Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. a theme park
    • ex. The newly opened theme park has thousands of visitors daily.
  2. a peak
    • ex. Many beach resorts reach their peak around the month of June.
  3. a restriction
    • ex. The roller coaster has some restrictions. Kids below 4 feet cannot ride.
  4. surpass
    • ex. Our sales this month surpassed the highest we have on record.
  5. an attraction
    • ex. The Ferris wheel is one of the most popular attractions in this theme park.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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Last year, the theme park industry around the world returned to normal. Many theme parks reported that their income, and in some cases attendance, was on the same level or above pre-pandemic levels. Globally, the theme park industry hit a peak in 2019. However, the spread of the COVID-19 virus forced many parks to shut down temporarily and then reopen with restrictions on attendance.

Many theme parks focused on improving visitor experiences by using app-based technologies. The technologies used improved many theme parks’ 2022 income that surpassed 2019 levels. According to a report from Themed Entertainment Association and AECOM, a design and engineering firm, park visitors are willing to pay more for out-of-home entertainment and experiences.

The theme parks also attracted local visitors through new attractions. For example, the main attraction for Universal Studios Japan is the new Super Nintendo World. Some theme parks also tried to get more visitors by holding special events, such as Halloween celebrations in Universal, Six Flags, and Cedar Fair parks.

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Theme Parks

  • In your opinion, what is the best theme park? Why? Discuss.
  • Many theme parks want to improve the number of visitors. What do you think theme park owners can do to attract more visitors? Discuss.
  • Do you like it when there are a lot of people in the theme park? Why or why not? Discuss.

Out-of-home Entertainment and Experiences

  • Which do you prefer, in-home entertainment (ex. video games) or out-of-home entertainment (ex. theme parks)? Why? Discuss.
  • According to a report, theme park visitors are willing to pay more for out-of-home entertainment. Why do you think so? Discuss.
  • In your opinion, is out-of-home entertainment popular in your country? Discuss.