Setting the scene

The American is on the bus for the first time. She/Не is learning what a good bus rider needs to do. She/Не needs, first of all, to buy а книжечка booklet of tickets from the водитель driver, who sells them only at the stops. Then she/he needs to validate one of the талоны tickets on the компостер ticket punch to avoid paying а штраф fine. If she/he is not standing close enough to the punch to do it, she/he should pass the ticket along by saying Передайте, пожалуйста.

В АВТОБУСЕ «Талоны продаются только на остановках!»
A.Простите, у вас есть книжечки?Excuse me, do you have any tickets?
P.Есть.Yes, we do.
A.Сколько стоит?How much (are they)?
P.Шесть тысячSix thousand (roubles).
A.Дайте, пожалуйста, одну.Give me a book, please.
P.Пожалуйста.Here you go.

А.

Простите, где пробить талон?

Pardon me, where do I validate this ticket?

Р.

Вон там компостер.

The punch is over there.

А.

Передайте, пожалуйста.

Could you pass (my ticket) over there, please?

А.

Вы выходите на следующей?

Are you getting off now?

Р.

Нет, не выхожу.

No, I'm not.

А.

Разрешите пройти.

Then let me through, please.

Р.

Пожалуйста.

Go ahead.

А.

Молодой человек, какая следующая остановка ?

Young man, what's the next stop?

Р.

«Аптека».

"Apteka".

А.

Вы выходите на следующей?

Are you getting off then?

Р.

Да, выхожу.

Yes, I am.

With your instructor playing the role of the Russian, act out the dialogs. At first adhere closely to the original. Then use as many variations as possible.

Using the model, ask where you may buy the following. Your instructor will answer. Make certain you understood correctly and then thank him/her for the information.

The bus is in motion and you ask the bus driver if he has booklets of tickets for sale. Be prepared for his instructions to wait until the bus stops. At the next stop, ask again.

What would you do in the following situations?

You've just arrived in Moscow from St. Petersburg and are at the train station Ленинградский вокзал. Get yourself to the hotel «Президент Отель» (станция метро «Октябрьская») for a quick rest before setting out to see the sights. You want to see:

Ask your instructor how you might get to these places, beginning from your hotel and then visiting all sights in the order listed. Ask which form of transportation is best to use. Ask the best way to get from one location to another. Role-play with your instructor situations in the metro, on a bus, etc.

Using a map of any city in the FSU (your instructor will provide one, or you may, if you have one of the city, to which you will be posted) and the dialogs you created in the previous exercise, choose a location to visit. Decide on a starting point and... GO!

Take a look at the city maps given below. A couple of Moscow metro stations are named for these cities. Can you find them on the metro map? Practice reading the names of the streets shown here and locating the various hotels and points of interest.

Answer the following question, using the model given here and information from the table shown on the next page.