Not very fast, please. It's a listening for ESL beginner adult students.
Heathrow airport near London is the busiest international airport in the world. Every day thousands of travellers arrive at Heathrow from many different countries. Every one of them has a different story to tell. We spent an afternoon in the Arrivals Hall at Heathrow last week talking to travellers arriving from abroad. We asked them: Why are you here?
Rima, 23, from Vilnius in Lithuania.
-Why are you here?
-I’m going to look for a job. Maybe as an au pair, looking after children. And I want to improve my English too, so I can get a better job when I go back home. I hope I can find some work quickly, because I don’t have much money.
-Is this your first visit?
-Yes, it is. I’m really looking forward to living here but I’m a bit nervous too.
-How long are you going to stay?
-Six months or a year. It depends how things go.
-Do you know anybody here?
-Yes, I have a friend who’s working here in a restaurant. I’m going to stay with her for a few weeks until I can find my own flat.
-Well, good luck!
Jonathan, 35, just arrived from Melbourne, Australia.
-Why are you here?
-I’m going to see my Dad in Wales. It’s his seventieth birthday tomorrow.
-Does he know you’re coming?
-No. It’s going to be a big surprise for him. And it’s going to be very emotional too. I moved to Australia in 1990, and the last time I saw my Dad was five years ago. It’s too expensive to visit very often and my father can’t fly – he had a heart operation last year.
-How are you going to get there?
-By train. All the family are waiting at my parents’ house. We’re going to have a big party there tomorrow night.
-Are you going to stay for long?
-Yes, for a month. It’s too far to come for a short time – and I want to see all my old friends here as well as my family.
Maki, 25 and Koji 27 from Nagasaki, Japan.
-Why are you here?
-We’re on our honeymoon. We got married last Saturday.
-Congratulations! Where are you staying in London?
-We’re staying at the Hyde Park Hotel. We’re just here for a few days.
-What are you planning to do?
-Everything is organized for us. Tomorrow we’re doing a tour of London on a double-decker bus, and in the evening we’re seeing a show. Then on Tuesday we’re going to Oxford and Cambridge and on Wednesday we’re flying to Edinburgh.
-When are you leaving?
-On Friday. We’re going to Paris next, and then to Rome…
-Well, have a good time!
