viernes, 16 de diciembre de 2011

Sleep box

Self-study activity:
Watch this BBC news item about a Russian invention to make the best of our waiting time at airports.

The task is suitable for Intermedio 1 students, but Básico 2 ones can give it a go too.
First of all, watch the video clip through and try to understand as much as possible.
Then, watch the item again and complete the gaps in the transcript with the missing words.


It’s the dream of every long-distance airline passenger: A chance to escape the airport departure (1) ...  and your fellow passengers, kick back, unwind and relax whilst waiting for connecting flight. Both for tourists and business travellers in Moscow the wait may finally be over. It’s called the sleep box. And its designers say its subtle (2) ...  , bunk-styled beds, fold-down desk and luggage space provide the perfect (3) ... for so much-needed sleep.

We ourselves fly a lot and get into situations where we have to sleep on chairs and even on the floor. You don’t want to go to a hotel, of course, because it is too far away and it’s not (4) ... in a matter of minutes, so we came up with this idea.

There are of course already (4) ... rest areas at airports, but the Moscow inventors believe their design is so different in that it can be positioned near boarding gates to allow passengers the option of renting them for periods as short as (5) ... minutes, and it seems to be getting a positive response from passengers.

This passenger thinks it will be a success provided the price is right and it’ll be a lot more comfortable than an airport (6) ...  .

It’s too early to say whether or not the sleep box will help to usher in a new era in airline travel. It will be up to the (7) ... traveller if they want to get away from it all while still at the airport.

Key:
1 lounge 2 lighting 3 environment 4 available 5 thirty 6 couch 7 tired