📘 Part 3: Adventures and activities

This episode's vocabulary

To take your life in your hands (idiom) - to do something that is very dangerous, especially where you risk death.

Geocaching (noun) - the activity of using GPS to search for small hidden prizes.

To bond (verb) - to develop a close connection or strong relationship with someone, or to make someone do this.

To boast (verb) - to speak too proudly or happily about what you have done or what you own.

Outlet (noun) - a method by which emotions, energy, or abilities can be expressed.

Pent-up (adj.) - pent-up feelings are not allowed to be expressed or released.

Whitewater rafting (noun) - the activity of being moved quickly in a raft (= small boat filled with air) along rivers where the current is very strong.

Venture (noun) - a new activity, usually in business, that involves risk or uncertainty.

Novelty (noun) - something that has not been experienced before and so is interesting.

Active (adj.) - busy with a particular activity.

Questions and Answers

M: Could you give me some examples of adventurous or risky activities?

R: Oh, where to start really? Cage diving with Great Whites is like taking your life into your hands for fairly obvious reasons. I don't think many people die going skydiving, but the risk is still obvious as well. In terms of adventures, lots of people go or do geocaching, which is like going on an adventure because you have to follow a map and find things.

M: Why do some young people like adventurous activities?

R: Well, they have that youthful energy about them. And they want to expand that by doing mad things. It's nice for them to have a shared experience so they can bond with their friends too. And even if their friends don't go, they can boast about it afterwards when they tell them about it.

M: Do older people like adventurous activities?

R: I imagine so, though they'll be a different sort because older people have probably already had some of the experiences youngsters have had. They might go on holiday together to a new place and explore the culture, for example. Rather than build a tree house.

M: How do adventurous activities help people to relieve stress?

R: Well, you're generally more focused on staying alive, so it might distract you from wider concerns. Or give you an outlet for pent-up energy and frustration. If you do it right, then it might also give you some perspective to appreciate the issues that other people have too and how your problems really aren't so bad.

M: What skills do people need to take part in adventurous activities?

R: I have absolutely no idea. That will depend on the adventure, won't it? If you go whitewater rafting, then being able to swim and handle a boat would be useful. But those are unique to that experience. I don't know if there are any that individual ventures would have in common.

M: But anything generally? Like for any risky activity you need to be this and that.

R: I can't think of a skill that is required universally for adventurous activities. Surely part of an adventurer is that it's unpredictable, or has things that are unique to it. So I can't tell you that. I don't think there are any.

M: Why do young people like doing exciting things?

R: Well, because just being alive is exciting for young people. Everything is new and they want to get out in the world and experience that novelty as much as possible.

M: How does friendship affect people's overall well-being?

R: I'd say it's pretty crucial. There was a report out recently that said being lonely is worse for you than smoking a pack of cigarettes every day. So it keeps you mentally and physically healthy and active.

M: Right. Thank you Rory for your answers!

Discussion

M: So, dear listeners, adventures. This is what we do. And the adjective is adventurous. Adventurous activities or risky activities. We can also say exciting activities. So something which is adventurous and exciting. Examples. Rory told us about cage diving with great whites. So cage. They put you in a cage. Great Whites? You mean sharks, right?

R: Yeah.

M: These dangerous creatures are sharks. Have you ever seen Jaws? That movie where sharks kill people? So yeah. Great whites? Like sharks. And yeah, people go swimming with sharks in the open water. Rory also told us about skydiving. And the risk is obvious in skydiving.

R: Because you could become a pancake.

M: People go geocaching?

R: Geocaching is or used to be quite a common sport or adventure in my country. You would have people who would hide different packages around the country and they would log the coordinates and you had to track down the package and find it and what was inside.

M: Oh, okay. So they just go into the wild, they follow a map and they have to find certain things.

R: Yes.

M: Yeah. Also, dear listener, you can mention what adventurous activities. Bungee jumping, cave diving. Like people diving in caves, surfing, mountain biking. Zorbing. Zorbing is when you're put in a huge ball, which jumps around. That's pretty dangerous. Volcano boarding.

R: Volcano boarding?

M: I know, I know. It's a kind of volcano surfing, dear listener.

R: It's surfing for people who don't like to be alive.

M: Yeah, like if you're bored of surfing okay, if you're just bored of life you go volcano surfing. You climb on top of a volcano. And you surf down. So on a board. Volcano boarding, dear listener. So if you want to impress your examiner, say, oh yeah, volcano boarding is pretty adventurous. A sport performed on the slopes of a volcano.

R: Why do people have a death wish?

M: Okay, and, dear listener, of course, cliff jumping. So cliff jumping is when you jump off a cliff in a body of water. Yeah, so like cliff jumping, exciting stuff. My favourite is volcano boarding. Yeah. Young people have that youthful energy about them. Okay? So that youthful. Youthful energy about them. So they want to do mad things, crazy things, mad things. And by doing adventurous activities, they can bond with their friends. So bond? Connect, to share experiences. Well, their experience. And if they do it alone, they can boast about it afterwards. So, Rory, when people boast about something what do they do?

R: They show off. They say look at the amazing things I've done.

M: Yeah. Oh, you know what? I went volcano boarding and kind of they post it all over the internet.

R: And then your friends say what, are you insane?

M: So boast about it. Oh, I did this, I did that, I am the best. So this kind of thing.

R: I'm actually an extremely risk-averse person. I don't like to take unnecessary risks.

M: Yes, Rory. Rory says I don't like to take an unnecessary risk. And Rory jumped with a parachute. Okay?

R: One time under very controlled conditions.

M: But you jumped out with an instructor, right?

R: Yeah, he was in control the whole time.

M: Yeah, but, but... Ah, you didn't do the thing?

R: No, when I was flying a glider, I flew the glider for a little while. But I didn't fly the whole thing all the way there when I was parachuting.

M: You see, dear listener, he flew a glider. It's this horrible thing. It's not a horrible thing. It was fun. And also, he jumped out of a freaking plane with another person.

R: With an experienced instructor.

M: Some older people dislike adventurous activities. Well, they don't have that youthful energy around them anymore. And they prefer to sit quietly at home.

R: Yes.

M: So older people have already had some of the experiences. Okay? So they might be tired of life.

R: Maybe they're not tired of life, they probably just don't want to repeat the same thing over and over again. That's probably what it is.

M: Yeah, well, they kind of... They've done done all this. You know? Like, why, why, should we repeat? So they're, older people tend to be calmer. Maybe it's physically challenging for them, or they tend to be afraid. Okay? So, they fear excitement and life. Okay? Risky activities could help people to relieve stress. And they can distract people from wider concerns. So they can distract people from stress.

R: Yeah, the concerns that they have in their wider life, like money worries, for example.

M: Adventurous activities give you an outlet for pent-up energy. So first of all, let us explain, so an outlet. So activities give you an outlet for something. What is this?

R: Just a way to... Well, a place to spend this energy.

M: And then we say that adventurous activities will give you an outlet for pent-up energy, and feelings of frustration. So it's an adjective. Pent up. If feelings are pent up, they are not allowed to be expressed or released, dear listener, okay? So pent-up frustration. Frustration which you do not express. Okay? And when you jump from a plane, you give an outlet for your pent-up energy, for your feelings. And you just go, as you release it. And it just it's gone, it's released. And then such activities could give you some perspective to appreciate life, for example. So you appreciate, you kind of see that life is valuable. And then in such risky situations, you feel that your problems are not so bad. Okay? Like, imagine, like maybe this person was very close to death. And after that they feel, oh, okay, I don't have any problems.

R: Oh, I'm fine now. Okay?

M: I'm fine now. Yes, I've just touched a shark. A shark almost ate me alive. Now I don't have any problems. Oh, well, yeah. Was this true when you jumped out of a plane?

R: Did I have some perspective? No, I was just grateful to be alive.

M: Yeah, but you see, like you, people can feel grateful that they're alive. Right? So this is a nice feeling.

R: Hopefully.

M: But then you come back to your real life and you forget all about it. And it starts all over again. You jump with a parachute again and again. And then you need something even riskier, even more adventurous. So you go volcano boarding, you go swimming with sharks.

R: That's for some people, maybe other people are more reflective. And they do this and then they think, yeah, it's okay, it's not so bad.

M: And then they stop. Other people continue.

R: And then they stop. Other people have hedonic adaptation and keep increasing the level of risk, which is not good for you.

M: Then the question was about skills people need to do adventurous activities. And, dear listener, Rory didn't answer this question. But he explained why he didn't give us the skills.

R: Yeah.

M: What did you say, Rory?

R: Well, I just think that specific skills are necessary for specific kinds of adventure. That's all. I mean, I can't think of one skill that you could apply to any adventure. You could say something like being or being able to repair machinery might be useful, or being a mechanic might be useful for an adventure where you have a vehicle of some kind. But what if it's, what if you don't have any vehicles to repair, then that skill is not universally applicable.

M: You see, dear listener, Rory hasn't read the National Geographic. There's a very good article from nationalgeographic.com. Okay? Which is called 15 skills every adventurer needs. Adventurer? A person who enjoys adventures. And on their list, number one is to avoid getting lost. So you know how to use a map. The second one is to pack a backpack. So you should be able to pack a backpack. Stay hydrated. So drink water. Eat for fuel, dear listener. Kind of bring food and eat it. Handle unexpected wildlife and they have a picture of two bears. So unexpected wildlife. What would you do if you were attacked by a bear? Be resourceful, dear listener, so to be resourceful, an adventurer has to be resourceful and has to find creative solutions to different problems. Build a fire, a skill of knowing how to build a fire, make a fire. Fix a flat. So this is what Rory is talking about, like fixing certain equipment, certain things. And gear up responsibly. So gear up, prepare, or have the appropriate equipment and responsibly in a sustainable manner. So we care about the environment.

R: None of these things are unique to adventures. All of these things are just general advice for life, apart from the wildlife one. Like, of course, yes. For an adventure be prepared, but you not be prepared for life in general as much as you can. That's just general advice. That's not a skill. And then what about the fire one? What if you're in a city? Is that going to be a useful skill to have? You can have adventures in a city.

M: Of course, yes, building a fire is a necessary skill.

R: In a city?

M: In a city. Yes. It's a useful thing.

R: No, no, I disagree. That's just nuts.

M: Well, different things can happen. You know? You can just take a walk and then you're lost in a forest, in a city. Okay? And then you build a fire.

R: That seems like an extremely niche adventure experience to have.

M: I want you to read this article because it has great vocabulary, and maybe it has some information you've never thought about. This is going to be useful for your essays and also speaking part three about adventures, and risks. And the last point is to know when to quit.

R: That's not a skill, that's just general life advice.

M: But according to nationalgeographic.com it is a skill.

R: Well according to me they're wrong. That just seems like really good advice for life, like knowing when to quit. Okay, yes, that is something that you could use.

M: They say like if the moment comes when you have to turn back, be fully prepared to let go, to let go of the goal and yield to Mother Nature. So kind of accept Mother Nature, except that there is a storm, and the weather is horrible, and you can't continue. So many people, for example, when they climb Mount Everest, they just keep going, and then they die. Okay, dear listener? So the link to this nice article...

R: Is in the description.

M: Yeah. So please, could you read it?

R: Read it critically.

M: For ideas and vocabulary. Because it's cool to have some ideas other than Rory's ideas, all right? Especially when Rory doesn't give us... Yeah, doesn't give us the answer. So educate yourself, dear listener, educate yourself.

R: Sorry, it's, it's my blasted critical thinking. What a terrible affliction to have.

M: But this is a strategy. One question in speaking part three could be horrible. And really, you don't have the answer. So in this case, I have absolutely no idea. So just tell the examiner that you have nothing to say. Young people want to get out in the world. So they get out and about, they're young and happy and bubbly. Bubbly? Like full of energy. And they experience, they want to experience that novelty. Novelty? Something new. So they enjoy the novelty of the world. And then the questions could be about friendship. Okay? For some reason. Because kind of you engage in adventurous activities and risks together with your friends sometimes, with other people. So they can ask you questions about friendships. And about doing adventurous activities with somebody else. Yeah? And we can say that friendship does affect our well-being. Okay? And Rory agreed that it's crucial. It's important. It's pretty crucial. It's like really important. And then Rory mentioned some reports by British scientists. Yes, Rory?

R: Oh, yeah. I think it was a British university that released it. Anyway, the point is, the report said that smoking is not as bad as being lonely, because it totally destroys your mental and physical health. So yes, it's important to be friends with people, not just for your own sake, but for their sake, too.

M: So friendships and being around people keeps you mentally and physically healthy. And here we stress and. So it keeps you mentally and physically healthy. You see? So the stress is on and. Healthy and active. Right, dear listener, thank you very much for listening! Go now and read that lovely article by National Geographic. Okay? Promise? Good. If it's difficult for you, you can translate it using Chat GPT, for example, into your own language, and then read it in English for ideas. And for some more language. Okay? But more for ideas. The titles of the skills are pretty... Well, you can understand them. If not - translate. Okay? Thank you very much for listening! Let's stay young forever and adventurous and hungry for life. Okay, dear listener? Hungry for life.

R: Bye!

M: Bye!

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