The Harbour

The Blue JourneyB1

Boats, ships, people, goods and activity around a busy harbour.

1. The harbour

Look at the scene and listen to the description. Then answer the questions.

The harbour is already crowded, even though it is still early in the morning.

A large sailing ship is slowly approaching the pier. Its sails are down, and several members of the crew are preparing ropes on the deck. Nearby, a small fishing boat has just returned from sea. Two sailors are unloading baskets of fish while another man carries a heavy crate towards the market.

Further along the dock, a cargo ship is being loaded. Workers are lifting barrels and sacks onto the deck. Some of the cargo has arrived in wooden carts, and the rest is piled beside a large warehouse.

The market beside the harbour is just as busy. Merchants are standing behind colourful stalls filled with fruit, fish, spices, cloth and strange objects brought from distant places. Customers move slowly between the stalls, looking at the goods and talking to the sellers.

At the end of the pier, several passengers are waiting beside their luggage. A ferry is preparing to leave the harbour, while a much smaller rowing boat crosses the water in front of it.

Above everything stands an old lighthouse. Beyond it, the open sea is full of ships travelling in different directions.

A busy harbour with ships, workers, merchants and passengers

Answer the questions

Which ship is approaching the pier?
What are the sailors unloading from the fishing boat?
Where is the cargo waiting before it is loaded?
What can people buy at the market?
Who is waiting at the end of the pier?
Which vessel is preparing to leave the harbour?

2. Vocabulary focus

Around the harbour

Term	Explanation
harbour	A protected area of water where ships can stay safely.
pier	A structure that extends from the land over the water. People can walk along it and ships can stop beside it.
dock	An area where ships are loaded, unloaded or repaired.
shore	The land along the edge of the sea or another large area of water.
lighthouse	A tall building with a powerful light that helps ships navigate.
warehouse	A large building used for storing goods.
market stall	A small shop or stand in an open market.

Ships and boats

Term	Explanation
galley	A long ancient ship powered mainly by oars, often also using sails.
longship	A long, narrow Viking ship used for travel, trade and war.
galleon	A large sailing ship used from the 16th to the 18th centuries, especially for trade and war.
caravel	A small, fast sailing ship used by European explorers during the Age of Discovery.
merchant ship	A ship used to transport goods for trade.
fishing boat	A boat used for catching fish.
rowing boat	A small boat moved with oars.
canoe	A light, narrow boat usually moved with a paddle.
junk	A traditional Chinese sailing ship with distinctive sails.
dhow	A traditional sailing vessel used around the Arabian Peninsula, East Africa and the Indian Ocean.
cog	A broad medieval sailing ship used mainly for trade in northern Europe.

Goods and objects

Term	Explanation
cargo	Goods transported by ship, plane, train or truck.
crate	A strong wooden or plastic box used for transporting goods.
barrel	A large round container, traditionally made of wood.
sack	A large strong bag used for carrying things such as grain, vegetables or other goods.
basket	A container traditionally made from thin pieces of wood or plant material.
rope	A thick, strong cord.
net	A material made from threads or rope with spaces between them.
supplies	Things that are needed for a particular purpose or journey.

People

Term	Explanation
sailor	A person who works on a ship or boat.
crew	The group of people who work on a ship.
captain	The person in charge of a ship.
merchant	A person who buys and sells goods.
customer	A person who buys something from a shop or seller.
passenger	A person travelling in a vehicle or on a ship but not working on it.

Actions

Term	Explanation
load	Put goods onto a vehicle or ship.
unload	Remove goods from a vehicle or ship.
carry	Hold something and move it somewhere.
lift	Move something upwards.
drag	Pull something along the ground.
approach	Move closer to something.
leave	Go away from a place.
dock	Bring a ship into a dock or harbour and stop there.
sail	Travel across water in a boat or ship.

3. Look closer: the market

The market near the harbour sells goods from many different places.

One stall is covered with baskets, jars, sacks and small wooden boxes. There are dried fruits, spices, pieces of coloured cloth and several bottles filled with dark liquids.

A merchant is weighing a bag of spices for a customer. Behind him, bunches of herbs are hanging from a wooden frame. A large sack lies open beside the stall, and several small jars are arranged on a shelf.

At the next stall, fresh fish are lying on crushed ice. A woman is placing two fish into a basket while another customer points at a much larger one.

A third stall looks more mysterious. It contains old maps, small tools, pieces of jewellery, carved wooden objects and several things that are difficult to identify.

Market vocabulary

Term	Explanation
jar	A glass or ceramic container with a wide opening.
bottle	A container with a narrow neck, usually used for liquids.
bunch	A group of similar things held or growing together.
cloth	Material used to make clothes and other objects.
herbs	Plants used for cooking, medicine or flavour.
spices	Plant products used to give food flavour or colour.
weigh	Measure how heavy something is.
goods	Things that are made, grown or collected to be sold.
seller	A person who sells something.
buyer	A person who buys something.

Find the right answer

Answers

Which container would you normally use for a liquid: a bottle or a sack?
Which word describes several herbs tied together: a bunch or a crate?
What does a merchant do before deciding the price of some goods if the price depends on weight?
Which word can refer generally to all the things being sold?

4. A guide to ships

Not every vessel in the harbour has the same purpose.

Term	Explanation
fishing boat	Usually small or medium-sized and used to catch fish. Often carries nets, baskets and fishing equipment.
rowing boat	Usually small and moved with oars rather than an engine or sails. Often used for short journeys.
canoe	Long, narrow and light. Usually moved with a paddle and carries only one or a few people.
ferry	Carries passengers between places, usually on a regular route. Some ferries also carry cars, bicycles or cargo.
sailing ship	Uses sails to catch the wind and usually has one or more masts. Used for travel, exploration or transport.
cargo ship	Designed mainly to transport goods. Can carry large amounts of cargo and often travels between major ports.

Parts of a ship

Term	Explanation
deck	The flat surface on the top of a ship where people can walk.
mast	A tall vertical structure that supports the sails.
sail	A large piece of strong cloth used to catch the wind.
anchor	A heavy object dropped into the water to stop a ship moving.
oar	A long pole with a flat end used to move a rowing boat.
paddle	A short pole with a flat end used to move a canoe or similar boat.

Which vessel?

Answers

Choose the best answer.

You need to transport hundreds of large containers across the ocean. canoe / cargo ship / rowing boat
You want to cross a river using only your own strength. rowing boat / cargo ship / ferry
Fifty passengers travel to an island every morning. ferry / canoe / fishing boat
A group of sailors are pulling nets full of fish from the sea. fishing boat / ferry / cargo ship

5. Finding the right word

Some English words seem very similar, but they are used differently.

Ship or boat?

Boat is normally used for smaller vessels.

a fishing boat a rowing boat

Ship normally refers to a larger vessel.

a cargo ship a sailing ship

There is no perfect size rule, but this distinction works well in most everyday situations.

Carry, lift or drag?

Term	Explanation
carry	Move something while holding it. A sailor is carrying a crate.
lift	Move something upwards. Two workers are lifting a barrel onto the deck.
drag	Pull something across a surface. A man is dragging a heavy sack across the dock.

Box or crate?

A box is a general container.

A crate is usually stronger and is often used for storing or transporting goods.

a box of chocolates a crate of oranges

Bag or sack?

A bag is a very general word.

A sack is usually large and strong and is often used for transporting food or materials.

a shopping bag a sack of potatoes

Customer or passenger?

A customer buys something.

Customers are looking at the market stalls.

A passenger travels somewhere.

The passengers are waiting for the ferry.

One person can, of course, be both.

Choose the most precise word

Answers

Two workers ______ a very heavy crate from the ground onto a cart. carry / lift / sail
A sailor ______ a rope across the dock because it is too heavy to carry. drags / approaches / docks
The ______ are waiting to board the ferry. customers / passengers / merchants
The fruit is transported in strong wooden ______. crates / bags / jars
The merchant keeps twenty kilos of rice in a large ______. bottle / sack / basket

6. Words that go together

Learning individual words is useful, but English often uses words in predictable combinations.

Ships

Term	Explanation
board a ship	Example: The passengers are waiting to board the ship.
leave the harbour	Example: The ferry leaves the harbour at nine.
approach the shore	Example: The fishing boat is approaching the shore.
drop anchor	Example: The captain decides to drop anchor outside the harbour.
raise the sails	Example: The crew raise the sails before leaving.

Cargo

Term	Explanation
load cargo	Example: Workers are loading cargo onto the ship.
unload cargo	Example: The crew begin to unload the cargo.
carry goods	Example: The ship carries goods between different islands.
heavy cargo	Example: The crane is used for particularly heavy cargo.

The market

Term	Explanation
market stall	Example: The spices are sold from a small market stall.
busy market	Example: The harbour has a busy market every morning.
local merchant	Example: A local merchant sells fruit and cloth.
fresh fish	Example: The fishing boats bring fresh fish to the market.

Complete the combinations

Answers

drop ______
load ______
market ______
raise the ______
fresh ______
board a ______
leave the ______
heavy ______

7. In context

A missing crate

Listen to the conversation.

Merchant: Captain, one of my crates is missing.

Captain: Which one?

Merchant: A small wooden crate with a blue mark on the side. It contains bottles of spice oil.

Captain: We unloaded everything from the front of the ship this morning.

Merchant: It isn’t on the dock. I’ve checked twice.

Captain: Was it definitely loaded onto the ship?

Merchant: Yes. I watched two sailors carry it aboard yesterday.

Captain: Then it may still be below deck. Some of the cargo hasn’t been moved yet.

Merchant: Can someone check?

Captain: Of course. Tarek! Go below deck and look for a wooden crate with a blue mark.

Sailor: The small one beside the sacks?

Merchant: You’ve seen it?

Sailor: Yes. We didn’t unload it because there were three heavy barrels in front of it.

Captain: There you are. Nothing mysterious after all.

Merchant: Good. That crate is travelling on the ferry this afternoon.

Phrasal verbs

Term	Explanation
set off	To begin a journey. The merchant ship sets off* at sunrise.* The sailors are preparing to set off* for the southern islands.*
load up	To put a large amount of goods or equipment onto a vehicle, ship or animal. The crew load up* the ship with barrels and crates.* They are loading up* before the long voyage.*

Practice

Answers

Complete the sentences with set off or load up. Use the correct form.

The crew need to __________ the ship before nightfall.
The galleon will __________ at dawn.
Merchants are __________ carts with sacks of grain.
The expedition is ready to __________ across the sea.

Comprehension

Answers

What is missing?
What is inside it?
Where did the merchant expect to find it?
Why is the captain sure that not all the cargo has been unloaded?
Where is the crate actually located?
Why was it not unloaded?
Where is the crate going next?

8. Vocabulary challenge

Choose the best word

Answers

The ship cannot move because its ______ is still in the water.

a. mast b. anchor c. pier
The sailors put the boxes and barrels onto the ship.

They are ______ the ship.

a. loading b. dragging c. approaching
The ship is getting closer to the harbour.

It is ______ the harbour.

a. leaving b. approaching c. unloading
The ______ sells spices at the market.

a. passenger b. merchant c. crew
A ______ is stronger than an ordinary cardboard box and is often used for transporting goods.

a. crate b. jar c. basket
The entire group of people working on a ship is called the ______.

a. crew b. passengers c. customers

1. The harbour

2. Vocabulary focus

Around the harbour

Ships and boats

Goods and objects

People

Actions

3. Look closer: the market

Market vocabulary

Find the right answer

4. A guide to ships

Parts of a ship

Which vessel?

5. Finding the right word

Ship or boat?

Carry, lift or drag?

Box or crate?

Bag or sack?

Customer or passenger?

Choose the most precise word

6. Words that go together

Ships

Cargo

The market

Complete the combinations

7. In context

A missing crate

Phrasal verbs

Practice

Comprehension

8. Vocabulary challenge

Choose the best word

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