Out of order (Unit 26)

Hello. My name is Jane. I'm a manager in the USA and had some problems on my last trip. I planned to fly to London last month for business but the flight was cancelled 24 hours before I travelled. I was really stressed, but I telephoned a travel agent friend who was really helpful and very quick. He solved the problem by finding another flight just one hour later. Unfortunately, the hotel staff didn't meet me at the airport.

I had a reservation in a terrible three-star hotel. I booked a single room. The room was cold and the lift was out of order. The hotel restaurant was always busy and the food was overcooked and cold. There was a problem with the shower - there was no hot water and no clean towels in the room. The coffee machine was broken. I wanted something from the minibar, but it was empty. I asked the receptionist to send somebody up and solve the problem but the staff were rude. Besides, the people in the next room were so noisy, that I couldn't sleep. I wanted to change the room and told the manager about all these problems. She said she would investigate, but she didn't.

Moreover, I had a major technical problem with the computer network. It was very slow. My computer crashed for no reason every 20 minutes. I had to find a solution quickly and called technical staff. They solved the problem and even upgraded my computer with more memory. But I'll never stay in that hotel again.

I had one really embarrassing moment. During the exhibition, I bought a new mobile phone. When I tried it at the hotel it didn't work so I took it back. I complained but the assistant was very patient. In fact, he dealt with the problem very quickly - he switched it on! He was very polite but I felt really stupid.

I ordered some products from a supplier at the exhibition I waited for three weeks but nothing arrived. Finally, I telephoned and explained the problem to a customer care manager. She said my order was sent to the wrong address because of a computer problem but she was very customer friendly: she listened, apologized and then offered me a 25% discount. Great customer service.

1. Translate from Russian into English:

путешествие, путешествовать, полет, шумный, комната, медленный, ломаться, жаловаться, терпеливый, включать, глупый, объяснять, поставщик, заказывать, неправильный, скидка.

2. Translate from English into Russian:

hotel staff, to meet, to be out of order, to investigate, to have a reservation, to book, major, to find a solution, to upgrade with memory, overcooked, customer-friendly, to apologize, unfortunately.

3. Answer the questions:

1) Where did Jane travel last month?

2) What problem did she have at the airport?

3) How did her travel agent friend help her?

4) Where did Jane live?

5) Was the room comfortable? Why not?

6) Did Jane like the restaurant? Why?

7) Did she have good neighbors?

8) Did Jane enjoy the service?

9) What problem did she have with the computer?

10) Does Jane plan to stay in that hotel again?

11) What embarrassing moment did Jane have?

12) Was she pleased with the customer care manager?

WHAT DO YOU THINK? What problems did you have during your trip? How did you solve them? Was the manager customer friendly?

Health (Unit 27).

Nice to meet you. I am Lewis. Let’s speak about health. Health is an essential part of our life. I can give you some advice that can improve your life. If you’ve put on weight and want to lose it, you should think carefully about what food you buy. You shouldn’t eat junk food, you have to exercise regularly and drink 2 liters of water every day. For example, if I’m overweight I try to be on a diet. I eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. Since I cut down on eating fast food and chocolate, my weight has gone down by several kilos. I wish I did more exercises to be slim, but I haven’t got time. I want to relax more bur my job is very stressful. I would like to reduce working hours but I have too much to do. So, staying healthy can be difficult when you sit at work all day.

It is also important to give up all your bad habits. For example, my father wants to stop smoking because smoking is very bad for the lungs. But he is on 40 a day, because he always gets stressed. As for my mother, she is a very relaxed person. She is a vegetarian and doesn’t eat meat. My mother doesn’t spend all her time working and has a good work-life balance. So, she never gets tense. Besides, she doesn’t go to bed too late and gets a good night’s rest. I would like to be as laid back as my mom.

1. Translate from Russian into English:

жизнь, давать совет, овощи, фрукты, вес, работа, делать упражнения, здоровье, здоровый, привычка, курение, мясо, отдых, легкие.

2. Translate from English into Russian:

an essential part, junk food, to cut down on eating, to go down, stressful, to be slim, to put on weight, to lose weight, to reduce, to give up, to get tense, to be laid back.

3. Answer the questions:

1) What should a person do to lose weight?

2) Does Lewis have a good work-life balance?

3) What bad habit does his father have?

4) How many cigarettes a day does he smoke?

5) How does Lewis's mother keep fit?

6) Does she work a lot?

WHAT DO YOU THINK? How do you support your health? What should a person do to stop stress?