Theme 1 – Hong Kong Capsule Hotel
A new type of accommodation is emerging in Hong Kong. Its planner is hoping to provide lodging for university students who are under constant stress of limited on-campus housing, shortage of off-campus housing or inconvenient commute. Watch this video and see if you would like to stay here during your university years.
Instructions:
- First, complete Task A before you watch the video clip
- Second, watch the video clip (for as many times as you want) and then finish Task B
(refer to the audio script if needed). - For extended practice, do Task C.
Task A
Task A: Matching Activities
Match the words on the left with its explanations on the right.
Match the words on the left with its explanations on the right.
Task B. Comprehension Activities
I. Decide if the following statements are true:
II.Listen to the clip and fill in the missing information with these words:
I. Decide if the following statements are true:
II.Listen to the clip and fill in the missing information with these words:
Task C. Grammar Task
Choose the correct statement.
Choose the correct statement.
Video ©Kayla Lim (youtube.com)
Narrator: A capsule hotel showroom has recently opened in Hong Kong. Originally from Japan, capsule hotels are space-efficient and cheaper than most accommodations.
Wong Man Wai, Connie (Executive Secretary): Capsules will appeal in Hong Kong because Hong Kong people have a thing for Japanese products.
Narrator: For tourist, one capsule bed will be40 Hong Kong dollars from Monday to Thursday and 40 dollars more for Friday to Sunday. If students stay for a month, it will be 3,500 dollars including 24 hour wifi, air-conditioning and individual television inside each capsule. There is common area with table and chairs, bathroom with shower stalls. Belongings can be kept inside lockers.
Wong Man Wai, Connie (executive secretary): Once the government issues the business license, we will open more hotels in the Kowloon area.
Narrator: The main target customers for capsule hotel are individual travelers. But limited accommodation for university students in Hong Kong is also being taken into consideration. However, student life advisory department, CEDARS, of The University of Hong Kong, says they are strongly hesitant in safety and security of the capsule beds. CEDARS was one of the first groups to write to the Home Affairs Office of Hong Kong Government to express concern about the structure and the fire safety of capsules. CEDARS is responsible for helping students find accommodation. This is one of the private flats they offer as off-campus housing. Max is a second-year Hong Kong University student sharing a flat with three other people. His home is in Kowloon, Nam Tin, where he takes an hour to travel to his university. Instead, Max applied for CEDARS-subsidized flats. The flat is fully furnished with desks, microwave, fridge, wardrobes and bunk beds. He only pays 1,080 per month. Would Max be interested in living in a capsule hotel?
Max Lee: It’s quite spacey [spacious], lot of room. I’m not sure I‘ll live here as a university student because I heard from them it’d be rather difficult for them to open the capsule hotels on Hong Kong Island.
Narrator: But regardless of the distance between capsule and school, what do university students generally think about the capsule hotel?
Female student 1: uh… It’s very suitable for…um…who is travelling here.
Male student 1: I will feel a bit confined. It’s like a dog living in a dog house so ...
Male student 2: I’ve heard from some of my friends who stayed in capsule hotels that it’s very cramped and … you get … it’s just very uncomfortable.”
Female student: I think it would be a great experience but I wouldn’t like to live in there.
Narrator: Perhaps not for students, but in overpopulated Hong Kong, where skyscrapers never stop to grow, capsule hotel may come to be of use to people who need somewhere to live. And if you are a traveler on low budget, it might not be a bad idea to just try out the nightly capsule laser show. Kaylam reporting from Hong Kong.
Wong Man Wai, Connie (Executive Secretary): Capsules will appeal in Hong Kong because Hong Kong people have a thing for Japanese products.
Narrator: For tourist, one capsule bed will be40 Hong Kong dollars from Monday to Thursday and 40 dollars more for Friday to Sunday. If students stay for a month, it will be 3,500 dollars including 24 hour wifi, air-conditioning and individual television inside each capsule. There is common area with table and chairs, bathroom with shower stalls. Belongings can be kept inside lockers.
Wong Man Wai, Connie (executive secretary): Once the government issues the business license, we will open more hotels in the Kowloon area.
Narrator: The main target customers for capsule hotel are individual travelers. But limited accommodation for university students in Hong Kong is also being taken into consideration. However, student life advisory department, CEDARS, of The University of Hong Kong, says they are strongly hesitant in safety and security of the capsule beds. CEDARS was one of the first groups to write to the Home Affairs Office of Hong Kong Government to express concern about the structure and the fire safety of capsules. CEDARS is responsible for helping students find accommodation. This is one of the private flats they offer as off-campus housing. Max is a second-year Hong Kong University student sharing a flat with three other people. His home is in Kowloon, Nam Tin, where he takes an hour to travel to his university. Instead, Max applied for CEDARS-subsidized flats. The flat is fully furnished with desks, microwave, fridge, wardrobes and bunk beds. He only pays 1,080 per month. Would Max be interested in living in a capsule hotel?
Max Lee: It’s quite spacey [spacious], lot of room. I’m not sure I‘ll live here as a university student because I heard from them it’d be rather difficult for them to open the capsule hotels on Hong Kong Island.
Narrator: But regardless of the distance between capsule and school, what do university students generally think about the capsule hotel?
Female student 1: uh… It’s very suitable for…um…who is travelling here.
Male student 1: I will feel a bit confined. It’s like a dog living in a dog house so ...
Male student 2: I’ve heard from some of my friends who stayed in capsule hotels that it’s very cramped and … you get … it’s just very uncomfortable.”
Female student: I think it would be a great experience but I wouldn’t like to live in there.
Narrator: Perhaps not for students, but in overpopulated Hong Kong, where skyscrapers never stop to grow, capsule hotel may come to be of use to people who need somewhere to live. And if you are a traveler on low budget, it might not be a bad idea to just try out the nightly capsule laser show. Kaylam reporting from Hong Kong.
Hong Kong Capsule Hotel (3’31”) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiTwuN2FO4I
Extensive listening:
If you are interested in the above clip, you might be interested in this one on Japanese capsule hotel (5’01”)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cC5IYTuhZKU&feature=related
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