1. Unit 1
A Coach Tour of Bangkok
Conversation in Context
A guide is welcoming a group of tourists before they start a coach tour of Bangkok.
Guide : Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of Sabaidee Holidays, I’d like
to welcome you on board the coach trip to the Grand Palace, the Temple of the
Emerald Buddha and the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. First of all, I’d like to
introduce myself. My name is Manit and I’m your guide for today. In a few
minutes we’ll leave the hotel for the tour. Let me take this opportunity to tell you
briefly about the itinerary. It will take us about one hour to get to the Grand Palace
from the hotel. On the way you’ll see many interesting places. First we’ll pass
the king’s royal residence, Chitralada Palace and then the Marble Temple, the
Equestrian Statue of King Rama V on the Royal Plaza in front of Anantasamakom
Hall, Mahakarn Fort, Lohaprasat, the Democracy Monument, and, finally Sanam
Luang. When we arrive at the Grand Palace we’ll start with the tour of the Temple
of the Emerald Buddha, which will take about an hour. After that we’ll visit the
Grand Palace and we’ll spend about one hour there. After the Grand Place I’m
going to take you to a Thai restaurant for lunch. After lunch we’ll visit Wat Phra
Chetuphon, the temple built by king Rama I to mark his reign. After that you’ll
have the afternoon free. Do you have any questions?
Tourist 1 : Are you going to take us back to the hotel after the temple tour?
Guide : Yes, of course.
Tourist 2 : How long are we going to visit the last temple?
Guide : About an hour and a half.
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2. Tourist 1 : What are we going to see there?
Guide : You’ll see the largest reclining Buddha in Bangkok there.
Exercise 1 Listening
Listen to the guide. Complete the notes on the itinerary.
A coach trip to the Grand Palace, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and the Temple of
the Reclining Buddha.
Thursday
08.30 Your ______ will pick you up from the ______ and drive you to the ______ . On the
way, we’ll drive past places of ______, such as Chitralada ______, the ______ Temple,
the Equestrian ______ of King Rama V in front of Anantasamakom ______, Mahakarn
______, Lahaprasat, the Democracy ______, and Sanam Luang.
09.30 Tour of the ______
10.30 Tour of the ______
11.30 Leave the Grand Palace and get back to the bus.
12.00 Lunch at a ______ by the river.
13.00 Leave the restaurant for Wat ______.
13.30 Tour of ______
Here you’ll see ______.
15.00 Meet back at the bus to get back to the hotel.
Ways of Saying It
1. Greeting, welcoming and introducing yourself
Good morning
ladies and gentlemen.
Good afternoon
Golden Orchid Holidays, I’d like to
On behalf of
Sabaidee Tours, it gives me great pleasure to
aboard our coach tour of Bangkok.
welcome you
on board our bus tour of Ayutthaya.
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3. let me introduce myself.
First of all, allow me to introduce myself. My name is______,
I’d like to introduce myself.
’m going to be your guide for today.
and I ’ll be the next few days.
the whole week.
2. Talking about future plan
On the way, you will see ___
we ’ll visit ___
’re going to stop at ___
3. Talking about sequences of activities
First, ______ Then, ______ Next, ______
After that, ______ Later, ______ Finally, ______
At one o’clock, ______
Exercise 2 Speaking
You are the guide for a four-day Bangkok tour. You have to pick up a group of tourists
from the airport and transfer them to the hotel. Study the itinerary below and give the whole
welcome speech.
Day 1 Arrive Bangkok, meet/assist and transfer to hotel
Accom : At your selected hotel.
Day 2 American breakfast at the hotel.
A.M. Half day Bangkok Klong Tour
P.M. At leisure.
Evening Thai dinner and classical dances
Accom : At your selected hotel.
Day 3 American breakfast at the hotel.
A.M. Half day Grand Palace and Emerald Buddha Temple Tour
P.M. Half day Thai cultural shows at the Rose Garden
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4. Accom : At your selected hotel.
Day 4 American breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the airport.
Exercise 3 Speaking
You are a guide for a two-day river cruise to Ayutthaya. Follow the instructions to help
you talk through the itinerary. After that answer the tourists’ questions.
BKK 004: 2 DAYS 1 NIGHT LEGENDARY RIVER CRUISE ON THE MEKHALA
Bangkok/Ayutthaya
Day 1
Pick up from your hotel. Transfer to embarkation pier.
3:00 P.M. depart on the legendary river cruiser Mekhala.
Pass by the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaeo), the Temple of Dawn (Wat
Arun) and the Royal Palace.
Cruise up the river at sunset.
Dinner by candle light on board.
Leisurely evening activities (video movies, indoor games, bar, stereo).
Night docking near Pak Kret Temple.
Day 2
- At 6:00 A.M. join traditional alms giving ceremony at the temple.
- Sunrise breakfast on board.
- Arrive at Bang Pa-in and visit king Rama V’s Summer Palace.
- Tranfer to a typical long tail boat that brings you through a series of canals (Klongs) to
the ancient city of Ayutthaya where lunch will be served.
- Guided visit through the city. Return to Bangkok by air-conditioned bus. Arrive at your
hotel at 5:00 P.M.
1. Greet the tourists
2. Introduce yourself
3. Say you are going to tell everyone the itinerary for the next 2 days.
4. Talk through Day 1 and Day 2.
First______ Then______ After that______
5. Ask if there are any questions.
6. Some tourists ask questions
7. Answer their questions.
8. Tell the tourists to enjoy themselves.
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5. Grammar Point
1. WILL vs. BE GOING TO
(a) According to the weather forecast, ‘will’ or ‘be going to’ is used to express a
it will rain tomorrow. PREDICTION.
(b) According to the weather forecast, when the speaker is making a prediction,
it is going to rain tomorrow. either will or be going to is possible
(c) Be careful, you’ll get sunburned. (a) and (b) have the same meaning.
(d) Be careful, you’re going to get (c) and (d) have the same meaning.
sunburned.
(e) A : Why did you stop? Only ‘be going to’ is used to express a
B : I’m going to show you the lake. PRIOR PLAN.
In (e): Speaker B has made a prior plan.
She planned to show ‘A’ the lake, so she
stopped in order to show her the lake.
(f) I heard that walking up Kao Wang was In (f) The speaker already knew that walking
tiring, so I’m going to take the tram. up was tiring. He made the decision in the
past and he intends to act on this decision
in the future.
(g) A : I left my passport in the hotel room. Only ‘will’ is used to express WILLINGNESS.
B : I’ll phone the hotel to keep it for In (g) Speaker B is not making a prediction.
you. Don’t worry. He has made no prior plan to phone the
(h) A : I’m thirsty. hotel. Instead, he is volunteering to phone
B : I’ll get you something to drink. the hotel and uses ùwillû to show his willing-
ness.
In (h) Speaker B is volunteering to get
Speaker A a drink.
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6. 2. FUTURE PROGRESSIVE
(a) I’ll be flying over the Atlantic at this time The future progressive expresses an activity
tomorrow. that will be in progress at a time in the
(b) Don’t call me at 7. I’ll be sleeping in future.
bed then.
(c) In the morning, we’ll be visiting the The future progressive also expresses an
Temple of the Emerald Buddha. In the action that will continue to happen at
afternoon, we’ll be visiting the Temple different times in the future, as in (c).
of Dawn.
(d) In the morning, we’ll go to the floating Sometimes there is little or no difference
market. In the afternoon, we’ll visit the between the future progressive and the
Wax Museum. simple future, especially when the future
event will occur at an indefinite time in the
future, as in (d).
3. EXPRESSING THE FUTURE IN TIME CLAUSE
(a) Mr. and Mrs. Cribb will arrive soon. In (a) ‘When Mr. and Mrs. Cribb arrive’ is a
When Mr. and Mrs. Cribb arrive, we’ll time clause.
start the tour of the temple. When + subject + verb = a time clause
(b) The bus is going to leave soon. will or be going to is not used in a time
As soon as the bus leaves, I’ll tell you clause. The meaning of the clause is
about the itinerary. future, but the simple present tense is used.
(c) You’ll soon get to the top of the hill. A time clause begins with such words as
After you get to the top of the hill, you’ll when, as soon as, before, after, until and
see the panorama of the whole town. includes a subject and a verb. The time
clause can come either at the beginning of
the sentence or in the second part of the
sentence:
When the rain stops, we’ll go out.
or
We’ll go out when the rain stops.
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7. Exercise 4
Use be going to if you think the speaker is expressing a prior plan. Use will if you think
there is no future plan.
1. Today we (visit) ______Sukhothai Historical park, where you (see) ______ the ruins of the
old palace temple.
2. A : Tell me what you (do) ______ tonight.
B : I (write) ______ some postcards and letters.
3. A : Have you got a city map?
B : Yes, of course. I (get) ______ one for you.
4. A : Isn’t it hot and stuffy in here?
B : Yes, I think so. I (turn on) ______ the airconditioner.
5. A : Could you put your seat upright. We (land) ______ soon.
B : Oh, I’m sorry.
6. A : This ruby ring is too expensive. I think.
B : I (show) ______ you a cheaper one.
7. A : What would you like for your main course?
B : What have you got?
A : We have fish, chicken and beef.
B : I (have) ______ fish, please.
8. A : Why did you buy a phone card?
B : I (make) ______ a long distance call to London.
Exercise 5
Use the future progressive, the future simple or the simple present.
1. A : When are you leaving for Switzerland?
B : Tomorrow. Can you imagine. Two days from now I (climb up) ______ the Alps.
2. A : When you (arrive) ______ in Zurich ______ you (give) ______ me a call?
B : Yes, I (do) ______ that.
3. A : Are you going to be in town next Friday?
B : No. I (take) ______ a group to Chiang Mai and we (trek) ______ in the jungle up
there.
A : As soon as you (get) ______ back to Bangkok, (come) ______ to see me
immediately. I (wait) ______ for you in the office.
4. A : How can I get in touch with you while you are out of town?
B : I (stay) ______ with my aunt, but I haven’t got her number with me. I (give) ______
you a call when I (arrive) ______ there.
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8. Exercise 6 Speaking
Look at this brief itinerary for a tour group. Welcome the group and tell them what they
are going to do for the day.
Friday 4 November
08.00 Leave hotel
09.00 Arrive at the Marble Temple. Tour of the temple.
10.00 Leave the temple for Vimanmek Mansion.
10.15 Start with an inside visit to Vimanmek Mansion.
11.15 Leave the Mansion for the Oriental Hotel.
12.00 A lunch cruise on the Queen of Chao Phraya to the Temple of Dawn.
13.00 A visit to the Temple of Dawn
14.00 Board the Queen of Chao Phraya and return to the Oriental Hotel.
15.00 Free afternoon
Exercise 7 Reading and Vocabulary
Read the commentaries that the guide gives at places along Si Ayutthaya Road and
Ratchadamnoen Avenue. Fill in the gaps with words or phrases from the list.
1. Chitralada Palace
benefits patronage residence
experiments plant specimens
herds pond strains
paddy projects subjects
research variety
We are now passing Chitralada Palace, the permanent ___1___ of His Majesty the
King. The palace was built in the reign of King Rama VI in an area of about 158 acres.
Instead of beautiful gardens, you’ll be amazed to find that the palace ground contains several
agricultural ___2___ under the royal ___3___of the king. Parts of the grounds are given over to
___4___ fields, where the king has been conducting ___5___ and testing newly developed
___6___ of rice. There are also ___7___ of cattle and a pilot ___8___ manufacturing powdered
milk. In a large dug out ___9___ the king has stocked with fast breeding ___10___ of fish
obtained from Japan. The results of these ___11___ projects and ___12___ will be made
available to government agencies and villagers throughout the kingdom. His tireless work
for the welfare of his ___13___ has brought immense ___14___ to the rural people.
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9. 2. The Marble Temple
architecture cloister marble
arts collection monastery
building command periods
On your left is Wat Benchamabophit or the Marble Temple. This temple is considered to
be a perfect ___1___ of Thai ___2___ although the main ___3___ was built from Carrara ___4___
imported from Italy. This ___5___ was built under the ___6___ of King Rama V in 1899 A.D. to
replace an old temple that was pulled down to build Suan Dusit Palace. In the ___7___ behind
the main building there is a ___8___ of beautiful Buddha images of various ___9___ and styles.
3. The Equestrian Statue of King Rama V
bodies modernization slavery wreaths
deed plaza statue
imperialists policy walks
insight representatives world
Before we turn left into Ratchadamnoennok Avenue, if you look to your right, you’ll see
a large ___1___ on which the equestrian ___2___ of King Rama V stands. King Rama V is one
of the best loved of all Thai kings. This statue was set up while the king himself was still
alive. Since his death, on the 23rd of October each year, ___3___ from government ___4___,
the military, the police, students and people from all ___5___ of life bring ___6___ of fresh
flowers to present to the statue of their beloved king. One may ask why he is so much
loved. The answer is he was the king who brought the country into ___7___ so as to keep up
with the western ___8___. Through his ___9___ and foreign ___10___, he saved his country
from being colonized by the western ___11___. Another good ___12___ that he has done to
his people was that he abolished the ___13___ system, which had been practised through-
out the course of our history.
4. Anantasamakom Throne Hall
architects dignitaries signature throne hall
command meetings style
constitution parliament supervision
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10. Behind the equestrian statue is Anantasamakom Throne Hall, which was built at the
___1___ of King Rama V for visiting foreign ___2___ and for state council ___3___ . This ___4___
is also a part of the Suan Dusit Palace. When King Rama VII affixed his ___5___ to give Thai
people their ___6___ in 1932, the first meeting of the Thai ___7___ was conducted in this
hall.
The marble Throne Hall was constructed in the Italian Renaissance ___8___ under
the ___9___ of Phraya Yomaraj and Italian engineers and ___10___. The building was built
from carved Carrara marble imported from Italy.
Exercise 8 Reading and Speaking
Divide into two groups, Group A and Group B. You are going to read part of the text
again in more detail.
Group A
1. Read the sections on ‘Mahakarn Fort’, ‘The Golden Mount’, ‘Wat Ratchanadda
and the Lohaprasat’ in more detail, making notes. Be prepared to answer questions about
them.
2. Think about the topics ‘Democracy Monument’ and ‘Sanam Luang’, but do not
read these sections. Prepare some questions that you would want to ask if you were a tourist
in Bangkok.
Group B
1. Read the sections on ‘Democracy Monument’ and ‘Sanam Luang’ in more detail,
making notes. Be prepared to answer questions about them.
2. Think about the topics ‘Mahakarn Fort’, ‘The Golden Mount’, ‘Wat Ratchanadda
and the Lohaprasat’, but do not read these sections. Prepare some questions that you would
want to ask if you were a tourist in Bangkok.
Mahakarn Fort, the Golden Mount, Wat Ratchanadda and the Lohaprasat
We are turning right into Ratchadamnoennai Avenue. On your left is the remain of
Mahakarn Fort, which was a part of the city walls built in the reign of King Rama I. Behind
Mahakarn Fort is the Golden Mount, a man-made mountain topped by a golden stupa. Some
Buddha’s relics were interred in this stupa. As Bangkok lacks high mountains, King Rama III
had The Golden Mount constructed to be the highest point in Bangkok. The construction was
completed in the reign of King Rama IV, his brother. The total height is 76 meters. Visitors
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