Reader 22
The Weekend Plan
Four relatives were planning a short visit to the city. Aunt Rosa wanted to visit the museum, Uncle Ben wanted to walk along the river, Maya wanted enough time for lunch, and Leo wanted to leave the city early to avoid heavy traffic.
Rosa looked at their list. “This plan is still up in the air,” she said. “We have several ideas, but we haven’t decided when to do anything.”
“We need to nail down the times before we add more activities,” Ben replied.
Maya checked the museum’s website. “Lunch can be flexible, but the museum closes at five.”
Leo opened a map on his phone. “Then we need to work around the closing time and the afternoon traffic.”
The group discussed the options. They decided to arrive at the river walk at 9:30, eat lunch at noon, and enter the museum at 1:00. That would give them several hours at the museum before leaving the city at 4:15.
Rosa crossed another stop off the list. “We won’t have time for this one,” she said. “Let’s keep the plan simple instead of rushing from place to place.”
Ben smiled. “Now we know where we’re going and when we need to leave.”
Everyone agreed that the simpler schedule would make the visit more enjoyable.
VOCABULARY
Write the words or expressions from the story that are new to you or that you want to review.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Share your thoughts. Use details from the story to support your answers.
How does the group distinguish between flexible preferences and limits they need to plan around? Explain how this affects the order and timing of their activities.
In what ways does the final schedule take each person’s wishes into account? Explain what the group gives up to make the plan manageable.
Why is Rosa’s decision to remove another stop important to the ending? What does it suggest about how the group’s idea of an enjoyable visit has developed?
LISTEN
Listen to the recording and respond in complete sentences.
What did the speaker say?
Do you agree or disagree with the speaker? Why?
