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The pool is free to guests of the airport’s in-transit hotels; otherwise, it is about $11 per person. The airport offers a free bus tour of Singapore. The tour is arranged so that passengers do not have to clear immigration, the airport retains passports so passengers do not run off.

Simple steps matter, like minimizing annoying announcements and honking carts and instead playing soothing music to reduce stress. Placing rival currency-exchange booths and clothing stores side-by-side stimulates competition. Touch screens in bathrooms let travellers send text messages to supervisors when toilet paper runs out, for example.

Changi figures such perks to entice passengers to spend more money at the airport and select Singapore over other connecting hubs. About 750,000 square feet of concession space (space within certain premises for a subsidiary business or service), approximately the size of a suburban shopping mall, provides 50 % ofthe airport’s revenue, helping to pay for amenities and keep down costs to airlines. The airport says its merchants record is about $1 billion in retail sales a year.

A four-story amusement-park type slide is even tied into retail. If you want to use the slide, you have to have a receipt from an airport merchant showing roughly $8 and up in purchases. Without that, you can only ride the bottom 1½ stories of the slide.

Terminal 3, the largest, opened in 2008 with skylights, a wall of windows and an interior wall covered in plants rotated out of the airport’s greenhouse. It is a city in itself: dry cleaners, medical center with everything from dental care to fertility treatments, a grocery store, pharmacy, flower shop, jewelry stores, clothing stores and an indoor amusement park for kids.

The 18th-busiest airport in the world by the number of passengers, Changi is smaller than New York’s Kennedy Airport and Amsterdam’s Schiphol but larger than Shanghai and Houston’s Bush Intercontinental,andisaprimeconnectingpoint forflightslinkingnorthandsouthAsiaaswellasEurope and Oceania. It’s not just a hub for Singapore Airlines, but also a refueling stopover forEuropean and Australian carriers. So the airport offers plentyof activities for travellers with time on their hands.

COMPREHENSION CHECK

1.According to the text, are the following statements true or false? If they are false, say why.

1)Singapore Changi International Airport is possibly the best airport worldwide.

2)The airport has never been granted as merited.

3)Singapore Changi International Airport provides superb facilities only for VIP passengers.

4)The in-transit hotel guests pay only $11 a person for the pool.

5)The airport makes as few announcements as possible.

6)The airports annual income in retail sales is almost $1 billion.

7)Singapore Changi International Airport is the world’s first airport by passengers.

8)European and Australian airlines use Singapore Changi International Airport as a refueling point on the way.

2.Match the words on the left with their synonyms on the right.

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3. Search the Internet to find the information about the four-story amusement-park type slide in Singapore’s Changi International Airport and then make a report.

4. According to the results of ‘Golden Pillow’ Award 2011, the airports given below are among the world’s best following Singapore Changi International Airport. Choose one airport and make a presentation before the group.

1. Read about the procedures for passengers at the airport. Fill in the gaps with the words or word combinations from the box.

Welcome to our airport, designed to get your journey off to the right start. Whether you are flying first class, business class, or economy class, we want you to feel comfortable. For firsttime fliers we have prepared this leaflet to help you on your way.

When you arrive at the terminal building, you will find plenty of trolleys for your luggage. Once inside the departures concourse, there are over fifty … where your ticket will be checked and you will be given a boarding card. Your luggage will be weighed, tagged and put on a conveyor belt which takes it to the plane. Please note there is a weight limit and any excess luggage will have to be paid for. You can keep one small bag with you and take it onto the plane as hand luggage.

You should then go through …, where an immigration officer will look at your passport, and a … to make sure you are not carrying any dangerous or illegal items. Now you will find yourself in the comfort of our modern air-conditioned … .While you are waiting for your flight to be called, why not to buy some cheap duty-free goods – alcoholic drinks, cigarettes, perfume, electrical goods, or souvenirs?

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Soon you will hear an announcement or see on the departures board that your flight is boarding. It will also tell you which … to go to. Here you will be helped by a ground steward and on the plane a flight attendant will direct you to your seat. Bon voyage!

On return to our airport, we try to offer the same efficient service. After you have passed through …, your luggage will be waiting on the moving conveyor belt in the baggage hall. Then, you will pass through … where you should take either the green channel, if you have nothing to declare, or the red channel, if you have to pay import duty. Once inside the …, lifts and escalators will take you to all major transport services. Have a good journey!

2. Match the English word combinations with the Russian equivalents.

3.These are the things that the ground stewards at a check-in desk usually do in a typical conversation with a passenger. Put them in order 1–7.

a)ask if the passenger has hand luggage

b)return the tickets with luggage tags and the boarding card

c)ask to see the ticket and the passport

d)say goodbye

e)weigh and tag the luggage

f)ask the passenger to put the luggage on the scales

g)ask if they want a window seat or an aisle seat

h)welcome the passenger

4.Read the conversations. Where do they take place? Match the place and the conversation.

1)reservations (airlines)

2)passport control

3)the check-in desk

a)

A:Good evening. Where have you come from?

B:Bucharest, Romania.

A:May I have your passport and form I-94, please?

B:Here you are.

A:What’s the nature of your visit? Business or pleasure?

B:Pleasure. I’m visiting my relatives.

A:How long are you going to stay in the United States?

B:Three weeks.

A: Do you have a return ticket?

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B: Yes, here it is.

A:That’s fine. Thanks. Enjoy your trip.

B:Thank you.

b)

A:Northwind Airways, good morning. May I help you?

B:Yes, do you have any flights to Sydney next Tuesday afternoon?

A:One moment, please... Yes. There’s a flight at 16:45 and one at 18:00.

B:That’s fine. Could you tell me how much a return flight costs? I’ll be staying three weeks.

A:Economy or business class ticket?

B:Economy, please.

A:That would be €346.

B:OK. Could I make a reservation?

A:Certainly. Which flight would you like?

B:The 16:45, please.

A:Could I have your name, please?

B:My name is Sara Sheldon, that’s S-A-R-A S-H-E-L-D-O-N.

A:How would you like to pay, Ms.Sheldon?

B:Can I pay at the check-in desk when I pick up my ticket?

A:Yes, but you will have to confirm this reservation at least two hours before departure time.

B:I see.

A:Now you have been booked, Ms.Sheldon. The flight leaves at 16:45, and your arrival in Sydney will be at 9:25 a.m., local time. The flight number is NWA 476.

B:Thank you.

c)

A:Good morning. Can I have your ticket, please?

B:Here you are.

A:Thank you. Would you like smoking or non-smoking?

B:Non-smoking, please.

A:Would you like a window or an aisle seat?

B:An aisle seat, please.

A:Do you have any luggage?

B:Yes, this suitcase and this carry-on bag.

A:Here’s your boarding pass. Have a nice flight.

B:Thank you.

5.Work in pairs, ask and answer questions to complete the flight information in the tables below.

e.g. What is the number of the Seoul flight? When does the Seoul flight leave? What is the desti-

nation of flight SU 316?

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Student A

Student B

1.In pairs, discuss the following questions.

1)Some people find air travel dangerous and choose other ways of reaching their destination. Is there anything that frightens or worries you about flying? How do you overcome your fears?

2)Flight attendants provide a caregiving service on board a plane. What is their main and always primary duty?

3)What job(s) would you like most – pilot, flight attendant, or air-traffic controller? Why? Which is the most difficult?

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Read the story and say what caused a severe case of food poisoning on board and who was asked to fly the plane.

It was Christmas Eve 1959, and the beginning of another routine flight. The hostesses started preparing the food trays. A few of the passengers were trying to get some sleep, but most of them were reading. There was nothing to see from the windows except the vast blackness of the Australian desert below. There was nothing unusual about the flight, except perhaps that the plane was nearly full. A lot of the passengers were travelling home to spend Christmas with their families. The hostesses started serving dinner.

It was a smooth and quiet flight. The hostesses had finished collecting the trays, and they were in the galley putting things away when the first buzzers sounded. One of the hostesses went along the aisle to check. When she came back, she looked surprised. “It is amazing,” she said. “Even on a smooth flight like this two people have been sick.”

Twenty minutes later nearly half the passengers were ill – dramatically ill. Several were moaning and groaning, some were doubled up in pain, and two were unconscious. Fortunately, there was a doctor on board, and he was helping the hostesses. He came to the galley and said, “I’d better speak to the captain. This is a severe case of food poisoning. I think we’d better land as soon as possible.” “What caused it?” asked one of the hostesses. “Well,” replied the doctor, “I had the beef for dinner, and I’m fine. The passengers who chose the fish are ill.” The hostess led him to the flight deck. She tried to open the door. “I think it is jammed,” she said. The doctor helped her to push it open. The captain was lying behind the door. He was unconscious. The copilot was slumped across the controls, and the radio operator was trying to revive him.

The doctor quickly examined the two pilots. “They just collapsed,” said the radio operator. “I don’t feel too good myself.” “Can you land the plane?” said the doctor. “Me? No, I’m not a pilot. We have got to revive them!” he replied. “The plane is on automatic pilot. We are OK for a couple of hours.” “I don’t know,” said the doctor. “They could be out for a long time.” “I’d better contact ground control,” said the radio operator. The doctor turned to the hostess. “Perhaps you should make an announcement, try to find out if there is a pilot on board.” “We can’t do that!” she said, “It will cause a general panic.” “Well, how are we going to get this thing down?” said the doctor.

Suddenly the hostess remembered something. “One of the passengers ... I overheard him saying that he had been a pilot in the war. I will get him.” She found the man and asked him to come to the galley. “Didn’t you say you used to be a pilot?” she asked. “Yes ... why? The pilot is all right, isn’t he?” She led him to the flight deck. They explained the situation to him. “You mean you want me to fly the plane?” he said. “You must be joking. I was a pilot, but I flew single-engined fighter planes, and that was fifteen years ago. This thing has got four engines!”

“Isn’t there anybody else?” he asked. “I’m afraid not,” said the hostess. The man sat down at the controls. His hands were shaking slightly. The radio operator connected him to Air Traffic Control. They told him to keep flying on automatic pilot towards Brisbane, and to wait for further instructions from an experienced pilot. An hour later the lights of Brisbane appeared on the horizon. He could see the lights of the runway shining brightly beyond the city. Air Traffic Control told him to keep circling until the fuel gauge registered almost empty. This gave him a chance to get used to handling the controls. In the cabin, the hostesses and the doctor were busy

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attending to the sick. Several people were unconscious. The plane circled for over half an hour. The passengers had begun to realize that something was wrong. “What is going on? Why don’t we land?” shouted a middle aged man. “My wife is ill. We have got to get her to hospital!” A woman began sobbing quietly.

At last the plane started its descent. Suddenly there was a bump which shook the plane. “We are all going to die!” screamed a man. Even the hostesses looked worried as panic began to spread through the plane. “It’s all right!” someone said. “The pilot is just lowered the wheels, that is all.” As the plane approached the runway they could see fire trucks and ambulances speeding along beside the runway with their lights flashing. There was a tremendous thump as the wheels hit the tarmac, bounced twice, raced along the runway and screeched to a halt. The first airport truck was there in seconds. “That was nearly a perfect landing. Well done!” shouted the control tower. “Thanks,” said the man. “Any chance of a job?”

COMPREHENSION CHECK

1. Match the words and word combinations from the text with their definitions.

2. Find the English equivalents for the following in the text:

останавливаться со скрипом; выпускать шасси; ухаживать за больными; управлять штурвалом; быть без сознания; испытывать тошноту; заклинить (о двери); свалиться от слабости или болезни; стонать (охать); скорчиться от боли.

3. On board the plane we must be prepared to face potential obstacles and have clear plans in place for surviving them without major injuries or casualties. Have you ever wondered what you would do in the condition of an urgent need for action or assistance? For example, if there is no one else capable of flying the plane and the safety of passengers may depend on you making several important decisions. Imagine that you were the passenger who landed the airplane in the emergency on Christmas Eve, 1959. Tell that flight story.

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1.The duty of a flight attendant is to assist in safety-related procedures and evacuate the plane in the event of an emergency. There are several procedures flight attendants must follow in the event of an emergency landing. Put the following in the correct order 1–7.

a)open the emergency exits after the Captain’s signal to evacuate

b)ask the captain if the evacuation will take place on land or water and how much time they have to prepare the cabin

c)get the notification from the flight deck that they will be making an emergency landing

d)do one last cabin walk through and make sure that everyone is out and the flight deck is clear

e)wait for the captain’s signal to evacuate once the aircraft has made the emergency landing

f)make a special announcement to the passengers and proceed to show them the proper brace positions such as crossing their arms on the seat in front of them and placing their heads on their arms or wrapping their arms around their legs

g)begin to shout commands to inform the passengers to go out the exit, jump out of the slide, and move away from the aircraft

2.Read the text and fill in the gaps with the information below.

1)baggage handlers, mechanics, and drivers

2)the check-in desk, the information desk, the bureau de change, the security check, customs and immigration

3)dealing with enquiries, selling tickets, checking in passengers and supervising them

4)probation period

5)shops, bars, restaurants

When people think about working in the air travel industry, they usually imagine flight attendants and pilots – the cabin crew and the flight crew. However, there are many other job opportunities at airports. These can include working in various … or more specifically tourism related services, such as … .

The work of the airline ground crew includes … until they board the plane and are handed over to the cabin crew. Ground crew is expected to have good basic education, foreign languages are of special requirement. A pleasant helpful personality and previous experience in a job which involves working with the public are preferred.

As with travel consultants and cabin crew, ground crew are usually employed on permanent contracts but often work shifts. Free and discounted flights are usually offered after a ... . Some jobs at the airport do not involve contact with the public. Examples of these are ... .

3.Read and say who the announcements below are made by.

1)a captain

2)a flight attendant

3)ground staff

a) This is the final boarding call for passengers Helen and Fred Brown booked on flight 372A to Kansas City. Please proceed to Gate three immediately. The final checks are being

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completed and the captain will order for the doors of the aircraft to close in approximately five minutes. I repeat. This is the final boarding call for Helen and Fred Brown! Thank you.

b)Good afternoon, passengers. First, I would like to welcome everyone on Rightwing Flight 86A. We are currently cruising at an altitude of 33,000 feet at an airspeed of 400 miles per hour. The time is 1:25 pm. The weather in London is clear and sunny. If the weather cooperates, we should get a great view of the city as we descend. The cabin crew will be coming around in about twenty minutes to offer you a light snack and beverage, and the in-flight movie will begin shortly after that. I will talk to you again before we reach our destination. Sit back, relax and enjoy the flight.

c)Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the crew I ask that you, please, direct your attention to the monitors above as we review the emergency procedures. There are six emergency exits on this aircraft. Should the cabin experience sudden pressure loss, stay calm and listen for instructions from the cabin crew. Oxygen masks will drop down from above your seat. If you are travelling with children, make sure that your own mask is on first before helping your children. Life rafts are located below your seats and emergency lighting will lead you to your closest exit and slide. While we wait for takeoff, take a moment to review the safety data card in the seat pocket in front of you and do not forget to put your seats in the upright position.

Read and translate the poem. Who do you think this poem is about? Now, read the poem aloud as expressively as possible.

KEY WORDS TO REMEMBER

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6. Travelling by Sea

SECTION 1

1.In pairs, discuss the following questions.

1)Have you ever been on a cruise or spent a holidayon a ship? What was it like?

2)What leisure activities are there on board a cruise ship?

3)Who would you like to go on a round-the-world cruise with? Is the right company of people important on a cruise? Why?

2.Look at the list of river and sea trips. Put them in two different orders: 1) the order in which you would most like to go on them; 2) from the most expensive to the least expensive.

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