Molly Kiefer

IELTS Podcast (Ep. 10) | Dialogue Lesson 5: Travel

Magoosh IELTS Podcast

English Dialogue Lesson 5 (Ep. 10): Travel

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English Dialogue Lesson 5 – Episode 10 Transcript

(Translations: Tiếng Việt)

Welcome to the Magoosh IELTS Podcast! This is Lesson 10. In this episode, you’re going to hear dialogue containing the vocabulary words that your teacher Eliot defined in Vocabulary Lesson 5. These are 4 words all related to travel: Accommodation, Transport, Attractions, and High Rise.
If you haven’t listened to episode 5 yet, you might want to listen to that first, so that you know the definitions of these words. I’ll put a link in the show notes.

Also, check out the show notes to get your free download: the IELTS vocabulary list, which contains these words and others that you’ll find on the test. Plus visit us at IELTS.Magoosh.com for more great resources to improve your IELTS band score. Use coupon code “ieltspodcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep!

Okay let’s get started! Listen to this dialogue between Miryam and Torres as they talk about their past travels. See if you can pick out the 4 IELTS vocabulary words as you listen.

Dialogue Part 1

Miryam: Hello, I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Miryam, the new subletter. I’ll be staying in Carolla’s room this month while she’s away.

Torres: Hi Miryam, I’m Torres. My room is the one down the hall, right before the stairs.

Miryam: Nice to meet you Torres. So how did you end up living here?

Torres: I am also from Argentina, like Carolla. We both grew up in the same high rise in Buenos Aires. But she moved here many years ago with her family. And I arrived just six months ago.

Miryam: Did you come here to work, or just to visit the attractions?

Torres: I came to study English. I am on a student visa. But I was a carpenter back in Argentina, so I also work doing construction as often as I can.

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Miryam: Ah. I see.

Torres: And yourself? How long have you been here in Manchester?

Miryam: I just arrived in the UK a few weeks ago. I was staying in a hostel here in the city, but I wanted to find some accommodations with a little more privacy…I saw Carolla’s advertisement. And now I’m here. But I think I will leave England after Carolla comes back.

Torres: I see. And what brought you to England?

Miryam: I’m just traveling. I am from Australia originally, but I’ve been on the road for about nine months now. I’ve traveled all over the world. After England I plan to go to Borneo, but I need to save up a little money first. The exchange rate is good in Asia for someone like me who has Australian dollars, but flights are still very expensive. So here in England I am hoping to find some work. But I would also like to have some fun and see the attractions, of course.

Torres: What kind of job are you looking for?

Miryam: In Australia I was a social worker, but I am here on a Working Holiday visa, which means I can only do casual work. During my travels I have been mostly working on farms. But I don’t think it is very likely that I’ll be able to find that sort of work here in the city. So maybe I will bartend, or nanny, or work as a receptionist or cleaner in one of the high rises around here.

Torres: Carolla is a cook at a restaurant nearby, maybe we could call her and see if they are hiring anyone currently.

Miryam: That would be great, I have some experience as a line cook as well. Where is the restaurant?

Torres: It is about ten minutes away from here by car.

Miryam: Okay, cool. How is the public transport in Manchester? I haven’t taken the bus or anything yet. Is there a subway system here?

Torres: Manchester doesn’t have a subway system, but there are a couple other ways to get around. We have a light rail, called the Metrolink, which runs very frequently — the trams come around about every five or ten minutes. So that is a good way to get around if you are near a station. And then there are the buses, which are run by the branch of the local government that is responsible for transport. Most of the buses just go around the city, but there are also night buses that you can catch down to London or up to the border. That sort of thing.

Miryam: Do you know about how much a bus pass costs?

Torres: I believe it is fifty pounds a month.

Miryam: Okay, so about sixty dollars. That’s still not so bad. I was considering getting a bicycle, but I think public transport is a better choice right now since it’s winter, and riding the bike can get quite cold.

Torres: Yes. I also have a car, so it’s possible that we could carpool, if you’re working nearby.

Miryam: Oh, that would be great! And please let me know if you’re ever going to any parties or shows, or to see any attractions…I’d like to take advantage of the time I have here, but I still really don’t know anyone, and it can be hard to find out about events and get around without a car.

Torres: Yeah, definitely! We’re often having friends over here to barbeque as well, so if you hang around the house you’ll definitely meet everyone this weekend.

Miryam: Cool, I’ll do that! I made some friends at the hostel, but most of them are still staying in accommodations on the other side of town, and I’d like to meet some people a little closer to home.

Midroll

Before we hear the rest of Torres’ and Myriam’s conversation, let’s pause for a word from Magoosh.

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Now back to the story!

Dialogue Part 2

Miryam: So you are studying English? Does that mean English literature, or English as a second language?

Torres: English as a second language.

Miryam: That makes sense. How long have you been learning English for?

Torres: I didn’t speak any English before I came here.

Miryam: Wow, that’s incredible, your English is already very good!

Torres: I think being in a country where everyone is speaking in English forces you to learn much faster. I am still not very good though, a lot of the time it’s difficult for me to keep up with conversations — especially if people are speaking quickly.

Miryam: Yeah, that makes sense. But everyone else who lives in this house speaks Spanish right? Did you all know each other in Argentina?

Torres: Yes, our two other flatmates are Mauricio and Camilla. They also lived in the high rise back in Buenos Aires. We went to school together as children.

Miryam: It must be nice to live with people you can speak your native language with, especially people you’ve known for a long time. I’m very lucky that are so many places around the world where people speak English. I’m actually bilingual…I studied German in school for many years. But even though I’m more or less fluent, there are so many things that it’s still very difficult for me to communicate in German. Speaking in English is definitely more comfortable for me.

Torres: Yes, it’s nice to have a break from English sometimes. But everyone who lives here is bilingual as well, so we try to all practice our English together sometimes. Especially when there is someone around, like you, who doesn’t speak any Spanish.

Miryam: Yeah, I definitely don’t know any Spanish…there aren’t a lot of Spanish speakers in Australia. So you are happy living here?

Torres: Yes, definitely! I do miss Argentina, but we do go back from time to time, and it’s important that I learn English, so I’m glad that I’m here. The cost of living is more expensive here than in Buenos Aires, but our living accommodations are good, and I have many friends.

Miryam: Well I’m definitely glad to be out of the hostel. Not that I have anything against hostels, but when you’re traveling for many months, it’s very nice to have your own space and a quiet place to sleep. In the hostels there are always people coming and going at all hours of the night…and even if everyone is asleep, there is almost always someone who snores very loudly.

Torres: Yes, I believe the cost of rent at this house is not much higher than staying at a hostel, so it’s a very good deal. And we are in quite a good location, very close to a grocery store and many bars and restaurants, as well as several bus stops.

Miryam: I’m actually quite hungry, is there anywhere you would recommend that I go for dinner?

Torres: There’s an Indian restaurant two blocks away from here called Bombay House, I think that would be my favorite.

Miryam: Oh, I love Indian food! I think I’ll go there. Would you like to come with me?

Torres: Yeah, that would be great! I think Camilla and Mauricio will be home from work in ten or fifteen minutes, should I call them, and perhaps they could meet us there?

Miryam: Yeah, absolutely! I am really looking forward to getting to know all of you. I think this will be a good month.

Torres: Me too, I am very glad that Carolla found someone so nice to stay in her room!

Outro

So how did you do? Did you hear and understand all of the vocabulary words? If you need more practice, check out the show notes for a transcript of this episode so that you can follow along and listen again.

Oh and by the way! We’re looking for volunteers to help us translate the show transcripts from English to your first language. If you are interested, please email me at [email protected] with the subject line “translation,” and let me know what language you can translate into!

Thanks for listening! If you like our show, help us out by leaving a rating and review in Apple Podcasts, it helps people find us! And don’t forget to hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss the next lesson. Until next time! This is Naomi at Magoosh, wishing you happy studying!

Author

  • Molly Kiefer

    Molly is one of Magoosh’s Content Creators. She designs Magoosh’s graphic assets, manages our YouTube channels and podcasts, and contributes to the Magoosh High School Blog.

    Since 2014, Molly has tutored high school and college students preparing for the SAT, GRE, and LSAT. She began her tutoring journey while in undergrad, helping her fellow students master math, computer programming, Spanish, English, and Philosophy.

    Molly graduated from Lewis & Clark College with a B.A. in Philosophy, and she continues to study ethics to this day. An artist at heart, Molly loves blogging, making art, taking long walks and serving as personal agent to her cat, who is more popular on Instagram than she is.

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