Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. cursed
    • ex. People say that the house is cursed because everyone who lives there gets sick.
  2. exceed
    • ex. I want to be a safe driver, so I try not to exceed the speed limit.
  3. a setback
    • ex. We had a big setback to the project because our supplies were delivered two weeks late.
  4. on hold
    • ex. The big meeting was put on hold because of the CEO’s health emergency.
  5. an international hub
    • ex. The city became an international hub after a lot of foreign businesses opened offices there.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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The Brandenburg Airport in Berlin, Germany, is set to finally open on October 31 after years of construction. Locals have called the airport cursed because of the large number of problems it had while being built. The opening is over 8 years late, and construction costs reportedly exceeded the original budget by billions of dollars.

Construction of the new airport began in 2006, and it was scheduled to open in 2012. Before the opening, however, inspectors discovered that there were major problems with the building’s structure. The opening was then moved to 2014, then to 2016. The airport continued to experience setbacks such as failed fire and safety inspections, and the project was finally put on hold.

Now, airport authorities claim that everything is set for the opening in October. According to them, the new airport will help establish Berlin as an international hub. Locals, however, continue to wonder if it will actually open this year.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

AIRPORTS

  • Do you think the Brandenburg Airport will really open in October? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Do you think your country has enough airports? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Do you think airports in your country are safe? Why or why not? Discuss.

SETBACKS

  • Do you think that the Brandenburg Airport’s construction should have stopped because of the many setbacks? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Are all setbacks bad? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • What’s the best thing to do when you experience a setback? Why? Discuss.