1. Listening and speaking
Before you listen, read the
exercises below and try to predict
what the listening is about.

2. chatting with the passers-by see some beautiful sceneries
Can you imagine what happened when Wang Kun and Wang Wei travelled down the Mekong river?
chatting with the passers-by
…….
see some beautiful sceneries
What happened?
meet some things dangerous
get lost

3. Laos

6. Listen to the tape and tick the statement
which tells the main idea of the dialogue.
A girl from Laos told Wang Kun
about how Laotians use the Mekong River.
A girl told Wang Kun about what they
would see along the Mekong River.
A girl from Laos told Wang Kun about
how important and beautiful the Mekong is. C

7. Listen again and complete the passage
below.
The Mekong is the most important river
in Laos. It even ________ on the national
____ of the country. Laotian people use
the river for ________, _______ and
____________ goods and people around
the country.
appears
flag
washing
fishing
transporting

8. They call the Mekong “the ___ of Laos”,
but in Tibet people call it “the water of
the _____”. If you follow the river in
Laos, you can visit temples, caves and a
_________. At night, you can sleep in
some small _________ by the river.
sea
rocks
waterfall
villages

9. Listen and answer the questions:
Which country does the girl come from?
She is from Laos.
2. Can people sleep by the Mekong River?
Yes, they can.
3. What is the Mekong river called in
Vietnam?
It’s called “the sea of Laos”

10. Listening Text Part 3 CHATTING WITH A GIRL
The next day the travellers see a girl (G)
walking along the road. Wan Kun (WK)
speaks to her.
WK: Hello!
G: Hello! Are you travelers?

11. WK: Yes. We’re travelling along the Mekong River
WK: Yes. We’re travelling along the Mekong River. We’ve been all through China and now we are going to follow the river through Laos.

12. G: I’m Laotian. The Mekong’s our
most important river. Do you know that
it even appears on our national flag?
WK: Really?
G: Yes. We use the river for washing,
fishing and transporting things around
the country.

13. We would be lost without it. It’s better
than a road.
WK: Well, no wonder I’ve seen boats
going up and down - they’re transporting
goods and people.
G: Yes. We call it “the sea of Laos”
although we are not near the sea. It is
because the water is as useful to us as
the see.

14. WK: How interesting! In Tibet the river’s called “The water of the rocks”. Both names tell us a lot about the river, don’t they?

15. G: Yes, they do. Watch out for the
temples, caves and a waterfall along
the river.
WK: Can we sleep by the river?
G: Yes, of course you can. They are
many small villages along the river.
You can stay there if you wish.
WK: Thanks a lot.

16. 4 Pair work
Have a nice/good time.
Have a nice/good trip.
Take care.
Have fun.
Good luck on your journey.
Write to me.
Say hello to ....
Give my love / best wishes to ....
Best wishes.

17. Sample dialogue:
WK: What’s the food like in Laos?
G: It’s delicious. There are many fish
dishes and a special fish soup. The
fishermen catch the fish and then cook
it. You should try that.
WK: I love to try new food. What will
we see along the riverbank?

18. G: Well there are thick forests and mountains in the north of Laos and many interesting plants, birds and animals in the south of Laos. It’s so beautiful by the river that the scenery will take your breath away.

19. WK: That sounds wonderful. I cannot wait to get going
WK: That sounds wonderful. I cannot wait to get going. Thank you for telling us so many things. Take care.
G: Have a nice time on your journey. Keep in touch and write to me if you have time. Goodbye.
Wk: I will. Goodbye.

20. Writing
Imagine that you are a friend of Wang Kun. Write a short asking about Laos.
In pairs brainstorm some questions.
What is the food like in Laos?
What do you think of the country?

21. Choose two or three questions and
use each as a new paragraph.
How was your trip?
What did you do when ...?
Have you met ...?
When did you get back?
What kind of things did you see?
Could you give me more details about ...?
Could you tell me about ...?

22. Instructions for writing
1. Use correct tenses and sentence
structures.
2. Pay attention to punctuations.
3. Creative writing is encouraged.
4. Try to use as many as possible the
words and phrases we have recently
learned.
5. Words limit: about 60 words.

23. Sample writing My dear brave Wang Kun,
How I worry about you and Wang Wei. Are you having a good time? Where are you now? Are you still in Laos? Can you tell me something about people’s life there? When are you getting to Vietnam?

24. Please send me some photos with your next letter
Please send me some photos with your next letter! Well , have a nice trip and take care. Don’t forget to write to me! Give me best wishes to Wang Kun and your cousins.
Good luck on your journey.
Your friend,
Hu Lin

25. Homework Follow the tape to read the passages
again and pay attention to the
rising and falling tone of each sense
group and sentence.