Fluency News #08 – Discover new award-winning restaurants in New York City

Hello everyone!‍

Welcome to another episode of Fluency News! Here, you’ll practice your listening and get informed on all that’s happening in the world; all the major headlines of the week, all in English! During the episode, we make sure to explain the things that we believe need extra attention, so you don’t miss any details!

In this episode we’ll talk about travel news! How the tourism sector in Quito is strengthening in 2022, the world’s highest ATM, and New York City’s 19 new Michelin-starred restaurants.

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We’ll have a new episode of Fluency News every week, don’t forget to listen! See you!

‍Episode Transcript‍

What’s up, everyone! I’m Chris Schliewe, one of your teachers at Fluency Academy; welcome back to another episode of Fluency News, the podcast that keeps you informed while improving your English skills.

This podcast is perfect for those who want to put the listening and comprehension skills to the test, while exploring some of this week’s most relevant news. After the headlines, I’ll go through some of the structures that need more attention, alright?

You can check out all of our resources and read the transcription of this episode by clicking the link in the description. Also, did you know that Fluency Academy has a complete online course for you to boost your vocabulary and take your English to the next level? Click the link in the description of this episode to get on our waitlist and be ready to unlock your English.

So now that we’re all set, let’s get started. In today’s episode, we’re gonna talk about one of our favorite things to do: traveling.

The Ecuadorian capital, Quito, is becoming a more and more popular destination for travelers from all over the world. This boom in tourism is clear in the results of the second quarter of 2022. 48,000 people chose to visit the capital in August alone, an increase of 75% compared to the same period in 2021. Based on these figures, tourism in Quito is expected to exceed half a million visits to the capital in 2022, and return to pre-pandemic records by 2023.

That’s pretty amazing, right? Have you ever been to Quito?

Alright, let’s take a look at this interesting word we saw in the news: by. You heard me saying that tourism in Quito is expected to return to pre-pandemic records by 2023. The word “by” is very common in English. It can be used in lots of different situations and contexts, but for now let’s focus on when we use “by” with a time expression.

When we say “by 2023”, we are talking about a deadline. A deadline is the time before which something must be done, so that means they are expecting to return to pre-pandemic records of visitors before 2023, not later than 2023. We can also say “by the end of 2022” which means before 2022 finishes, before the last day of 2022. Got it?

Now, traveling is also a synonym for getting to know new cultures, new adventures and new architectures, right? And here’s one for you to visit on your next trip: the world’s highest ATM!

Yes, you heard that right. The highest automated banking machine is located between China and Pakistan, in Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan province, on a mountaintop. It may be an unlikely spot for a cash machine, but the Khunjerab Pass ATM has been serving the small number of residents and border staff – and adventurous tourists – since 2016. The Guinness World Record-holding machine works like any other; it can be used to withdraw cash, pay utility bills and make interbank fund transfers. If this got you curious, you can check out more about it in the link in our description!

Ok! So now we’ve got some cool banking vocabulary to work on. Starting with the word “ATM”. Do you know what an ATM is? ATM stands for Automated Teller Machine. This machine is usually located in shopping centers or on the wall outside of a bank, and they’re used to take money out of your bank account. Using ATMs abroad is an essential part of traveling, but remember: it’s important to contact your bank well before your trip to request a PIN for cash withdrawals.

There’s another interesting word: withdrawal. A cash withdrawal means to take money out of your bank account. Your ATM max withdrawal is a limit determined by your bank or credit union, as each bank or credit union establishes its own policies.

An interbank fund transfer is also a good term to know. Interbank fund transfers are what you call the transfer of funds(money) from one bank account to another, usually from a different bank. Pay attention to your bank’s and the ATM’s policies about fees charged for this type of transaction.

Great! Now let’s move on to our next news …

Everybody loves to eat, right? And no one would turn down the chance to eat at a restaurant with a Michelin star. So, if you’re in New York, or are going there soon, you can’t miss the opportunity to try one of the 19 new Michelin-starred restaurants in the city. Hey, why not try all of them?! Among these starred restaurants, 15 different styles of cuisine are represented. You can find Japanese, Korean, French and Vegetarian dishes, besides other specialties. If you are interested, you can check out the list of restaurants in the link in the description of this episode!

Pretty cool, huh? Do you like trying food from different countries? What’s your favorite?

OK so let’s take a look at some nationalities. We all know nationalities are used to describe where a person is from, right? But we can also use nationalities to describe types of food, to describe where the food is from. For example, we use French to refer to food and drink from France, we use Japanese to refer to food and drink from Japan. So, what’s a typical dish you have in your country?

Now, if you are a food enthusiast, and like discovering new foods, you should add these award-winning restaurants to your itinerary next time you visit New York!

And with that, we’ll wrap up today’s episode. If you enjoy traveling as much as I do, but feel like your English is holding you back, it’s time to follow us on our Social Media and start studying with all of Fluency Academy’s tips to take your English to the next level. By doing so, you’ll be ready to travel to an English speaking-country by the end of the year!

See you guys later!

‍Stories:‍

‍The tourism sector in Quito is strengthening in 2022
‍https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/the-tourism-sector-in-quito-is-strengthening-in-2022/‍

‍The world’s highest ATM
‍https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20221003-the-worlds-highest-atm-pakistans-mountaintop-bank-machine‍

‍New York City has 19 new Michelin-starred restaurants
‍https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/michelin-star-restaurants-new-york/index.html