From a Railway Carriage

Faster than fairies, faster than witches,

Bridges and houses, hedges and ditches;

And charging along like troops in a battle,

All through the meadows, the horses and cattle;

All of the sights of the hill and the plain

Fly as thick as driving rain;

And ever again, in the wink of an eye,

Painted stations whistle by.

Here is a child who clambers and scrambles,

All by himself and gathering brambles;

Here is a tramp who stands and gazes;

And there's the green for stringing the daisies!

Here is a cart run away in the road,

Lumping along with man and load;

And here is a mill and there's a river;

Each a glimpse and gone for ever! Robert L. Stevenson

NOTES ON SYNONYMS

The act of travelling can be described by a number of synonyms which differ by various implications (see Notes on Synonyms, p. 18). They all describe the act of going from one place to another (that is why they are synonyms), but differ by the length of time taken by that act, by its purpose, destination or by the method of travelling.

travel n: the act of travelling, esp. a long one in distant or foreign places, either for the purpose of discovering some­thing new or in search of pleasure and adventure. (Freq. in the plural.); е.g. He is writing a book about his travels in Africa.

journey n: the act of going from one place to another, usu­ally taking a rather long time; е.g. It's a three days' journey by train. You'll have to make the journey alone. Going on a journey is always exciting.

voyage n: a rather long journey, esp. by water or air; е.g. I'd love to go on a voyage, would you? The idea of an Atlantic voyage terrified her: she was sure to be seasick all the time.

trip n: a journey, an excursion, freq. a brief one, made by land or water; е.g. Did you enjoy your week-end trip to the seaside?

tour n: a journey in which a short stay is made at a num­ber of places (usu. with the view of sightseeing), the travel­ler finally returning to the place from which he had started; е.g. On our Southern-England tour we visited Windsor, Ox­ford, Cambridge, Stratford-on-Avon and then came back to London.

cruise n [kni:z]: a sea voyage from port to port, esp. a plea­sure trip; е.g. The Mediterranean cruise promised many in­teresting impressions.

hitch-hiking n: travelling by getting free rides in passing automobiles and walking between rides; е.g. Hitch-hiking is a comparatively new way of travelling which gives one a chance to see much without spending anything.

ESSENTIAL VOCABULARY (П)

Words

booking-office n journey n smoker

cabin n hitch-hiking n (smoking-car) n

cargo-ship n luggage n speed n

cruise n luggage-van n steamer n

deck n porter n tour n

dining-car n rough adj travel n

engine n sail υ trip n

fare n sea-gull n voyage n

flight n seasickness n walker n

guide n sleeper (sleeping-car) n wave n

Word Combinations

to go on a journey, trip, to travel second/standard

voyage, a package tour class

to travel by air (train, to call at a port

boat, cruiser, liner, etc.) to go ashore

to change from train to boat, bad (good) sailor

(cruiser, liner) to make a trip, journey

(But: to change for a boat. on deck

Also: Where do I change for on shore

Paris?) to look inviting

to be seasick, to be travelsick to be due at (a place)

(in any kind of transport) direct/through train

single ticket you can't beat the train

return ticket (return berth) a home lover/stay-at-home/

to travel/go first class a home-stay type

EXERCISES

I. Answer the questions. Be careful to argue your case well:

1. What means of travel do you know? 2. Why are many people fond of travelling? 3. Why do some people like trav­elling by train? 4. Do you like travelling by train? What makes you like/dislike it? 5. What are the advantages of a sea-voyage? 6. What are the advantages of hitch-hiking? 7. What kind of people usually object to travelling by sea? 8. What are the advantages and disadvantages of travelling by air? Have you ever travelled by air? How do you like it? 9. What do you think about walking tours? 10. What is, in your opinion, the most enjoyable means of travel? 11. What way of travelling affords most comfort for elderly people? (Give your reasons.) 12. Do you think travel helps a person to become wiser?

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