[content_band style=”color: #222;” class=”cat-food” bg_color=”#ffffff” border=”horizontal” inner_container=”true”]
[custom_headline type=”center” level=”h2″ looks_like=”h3″ accent=”true”]Reading Practice – Free Cruise![/custom_headline]
[custom_headline type=”left” level=”h4″ looks_like=”h4″ accent=”true”]Part 1 – Key Vocabulary[/custom_headline]
You can listen to the vocabulary lesson here:
[x_audio_player mp3=”https://mdhe-vds-06.s3.amazonaws.com/cruise-ship-vocab.mp3″]
A mandate (n) is an official order to do something. We usually use mandate when we talk about official orders from the government to the citizens, companies to their employees or schools to their students. Mandate is also used as a verb to mean “to officially require” something.
- The local high school passed a no-smoking mandate for all students and staff.
- The company mandated all employees take a 2 hour seminar on harassment in the workplace.
A protocol (n) is a system of rules or official procedure used in groups or situations.
- Before meeting the Queen, you need to learn the protocol used to greet and shake hands with her.
- At a classical music concert, the usual protocol is for the audience to applaud only at the end of a whole piece and not after the end of each section.
We use the phrase just like that to emphasize that something happens or that something is done immediately, quickly, or in a very simple way, often without much consideration or discussion.
- Jack met Jenny at a party and just like that, he fell in love.
- It’s not easy to quit smoking just like that, but Debbie did it
A maiden voyage is the first trip of a ship, airplane, etc.
- The Titanic sank while on its maiden voyage.
- The maiden voyage to Mars will probable happen within the next decade. How exciting!
Practice the Vocabulary
Answer the questions below, enter your name and email and hit send. Michael will reply with feedback within 24 hours.
[contact-form-7 id=”19549″ title=”Contact-form-cruise-ship”]
[gap size=”20px”]
[line style=”border-top: 1px solid green;”]
[gap size=”20px”]
[custom_headline type=”left” level=”h4″ looks_like=”h4″ accent=”true”]Part 2 – Read the Story[/custom_headline]
[custom_headline type=”left” level=”h4″ looks_like=”h4″ accent=”true”]Royal Caribbean attracts 100,000 volunteers for cruise ship test runs[/custom_headline]
You can listen to the article here:
[x_audio_player mp3=”https://mdhe-vds-06.s3.amazonaws.com/cruise-ship-story.mp3″]
Michael Bayley, the president of cruise giant Royal Caribbean announced Sunday that 100,000 people have already volunteered to sail free-of-charge on their government mandated test voyages. On Facebook, the CEO wrote, “And just like that…100,000 people have volunteered. We can’t wait to start this next phase with you all!”
Just three days earlier, the company set up a “Volunteers of the Seas” Facebook page to attract those eager enough for a free ride aboard a cruise ship during the COVID-19 pandemic. The test sailings are among the cruise ship industry protocols instituted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to Cruise Industry News, cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean must launch these simulated voyages to test their coronavirus safety measures before being given the opportunity to resume operating from ports in the U.S. Royal Caribbean’s volunteer passengers will reportedly begin cruising in 2021. The maiden voyage is most likely to CocoCay, the company’s private island in the Bahamas 55 miles north of Nassau.
[gap size=”20px”]
Original Article: https://nypost.com/2020/11/19/royal-caribbean-attracts-100000-volunteers-for-cruise-ship-test-runs/
[gap size=”20px”]
Speaking Practice
Get some speaking practice by summarizing the basic idea of this story.
- ✅ You can record up to 60 seconds.
- ✅ I will send you some feedback about your message within 24 hours.
[/content_band]