Text B. Travelling

The scientific and technological progress of the 20-th century has allowed people to overcome time and distance. The whole world is open now. We can choose any place on the planet and go there on business or for pleasure.

We can go to the place of our destination by sea, by air or by train, by car or even by motorbike.

All means of travel have their advantages and disadvantages. And people choose one according to their plans and destination.

If you want to get somewhere as quickly as possible the best way is to travel by plane. Many people prefer travelling by air as it is the most convenient and comfortable means of travelling.

The railway is still one of the most popular means of communication and, besides, it is one of the cheapest. With a train you have speed, comfort and pleasure combined, you can enjoy the beauty of the changing scenes that fly past you.

Many people enjoy travelling by sea. They say it is the most pleasant means of travel which combines speed and comfort. You feel as if you are walking on good solid ground when on board the big ocean liner. You can enjoy fresh sea air, the sights of the sea and the sky. But some passengers may be unhappy when they feel sea-sick, and then travelling by sea becomes a real torture for them.

With a motor car one can travel quickly, cheaply and comfortably for long distances without getting too tired. Travel by car is a more personal experience. You can go as slowly or as fast as you wish, stop when and where you choose. But it is not altogether pleasant when you ride on a bumpy road or get a flat tire or still worse, when your tank runs out of petrol.

But what can be better than to feel the wind in your face, to see houses, trees and people flash past, to feel the real joy of speed.

If we are fond of travelling, we see and learn a lot of things that we can never see or learn at home, though we may read about them in books, and newspapers and see pictures of them on TV. The best way to study geography is to travel, and the best way to get to know and understand people is to meet them in their own homes.

I. Read the text ‘ Travelling’ without a dictionary. Answer the following questions:

1. Why is the whole world open now? 2. Do people travel only for pleasure? 3. Why do people travel? 4. How can we get to the place of our destination? 5. What is the quickest means of communication? 6. What are the advantages and disadvantages of various means of travel? 7. What way of travel do you prefer?

II. Give a presentation of the problem posed in the text ‘Travelling’.

D i a l o g u e s

a) Read the dialogues. Make sure you understand them properly. The key-words below will help you.

Dialogue I. Booking air tickets

Time off

Working hours are shorter, holidays are longer, and people have more time off now than ever before. What do they do with it?

In both Britain and America, people watch TV for many hours every week. In America there is a very big choice. Many cities have twenty or more channels, sometimes going for twenty-four hours a day. In Britain there are four channels.

Many well-off Americans have a “camper” or “trailer” which they can use for weekends away. Some have holiday houses in the country, and spend as much time as possible on outside activities like fishing and water skiing.

Fewer British people have caravans or second homes, but many have gardens, where they spend a lot of their free time. Home owners often take time doing jobs round the house. They paint, put up wallpaper, build cupboards and even make furniture. There are a lot of DIY (Do It Yourself) shops all over the country selling everything they need.

But for some, time off means music and dancing. In London and New York, one or two new discos open every week. Some close again after a night or two, but some, like Tramps in London, go on, and on, and on...

Americans love to get out of town into the wild, and many go for holidays or long weekends into the thirty-five fabulous national parks. These magnificent areas of countryside include tropical forests, high mountains, dry deserts, long sandy coasts, grassy prairies and wooded mountains full of wild animals. The idea of these parks, which cover 1% of the whole area of the USA, is to make “a great breathing place for the national lungs”, and to keep different parts of the land as they were before men arrived. There are camping places in the national parks as well as museums, boat trips and evening campfire meetings.

Americans really enjoy new ways of travelling. In the winter, the woods are full of “snowmobiles” (cars with skis in the front). In the summer they ride their “dune buggies” across the sands or take to the sky in hang gliders.

But Americans do not only spend their free time having fun. They are very interested in culture too. Millions take part-time courses in writing, painting and music, and at the weekends the museums, art galleries and concert halls are full.

I. Learn the words to the topic ‘Time off’.

II. Read the text ‘Time off’. Answer the following questions.

1. Do people have more time off now than ever before?

2. How do most British and American people spend their spare time at home?

3. What outside activities are popular in Britain and America?

4. What is a DIY shop? Have you ever been to such a shop?

5. Are discos popular with young people? Do you often go to discos? What is your favourite disco?

6. Where do Americans like to go when they get out of town?

7. What ways of travelling do Americans enjoy?

8. How do British people like to spend their free time?

9. How do Americans satisfy their cultural needs?

10. Do you like to spend your weekend visiting museums, art galleries and concert halls?

11. Have you ever taken part-time courses in painting, music and writing?

12. Do you often watch TV? What is your favourite channel? Program?

III. Interview your friend putting him (her) 10 questions about his (her) time off. Present the information you’ve got.

IV. Write about 200 words on the topic “My Time Off”. Use the material from the texts.

V. Write the composition “My Time Off”.

Just for Fun

I. Read the following statements and comment on them.

The world is a book, and those who do not travel, read only a page.

St. Augustine

A man travels the world over in search of what he needs, and returns home to find it.

Moore

II. Learn the following proverbs and sayings. Illustrate them in the situations.

East or West, home is best.

Every country has its custom.

When at Rome, do as the Romans do.

Unit 6

Grammar:

1. Perfect Tenses. Past Perfect Tense. Future Perfect Tense

2. The functions of one

3. Word-building. The prefix re-

Texts:

A. Once again about Ozone Holes

B. Friendly to the Environment

C. Man the Loser?

Conversation:

Environment and Ecology

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