TOPIC ROAD TRIP 

Describe a road trip you’ve done

You should say:

• where you went
• who you went with
• what happened on the trip
• and explain why you remember it

Chúng ta hãy cùng xem những ý tưởng và từ vựng trong chủ đề ROAD TRIP nhé.

1. IDEAS & VOCAB

• Ideas:

- Road trips…

+ Are a quintessential (key) part of American/ European pop culture.

+ Famous book: “On the Road” Jack Kerouac (1950’s)

+ A road trip is a kind of holiday, traveling on the road, to explore different places.

+ Often covering a long distance, passing through different cities/ places.

+ It could be traveling by car, motorbike, coach, or bus

⇒ Focus on what happens on the trip…

+ The driving

+ The scenery

+ The conversations (in the car, bus)

+ The food you ate

+ The stops you made on the way

+ The places you explored

• Useful vocabulary

- Cars

+ a drive (n)

+ to go for/ on a drive

+ an epic drive = legendary, memorable

+ to be on the (open) road

+ It’s time to hit the road = begin the journey

+ To be behind the wheel = to drive

+ to take the wheel = to start driving

+ to drive on the left/ right

+ to overtake = to pass another car

Sau đây là một bài mẫu cho câu hỏi "Describe a road trip you’ve done".

2. SAMPLE

So actually, I went on a road trip with my father when I had just turned 30. The two of us decided to take the car and drive from England through France from top to bottom. We had both been through some difficult times and really decided we needed to get away from it all. So it seemed to us that hitting the open road was the best way to do it, particularly since we both loved driving. We had a rough plan, but we were open to adventure. In actual fact, we took advantage of the trip to go and visit some friends in the north and the south of France, kind of killing two birds with one stone. So I was behind the wheel for most of the first leg through the big cities and the little towns of northern France. And I just remember those kinds of busy urban landscapes and the reckless driving of the French. I was hard-driving at first because the French, they drive on the right and I wasn’t used to it. I had to be really careful, actually, when overtaking and especially at the roundabouts. I got the hang of it and within a few days, yeah, it was fine. And then in the south of France, my dad took the wheel. And there I do remember the long, flat roads stretching for miles ahead and the fields that were dotted with these yellows and oranges from the flowers and the cereals. And I just soaked up the beautiful views whilst my dad was driving. It was a really memorable trip and one, honestly, that I will savor for years to come.

Dưới đây là phần phân tích bài mẫu, hãy xem để hiểu rõ hơn nhé.

Một vài ví dụ về một số câu hỏi thường gặp trong Part 3, chủ đề ROAD TRIP và gợi ý trả lời.

3. PART 3

• 1. What is the most popular means of transport in your country?
• 2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of traveling by car?
• 3. How are cities adapted to cars?
• 4. Do you think people will drive cars more in the future?

Answers

1. What is the most popular means of transport in your country?

Probably the car. Most families have at least one car, and many people will commute to work by car. Certainly for day trips and short holidays people like the flexibility that a car offers, so if you want to take a detour and visit a sightseeing spot, you can.

Mind you, I do recognize that nowadays more and more people are being socially responsible and are using public transport, such as trains and buses.

• Structure

- Opinion

+ Probably…

+ I guess…

- Develop the answer

+ Certainly….so….

- Give a counter opinion

+ Mind you….

• Vocabulary
  

- To commute by car = to drive to work (into the city)

- I like the ….(flexibility, beauty, entertainment)...that…offers = I like this aspect of it

- To take a detour = to take a different route…

- To be socially responsible = to look after the society

2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of traveling by car?

I would say the main benefits are convenience and comfort. So you just walk out of your house, jump in your car and you can drive directly to wherever you are going.As you are traveling, you can sit comfortably, adjust the air conditioning, and even listen to music. You can do whatever you feel like, actually. The downside is your carbon footprint. Driving by car is not very good for the environment.

• Structure

- Opinion: I would say…

- Develop the answer:

+ So…

+As you…

- Give another opinion: The downside is…

• Synonyms

- The main benefits = the pros, upsides, advantages

• Vocabulary

- Carbon footprint = how much fossil fuel you use