Lesson 46: Transportation/Swimming

1: Transportation

1. What’s the most popular means of transportation in your hometown?
2. How often do you take buses?
3. Can you compare the advantages of planes and trains?
4. Is driving to work popular in your country?
5. Do you think people will drive more in the future?
6. Would you ride bikes to work in the future?
7. What will become the most popular means of transportation in China?
8. Do you prefer public transportation or private transportation?

Well, people in my hometown always seem to ride ebikes to go work or somewhere else because my hometown is a small town and it’s very convenient to go out by bikes.

I rarely go by bus because I have my own car now, so I always go somewhere by car.

Well, between the two, travelling by plane is relatively very fast, for example, it just takes three hours for me to go to Beijing but it is quite expensive; on the other hand, travelling by trains is an increasingly cost effective alternative to planes, particularly if I’m going a relatively short distance.

Yes, people that I know tend to go to work by car because it’s very convenient to drive, but for others without cars, they just take buses or ride an ebike to work because it’s cheap and effective

Yes, I believe that as people earn more money and have a better life, they will buy cars for themselves and their families, and most will drive their cars to the office.

Oh no, it’s impossible to ride a bike to work because you know, Nanjing is a big city, I live about 20 kilometers from the office, so I’ll be late if I rode a bike to work.

I believe private transportation will become the most popular means of transportation in my country because as people get richer, people will tend to buy cars for their families and businesses, and obviously China has already become the biggest market for vehicles in the world.

Well, if I had to choose between the two, I’d probably go to work in my own car because it’s much more comfortable than being in a crowded bus or subway.

2:Swimming

1. Can you swim?
2. Are there many places to swim near you?
3. Do you think everyone should learn to swim?

Yes, I can. I learnt at school when I was about 7 years old. Swimming lessons were compulsory at our school, like at most schools I think. Yes, there are a few public swimming pools. There is the main indoor one at a big sports complex in the centre of town. There are also a couple of outdoor ones, but you can only use them in summer, as it is too cold in winter. There is a big one in a park, whereas the other is much smaller. Of course, I think it’s very important to learn to swim. First, you might spend a lot of holidays by water, for example, when you go to the beach or go to a lake, so you won’t be able to enjoy yourself with your friends if you can’t swim. Also, for safety reasons it’s very important. You often hear about accidents involving young children so it’s very important.