Air Travel & Island Trips – B2 English Listening Exercise

9 graduation 10 sunrise 11 smooth 12 (historic) castle

13 (dense) forest 14 deer 15 (huge) flame

16 (local) farmer 17 breakfast 18 certificate

Mark: Hi everyone. I’m Mark, and I’m going to tell you about an amazing experience I had recently: a flight in a hot-air balloon. A lot of people assume it was a present for my birthday, because I’ve been talking about wanting to do it for years. But it was actually to celebrate my graduation. My parents wanted to give me something truly memorable to mark the occasion.

The only real downside to the whole adventure was the extremely early start. I’m definitely not a morning person and usually prefer doing things around midday. However, for ballooning, the air needs to be cool and stable, so we had to meet up at the launch site just before sunrise. I can tell you, it was absolutely freezing standing in that field waiting for the crew to get everything ready!

Watching the balloon inflate was fascinating, but I felt a bit nervous as we climbed into the wicker basket. I had expected the take-off to be quite jerky, or even a bit terrifying. Instead, as we finally left the ground, the motion was unbelievably smooth. It honestly didn’t feel like we were moving upwards; it felt more like the earth was just slowly dropping away beneath us.

As we began soaring above the town, I kept my eyes peeled for familiar landmarks. I originally thought the wind would carry us right over the city’s famous cathedral, which is right in the centre. However, the breeze shifted direction slightly, and I managed to catch an incredible aerial glimpse of a historic castle on the edge of town instead. It looked completely spectacular from that angle, almost like a toy model.

Leaving the town behind, the landscape began to change quite rapidly. I had been hoping to follow the winding path of the local river, as I thought the water reflections would be beautiful. But our flight path actually took us directly over a dense forest. Looking down at the tops of the trees from that height was incredible, like looking at a massive, textured green carpet.

I was also really hoping we might see some wildlife from our unique vantage point. While we were surprisingly short on birds up there—I think we were flying a bit too high for them—we were lucky enough to spot some animals on the ground. A sudden movement caught my eye in a clearing, and I realised it was a herd of deer running through the grass. It was a magical sight.

One thing that surprised me the most was the atmosphere inside the basket. You might expect it to be noisy, but it’s actually totally silent up there. You can even hear dogs barking on the ground miles below. That intense peace is only interrupted when the pilot pulls the lever, and a huge flame shoots up into the balloon to heat the air and keep us afloat. It’s quite loud and you can really feel the heat on top of your head when that happens!

Eventually, after about an hour, it was time to come back down. Because you can’t steer a balloon like a car, you just have to look for a suitable spot. We ended up bumping down into a massive agricultural field. I was worried we might get in trouble with the police for landing on private property, but the guy who owned the land, a local farmer, drove over in his tractor and was incredibly friendly. He even helped us pack the enormous heavy balloon away.

It’s customary in the ballooning world to celebrate a successful flight once you’re back on solid ground. A lot of companies offer a traditional glass of champagne upon landing. But since it was still so early in the morning and quite chilly, our pilot treated us to a wonderful breakfast at a nearby café instead, which was exactly what I needed to warm up.

Before we finally headed home, the pilot handed out souvenirs to the passengers. They offered a professional photograph of us in the basket, which was nice but a bit expensive, so I gave it a miss. However, I was absolutely delighted to receive a personalized certificate to prove I’d actually made the flight. It’s definitely going on my bedroom wall!

9 plane 10 blue sky 11 cloud formations 12 turquoise

13 dolphins 14 cliffs 15 castle

16 reflections 17 smartphone 18 sleep

Mark: Hi everyone, my name is Mark, and I’m an amateur pilot and aerial photographer. I’m here to tell you about a spectacular flight I took last month along the southern coastline. I’ve always been passionate about capturing landscapes from above. A lot of my colleagues swear by using a helicopter to get the best aerial shots because you can hover in one place. However, for this particular journey, I managed to hire a plane, which I find actually provides a much smoother ride for the kind of long-distance photography I do.

We set off early on a Tuesday morning. I must admit, I was a bit apprehensive about the weather conditions. The local meteorologist had predicted a severe storm for the region, which obviously would have grounded us immediately. But as we took off and climbed through the lower atmosphere, we left the grey weather behind and were greeted by an endless expanse of clear blue sky. It was an absolute relief and provided the perfect backdrop for my photos.

As we reached our cruising altitude, the visibility was simply incredible. I had fully expected to be staring into a thick layer of morning mist, which is quite common along that stretch of the coast at that time of year. Instead, I was treated to the sight of some truly dramatic cloud formations building up in the distance. They looked exactly like massive, fluffy mountains floating in the air.

About twenty minutes into the flight, we crossed the shoreline and navigated out over the ocean. People often assume that the sea looks dark and somewhat uninviting from a high altitude. Actually, on that particular morning, the water was a brilliant turquoise. It was so transparent that you could see the different depths of the ocean floor near the shore.

Of course, I was desperately hoping to spot some marine wildlife. My co-pilot had mentioned we should keep our eyes peeled for sharks, as they are known to hunt near the surface around there. But to my absolute delight, I didn’t see any of those; instead, I caught sight of a large pod of dolphins playfully leaping through the waves.

After a while, we banked left and began navigating strictly along the coastline. Now, I’ve driven along that coastal road dozens of times, and I’ve always stopped to admire the golden sandy beaches. However, seeing it from the air gave me a totally different perspective. It was the towering cliffs that really took my breath away. They looked incredibly rugged and majestic dropping straight down into the crashing waves.

As we flew further south, I was keeping a lookout for a famous 19th-century lighthouse, a well-known landmark I wanted to photograph. I somehow completely missed it, but shortly after, I got a fantastic view of a ruined castle situated right on the edge of a rocky peninsula. It looked like something straight out of a fantasy novel.

Let me tell you, taking photos from a moving aircraft is no walk in the park. You might assume the biggest issue is the constant vibration of the engine causing your pictures to blur. In reality, it was the reflections from the cockpit window that proved to be the toughest challenge. I had to press my camera lens right up against the glass to avoid glare.

Speaking of equipment, I’d brought my heavy digital camera along, though a friend had generously offered to lend me his high-end professional gear. In the end, though, I discovered that my smartphone was actually the handiest tool I had for recording quick video clips of the spectacular vista. It was just so much easier to maneuver in the tight space.

By the time we finally touched down back at the airfield, I was thrilled but completely wiped out. A few people waiting for us suggested we should all go out for a massive meal to celebrate the successful flight. Honestly, though, all I desperately needed was a long sleep. The sheer concentration required up there really drains your energy. But it was definitely an experience I’ll treasure forever.