Visit a national park

When you arrive at a national park, the visitor centre is the best place to start your visit. The people who work there — often called park rangers — can give you maps, recommend walking trails, tell you about wildlife, and explain the rules of the park. They are usually very friendly and happy to help. Knowing a few polite phrases will make your visit much easier and more enjoyable.

Here is a table of useful phrases for a visitor centre, with explanations of when to use them:

Notice how many of these phrases start with 'Could you…' or 'Do you…'. In English, this makes the question sound polite and friendly. 'Could you tell me where the café is?' sounds much better than 'Where is the café?' — even though both mean the same thing. Adding these small words shows respect for the other person.

When you ask a question, listen carefully to the answer. The ranger might give you extra information, like 'The café is next to the car park, but it closes at four.' Try to remember the key details: where, when, how much, how long. In the next steps, you will hear a short conversation using these phrases, match phrases to their functions, put a conversation in order, and practise saying the phrases yourself.

Listen to this short conversation at a visitor centre. Notice the polite phrases.

Say this polite opening phrase clearly. Try to sound friendly and natural.

You are going to listen to a real conversation at a national park visitor centre. In this scene, a visitor called Emma has just arrived at Lake Mountain National Park. She has about five hours to spend there, so she wants to make the most of her visit. She speaks to Tom, a park ranger, and asks him about the walking trails, the entrance fee, and the café.

Before you listen, predict: What three pieces of information will Emma ask for? Listen for polite question forms like 'Could you tell me…' and 'How much is…'. Pay special attention to numbers and times in Tom's answers — they will help you answer the questions later.

After you listen, you will answer three questions. First, a 'gist' question about the general meaning of the conversation. Then a question about specific information — how much is the entrance fee? Finally, a fill-in-the-blank question about a small detail — what time does the café close? Take your time, and re-read the dialogue if you need to check your answers.

Listen to a conversation between Emma, a visitor, and Tom, a park ranger, at Lake Mountain National Park.

What is Emma doing at the visitor centre?

How much is the entrance fee today?

In British English, the vowel sound in the word park is /ɑː/. This is a long, deep sound that you also hear in words like car, far, start and path. The sound is different from the shorter, brighter /æ/ sound that you hear in words like pack, cat and have. Mixing these two sounds can change the meaning of a word completely, so it is worth practising them carefully.

To make the /ɑː/ sound, open your mouth quite wide. Keep your tongue flat and low, pushed slightly towards the back of your mouth. Relax your lips — they should not be rounded or stretched. The sound is long and held. It is almost like the noise you make when the doctor asks you to say 'aaah'. Try saying 'park', 'car', 'far' and 'start' slowly. You should feel the same long sound in each word. Hold it for about one second.

The /æ/ sound is very different. To make it, open your mouth a little less, and pull the corners of your lips slightly back, almost like a small smile. Your tongue should be low and forward in your mouth. The sound is short and sharp. Try saying 'pack', 'cat', 'bad' and 'have' — you should feel a shorter, brighter sound, held for less than half a second.

In a national park, you will hear both of these sounds. 'Park', 'car park' and 'start' all use the long /ɑː/. But 'pack' (as in 'pack your bag') and 'map' use the short /æ/. Listen carefully when native speakers talk about the park — the difference is clear, but it is easy to miss if you are not paying attention.

Here is a table to help you see the difference:

Now you are ready to listen and practise. In the next steps, you will hear the words 'park' and 'pack' and decide which one you can hear. Then you will say some words yourself with the /ɑː/ sound.

To make /ɑː/: open your mouth wide, keep your tongue flat and back, relax your lips, and hold the sound for about one second. To make /æ/: pull your lips back into a small smile, keep your tongue low and forward, and make the sound short and sharp. The /ɑː/ sound is in 'park', 'car' and 'far'. The /æ/ sound is in 'pack', 'cat' and 'have'.

Say the word 'park'. Hold the /ɑː/ sound for about one second.

Say the word 'car'. Make the /ɑː/ sound long and deep.

Say the word 'start'. Notice the long /ɑː/ sound in the middle.

Reading strategy: Skimming for the main idea

When you skim a text, you read it quickly to get the general idea. You do not need to understand every word. Look at the title first. Then read the first sentence of each paragraph. Finally, read the last paragraph. From this, you can usually answer: What is this text about? Who wrote it? Would I like to visit the place?

In this section, you will read a short travel article about a visit to Snow Hill National Park. Travel articles are a popular genre in English — they describe a place, share personal experiences, and often end with a recommendation. Before you read, here are four key words that appear in the article. Knowing these will help you understand it more easily.

Now read the article. As you read, try to answer these questions in your head: Where is the park? What did the writer do there? Did they enjoy it? Would you like to go? After you read, you will answer one 'gist' question about the main idea, then three 'detail' questions about specific information in the article.

A Day in Snow Hill Park By Amy Carter, Travel Writer

Last weekend, I visited Snow Hill National Park, and it was one of the best days of my year. The park is only two hours by train from the city, so it's perfect for a quick escape from busy life.

I started at the visitor centre, where a friendly ranger gave me a free map and suggested the Mountain View Trail. The walk took about three hours and was suitable for beginners, with clear signs and gentle hills.

The views from the summit were breathtaking — I could see three counties! I saw wild deer, several beautiful birds, and even a small fox. The trail was quiet, and I only met about ten other people all day.

I finished my visit with tea and cake at the café. The whole day cost me less than £15. If you love nature but don't have much time, I really recommend Snow Hill Park. I'll definitely go back.

What is the article about?

What did the writer see at the summit?

In this section, you will practise asking for information at a visitor centre. First, you will hear a short model conversation between a visitor and a park ranger. Then you will read and say the key phrases yourself. Finally, you will have your own live conversation with the AI in a roleplay.

Speaking strategy: Be polite and clear

When you ask for information in English, use polite openings like 'Could you tell me…?' or 'Do you know…?'. This makes you sound friendly and natural. Try to ask one clear question at a time, and listen to the answer before asking the next question. If you don't understand, you can say 'Sorry, could you say that again, please?'

Useful phrases for asking for information:

In the model conversation, the visitor asks three questions: about the trails, about the time, and about where the trail starts. Listen for these and notice how the ranger answers them clearly. When it is your turn to speak, try to use the same polite phrases. Speak slowly and clearly — there is no need to rush. In the roleplay, the AI will play the park ranger. You will play the visitor. Ask at least three questions, and remember to say 'thank you' at the end.

Listen to this short model conversation at a visitor centre. Notice the polite questions.

Read the phrase aloud. Try to sound friendly and polite.

Read the phrase aloud. This is another useful way to ask for a suggestion.

In the final section, you will write your own short travel article about a visit to a national park. First, you will read a model text written by another student. Then you will learn a writing strategy. Finally, you will write your own article and read it aloud.

Model text — 'My Visit to River Valley Park' (52 words)

'Last Saturday, I visited River Valley National Park with my family. We started at the visitor centre, where we got a free map. Then we walked the River Trail for about two hours. The forest was beautiful and we saw lots of birds. The park was clean, quiet, and free to enter. I really recommend it!'

Strategy: Using adjectives

Good travel articles use adjectives — describing words — to help the reader imagine the place. Adjectives tell us what something looks like, sounds like, or feels like. In the model above, look at these adjectives: 'beautiful', 'clean', 'quiet', 'free'. They make the article more interesting. Without them, the article would be very flat: 'The forest was nice. The park was good.'

Common adjectives for travel writing:

• beautiful, pretty, ugly
• quiet, noisy, crowded
• clean, dirty
• free, expensive, cheap
• interesting, boring
• big, small, huge, tiny

When you write your own article, try to use at least three adjectives. Think about: How did the place look? How did it feel? Would you recommend it? Use these ideas to write 40-60 words. Now write your own short travel article about a visit to a national park. You can invent a place, or you can write about one you know. When you finish, read your article aloud in the next step. This will help you check that your sentences sound natural.

Strategy: Using adjectives

Adjectives are describing words. They make your writing more interesting and help the reader imagine the place. In the model text, notice the adjectives: 'beautiful', 'clean', 'quiet', 'free'. Try to use at least three adjectives in your own article.

Useful adjectives for travel writing:

• beautiful, pretty
• quiet, noisy, crowded
• clean, dirty
• free, expensive
• big, small, huge
• interesting, boring

Which word is an adjective in the model text?

Now write your own short travel article about a visit to a national park (40-60 words). Try to use at least three adjectives. When you finish, read your article aloud.