Idioms & Expressions:
travel light (verb; this means to travel somewhere and only take a few things with you)
Make sure you travel light – pack everything in your carry-on bag for the plane.
hit the road (verb; this means to begin traveling)
Let’s hit the road and head out of the city for the weekend.
off the beaten track / in the middle of nowhere (expressions that describe a place that is hard to reach)
We found a village in the middle of nowhere! We had to hike in the mountains for two days to find it.
tourist trap (noun; place where vendors charge high prices to sell goods to tourists)
I wouldn’t buy anything near the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, since there are many tourist traps around there.
watch your back (verb; means “be careful”)
Watch your back in this market, because there are many pickpockets around.
booked up (adjective; means a hotel or venue is booked to capacity and there’s no more room)
The hotel is all booked up. We need to find somewhere else to stay.
don’t look a gift horse in the mouth (expression that means you shouldn’t inspect a gift too closely, or else you will appear ungrateful)
I got you a little something / it’s nothing big (both phrases you can use when you give someone a gift)
I got you a little something for your birthday. I hope you like it.
regift (verb; this term means to give someone a gift that someone else gave you)
For her birthday present, I regifted a book that my brother gave me last year.
spoiled brat (noun; a kid who is accustomed to getting what they want and is therefore very rude)
She is a bit of a spoiled brat and will not hesitate to shout at you.
sheltered child (noun; a child who is protected from the outside world by their parents and is not permitted to do many things)
He is a little shy because growing up, he was a sheltered child.
Part I: Group Discussion
Do you like going outside?
Not really. I like to go on a bike trip every now and then, but I’m an indoors guy who likes air conditioning and movies. I don’t like the sunshine or taking walks.
Have you attended any outdoor events?
Yes, obviously. Everyone in the world has attended some kind of event outside. Whether it be a fair or a concert or something else.
Do you want to have any outdoor jobs?
No. I like to work inside most of the time. I’m comfortable inside.
Do you like traveling?
I think everyone does. But not for too long. I like to come home after a week or so and recharge.
Do you want to travel to space?
Sure. The moon or Mars would be really cool. But I don’t think I’ll ever get the chance. By the time it’s possible to travel to those places easily, I’ll be too old. And plus you can probably only travel to those places if you’re really rich, which I am not.
Part II: Individual Presentations
Describe a toy you received when you were a child. You should say:
- what it was
- who gave it to you
- how you used it
- And explain how you felt when you got that toy.
When I was fifteen years old, I got a video camera from my parents for Christmas. This was in 2002, so it was a much bigger deal back then. Video cameras were more expensive and harder to operate (as opposed to now, when everyone has a video camera on their cell phone.)
My parents gave me the camera, since I had been asking for one for so long. I really wanted to get a camera and start experimenting with filmmaking, so I kept asking them for one. But I never expected that I would actually receive a camera!
The camera was a Christmas present. In America, Christmas is the biggest gift-giving holiday of the year. Usually, I received smaller, more inexpensive gifts for Christmas, so I didn’t expect to receive a big gift on that particular year.
I had always wanted to be a filmmaker when I was younger, but it was hard to start making movies without a camera. Having a camera was a fantasy of mine, and I thought I would have to work for a few months to save up the money to buy one. But that problem with that plan was that I was still a kid and didn’t really have a job yet! So when I received the camera, I was blown away. I was shocked to have gotten the thing that I had always wanted. I think it’s still, to this day, the best present I’ve ever received.
Part III: Class Discussion
Do you think it’s important for boys to play with “boys’ toys” and for girls to only play with “girls’ toys”?
No, I think kids should play with whatever toys they want to play with.
Do you think it’s good if parents only buy “educational” toys for their children?
It doesn’t matter. Toys are always fun when you’re a kid no matter what.
Do you think children learn something from toys?
Sure, puzzles and other things like that. Playing with action figures is good for the imagination I bet, too.
How do the media attract the children’s towards toys?
Well, the just advertise. This is very simple. That’s how they attention for everything.
