each table carried two bottles of wine (expensively priced, as
always), never opened, it seemed. The menu was still the same and no doubt just as fictitious,
even if the prices were real enough. But at least the sleeping berth was comfortable. Soon I
would have to settle into an enforced, simple timetable of living.

Breakfast brings you your first encounter with the dining-car, and the struggle to make
yourself understood in a foreign language. You want to order a boiled egg; in the end you
have to do so in sign-language. The attendants appear to carry out your request with
eagerness, but it is nearly an hour before they return, not with an egg, but a whole chicken,
crisply roasted. Experienced travelers learn to take essential foods along with them, as well as
plenty of books. Time can hang heavily on your hands, especially in the dining-car. And there
will be many hours ahead besides, with nothing to distract you, no interruptions.

The further the train takes you on your journey, the more you forget those longings for
activity and exercise that usually bother you on other long-distance travel. Perhaps it is the
airless atmosphere of the train that makes you feel pleasantly inactive. The windows are
always shut, either because it is too cold on the outside or too hot and dusty: you are a

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prisoner, it seems, enclosed in a narrow compartment, in a completely different world.
Somehow the scenery, with all its sameness, hypnotizes you. Even attempts to read are
impossible, for you cannot take your eyes away from the window in case there is something
outside you might miss. At last evening comes; you peer into the surrounding forests until the
window shows you nothing but your face. It is time to try the dining-car again, if only to ask
for eggs.

So the journey goes on. It was almost over on that second trip of mine and the train was
puffing slowly up towards the great mountain passes of Mongolia. The next day we would be
at the Chinese frontier. I settled down for the night, but sleep would not come. I tried reciting
all the names of the stations we had passed through with their strangely similar sounds: even
their monotony failed to send me off to sleep. My thoughts drifted back to my home: I saw
my car outside the window. I suddenly remembered I had an appointment. I was going to be
late. I dashed down the stairs. They began to move and twist about and finally flung me off
my feet. There was a sound of shrieking metal, followed by a fearful crash.

I sat upright. From high above, my heavy suitcase thundered down, catching me on the legs.
The sides of my compartment were at an alarming angle. The window showed mostly sky,
with just a small edge of green. I scrambled into my clothes and out of the carriage to find a
chaotic scene in front of me. The mail-van and the dining-car lay on their sides at the bottom
of a grass slope. Behind them the sleeping-cars formed a zigzag down the embankment,
although the last one had managed somehow to remain proudly and firmly on the track. The
engine, which had parted from the train, lay some fifty yards ahead, steam snorting from its
funnel. It, too, had left the rails and was dug into the grass verge of the track. It looked as
though it was trying to keep innocently apart from all confusion.

Gradually I discovered what had happened. The great Trans-Siberian express is not famous
for its speed but for once it had excelled itself. It had been encouraged by a long drop
downhill to show what it could do, spurred on by a strong wind at its tail. It gathered speed.
At the bottom of the hill the single track we were travel- ling on had another, shorter track
leading from it. Trains were expected to obey signals, warning them to move into that section
to let any train approaching from the opposite direction pass through. The driver noticed too

late the warning red gleam of the signals ahead. He applied the brakes: nothing happened. The
emergency brakes failed too. Still the train gathered speed.

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The man on duty at the signals realized that we were set to go speeding on, right into the path
of an approaching train. He threw his lever over, switching our rails, at the last minute, to
send us into that little side track; it had been designed no doubt to serve as an emergency
escape route also. However, that section of track was ancient. The timbers supporting the
rails had largely rotted away and as our train swung into that section it began to rip up the
track; the timber supports flew up like so many flimsy matches. The train left the track and
went tumbling down the embankment.

All this was a startling end to the eight previously uneventful days. No one was hurt. The
mighty Trans-Siberian express lay sprawled in an untidy heap. Perhaps it had paid the penalty
for all the annoyances it had imposed upon us: the stuffy, dust-laden dining-car, the tea that
its rattling and swaying had spilt into our lap, the windows that refused to open. So we left it
there. Another engine was found. The one carriage that had remained on the track was hauled
out on to the main line and the more important passengers among us were crowded
uncomfortably into it. We were on our way again.

COMPREHENSION CHECK

From paragraph 1 :

1.(a) Crossing the continent from West to East takes eight days of 'solid travel'.
(i) What is the usual meaning of ‘solid’?
(ii) What does it mean here?

From paragraph 2 :

(b) (i) According to the author, travel by air 'lets you see little of the world around
you'. Give two reasons.
(ii) The author sees 'forests ... come crowding in to the edge of the track'. Explain
what he means.

From paragraph 3 :

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 (c) (i) Give one disadvantage of a 'fictitious' menu?
(ii) Give the other disadvantage the author finds in having a meal on this train.
(iii) Why were the details 'familiar' to the author?
(iv) What is the one advantage of traveling on the train mentioned by the author?

From paragraph 4 :

(d) (i) Why does the author use 'sign-language' to order his meal?
(ii) The author's order has been badly misunderstood. What shows us this ?

(e) What does the author mean when he says 'Time can hang heavily on your hands'?

2.(a) Give one word or short phrase (of not more than seven words) which has the
same meaning as the word used in the passage.
(i) settle; (ii) peer; (iii) reciting; (iv) flung; (v) gathered; (vi) ancient; (vii)
tumbling; (viii) annoyances

From paragraph 5 :
(b) Two reasons are given by the author for forgetting the 'longings for activity'. Quote
the two sentences from this paragraph that give those reasons.

(c) The author does not read even though he has a lot of time. Why ?

‘... The window shows you nothing but your face.' Complete the sentence below
(d) with the missing word to give the sense of the original sentence. 'The window
shows you only the ... of your face.'

The author decides to go to the dining-car again 'if only to ask for eggs'. The
(e)
quotation could mean :
1. He only wanted to order eggs.
2. He wanted to pass the time somehow.
3. Only eggs were available on the menu.
Write down the sentence you think is correct

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 From paragraph 6 :

(a) The author at first could not sleep during his last night on the train.
(i) What did he do to help him to get to sleep? Explain why he felt this action
would be successful.
(ii) Give evidence to show that he went to sleep.
(iii) What caused the stairs in his dream 'to move and twist about’?

From paragraph 7
(b) (i) What was 'alarming' about the angle of the author's compartment?
(ii) What was the 'small edge of green’?

(c) 'had managed somehow to remain proudly ... '

'was trying to keep innocently apart ...'
Give the meaning of these two statements, with particular reference to the words in
italics. Number your answers 1 and 2.

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 WRITING

I-How to write a paragraph?

It is important to know how to write a paragraph. There are certain rules you should follow in
order to write a paragraph and to know how to write term papers. Your first sentence should
be a topic sentence and should contain the topic and an opinion on the topic.

A paragraph is a passage or a set, group or collection of sentences, logically arranged and

properly inter-linked and interconnected, with unity of purpose. It deals with one main idea.

 The topic sentence

The topic sentence is the first sentence in a paragraph. It introduces the main idea of the
paragraph.

Example: There are three reasons why Canada is one of the best countries in the world.

 Supported sentences

They come after the topic sentence, making up the body of a paragraph. They give details to
develop and support the main idea of the paragraph.
Example:
First, Canada has an excellent health care system. All Canadians have access to medical
services at a reasonable price. Second, Canada has a high standard of education. Students are
taught by well-trained teachers and are encouraged to continue studying at university. Finally,
Canada's cities are clean and efficiently managed. Canadian cities have many parks and lots of
space for people to live.
 Closing sentence

The closing sentence is the last sentence in a paragraph. It restates the main idea of your
paragraph.

Example

As a result, Canada is a desirable place to live.

Full paragraph

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There are three reasons why Canada is one of the best countries in the world.
First, Canada has an excellent health care system. All Canadians have access to medical
services at a reasonable price. Second, Canada has a high standard of education. Students are
taught by well-trained teachers and are encouraged to continue studying at university. Finally,
Canada's cities are clean and efficiently managed. Canadian cities have many parks and lots of
space for people to live. As a result, Canada is a desirable place to live.

II-There are various categories of linking words in academic paragraph writing.

See the box

Time/order At first, eventually. Finally, firstly, in the end, in the first place, in the
second place, lastly, later, second, secondly, later next., to begin with
Comparison/ In comparison, in the same way, similarly
similar ideas
Contrast/ But, despite, in spite of, even so, however, in contrast, in spite of this,
opposite ideas nevertheless, on the contrary, on the other hand, still whereas, yet
Cause and effect Accordingly, as a consequence, as a result, because, because of this,
consequently, for this reason, hence, in consequence, in order to, owing
to this, since, so, so that, therefore, thus
Examples For example, for instance, such as, thus, as follows
Generalisation As a rule, for the most part, generally, in general, normally, on the
whole, in most cases, usually
Stating the After all, as one might expect, clearly, it goes without saying, naturally,
obvious obviously, of course, surely
Attitude Admittedly, certainly, fortunately, luckily, oddly enough, strangely
enough, undoubtedly, unfortunately
Summary/ Finally, in brief, in conclusion, in short, overall, so, then, to conclude, to
conclusion sum up
Explanation/ In other words, namely, or rather, that is to say, this means, to be more
equivalence precise, to put it another way
Addition Apart from this, as well as, besides, furthermore, in addition moreover,
nor, not only, but also, too, what is more
Condition In that case, then
Support Actually, as a matter of fact, in fact, indeed
Contradiction Actually, as a matter of fact, in fact

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Emphasis Chiefly, especially, in detail, mainly, notably, particularly

EXERCISE
You are a crash investigator for the railway. You were on duty at a nearby station at the time
of the crash. You went to the scene quickly and immediately interviewed the shocked driver.

Write a report of the accident. Your report should include details of the scene you saw on
your arrival and the causes and results of the accident. The report must not be longer than 160.

The driver said he heard a loud bang and then ...

…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………

LISTENING

Videos on extracts on different subjects

Video 1: Globalization of Baosteel Group: Lessons and Experiences.mpg

Video 2: BBC Hard Talk - Discussion on effect of globalization on developing.

Video 3: Globalization: What Does It Really Mean?

VOCABULARY

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An idiom is a phrase where the words together have a meaning that is different from the
dictionary definitions of the individual words, which can make idioms hard for students
and learners to understand.

words meaning words meaning

to wine and dine to take somebody for to cost an arm and a to be very expensive
somebody a romantic meal leg

to welcome at [time] sharp at this time precisely

somebody with open to greet somebody
arm warmly

to paint the town red to celebrate by going to be absolutely to feel very full after
to pubs/clubs stuffed eating

“There’s no place “I like to travel, but “The customer is “Good customer

like home!” home is best!” always right.” service is vital.”

to wait for

to be exploited for to wait for a long

to be taken for a ride money an eternity time

to be open twenty- to be open24 hours to fix a problem

four seven per day to take care of sth

to have a lot on your “It’s a small world, “I’m surprised to

plate to be very busy isn’t it?” meet you here.”

to call to say you’re to bend over to try very hard to

to phone in sick too unwell to work backwards for sby help sby

to be starving to receive the VIP to get very good

to be very hungry treatment service

to give lots of
to be full of praise compliments to be as sick as a dog to vomit many times

EXERCISE

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 English Idioms – Matching Game

Match each sentence below with one of the idioms from this unit. Change forms where
necessary:

Hi! Graham! Barbara! What a surprise! ________

Make me a sandwich – I ________!
The petrol station ________.
I ________ last night. I shouldn’t’ve had that eighth pint…!
boyfriend took me out last night and ________ me.
Oh, it was a lovely trip. We really ________. All the staff were brilliant.
I can’t help you in the bar – I ________ today.
The owner charged twice the usual price and poor Bob ________.
we arrived at the hotel we were ________.
I’ll meet you in reception ________ six o’clock ________. Don’t be late!
Alison and Mark ________ for the hotel staff.
These new trainers ________.
Tell the receptionist about your lost key – she’ll ________ for you.
I like going on holiday, but ________, is there?
I ________ the Lewises, but they were still dissatisfied.
Kat ________ yesterday, so we were short-staffed in the restaurant.
We went out for Carol’s birthday and ________.
We ________ for our lunch to arrive.
But you have to give me a refund! Don’t forget, ________!
After that large pizza I ________

SPEAKING : DISCUSSIONS

1."Cultural differences cause problems. It is better for people to stay in their own countries
rather than to migrate to other ones." Do you agree?

2. Is it better to marry someone of the same cultural background?

GRAMMAR

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 PAST TENSE AND PAST CONTINUOUS

I- PAST TENSE

See the chart for more explanation

Structure Examples We use the Past Simple Tense:

The past simple tense of the 1. We arrived at 9:00 o'clock. To describe actions and situations
most english verbs (regular 2. This morning I went to the that happened in the past. These
verbs) is formed by adding supermarket. actions and situations were
"-ed"/"-d" to their base 3. The teacher went to the desk. started and finished in the past.
form. (If the verb ends in "- 4. He didn't hear the telephone.
e", we add "-d" to form the 5. Susan bought her little sister a doll. The sentence often contains an
past simple.). 6. We came here in 1980. adverb or adverb phrase of time,
Formula 7. I worked at Johnson & Co. from 1990 such as yesterday, the other day,
Verb(infinitive form) +ed or d to 1995. last night, last week, three days
There are also some verbs 8. My brother lived in London for six ago, a few minutes ago, in
called irregular verbs that years. (he doesn't live there anymore) (year), from (year) to (year), etc.
have special past tense forms.
To talk about habitual or repeated
(See list of irregular verbs) 1. When she was young, she danced
actions that took place in the past
beautifully.
Affirmative form 2. He played the violin when he was a
Note: This use is also often
child.
expressed with used to:
Regular verbs: 3. We often went there.
Bob used to smoke 20 cigarettes a
base form + "-ed" or "-d": 4. I saw her every day.
day.
work + "-ed" = worked
live + "-d" = lived 1. It happened one night in the winter. to tell a story and to express
2. She opened her bag, took out the key actions which follow each other in
I/you/he/she/it/we/they and unlocked the door. a story
worked
to refer to the historical past or to
I/you/he/she/it/we/they lived 1. World War II ended in 1945.
events that have happened in the
2. Romans built strong bridges.
distant past relative to the speaker
Irregular verbs: past form
only 1. David said that he was tired. for reporting what someone said
2. The doctor told me that I would have (converting from direct to

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 to stay in the hospital for a week. reported speech)

1. When Peter arrived, I was reading a

to talk about action in the past
book.
that take place in the middle of
2. I was having a bath when the phone
another action
rang.

For making second conditional

sentences (also called conditional
1. If I won the lottery, I would travel the
type 2) when we talk about an
world.
imaginary or unlikely situation
2. If I were you, I wouldn't marry him.
and to describe its result. (If +
past simple, would + infinitive)

I/you/he/she/it/we/they saw Spelling rules for the past simple of regular verbs:

To form the negative and - if a regular verb ends in consonant + y change y to i and add -ed:
interrogative sentences we use carry - carried, study - studied, fry - fried, try – tried
the past form of auxiliary -if a one syllable regular verb ends in consonant + vowel + consonant
verb do --> did: double the final consonant and add -ed -- > stop - stopped, plan - planned,
rob - robbed, beg – begged
Negative form - if a regular verb has more than one syllable and ends in consonant + vowel
+ consonant, we double the final consonant only if the final syllable is
I stressed -- > preFER - preferred, regRET - regretted
you DID + NOT Exception: In British English verbs ending in -l have -ll before -ed whether
he/she/it /DIDN'T/ the final syllable is stressed or not -- > travel - travelled
we + WORK
they

He didn't work yesterday.

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Was he at the office the other .
day?

Questions and short

answers:

Did you go to the cinema last

night?
Yes, I did.
No, I didn't.

Did he speak with Kate

yesterday?
Yes, he did.
No, he didn't.

Pronunciation of final "-ed" (regular verbs):

- after an unvoiced consonant sound (sh/ s / ch / p / k / f ) we

pronounce /t/: wash (/sh/) - washed (/t/); kiss (/s/) - kissed (/t/); work
(/k/) worked (/t/); hope (/p/) - hoped (/t/); laugh (/f/) - laughed (/t/)
- after a vowel and voiced consonant sounds we pronounce /d/: phone
(/n/) - phoned (/d/); judge (/dg/) - judged (/d/); turn (/n/) - turned (/d/);
play (/ei/) - played (/d/); follow (/ou/) - followed (/d/)
- after /t/ and /d/ sounds we pronounce /-id/: visit (/t/) - visited (/id/);
start (/t/) - started (/id/); need (/d/) - needed (/id/)

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II-PAST CONTINUOUS

1-Structure

Subject + Was/Were + Verb + ING

Examples: I was sleeping.

They were dancing.

2-The use

Past continuous is used to show an action that was continuing in the past until another
action interrupted it.

The continuing action is past continuous and the interrupting action is simple past.

Example: I was sleeping when you called me.

(The action of sleeping was continuing over time until the telephone call interrupted the
sleeping.)

Here are some more examples:

She was playing in the park when it started to rain.

While they were talking, the pizza arrived.

The car crashed when we were walking across the street.

An expression of time can be used as an interruption as well.

Examples: We were eating dinner at 4 o’clock.

At 6 o’clock we were still studying for our test.

Past continuous is used to show two actions happening at the same time in the past.

Examples: I was reading and he was watching TV.

While she was sleeping, Jack was doing his homework.

Notice the word "while" is often used in these situations:

 While I was cleaning, she was watching television.

 He was talking while she was studying.

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Past Continuous can also be used to show actions that happened many times in the past.

Examples:

He was always breaking something when he was a child.

I couldn't enjoy the movie because the people behind me were talking the whole time.

EXERCISES

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 Exercise 1

You have to fill each space with the past continuous, past perfect simple or past perfect
continuous

1. I was exhausted at the end of the exam. I………………. (Write) for over two hours.

2. When thieves stole my favourite leather jacket, I was really upset. I…….. (Have) it for over
ten years.

3. Please step out of the car, Mr. Jones. Do you realise you………….. (Drive) at over 90mph?

4. We didn't really want to go and see the musical again. We………. (Already see) it twice -
so we said "no" and we went to a restaurant instead!

5. I arrived over an hour late to the office and everyone was working. Actually, they……….

(Work) for over two hours on the new project and I felt really guilty.

6. The kitchen was full of steam when we arrived. Joan was in the kitchen and she………….

(Cook) a huge meal for everyone at the party.

7. It was a bit embarrassing to arrive at their house and find Mary looking so sad. I think
she……….. (Cry) before we got there.

8. No-one even noticed when I got home. They……………(all watch) the big game on TV.

Exercise 2

Fill each gap with a verb in either the past simple or past continuous tense.

1. Helen………….. (Do) her weekly shopping when she…………. (Meet) her old friend,
June.

2. The sun……… (Shine) when I……… (Get) up this morning. I……… (Feel) so tired!

3. Jim…….. (Wait) at one airport while Max…….. (Wait) at the other. What a disaster!

4. It…………. (Rain) very hard, so the referee……….. (Decide) not to play the match.

5. When the police………….. (Arrive) at the party, the music…….. (Play) very loud and
everybody………… (Shout).

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6. The mail………….. (Arrive) very late today. It………. (Come) after eleven o'clock.

7. Joan………. (Become) very angry this morning. She……….. (Speak) to an important

client and someone……………. (Enter) the room without knocking.

8. Hank………….. (Cook) in the kitchen. His sister………. (Offer) to help but hank……….

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