INTRODUCE
Italy is famous for its beautiful tourist spots. However, with this fame comes a lot of trouble, as locals have to deal with an overload of tourists and their increasingly bad behavior.
PRESENT
STEP A EXPRESSIONS
Go over the first two expressions with your tutor and answer the questions. Then, guess the meaning of the third expression based on the clues provided.
1. To stamp out something means to get rid of something bad or harmful by taking strong action against it.
Our country is leading a global campaign to stamp out child labor.
Q: What do you think needs to be stamped out in Japan?
2. To be exasperated by something means to be very annoyed or angry at something.
Carol was exasperated by her mother’s never-ending questions.
Q: What were you exasperated by recently?
3. .
The school made new rules in order to crack down on bullying.
Q: What do you think crack down on something means?
STEP B SPEAK YOUR MIND
Sometimes you want to mention a specific topic in a conversation.
When it comes to studying, my daughter’s a pro. You should see the study schedule she made for herself!
Oh, lucky you! My son’s a pro at being lazy.
UNDERSTAND
READING
This is an article about a new order implemented in Florence, Italy.
Florence cracks down on tourists eating near cathedrals
RITCHIE SALVADOR
January 15
The mayor of Florence and other city officials have come up with an unconventional way to stamp out bad tourist behavior in the city.
The local government approved the order, which states that the steps of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Dei Fiore and other popular cathedrals in the city shall be hosed down every day just before lunchtime.
The order was implemented to crack down on tourists who eat and litter on the cathedral steps. According to the mayor, hosing the steps will deter tourists from picnicking there because they will be too wet to sit on.
Although some tourists complained that the mayor’s way of cracking down on bad behavior is going too far, the mayor said that it’s better and easier than fining people. “I am exasperated by the tourists’ misbehavior. When it comes to our sacred cathedrals, I can’t help but feel saddened and angry when I see people treating them as cafeterias and trash cans. That’s why I think implementing this order is for the best,” he explained.
TRIVIA
In 2012, an ordinance to prohibit eating and drinking at historic sites was passed in Rome to better protect the city’s monuments. Tourists can be fined up to €500 just for eating an ice cream cone near the Colosseum.
PRACTICE
Rephrase the sentences using the expressions in the box. Some expressions may be used more than once, and the form of some expressions may need to be changed.
1. Vicky is really frustrated by her daughter’s stubbornness.
2. My company has started to be stricter about tardiness.
3. Our class representative wants to get rid of discrimination at our school.
4. Belle is so annoyed by her best friend’s endless rants.
5. Several countries in the Middle East have started to ban the use of social media.
CHALLENGE
Challenge 1
You and your friend have just arrived in Italy for a month-long backpacking trip. Read a blog post about another tourist’s experience in the country. Then, share with your friend what you read.
Today's Expressions
- stamp out something
- be exasperated by something
- crack down on something
Speak Your Mind
- When it comes to …, …
Don’t get your dream adventure wrecked. Know the rules!
Visiting Italy was a dream come true for me, but my trip almost turned into a nightmare because I didn’t pay attention to the rules!
The first city I visited was Milan. When in this city, DO NOT use selfie sticks. I didn’t know this at first, so I confidently took a photo of myself using my selfie stick. Just a few seconds later, a police officer reprimanded me and gave me a fine!
Rome was my next stop. In Rome, DO NOT just eat anywhere you want to! Rome’s mayor, who’s apparently exasperated by tourists treating their treasured historical sites like open-air cafés, is cracking down on people who snack in the wrong places. While roaming around the Piazza Navona, I was eating gelato, and that’s why a police officer yelled at me for the second time in just one week.
I don’t think I really did anything bad, but I can understand their desire to stamp out this kind of behavior from tourists. It’s not a big deal if one person breaks the rules once in a while, but multiply that by the millions of tourists that visit Italy every year, and it becomes a big problem.
Learn from my mistakes. Do your best to follow Italy’s rules. If you don’t and you end up getting yelled at by Officer Marino in Rome, tell him the American girl in the straw hat says hello!
Challenge 2
What do you think? What does your tutor think? Discuss.
If TimeAllows
1 LOCAL RULES |
2 TOURISM |
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1 LOCAL RULES
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2TOURISM
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FEEDBACK
I can read and understand an article about bad tourist behavior.
LESSON GOAL ACHIEVEMENT
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4
Very GoodCould complete the task with ease
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3
GoodCould complete the task with some clarifications
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2
FairCould complete the task with additional instructions
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1
PoorCould somehow complete the task with difficulty
PERSONALIZED FEEDBACK
- RANGE
the ability to use a wide variety of vocabulary - ACCURACY
the ability to speak correctly - FLUENCY
the ability to speak smoothly without pauses or fillers - INTERACTION
the ability to manage a conversation
