Traveling in the United States can be both a fascinating and rewarding experience, butliving and traveling in the USA can be expensive. However, with the right knowledgeand a certain bit of travel savvy you can make your way across the USA on a tightbudget.Avoid Tourist traps!Many of the popular tourist attractions in the USA have accumulated arrays of touristbusinesses around them. Some of those businesses sell inferior merchandise at inflatedprices. We call them "tourist traps". At any popular attraction, you will find gift shops,street vendors and restaurants surrounding it. Often, it is best to avoid suchestablishments including the restaurants and shops in most airports. When you visit atourist sight, it is usuallywisertobuy yourfood and souvenirs a bitfurther awayfromthe attraction.GettingaroundwithcheapairtravelFlying is the most common means of traveling long distances in the USA. Nearly everyUS airline offers tickets at reduced prices on most flights, but you must know how tofind thebargains.The lowest fares arenormally offered on advance-purchase,round-trip tickets that include a Saturday night stay. Always try to purchase your ticketat least three weeks in advance and always include a Saturday night in your round tripitinerary. Even if you only need a one-way ticket, it can often be cheaper to purchase around trip ticket that includes a weekend stay. You can always throw away the unusedportion of the ticket.I suggest you check more than one source for any airline ticket. If you have someflexibility in your itinerary, test a few different options for dates of travel to find thelowestrate.Bus travel is an inexpensivealternativeBus travel is the cheapest means of transportation across the USA and bus stations aremorecommonthanairports.However,thebusmaynotbe themosteconomicalalternative when you consider that cross-country bus travel takes several days and thatyou must provide your own meals and lodging.Greyhound Bus Company operates theonly truly transcontinental bus service in the USA. They offer unlimited-travel passes inseven to sixty-day increments. Special reduced fares are available for students andinternational travelers.You should carefully considerthetrade-off between bus and airtravel. Airplanes are much faster, but the bus lets you see the country as you travel.TraintravelisverylimitedintheUSAAs a rule, rail travel in America is expensive, unreliable and inconvenient. You shouldnot consider it as a primary travel option. However, if you plan a lot of travel between11
11 Traveling in the United States can be both a fascinating and rewarding experience, but living and traveling in the USA can be expensive. However, with the right knowledge and a certain bit of travel savvy you can make your way across the USA on a tight budget. Avoid Tourist traps! Many of the popular tourist attractions in the USA have accumulated arrays of tourist businesses around them. Some of those businesses sell inferior merchandise at inflated prices. We call them "tourist traps". At any popular attraction, you will find gift shops, street vendors and restaurants surrounding it. Often, it is best to avoid such establishments including the restaurants and shops in most airports. When you visit a tourist sight, it is usually wiser to buy your food and souvenirs a bit further away from the attraction. Getting around with cheap air travel Flying is the most common means of traveling long distances in the USA. Nearly every US airline offers tickets at reduced prices on most flights, but you must know how to find the bargains. The lowest fares are normally offered on advance-purchase, round-trip tickets that include a Saturday night stay. Always try to purchase your ticket at least three weeks in advance and always include a Saturday night in your round trip itinerary. Even if you only need a one-way ticket, it can often be cheaper to purchase a round trip ticket that includes a weekend stay. You can always throw away the unused portion of the ticket. I suggest you check more than one source for any airline ticket. If you have some flexibility in your itinerary, test a few different options for dates of travel to find the lowest rate. Bus travel is an inexpensive alternative Bus travel is the cheapest means of transportation across the USA and bus stations are more common than airports. However, the bus may not be the most economical alternative when you consider that cross-country bus travel takes several days and that you must provide your own meals and lodging. Greyhound Bus Company operates the only truly transcontinental bus service in the USA. They offer unlimited-travel passes in seven to sixty-day increments. Special reduced fares are available for students and international travelers. You should carefully consider the trade-off between bus and air travel. Airplanes are much faster, but the bus lets you see the country as you travel. Train travel is very limited in the USA As a rule, rail travel in America is expensive, unreliable and inconvenient. You should not consider it as a primary travel option. However, if you plan a lot of travel between
majorcities,trains can be an economicalmeans of transportation.Amtrak,the onlymajor American passengerrail line,offers a thirty day pass for unlimited rail travel inany part of the United States. Depending on the season, USA Rail passes costs betweenthree hundred and five hundred fifty dollars. This may seem expensive, but if you planon a lot of travel in a short time, it can be much cheaper than multiple airplane or bustickets. Remember that trains tend to travel mostly between larger cities!Do not hitchhike!Hitchhiking can be dangerous, and it is illegal in most states.You should avoidhitchhiking in the USA as you could end up in trouble with the local police.Inexpensive lodging can be a challengeFinding an inexpensive place to stay can be a challenge, however here are someeconomical alternatives to a cheap motel or to overstuffing a hotel room.If you are travelling through the more rural parts of America, almost all of the largerstate and national parks have campsites which can be rented for extremely low rates,sometimes as low as five dollars a night. Usually this includes a grill for cooking, spacefor tents, a communal toilet and a shower area. Private campgrounds cost a little morebut usually include some added amenities like hot water, swimming pool, Laundromatand grocery store.II. Pretest of new words+How to guess the meaning of the word?Context + stem information + reader's own general knowledge+ keys to exercises:6.A,nuisance7. A.slung8..C.check9. B. budget10. B. factor11. B. solely12. A. skip13. A. depositIII. Students' reading tasks:skimming: main idea and ways of organization?scanning:read comprehension questions?exercises:readingskilland comprehensionexercisesIV. Detailed study of text A1.To travel abroad, we often meet the problem of what to take and how to take it.Takeaslittleaspossible,chooseclothesfortheiruseinavarietyof situationsandwhenyouhave made your final selection, halve it!12
12 major cities, trains can be an economical means of transportation. Amtrak, the only major American passenger rail line, offers a thirty day pass for unlimited rail travel in any part of the United States. Depending on the season, USA Rail passes costs between three hundred and five hundred fifty dollars. This may seem expensive, but if you plan on a lot of travel in a short time, it can be much cheaper than multiple airplane or bus tickets. Remember that trains tend to travel mostly between larger cities! Do not hitchhike! Hitchhiking can be dangerous, and it is illegal in most states. You should avoid hitchhiking in the USA as you could end up in trouble with the local police. Inexpensive lodging can be a challenge Finding an inexpensive place to stay can be a challenge, however here are some economical alternatives to a cheap motel or to overstuffing a hotel room. If you are travelling through the more rural parts of America, almost all of the larger state and national parks have campsites which can be rented for extremely low rates, sometimes as low as five dollars a night. Usually this includes a grill for cooking, space for tents, a communal toilet and a shower area. Private campgrounds cost a little more but usually include some added amenities like hot water, swimming pool, Laundromat and grocery store. II. Pretest of new words How to guess the meaning of the word? Context + stem information + reader’s own general knowledge keys to exercises: 6. A. nuisance 7. A. slung 8. C. check 9. B. budget 10. B. factor 11. B. solely 12. A. skip 13. A. deposit III. Students’ reading tasks: skimming: main idea and ways of organization scanning：read comprehension questions exercises: reading skill and comprehension exercises IV. Detailed study of text A 1. To travel abroad, we often meet the problem of what to take and how to take it. Take as little as possible, choose clothes for their use in a variety of situations and when you have made your final selection, halve it!
2. The means you choose to travel around USA will depend on your budget, your time,your adventurousness and a number of otherfactors.a. BusTraveling long distances cross-country by bus has become a part of Americanmythology.b. CarThe car remains the most popular form of travel and the vast system of super-highwayenables you to cover great distances at high average speeds, despite the nationwideimposition of a 55 mph speed limit.c.AirThe vast distances of USA have resulted in the popularity and relative cheapness ofdomestic air travel. Night flights are sometimes cheaper than day flights.d.UrbanTravelCity buses and subway systems generally offer good services throughout USA. Taxiscan be pretty expensive unless shared.The present Gray Line company ensures thatnearly every city has its bus tour, and some have boat tours as wellV.Vocabularybuilding part1.Word search:2.use of English (expressions used with the verb“put");3. stem study (dic/frag),4.synonyms (major, investigate,reputation, regional,unique)5.clozeSection B: fast reading1. asking students to finish the five passages in 10 minutes.2.checkingtheanswersHomework:+ Section C: Tourism:→TopicsforDiscussionandReflection1. Where are you going for your summer vacation this year?2. Imagine that you are a guide for a tourist group. What problems do you think youmight encounter as a guide for this tourist group?13
13 2. The means you choose to travel around USA will depend on your budget, your time, your adventurousness and a number of other factors. a. Bus Traveling long distances cross-country by bus has become a part of American mythology. b. Car The car remains the most popular form of travel and the vast system of super-highway enables you to cover great distances at high average speeds, despite the nationwide imposition of a 55 mph speed limit. c. Air The vast distances of USA have resulted in the popularity and relative cheapness of domestic air travel. Night flights are sometimes cheaper than day flights. d. Urban Travel City buses and subway systems generally offer good services throughout USA. Taxis can be pretty expensive unless shared. The present Gray Line company ensures that nearly every city has its bus tour, and some have boat tours as well. V. Vocabulary building part 1. Word search; 2. use of English (expressions used with the verb “put”); 3. stem study (dic/frag); 4. synonyms (major, investigate, reputation, regional, unique) 5. cloze Section B: fast reading 1. asking students to finish the five passages in 10 minutes. 2. checking the answers Homework: Section C: Tourism: Topics for Discussion and Reflection 1. Where are you going for your summer vacation this year? 2. Imagine that you are a guide for a tourist group. What problems do you think you might encounter as a guide for this tourist group?