Practical Reading and Writing: Bookings - Book 1 - Unit 6 9. Practical Reading: Bookings ShanghaiShanghai was built on trade. Situated at the mouth of the Yangtze River, it developed from being a small town of fishermen and weavers to become a famous port and business centre in the 19th century. Today, it is one of Chinas largest cities with a population of over twenty million. It is famous for being forward thinking and very busy. The city is separated by the Huangpu River but linked by many tunnels and bridges. The eastern Pudong side of the city has many modern office buildings and hotels and is a thriving modern business centre with excellent services. Puxi on the western side of the Huangpu River has many attractions for visitors. There are many well-known shopping streets, such as Nanjing Lu and Huaihai Lu as well as a new modern museum. There are many historical places to visit, such as the Yuyuan Gardens, Sun Yatsens House and the Jade Buddha Temple (yufo si). The west bank of the Huangpu River in the city centre is called the Bund and is famous throughout the world. A. Read the text. B. Choose the best answer.Where do cities come from?There is a reason why cities grow. Often they start as small villages. Then because they are in a good location, maybe on a river, beside the sea or between two other cities, more people come to live and work there. If they are successful, even more people come and businesses get bigger. Over time the village becomes a town and then a city.A city that is the most important city in the country or in the region is called a capital. Beijing is the capital of China. Hangzhou is the capital of Zhejiang Province. Shanghai is sometimes called a commercial capital because there is a lot of business done there. 1. The word “trade” in the sentence “Shanghai was built on trade” means:a) a kind of building material like bricksb) a placec) the buying and selling of goods and services2. Where is Shanghai located?a) in western Chinab) on the Yangtze Riverc) on the Bund3. How many people live in Shanghai?a) 20,000b) 20,000,000c) 20,000,000,0004. The words “19th century” mean a) 1900 centsb) the time from 1900 to 1999c) 19 people out of 1005. “Forward thinking” is another way of sayinga) modernb) looking to the futurec) both the above6. Which part of the city would be most interesting for tourists? a) Puxi b) Pudong c) both 7. Which word most closely means “thriving”?a) successfulb) thoughtfulc) strong 8. What would a business centre with excellent services have?a) efficient transport, banks, IT engineers, b) sports clubs, night clubs, spasc) museums, art galleries, concert hallsC. Look at the adjectives on the previous pages and in Unit 1. Which words would you use to describe Shanghai?10. Practical Writing: Bookings A. We often need to make a reservation or booking, for example, a hotel room, concert tickets or a table at a restaurant. Frequently, this can be done by telephone or via a web site. However, sometimes we need to write a letter or an email.I would like to book a single room for the 2 nights, 2nd and 3rd June. Please confirm availability. Look at the texts in the boxes.Please reserve a tennis court in my name for 3 to 4 pm on Saturday 3rd May.I would like to reserve 2 tickets at $30 each for the NBA match on Saturday 22nd October. Please confirm whether these can be collected at the gate. B.timeless occupiedfree temporarybusy openIn Unit 4, we saw that if someone is available, they have time. This means that it is ok to go to see them or to telephone them. They will not be too busy to talk with you. The word availability when booking a room means that there is a room that is unoccupied for those dates, so it can be booked. Which of the words in the box would best fit both situations?C.When making a booking or reservation it is usually best to ask for confirmation. This means that the person who is writing wants to know that the booking has been accepted. The person receiving the letter or email will write back.I confirm your reservation for the 15th December. I confirm your booking of a single room for the 2nd and 3rd June. I confirm the reservation in your name of a window table for 2 on the 14th February.A Box Office = the ticket office at concert halls and theatres.Often tickets are different prices so we need to say which price we are prepared to pay when we book. D. Write to book a table at a restaurant. Decide how many people, when and at what time?Exchange your letter with your partner and write a letter of confirmation.E. Write to book concert tickets. Decide how many tickets you need, which concert