空中英語(yǔ)：在導(dǎo)游的行業(yè)里努力工作(1/2)

Imagine getting paid to travel to Greece or Paris. Or imagine going white-water rafting or mountain climbing every day! Now imagine trying to keep tourists of different ages, interests and temperaments happy for a couple of weeks!

Many people misunderstand the kind of job tour guides have. Tour guides do travel for a living. But for them it's not a vacation. They must handle large groups of paying vacationers. Tour guides do everything from giving talks on history and the environment to managing crisis big and small.

People problems and natural disasters

Dealing with clients may be the most challenging aspect of the job. Vacationers may get lost or sick. And this can happen in places where help isn't easily available. Even when everything goes smoothly, tour guides must meet the high expectations of picky clients.

Nature, too, can create problems. Tour guides must be prepared for any possible crisis. One tour guide says: "you also run into things like hurricanes and floods which force you to rearrange an entire tour instantly. You really have to be able to think on your feet."

Word Bank:

temperament/n. 性情；性格
Sharon has a nervous temperament, so she often loses sleep before tests.

crisis/n. 危機(jī)
We have a big crisis in my family. Dad just lost his job.

picky/adj. 挑剔
My sister is very picky about her food. She doesn't eat food that is uncooked.

think on one's feet (idiom) 反應(yīng)靈敏
Jan's boss asked her a question she didn't expect, so she had to think on her feet.


Talk About It:
What's your idea of tour guide? Does it just a job for vacation? Share your points with us.