Part 2: Hospitality in Spain
Questions 11-14
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
Walking Holiday
11 Approximately how many passengers does the ferry hold?
A 160
B 600
C 2000
12 Which items should the tourists pack in a separate bag?
A food
B reading material
C medicines
13 The hostel in La Vega de Liebana has
A good washing facilities
B a games room
C a number of single bedroom
14 Residents at the hostel are not allowed to
A take furniture out of the hostel building
B enter the hostel after a certain time
C smoke in the hostel gardens
Questions 15-17
Complete the notes below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
Clothes and equipment
Bring:
booths with thick soles
spare 15 _________
light waterproofs
sunscreen: strength – 16 _________
a 17 _________ folder for map, etc.
Questions 18-20
Choose THREE letters, A-G.
Which THREE of the following features of the area in Spain does the speaker talk about.
A altitude
B coastline
C economy
E temperatures
F vegetation
G wildlife
Keys
- C
-
B
-
A
-
B
-
socks
-
total block
-
plastic
-
A
-
F
-
G
Transcript
Section 2: You will hear a tour guide talking to some tourists who are going on a walking holiday in Spain.
Gary Payne: Well good evening everyone.
Gary Payne: My name’s Gary Payne and I’ll be the leader for your walking holiday in Spain and the purpose of this evening’s meeting is for us all to get to know each other in advance and for you to ask any questions you may have about the holiday.
Gary Payne: So I’ll begin by telling you a little bit about what to expect.
Gary Payne: Now the ferry crossing from England to Santander in Spain takes about 24 hours.
Gary Payne: We’ll be sailing on the Prince Regent, which first launched in the 1980s.
Gary Payne: As well as the crew of 160, it can accommodate about 2,000 people and 600 cars and it sails at an average speed of 37 km an hour.
Gary Payne: There’ll be an onboard map on one of the decks which charts the ship’s progress during the voyage.
Gary Payne: Although our mini bus will be on one of the vehicle decks in the boat, access to these decks is prohibited during the crossing so when you leave our bus you’ll have to take everything that you’re likely to need with you, like toiletries or books and magazines.
Gary Payne: In fact it’s probably a good idea to put these things in a separate bag beforehand.
Gary Payne: You shouldn’t need snacks on board as meals are provided and they’re quite substantial.
Gary Payne: And if you don’t feel well or get a headache, you can get tablets from me.
Gary Payne: I always carry an adequate supply.
Gary Payne: Now once we’re in Spain, we’ll be based at a hostel in a small village called La Vega de Libana, about 120 kilometers from Santander.
Gary Payne: It’s a very picturesque area that’s retained a lot of its traditional industry and culture.
Gary Payne: The hostel accommodation’s fairly simple.
Gary Payne: There are bunk beds and each room holds four to eight people, but the bathrooms and showers are of a high standard.
Gary Payne: The hostel residents have the use of tennis courts nearby, if you like a game.
Gary Payne: We’ll be given breakfast and an evening meal at the hostel.
Gary Payne: In general, the hostel is relaxed, but there are a few rules which the owners enforce strictly.
Gary Payne: Smoking is not allowed anywhere inside the building, and food and drink is banned in the dormitories.
Gary Payne: Any chairs or tables which you take outside into the gardens must be returned every evening to their original place.
Gary Payne: And finally, the doors are locked after midnight out of consideration for other guests who are trying to sleep.
Gary Payne: Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at Questions 15-20 on Page 4.
Gary Payne: Thank you.
Gary Payne: Now that’s enough about travel and accommodation, but before I move on I should say something briefly about equipment.
Gary Payne: There’s a list in the guidebook you’ve been sent, but I’ll just elaborate on one or two items.
Gary Payne: First, boots.
Gary Payne: Make sure that the ones you bring have thick soles, that’s the most important thing.
Gary Payne: Don’t bring trainers for walking in, apart from anything else they’re dangerous because they slip.
Gary Payne: It’s important to bring spare socks.
Gary Payne: Then, about waterproofs, I’d strongly advise you not to come with anything heavy, you know, with a thick lining.
Gary Payne: The ideal things are those lightweight ones, because they fold up small, and although they do keep the wind out, they don’t make you too hot. Right?
Gary Payne: Next, sun cream.
Gary Payne: This is absolutely essential, and regarding the strength, make sure you get what’s known as total block.
Gary Payne: Even factor 25 isn’t good enough for those latitudes in July.
Gary Payne: Then, let’s see, bring a folder to keep your map and other papers in, you know, one of those plastic ones.
Gary Payne: It’s not very likely to rain, but if it does, you’ll find it soaks everything.
Gary Payne: So, that’s the practicalities over.
Gary Payne: Now, let me tell you a little bit about the area in Spain where we’ll be walking, the Picos de Europa.
Gary Payne: It’s a very popular area for tourists because of its spectacular peaks.
Gary Payne: Although there are only 25 kilometres from the sea, the highest peaks are more than 2,600 metres high and have year-round snow caps.
Gary Payne: On the highest peaks, you’ve got alpine plants that are only free of their snow cover for a few months a year.
Gary Payne: Then, you’ve got meadows that are full of wild flowers at certain times of the year.
Gary Payne: Then, the northern slopes are covered by woodlands, giving homes to rare species such as wolves and bears.
Gary Payne: And because of the variety of plant life, which survives in that part of Europe due to the traditional way of life there…
