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Episode Twenty-Five:
Vocabulary for Ground Transportation In An English Speaking Country
All About Ground Transportation
In last week’s lesson, we talked about English vocabulary for air travel. We covered 45 vocabulary words about flights, pilots, air safety, and so much more. If you haven’t listened to it yet, make sure you do!
This week, we’re going to talk about what happens when your plane lands. What do you do once you arrive to your destination? You picked up your baggage at baggage claim. What do you do next? Do you open up Uber and request a ride? Do you stand in line at the taxi stand? Do you text your friend who is picking you up?
All of these options fall under the category of ground transportation. Ground transportation is anything used to take passengers to and from airports and planes. Another way to put it is that it is any vehicle that travels on the ground, instead of in the air.
We’re going to look at four different categories of ground transportation:
- Shuttles
- Public Transportation
- Taxis
- Ride-sharing
- Personal Transportation
Shuttles
Shuttles are trams, trains, or buses that take you from one place to another. You don’t have control over where the shuttle will take you, and it won’t stop at any additional locations. Shuttles can be found within airports, like a shuttle taking you from Terminal D to Terminal A. Shuttles can also be ground transportation taking you to your hotel, conference center, or other set location.
The most common form of shuttle at an airport is a hotel shuttle. Most hotels offer free transportation if you are staying with them. You simply follow signs in the airport that say “Ground transportation”, and then you reach outside, you will see signs for where airport shuttles are located. If you don’t know, you can always ask, “Where can I find the hotel shuttles?”
Shuttles are also commonly used to take you from airport parking lots to the terminal. Shuttles are normally free of charge, but in the United States, it’s common to tip the driver $1-$2 per bag that you bring with you on the shuttle.
Public Transportation
Next, let’s look at public transportation. Public transportation is any form of vehicle that is available for the public to use. Usually, public transportation is owned and operated by the government agency. Buses, trains, and subways are usually public transportation. Public transportation operates on a schedule, meaning that they arrive and depart at certain times, rather than when passengers arrive.
Here are a few vocabulary words related to public transportation:
bus: a large vehicle carrying passengers (people) by road, traveling on a fixed route and for a fare
fare: money you pay to ride on transportation
passenger: traveler on a bus, train, plane, etc…, who is not operating the vehicle
route: way or course a vehicle travels
stop: place where the public transportation usually stops, usually marked by a sign
subway: underground electric railroad
timetable: schedule of arrivals and departures
tram: electric train, operating at shorter distances than trains
Taxis
While taxis seem to have slowed down globally, with the onset of ride-sharing, it still remains a viable option in others. This is especially true at airports, where there is often a set rate for transportation from the airport to downtown. Taxis at an airport are usually found at a taxi stand, so if you are ever looking for where you can find a taxi, just ask where the taxi stand is.
Here are a few vocabulary words related to taxis:
cab: taxi (slang)
hail: call over, usually by waving your hand at a taxi
meter: machine that measures the distance traveled and the fare
taxi stand: location where taxis park
the meter is running: the meter is charging the rider money
Ride-sharing
The biggest change in transportation as a whole has been the arrival of ride-sharing. Companies like Uber and Lyft have changed the way people move around. Ride-sharing services are generally apps where riders can tap their phone and have a driver arrive within minutes. Vehicles are privately-owned, meaning that each driver is the owner of their individual car.
Personal Transportation
Personal transportation refers to any form of transportation that is owned by either you or someone you know. When you use your own car as ground transportation, you will have to park your car at the airport, or at a parking lot off-site that offers a shuttle.
At most airports, you’re given the option to park in long-term or short-term parking. Long-term parking usually refers to a parking lot or parking garage you use when you know you will be leaving your car for more than 24 hours. Long-term parking is usually farther from the airport and often requires that you use a shuttle to go from the parking lot to the airport. Short-term parking is usually close to the airport. Generally, you will use short-term parking when you are at the airport for less than one day. Make sure you remember what type of parking lot you are in so you can find it when you return from your trip.
That’s ground transportation for you. You should be able to communicate your way around after learning all of these helpful vocabulary words. May you have many happy travels!
Happy learning!
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The following is a TOEFL Reading practice test to help you prepare for the Reading section of the TOEFL test.
Instructions: Read the sample passage below and then answer the questions that follow.
TOEFL Reading Practice Passage
Gorillas are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forest of central Sub-Saharan Africa. The genus Gorilla is divided into two species: the eastern gorillas and the western gorillas (both critically endangered), and either four or five subspecies. They are the largest living primates. The DNA of gorillas is highly similar to that of humans, from 95 to 99% depending on what is included, and they are the next closest living relatives to humans after the chimpanzees and bonobos.
Gorillas' natural habitats cover tropical or subtropical forest in Sub-Saharan Africa. Although their range covers a small percentage of Sub-Saharan Africa, gorillas cover a wide range of elevations. The mountain gorilla inhabits the Albertine Rift montane cloud forests of the Virunga Volcanoes, ranging in altitude from 2,200 to 4,300 metres (7,200 to 14,100 ft). Lowland gorillas live in dense forests and lowland swamps and marshes as low as sea level, with western lowland gorillas living in Central West African countries and eastern lowland gorillas living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo near its border with Rwanda.
(#1) Gorillas move around by knuckle-walking, although they sometimes walk upright for short distances, typically while carrying food or in defensive situations. (#2) A 2018 study investigating the hand posture of 77 mountain gorillas at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (8% of the population) found that knuckle walking was done only 60% of the time, and they also supported their weight on their fists, the backs of their hands/feet, and on their palms/soles (with the digits flexed). (#3) Studies of gorilla handedness have yielded varying results, with some arguing for no preference for either hand, and others right-hand dominance for the general population. (#4)
The eastern gorilla is more darkly colored than the western gorilla, with the mountain gorilla being the darkest of all. The mountain gorilla also has the thickest hair. The western lowland gorilla can be brown or grayish with a reddish forehead. In addition, gorillas that live in lowland forest are more slender and agile than the more bulky mountain gorillas. The eastern gorilla also has a longer face and broader chest than the western gorilla. Like humans, gorillas have individual fingerprints. Their eye color is dark brown, framed by a black ring around the iris. Gorilla facial structure is described as mandibular prognathism, that is, the mandible protrudes farther out than the maxilla. Adult males also have a prominent sagittal crest.
A gorilla's lifespan is normally between 35 and 40 years, although zoo gorillas may live for 50 years or more. Colo, a female western gorilla at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, was the oldest known gorilla at 60 years of age when she died on 17 January 2017.
Questions
1. According to the passage, gorillas can live in
a. a variety of altitudes.
b. several different countries in Africa.
c. thick forests.
d. lowland forests only.
2. All of the following is true about gorillas EXCEPT
a. they primarily eat smaller animals.
b. they live in a forest habitat.
c. their genetics are similar to humans.
d. their diet consists of vegetation.
3. Look at the word predominantly in paragraph 1. The word predominantly in this passage refers to
a. impulsively
b. unfortunately
c. mainly
d. lastly
4. Look at the word inhabits in paragraph 2. The word inhabits in this passage refers to
a. lives in
b. protects
c. goes
d. works
5. The author implies that
a. most gorillas prefer using their left hand over their right.
b. gorillas rarely walk on their knuckles.
c. gorillas regularly walk upright for long distances.
d. studies haven't solidly proven which hand gorillas prefer using.
6. Why does the writer mention that the eastern gorilla also has a longer face and broader chest than the western gorilla?
a. To validate the importance a broad chest in western gorillas
b. To define the meaning of "broad"
c. To highlight a physical difference between types of gorillas
d. To demonstrate that most gorillas are identical in physical build
7. Which of the following statements is true for BOTH eastern and western gorillas.
a. Both eastern and western gorrilas are brown with red foreheads.
b. Both eastern and western gorrilas have unique fingerprints.
c. Both eastern and western gorrilas have thin hair.
d. Both eastern and western gorrilas have light brown eyes.
8. In Paragraph 3, look at the four numbers (#1, #2, #3, #4) that indicate where the following sentence would be added to the passage.
Such a range of hand postures was previously thought to have been used by only orangutans.
Where would the sentence best fit?
(View all the correct answers below.)
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Answers: 1. d 2. a 3. c 4. a 5. d 6. c 7. b 8. #3
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Andrea Giordano is the founder of StudyWithAndrea.com and has taught more than 1,000,000 students from 180 countries. Andrea holds a Master of Education (TESOL) from Shenandoah University, and is the former Executive Director of TESOL and ESL programs at Campbellsville University. Andrea is a proven leader in online English teaching and is driven by her passion to help you speak English clearly.
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