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Episode Twenty-Six:
Vocabulary for Making Accommodations in An English Speaking Country
The Travel Vocabulary Continues!
In this series of episodes, I’ve been working though the main vocabulary words you need when traveling in an English speaking country. We have covered English vocabulary for air travel, and English vocabulary for ground transportation. Today, you will learn English vocabulary for accommodations in an English speaking country.
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Now let’s get started in this week’s audio lesson
This week, we are going to be talking all about accommodation. What is accommodation? Accommodation is a place that you stay the night. When talking about travel, we usually refer to accommodation as a hotel stay, or staying at a home stay, such as Airbnb.
When traveling to an English-speaking country, it’s important to know the cultural expectations when reserving a hotel or home rental. It’s also important to know what vocabulary you need to use. Because Airbnb is so popular internationally, there are some important terms that you need to know when staying at an Airbnb. In this lesson, we will talk about all of those and more.
First let’s talk about the different types of accommodation.
Hotels
A hotel is a broad term meaning a place that provides accommodation and other services for travelers and tourists.
Hotels come in all shapes and sizes, but they generally have many different rooms for travelers to sleep in. Those rooms are private and have separate entrances. Hotels often have restaurants inside them, and other services for guests like laundry, exercise facilities, and swimming pools.
Hostels
Hostels are rather rare in the United States. They are very common in Europe, but less common in North America. A hostel is a shared accommodation where usually several people stay in one room, even though they don’t know each other. They are less expensive than hotels. But there’s less privacy at a hostel. If you were traveling in Europe, hostels are a great option for affordable lodging.
Homestays
Homestays are popular with many international students studying in another country. A homestay is when a person stays with a family in their home, and is treated as part of the family for a period of time. The family feeds the visitor and gives them a place to sleep in the home.
Home rentals
Companies like Airbnb and VRBO have made home rentals more common. Home rentals are when a traveler stays in a private home. This can be the entire home, or just a room in that home. Home rentals are extremely popular, and continue to grow in popularity. They are often more affordable, and in most cases, more comfortable than a hotel.
Bed and Breakfast
A bed-and-breakfast is exactly like its name says. It’s a large home where guests come and stay as well as eat their breakfast. Sometimes, other meals are provided. It’s the feeling of staying in a home, but is operated more like a hotel.
All-inclusive Resort
An all-inclusive resort is a place to stay where everything is included, including all food and drinks. The idea behind it all-inclusive resort is that tourists can arrive and not worry about anything. They just show up and everything is taken care of for them, and they don’t have to pay for anything additional. This is usually the most expensive option among the six, because it’s not just paying for lodging. It’s also paying for food and drinks, and in some cases, transportation.
These six types of accommodation give tourists options as to what level of comfort or price they would like to experience.
It’s important to know the vocabulary you will need to stay in each of these locations. Here’s a list of necessary words and phrases that you will need to stay in an English-speaking country.
book – to confirm a reservation for accommodations
check in – arrive and register at a location
check out – tell the owners of the accommodation that you are leaving
front desk – greeting area at the front of a hotel where you receive your key and pay for your room
housekeeping – department that cleans the rooms of a hotel
lobby – large room inside the entrance of a hotel, where the front desk is located
reservation – advanced booking (arrangement)
So where would you want to book a reservation? What’s your preferred accommodation when you travel?
Let me know in the comments, or comment on my Instagram account. Just search for @StudyEnglishWithAndrea. I am always posting new content, and post every new podcast so you never miss a lesson.
And don’t forget, today is my birthday! I am celebrating by giving you a gift! You only have three days to accept this amazing birthday gift. Just go to studywithAndrea.com/speak and enter the promo code BIRTHDAY, to join my video-based Clear English Pronunciation course. This offer only last three days. Celebrate with me by changing the way you speak. You can speak clearer English, just from watching 25 videos with me.
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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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About Andrea
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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