Transcription
Hey everybody, welcome to this B2 English listening practice video. You can use this video to train your listening and comprehension as I speak. You ready?
So today, I'm gonna talk to you about airplanes and flying. This is definitely a topic that a lot of people hate, and that's understandable. I think one of the most common fears that exists is aerophobia, or the fear of flying. I can't even tell you how many people I know that have this fear to some degree.
Let's talk a little more about the different aspects of flying. First, let's discuss the plane itself. I've flown many dozens of times to many different destinations, yet I'd say that I've probably never been in a really comfortable plane before. I think this is because almost all planes are just uncomfortable by nature. They've got to cram all these passengers into a little space, and of course, the more passengers, the more money. So naturally, there's not going to be a lot of space or comfort. And of course, if you're flying short distances, you're probably not going to be in the big plane, so the space is already gonna seem limited because of that. The times that I've flown on long-haul flights, I did notice that I had a little bit more legroom on those planes, but I've also flown on some really small planes where I have to duck when I go down the aisle. Those planes are obviously the least comfortable to travel on.
Alright, now let's talk about some of the things you experience during the flight. You've pretty much got three phases of the flight: the takeoff, the cruise phase, and the landing. Obviously, the cruise phase takes up the vast majority of the flight time. This is the actual flight, so to say. But the takeoff and the landing are the crucial phases of the flight because in the very, very rare chance that something does go wrong, it's usually in one of these two phases. So if you're gonna get nervous about flying, it should be about the takeoff and landing, not about the cruise phase.
It's funny because so many people get freaked out during patches of turbulence when the plane is in the cruise phase. If you've flown at least a few times in your life, you've probably experienced this at some point. The planes start shaking, things get a little rocky, and the plane might even freefall for a second or two. When this happens, you can look around and see people in complete anguish, gripping their armrests and closing their eyes. But the funny thing is that turbulence is not something that anyone should be scared of. It's 100% normal, and planes are specifically built to be able to withstand insane amounts of turbulence. There's nothing really to be scared about. So the next time you find yourself in a rough patch of turbulence, just sit back and relax. The takeoff and landing are the phases which entail much more risk, especially the landing. But all that said, it's still really rare for something to go very wrong during these phases. Flying is actually one of the safest, if not the safest, modes of traveling. So don't worry.
Alright, now let's just talk a little bit about what you can do while you're flying. There are some people that can sleep on planes without any problem, and I'm not one of these people, unfortunately. I can only sleep on planes when I'm super tired, which isn't the case normally. I'm the type of person that likes to read on planes, or if it's a long flight, I might watch some movies. I just try to keep my mind as occupied as possible, or else the flight feels like an eternity.
Okay, that's all for today. Leave a comment and tell me whether or not you like flying. I'll see you next time.
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