Unit 3 Business travel

listening and viewing

Text A

Booking travel online 

1. Book a flight 24/7

     These days you do not have to go to a traditional travel agent to make travel arrangements. You can make reservations and get information online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This can be especially important if you have to attend a business meeting abroad unexpectedly. In the past you would have to wait till the travel agent was open to make arrangements.

2. Book everything for your flight online

     If you book online through companies such as Travelocity and Priceline, you can arrange your travel up to 12 hours before you leave. You can often not only book a flight, but you can sometimes choose your seat and even order your in-flight meal.

3. Great flexibility

     If you are travelling by car and are not sure how far you will go on one day, you can book your hotel for the night from your car, online. Most hotels, motels and even campgrounds today have free wi-fi, and this can make booking accommodations, car rentals or flights much easier. This type of travel planning is great for people who want to spend some extra time in one area and need a flexible itinerary.

4. Disadvantages of online booking

     However, although the Internet means more freedom for travellers at home and abroad, there are also some disadvantages. Perhaps a travel agent has some personal experience and knows the best places to go and the best hotels to stay in. If you plan your holiday yourself, the hotel or the place you are going to stay may not be exactly the same as you saw in the pictures on the Internet.

     Sometimes during the holiday season, a website will charge more for booking hotels or flights. And some hotels will not give you your money back if you want to cancel your booking.

     Another disadvantage is that when you book a flight or a hotel online, you will sometimes not be able to fly the day you want to or have the class of hotel you would like especially if it is a package deal.

     In some cases, you may find recommendations on a website, but you can never be sure if they are real recommendations from other travellers or paid advertisements.

     When you book online, you need a credit card and not everybody has a credit card. Also, most cheap airlines will certainly charge you when you pay by credit card.

5. Hidden costs

     There are also often a lot of hidden costs, e.g. some airlines charge you for booking a particular seat, some even charge you for every piece of luggage. With some airlines you will have to pay between an extra £80 to £100 luggage charge if your luggage is overweight.

6. Enjoy booking your travel online but be prepared for disappointment

     So in conclusion: seeing your options right in front of you makes it simpler to plan your dream trip, from the flights to the car rental, even the tours you can book when you get to your destination. But don’t be disappointed if the hotel you booked is not the place it promised to be!

网上预订旅行

1. 全天候预订航班

如今，安排旅行不再需要找传统的旅行社了。你可以每周7天、每天24小时随时在网上预订旅程及获取信息。这对于突然需要到国外参加商务会议的人来说尤其重要，以前就必须要等旅行社开门营业才能安排行程。

2. 网上预订航班上的一切

如果你通过Travelocity和Priceline等公司在线预订，最迟可在出发前12小时安排行程。一般来说你不仅可以预订机票，有时候还可以选位，甚至预订航空餐。

3. 灵活性强

如果你开车旅行，不确定一天能走多远，你可以在车里上网预订当晚的旅店。现在大部分酒店、汽车旅馆，甚至是露营地都提供免费无线网络。如此一来，酒店预订、汽车租赁或航班预订都变得更加便利。对于想在一个区域多逗留一点时间、需要灵活行程的人来说，这种旅行规划好极了。

4. 网上预订的缺点

然而，尽管互联网给国内外的旅行者带来了更多自由，但也存在一些缺点。旅行代理可能有点个人经验，知道最佳的景点和最好的酒店。如果你自己规划假期，那么你选择的酒店或景点可能与你在网上看到的图片不尽相同。

有时候，在节假日期间，网站会收取更多的酒店或机票预订费。如果你取消预订，某些酒店不会退费。

另一个缺点是，如果你在网上预订机票或酒店，有时候无法在你想要的那一天登机，或者没有你想要的级别的酒店，特别是你订的是包价旅行的话。

有时候你可能在网站上看到推荐，但你无法确定这些是其他旅行者的真实推荐还是付费广告。

在网上预订时，你需要信用卡，但并不是所有人都有信用卡。而且，大多数廉价航空公司会对使用信用卡收费。

5. 隐性消费

另外还经常有隐性消费，例如有些航空公司会收取预订特定座位的费用，有些甚至会按每件行李收费。如果你的行李超重，有些航空公司会要求你支付额外的80至100英镑的行李费。

6. 享受网上预订旅行吧，但作好失望的准备

结论：把各种选择摆在面前，包括航班到租车，甚至到达目的地之后可以预订的游览路线，这样规划梦想中的旅行更加简单。但是如果你预订的酒店和预料中的不一样，不要失望哦！

Text B

Can I see your passport? 

About a month or two before the 1998 Winter Olympic Games that were to be held in Japan, I had a stopover at Tokyo’s domestic airport. This terminal was used mostly for flights within Japan, so you didn’t see too many non-Japanese people. As a 1.95-metre American, I stuck out almost anywhere in Japan.

As soon as I got off the plane, a Japanese police officer approached me. “Can I see your passport?” he asked. I handed him my passport. Next the officer asked, “Where are you from?” I told him politely. He then asked where I was going, how long I had been in Japan and other normal security type questions.

Then the officer asked, “What is your favourite baseball team?” I thought this was an unusual question, but I answered it. When he asked, “Who is your favourite movie star?” I asked the officer why he was asking me all those questions. He apologised (in Japanese) and told me that he was practising his English for the upcoming Olympics, and he thought that I was a good person to practise his English with.

I told the officer that I had to catch a flight to Osaka, but he could practise his English while I walked to my gate. As we were walking, another officer saw him with me and thought 20 something was wrong. He came up to us and asked the officer if there was a problem (in Japanese). My new friend said, in English, “No, I’m just practising my English.” The second officer smiled and asked if he could practise as well. I told him that I would be more than happy to help him as well. As we walked, we were joined by two more police officers. We had an enjoyable conversation and I got through security check easily with my new police friends.

We finally arrived at the gate and talked for about another 30 minutes. We talked about everything from baseball to sumo wrestling. We also talked about what kind of work I did, and all sorts of other subjects. I didn’t realise what this looked like to the rest of the people waiting at the gate.

Just as they were about to call the flight for boarding, the gate agent came up and started speaking to one of the police officers. I couldn’t understand the conversation, but then I heard her apologise. The police officer returned to the group and told me in English, “The clerk thought you might be a really bad criminal, since you required four police officers.” All of us started laughing. The officer then said, “I told her that you work as a computer engineer for a large company in the US and that you are not a criminal.”

I said goodbye to my police escort and went onto the plane. But I noticed many people had a look of panic. After I put my bag in the overhead locker and sat down, several people called the flight attendant. After a few moments, an announcement was made in Japanese. I heard my name and then everyone clapped and smiled. The person sitting next to me told me that the announcement said that I was the director of a major computer firm in the US, and that the police were escorting me because I was some sort of VIP.

So, for 55 minutes I was a millionaire, head of a major computer firm in the US, and all of this happened because I helped a few people with their English.

请出示您的护照 

大概在1998年日本冬季奥运会开始之前的一两个月，我在东京的国内机场有一次短暂的停留。因为这里大部分是日本国内的航班，所以很少看到外国人。作为一个身高1.95米的美国人，我几乎在日本的任何地方都很突出。

我刚下飞机，就有一位日本警官向我走来。“请出示您的护照。”那位警官说道。我把护照递给他。接着那位警官问我：“您从哪儿来？”我很有礼貌地回答了。然后他又问我去哪儿，来日本多久了，以及其他几个常规的安保问题。

　　接着，这为警官又问我：“您最喜欢的棒球队是哪支？”我心想这个问题有些不寻常，但还是回答了。他又继续问我：“您最喜欢的电影明星是谁？”我问他为什么要问我这些问题。他向我道了歉（用日语），然后告诉我他在为即将到来的奥运会练习英语，他觉得我是陪他练习英语的好人选。

我告诉警官我还要赶去大阪的飞机，但是我可以在去登机口的路上陪他练习英语。途中，另外一位警官看到他和我一起走，以为有什么不对劲，于是走上前来，用日语询问我身旁的警官是否出了什么问题。我的新朋友用英语回答道：“没什么，我只是在练习英语。”第二位警官笑了，问我他是否可以和我们一起练习，我回答说很乐意帮助他。在路上又有两位警官加入进来。我们聊得很开心，我和我新结交的警察朋友们一起轻松地通过了安检。

终于到了登机口，我们又聊了大约30分钟。我们从棒球到相扑无所不聊，还谈到了我所从事的工作和其他各种话题。我没有意识到这种情况在其他候机的乘客看来是什么样子。

登机广播快开始的时候，登机口的工作人员走了过来，开始和一位警官说话。我没能听懂他们的对话，但是我听到她道歉。那位警官走回来用英语告诉我：“那个工作人员以为你是罪大恶极的罪犯，因为你需要四名警官押送。”我们都笑了起来。那位警官接着说道：“我告诉她你是一家美国大公司的计算机工程师，不是罪犯。”

我跟我的警察护卫们道别后上了飞机。我发现很多人都神色恐慌。在我把包放进头顶上方的行李架并坐下后，有几位乘客叫来了乘务员。过了一会儿，机舱里播放了一条日语广播。我听到了我的名字，接着大家都开始鼓掌和微笑。坐在我身旁的乘客告诉我，广播里说我是美国一家著名计算机公司的董事，警官们之所以护送我是因为我是重要人物。

于是，我当了55分钟的百万富翁和美国著名计算机公司的头头，而这一切都只因我帮了几个人练习英语。