The First Hour in a Foreign City
Grammar: Past Simple
A Level 3 English lesson exploring travel.
What's in this lesson
A Level 3 (intermediate) ESL lesson on travel, practising past simple. The worksheet has a reading, target vocabulary, a grammar reference with practice and discussion questions.
From the reading: The First Hour in a Foreign City
In a 2019 survey of 8,000 first-time international travellers, 74% used the same word to describe their arrival in a foreign city: overwhelming. They stepped off the plane, walked through customs, and felt it immediately — a strange mix of excitement and confusion. Researchers at the University of Amsterdam found that this emotional pattern appears in travellers who arrive in Tokyo, Marrakech, and Bogotá alike. The destination changes. The feeling does not.
Vocabulary
- check in
- go through
- make a reservation
- pack your bags
Grammar: Past Simple
- Past simple — form
- She arrived at the airport and walked through customs. — regular verbs: add -ed
- Irregular past simple
- He found the hotel, went inside, and sat down. — memorise each form
Discussion questions
- Tell us about the moment you arrived somewhere completely new for the first time.
- What was the first thing you noticed when you landed in a foreign country?
- Did you ever feel lost in a new place — and what did you do?
The First Hour in a Foreign City
Grammar: Past Simple
What's in this lesson:
Full lesson plan with reading, grammar, vocabulary, and discussion.
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