Cette série de conversations en anglais suit une famille qui part en voyage aux États-Unis. Allez avec elle à la découverte des passe-temps et de l’histoire associés aux lieux qu’elle visite. Ces conversations s’adressent à des personnes ayant un niveau d’anglais intermédiaire, voire plus avancé.
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Dans cette conversation, la famille parle de faire une randonnée dans le New Hampshire.
Cliquez sur le lien audio et écoutez la conversation tout en la lisant ci-dessous. Les mots importants sont expliqués à la fin, en anglais, de façon à favoriser une immersion totale dans la langue. Certains sont suivis d’une brève traduction ou explication en français.
Claudine: There was so much news about the New Hampshire primary during this election year, and now we are here.
Gina: Well, what we’re going to do here is quite different from the primary. We’re going hiking on the Appalachian Trail.
Sam: We’re not hiking the entire New Hampshire section of the trail, are we?
Paul: Of course not. We’re just hiking for a few hours. Then, tomorrow we’ll drive up Mount Washington.
Gina: Let’s make sure we have snacks and water for the hike.
Claudine: Should we bring a compass and a map? What if there’s no service on the trail?
Gina: Good idea. We don’t want to get stranded in the middle of the woods!
Un peu de vocabulaire
A primary (or primary election) is a preliminary election that helps decrease the number of candidates, or people running for a political position, before a major election, especially a presidential one. (Les primaires)
The term election year usually refers to a year in which a U.S. presidential election takes place. U.S. presidential elections are held every four years.
The Appalachian Trail (A.T.) is a hiking trail in the eastern part of the U.S. It goes from the state of Georgia to the state of Maine. The trail is approximately 3,500 kilometers long. (Un sentier de randonnée qui relie la Géorgie au Maine)
When Sam asks, “We’re not hiking the entire New Hampshire section of the trail, are we?“ he uses a tag question. A tag question is a special construction in English. It is a statement followed by a short question, such as right?, isn’t it?, are we?. People usually use tag questions to ask for confirmation. (N’est-ce pas ?)
Mount Washington is the highest mountain peak in the northeastern U.S. It is 1,917 meters high.
A compass is an instrument used to find direction, with a needle that always points north. (Une boussole)
In this context, no service means no cellular service, meaning that cellphones (also called mobile phones) do not work in that area. (Pas de réseau)
The verb to strand is usually used as be stranded. To be stranded means to be in a place without a way of leaving it. In this conversation, “we don’t want to get stranded in the middle of the woods” means that the speakers do not want to lose their way in the woods and then not be able to find their way out or communicate with someone to come get them. (Être coincé)
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