📘 Part 3: Cities

This episode's vocabulary

Glimpse (noun) - an occasion when you see something or someone for a very short time.

Bygone (adj.) - belonging to or happening in a past time.

Era (noun) - a period of time of which particular events or stages of development are typical.

Authenticity (noun) - the quality of being real or true.

Appealing (adj.) - attractive or interesting.

Historical (adj.) - connected with studying or representing things from the past.

To draw (verb) - to attract attention or interest.

To stimulate (verb) - to encourage something to grow, develop, or become active.

Run-down (adj.) - run-down buildings or areas are in very bad condition.

To board something up (phrasal verb) - to cover a door or window with wooden boards.

Residential (adj.) - a residential road, area, etc. has only private houses, not offices and factories.

To unwind (verb) - to relax and allow your mind to be free from worry after a period of work or some other activity that has made you worried.

Insight (noun) - (the ability to have) a clear, deep, and sometimes sudden understanding of a complicated problem or situation.

Lively (adverb) - full of energy and enthusiasm; interesting and exciting.

Mundane (adj.) - very ordinary and therefore not interesting.

Urban (adj.) - of or in a city or town.

Sprawl (noun) - a large area of land covered with buildings, especially ones that have been added gradually over a period of time.

Precaution (noun) - an action that is done to prevent something unpleasant or dangerous happening.

Local (noun) - a person who lives in the particular small area that you are talking about.

To encounter (verb) - to meet someone unexpectedly.

Spontaneous (adj.) - happening or done in a natural, often sudden way, without any planning or without being forced.

To plan something out (phrasal verb) -to think about and decide what you are going to do or how you are going to do something.

To ensure (verb) - to make something certain to happen.

To wander (verb) - to walk around slowly in a relaxed way or without any clear purpose or direction.

Threshold (noun) - the level or point at which you start to experience something, or at which something starts to happen.

Decibel (noun) - a unit for measuring the loudness of sound.

Scenario (noun) - a description of possible actions or events in the future.

Questions and Answers

M: Why are historical cities popular?

R: Well, because they offer a glimpse into the past, allowing visitors to experience the culture and architecture and traditions of a bygone era. They can also provide a sense of authenticity and connection to the past that many people find appealing. Since it's like the real actual place where actions took place.

M: Why do places with historical sites develop the tourism industry more actively?

R: Well, probably because they have unique cultural and historical tourist attractions, and places of interest that can draw visitors from all over the world. So by promoting these attractions and offering a range of tourism-related services, like tours and accommodation, these places can stimulate economic growth and job creation.

M: Why do people go to other cities?

R: Well, for a variety of reasons, tourism, work, education, or just visit friends and family. They might also be seeking new experiences, cultural exchanges or just to escape from their daily routines. They'll likely have different ways of doing things there. Even if it's just a minor change. Lots of places in a city like Glasgow, for example, have really run-down and boarded-up residential areas. So it's no wonder people want to get away from it all.

M: Why do people sometimes go to other cities or other countries to travel?

R: I think the list is endless really. To experience new cultures, try new foods, learn about history and art or simply just to relax and unwind. It can broaden your perspective and give new insights into the world, especially if places have a, well, relatively more lively culture. And they don't have that sort of mundane urban sprawl with endless office and apartment blocks. That must be pretty soul-destroying.

M: Do you think tourists may come across bad things in other cities?

R: Yeah, experiencing things like crime and scams or other unexpected situations is definitely a possibility. However, by taking the appropriate precautions like researching the destination beforehand and taking advice from locals or trusted sources, they can minimize the risk of encountering them.

M: Do most people like planned travelling?

R: I suppose some might like spontaneous travel, but most probably prefer it to be planned out to ensure they can make the most of their trip and have a, well, relatively stress-free experience. Planning can also help ensure travellers can see and do everything they want within a limited timeframe. Which is, well, which is useful if you're going on something like a weekend break.

M: Why is noise pollution worse in cities with lots of tourists than in other cities?

R: Well, there are more people. So sound will probably or the level of noise will increase in proportion to the number of people that there are.

M: And how does this happen?

R: How does the noise happen?

M: Yes. How does the noise happen?

R: Oh, yeah, there're... Well, tourists more often than in comparison to the people who are from a place will wander around in big groups. So if you have big groups of people, then they tend to make more noise. And there'll be tour groups. So the tour group leader has to give presentations and things and projecting their voice will also increase the noise. And if you have more people just wandering around in general, then the sound of their walking will also contribute to that.

M: Do you think this will get worse or better in the future, the noise levels?

R: Well, the population is increasing, so I imagine there will be more tourists and therefore the noise level will increase. Whether that's a bad thing or not depends entirely on whether you think having lots of noise is a problem.

M: Do you think that noise pollution is a real problem in cities these days? Or are there any other more significant problems?

R: Well, it will depend, I think past a certain threshold of decibels noise actually starts to damage your eardrums. But I don't think it ever gets high enough just from people wandering around. I think it's like when you use industrial equipment. So the bigger problem, if we're talking about tourism and cities, still will be connected to damage caused to the environment by people dropping trash for example, or inadvertently destroying historical artefacts. That's probably a much bigger problem than the noise. I think, you know, it's irritating, but it's not quite the same as having the environment destroyed.

M: Do you think that people will travel more to different cities in the future?

R: Well, it's like I said for whether there'll be more tourists. So generally, the level of economic development globally is increasing. So people should have access to more money and that will probably encourage more travel because people are fascinated by each other and each other's cultures, I can't see a scenario in which it doesn't increase.

M: Thank you, Rory, for your answers!

Discussion

M: So, first of all, what's going on with historical cities or historic places? Our favourite one.

R: So historic is a way of talking about things that are important or significant when talking about history. So for example, if you talk about British history, then the Battle of Trafalgar was a historic moment. So it was very significant for the development of our countries. Historical just describes places that are strongly connected to history. So sticking with British culture, the port where the ships at Trafalgar launched is probably a historical place, because it's got this connection to history. I like a good historical place. But in terms of why they are popular, it's because they offer a glimpse into the past, a glimpse is just a look, or a quick look at how things were previously, it was a glimpse into the past. And it's important to point out it's a glimpse into. Glimpse into the past, glimpse into a room, and a glimpse is always offered.

M: And then you can talk about the culture, architecture, traditions. What does a bygone era mean?

R: That just means an era... An era is a period of time. Bygone means it's finished in the past. Bygone era is just like a time in the past that's over now.

M: Yeah. So historical cities offer a glimpse into a bygone era. So a period of the past, like which is gone. And also they provide a sense of authenticity. So if something is authentic, it's real. Like Rome, for example. Like it's authentic, it's real. We kind of see gladiators and ancient churches and cathedral. So we can feel a sense of authenticity. And many people find it appealing. So this is a nice phrase. So many people find historical places appealing. Appealing? Like attractive, pleasant. So they appeal to people, cities appeal to people. People find them appealing.

R: Do you find them appealing?

M: Yes, I do.

R: Ooh.

M: And we talk about historical sites, sites like attractions, tourist attractions, historical places, ancient tourist attractions, or historical tourist attractions. And we can say they have unique culture. And they draw visitors from all over the world. So draw - they attract tourists. They draw tourists from all over the world, and the tourism industry there. Okay? So the tourism industry is boosting in historical cities with historical sites, like, for example, Stonehenge. So people just go there in the middle of nowhere to see this stone. Have you seen Stonehenge, Rory?

R: I've seen it on television. I've never been there. But it was funny because one of our friends is significantly older than the rest of us in our group. And he said that he would like to visit it one day. And I turned around and said, well, you were there when they built it, weren't you?

M: Ha-ha-ha-ha.

R: It's a rude joke. You shouldn't make fun of people for their age.

M: We can say that historical cities can stimulate economic growth and job creation. So cities and places with historical sites, they have a range of tourism-related services. So tourists go and it stimulates economic growth, it kind of, it helps the economy to grow. And it creates jobs. Like in the tourism industry. So it stimulates economic growth and job creation. A very interesting question, Rory. Why do people go to other cities? Oh, how stupid is this? So why Really. Why do people go anywhere, you know?

R: Just because, you know. And so I can give a very serious answer.

M: Yeah, for a variety of reasons. Okay, stupid examiner? So tourism, work, education, visit friends, family, or people seek new experiences. They search for new experiences. They want cultural exchanges, or they want to escape from their daily routine. That's a nice collocation. A nice phrase. Escape from their daily routine. So they want to do something else or they want a minor change. So they go somewhere else. And it's a minor, it's a small change. And then Rory gives an example. Glasgow, for example, has really run-down areas. So run-down areas? Areas in poor condition, poor areas with run-down buildings, or you can say, dilapidated buildings, so they are in poor condition. They're half destroyed. So Glasgow has run-down... Glasgow is place, a town, a city, a city in Scotland.

R: It's the largest city in Scotland.

M: A town...

R: Of course, like 1 million people live there, but Maria is about to tell me like, oh, that's the population of, you know, a village.

M: In Russia. Yeah, because in Moscow, we have over 15 million people, maybe even up to 20 million people in Moscow. So Glasgow has run-down areas. Residential areas are places where people live, so they're only houses there.

R: But if they're run-down and boarded up, they're not in a good condition.

M: Boarded-up areas are run-down areas? Or it's different? Boarded up.

R: Well, it's a sign of run-down areas. run-down means they're in poor condition. If something is boarded up, then it means that they're, oh, well, they have boards of... Could be cardboard or wood over the windows because they've been broken or to protect them because it's a high crime area. It's not, it's not nice is what I'm saying.

M: High crime area, high crime, crime. And people want to get away from it all, right? So get away. So escape. Why do people travel? You can see the list of reasons is endless. To experience new cultures, try out new food, so eat new food, learn about history, art, or simply to unwind, okay? So people want to unwind, they want to relax. And also travelling broadens our perspective. So to broaden, to widen, to make it wider, our perspective of the world. So our view of the world, and if you go to a new place, it could give you new insights into the world. So new ideas about the world. Insights... Wow. And you can experience a lively culture. Lively culture, like hey! Cool culture, lively.

R: Well, it's only cool if you like that kind of thing. How do you feel about a lively culture?

M: A lively culture? Well, for example, I've been to Peru and the culture is really lively. So I really enjoyed it.

R: Good.

M: You can say that people don't want to have that mundane urban sprawl. Mundane? Like ordinary, boring. Urban - city. Sprawl, Rory. What is sprawl?

R: Sprawl is just... Like it's a spread of over a wide area of buildings. They're not very detailed or unique. It's just something that covers a wide area and looks awful.

M: So people want to escape this mundane urban sprawl and endless office...

R: And if it's mundane, then it's not interesting.

M: Yeah, not interesting at all. Yeah. And people want to escape endless office blocks or endless apartment blocks and go somewhere else. Bad things could happen in other cities. What are they? Crime, scams. So people can experience things like crime, scams, so when other people lie to you, and they take your money away from you. Some other unexpected situations, and people should take appropriate precautions. So people should be careful. Take measures to avoid bad situations. And you should research the destination beforehand. Take advice from locals. So ask local people for advice and take advice from trusted sources. So don't just go read some unreliable comments all over the internet, go to trusted sources. And you can say that you can minimize the risk of encountering them. Encountering? Like coming across, experiencing bad things. So encounter bad experiences, encounter problems. We can talk about planned travelling, and planned travelling is pretty much when we talk about package tours. Everything's organized or everything is planned out, which is a phrasal verb.

R: Or at least you have a plan.

M: Yeah, you have like a rough plan. Itinerary. There you go. So itinerary is like the route, the plan of your trip. So day one, we go there. Day two, we go there. Day three, we stay here. And some people prefer it to be planned out. Okay? So they enjoy planned travelling.

R: Do you like plan travelling?

M: Yes, yeah, I do. Sometimes I don't. If, for example, I go to some cities in Russia, I can just go there and I just, you know, like freedom. I just do whatever I want. But if I go to faraway places, I prefer to plan it out, yeah. Especially if, for example, last year, I went to Baikal, and travelling in Baikal, because it's difficult, because the lake is huge. And to go from one place to another, it takes four hours. And the only way to go there is by boat. So I have to plan it beforehand, because I need to buy the tickets in advance. Yeah, it's a popular destination. Baikal lake.

R: It's one of the biggest lakes in the world, I think, isn't it?

M: It is the biggest.

R: Wow.

M: So this planning helps you to have a stress-free experience. And also planning can help to ensure. Ensure - to make sure. That travellers, people who travel, can see and do everything they want. Yeah, especially if you have a limited timeframe. So you have a limited timeframe. 10 days in Baikal, and to make sure that you do everything you want, you need to book things in advance. Also, some questions could be about noise pollution, dear listener. So tourists make a lot of noise. So we make noise. And then noise could come from industrial equipment. Usually, noise comes, what, from the traffic, from industrial equipment, from heavy vehicles, from trucks. But also there are more significant problems like dropping trash, littering, when people throw rubbish in the street. So people drop trash. And some people destroy historical artefacts like in Glasgow. Yes?

R: I don't know if people destroy historical artefacts in Glasgow. But there was a problem in South America, where people accidentally destroyed things that were like hundreds of years old or 1000s of years old, just because they didn't know what they were doing or what the thing was they were looking at. And in the same way people used to... There used to be a tourist service that put people in touch with uncontacted tribes in the Amazon. But that's extremely dangerous because people from Western countries can carry diseases that these people aren't inoculated against, that could really hurt them, actually, if they're not careful. So yes, tourists... It's less about the noise and more of the physical actions they're capable of that might be the problem.

M: Be aware of tourists, dear listener.

R: Well, just try and be respectful of the country you're in, no?

M: Sweet. Thank you very much for listening! Hopefully, now you have grammar and superduper vocabulary, and we'll get back to you in our next episode. Okay? Jolly good?

R: Bye!

M: Bye!

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