UNIT 4

B U SI NES S  TR A V E L (part 1)

Pre-reading

 

1. Read and translate the following international words:

 

Pacific	reason	show
study	meeting	exposition
mix	portion	combination
billion	type	restaurants
contact	occupancy	auto
vary	passenger	rental
percent	corporate	company
figure	regional	hotel
automobile	product	locate
dominant	convention	major

 

2. Read and translate the following groups of words derived from a common root:

1)         please — pleasure — pleasurable —- pleased — unpleased — displeased — displeasure;

2)         clean — cleaner — unclean — cleanly — clean-cut — cleanliness —        cleanse — cleanser — 'Kleenex' (trademark of small paper handker­chiefs);

3)      travel — traveler — travelogue — ‘Travelodge’ (a chain of econ­omy or budget hotels in the U.S.);

4)      industry — industrial — industrialize — industrialized — indus­trious — industriously;

5)      dominate — dominated — dominating — domination— pre­dominate —  predomination — predominant — denominate — de­nominator;

6)   control — controller — controlling — controlled — controllable —    uncontrollable — controllability.

Reading

3. Read the text and translate it. While reading the text try and find answers to these questions:

    1.      What is the predominant reason for the majority of passengers' flying between the United States and the Asia-Pacific area.

2.      Can business travel be mixed with pleasure?

3.      Why has business travel increased in recent years?

 

BUSINESS TRAVEL (part 1)

Half, or more, of all airline travel is undertaken by business travelers. An airline study shows that the business-leisure mix varies widely accord­ing to destination area. More than 90 percent of the travel between the United States and the Caribbean is for pleasure. The figure for U.S. mainland to Hawaii pleasure travel is more than 80 percent; for United States — trans-Atlantic flights, about 70 percent; and for United States to Latin America flights, also 70 percent. Pleasure is the predominant rea­son for slightly more than 60 percent of passengers' flying between the United States and the Asia-Pacific area.

About 60 to 70 percent of the guests who check into Sheraton Hotels around the world are traveling for business reasons. Much business travel is hard work, whether it is travel in one's own automobile, or in the lux­ury of a first-class seat aboard an airline. A good portion of business travel is, however, mixed with pleasure.

It is difficult to say whether as much as half of his or her time may be spent gambling or gamboling. The trip to Europe may involve contact­ing potential customers, but it also may allow for sightseeing or for an evening at the Folies Bergure. Business travel accounts for approximately half of all travel in the U.S. and is a $156 billion industry. Counted as business travelers are those who travel for business purposes such as meetings; all kinds of sales, including corporate, regional, product, etc.; conventions; trade shows and expositions; and combinations of тенге than one. In the United States, meetings and conventions alone attract millions of people annually. Sometimes the distinction beween business and leisure travel becomes blurred. If a convention attendee in Atlanta decides to stay on for a few days after the conference, are they to be con­sidered a 'business' or 'leisure' traveler? Business travelers, when com­pared to leisure travelers, tend to be younger, spend more money, travel further, and travel in smaller groups, but they do not stay as long.

Business travel has increased in recent years due to the growth of convention centers in a number of cities. Similarly, business travelers have given a boost to hotels, restaurants, and auto rental companies. A hotel located near a major convention center often runs a higher occu­pancy and average daily rate (ADR) than other types of hotels. Business trips to meetings generally last from one to three days. Business travel to attend conventions and trade shows ranges from about five to eight days: A shuttle service usually operates between the hotel and convention cen­ters[1] For most companies, the third largest controllable expense is busi­ness travel and entertainment.

The typical business traveler still resembles the traveling salesperson of old. He or she is 39 years old, married, has a median household in­come of $40,000 to $50,000, and holds a professional or management job. One in five employed Americans takes at least one overnight business trip each year. Female business travelers, of which there are арргохн mately 15 million, comprise about 27 percent of all U.S. business travel­ers, and are on the increase. This has prompted hotel operators to take note of the needs and concerns of women business travelers.

(to be continued)

Vocabulary notes

 

mix	суміш, змішування
to mix	змішувати
destination	пункт призначения; кінцевий пункт
mainland	материкова (чи просто — основна)
	частина країни
predominant	головний, основний
the Pacific Ocean	Тихий океан
Pacific	тихоокеанський
to check into	реєструватись для проживання у готелі
to gamble	грати в азартні ігри
to gambol	скакати; перен. веселитись
Folies Bergure	Фоли-Бержер —  всесвітньо відоме
	парижське кабаре; існує з 1869 р.
to account (for smth.)	охоплювати
a $156 billion industry	галузь промисловості
	з оборотом 156 млрд. доларів
to count	розглядати
distinction	відмінність; різниця
blurred	нечіткий
attendee	учасник,  відвідувач
to give a boost (to smth.)	сприяти бурхливому розвитку
car rental	прокат (легкових) автомобілів
convention center	місце (напр., крупний готель) для
	проведення конференцій,  а також
	ділових симпозіумів і політичних з’їздів
trade show Am. E.	демонстрування фірмою своєї нової
(= trade fair Br. E.)	продукції (оптовикам, репортерам
	ЗМІ, а також широкій публіці)
to range	коливатись в діапазоні
traveling salesperson	комівояжер
of old	колишній
to shuttle	здійснювати приватні «човникові» рейси
median	в середньому; від... і до...
one in five	кожний п’ятий
employed	працюючий
female	= women
to be on the increase	рости, збільшуватись
to prompt (smth.)	наштовхувати на думку
to take note (of smth.)	брати на замітку, враховувати

 

Vocabulary focus

4. Match the equivalents:

 

1) passenger	a)	мільярд
2)  increase	b)	клієнт
3) half	c)	авіарейс
4) vary	d)	включати
5)  customer	e)	цифра
6) billion	f)	пасажир
7)  flight	g)	половина
8)  expense	h)	трата
9) spend	i)	відрізнятись
10) figure	j)	тратити
11) involve	k)	збільшуватись

 

5. Match the synonyms:

 

1) female	a)	journey
2) territory	b)	woman
3) hard	c)	main
4)  purpose	d)	difficult
5) predominant	e)	aim
6) vehicle	f)	area
7)  allow	g)	automobile
8)  trip	h)	leisure
9) pleasure	i)	let

 

6. Match the antonyms:

 

1)	good	a)	short
2)	married	b)	narrow
3)	young	c)	bad
4)	long	d)	most
5)	night	e)	day
6)	more	f)	single
7)	wide	g)	less
8)	least	h)	old

 

7. Match the words with their definitions:

meeting	a)  a person or company that does business for another person
	or company, for example by selling
	their products or by dealing with their customers
entertainment	b) performances that people fcnjoy
leisure	c)  the use or period of use of a hotel
mainland	d) a public event or show of industrial products or technology
resort	e)  —the time when you are not working or busy;
	— activities that you do to relax or enjoy yourself
exposition	f)   an occasion when people gather to discuss things and make decisions
guest	g) a period of 365 or 366 days divided into 12 rnonths
group	h) a number of people or things that are together, or that are connected in some way
shuttle	i) a bus, train, or plane that makes frequent short journeys between two places
year	j) a building where you pay to stay in a room and, have meals
agent	k) a place that many people go to for a holiday
hotel	l) someone who is paying to stay at a hotel or eat in a restaurant
occupancy	m) a large mass of land that forms the main part of a country but does not include any islands be­longing to this country

 

Comprehension

8. Answer the questions on the text:

1.   What part of all airline tiayel is undertaken by business travelers?

2.       What is the exact figure for U.S. mainland to Hawaii pleasure travel?

3.       What shows that the business-leisure mix varies widely according to destination area?         

4.       Why is business travel often associated with hard work?

5.       What have business travelers given a boost to?

6.   What has prompted hotel operators to take note of the needs and concerns of women business travelers?

 

9. Complete the sentences using proper words and phrases in the box.

1.       Much business travel is ______ .

2.       The trip to Europe often involves _______ potential customers.

3.   Pleasure is_______ for more than a half of passengers' flying between America and the Asia-Pacific area.

4.      A shuttle service operates between the hotel and the biggest con­vention center in town.

5.      The distinction between_____ travel is often blurred.

6.      In the U.S., ___ accounts for approximately half of all travel.

7.   ______ has increased in recent years due to the growth of resorts.

10. State whether the following statements are true or false.
Comment on the true statements and correct the false ones.

1.   More than 90 percent of the travel between the United States and the Caribbean is for business.

2.   A great part of business travel is often mixed with pleasure.

3.   Hotels located near a big convention center often run a lower occupancy.

4.      Businesspersons prefer traveling either by car or by rail.

5.      Tile typical business traveler is married.

6.      A good portion of pleasure travel is mixed with business.

7.      Meetings and conventions attract millions of Americans annually.

8.       Leisure travelers, when compared to business travelers, tend to be younger.

9.       A hotel located a long way from a major convention center usu­ally runs a higher occupancy.

     10.   About 65 percent of the guests who check into Sheraton Hotels are traveling for leisure reasons.

Discussion

11. State the purpose of three passengers' flying to Europe using the following words and phrases:

-  American;

-  woman business traveler;

-  inisiness-leisure mix;

-  traveling for business reasons;

-  meeting;

-  convention;

- exposition;         

-    to check in (out);                                                                     

-    to shuttle from Paris to London;

-    in the luxury of a first-class seat aboard an airline;

-    the biggest convention center in town;

-    to contact potential customers;

-    to rent a car;

-    to go sightseeing;

-    an evening at the Folies Bergure;

-    in Soho.

After having done the task describe this business travel in detail.

12. Work in pairs:

a) Look at the following words and phrases and think of a story that might combine them all. You may reorder them in any way you like using any form of the verb:

•       flew to Thailand;

•       checked into the Sheraton Hotel;

•       a meeting and two conventions;

•       trade show;

•       potential customers;

•       this business travel was hard work;

•       business was mixed with pleasure;

•       spent half of their time gambling or gamboling;

•       proved to be a success.

 

b) When you have decided upon the story, tell it to your partner. Then listen to that of your partner. Ask each other as many questions as you can to learn further details or clarify some points.

 

13. Entitle the paragraphs beginning with the words:

Half, or more, of all...

It is difficult to say whether...

14.  Divide the text into other logical parts and entitle each of them.

15.  Give a summary of the text.