Text 1 Travelling Part 1

Millions of people all over the world spend their holidays travelling. They travel to see other countries and continents, modern cities and the ruins of ancient towns, they travel to enjoy picturesque places, or just for a change of scene. It’s always interesting to discover new things, different ways of life, to meet different people, to try different food, to listen to different musical rhythms.

Those who live in the country like to go to a big city and spend their time visiting museums and art galleries, looking at shop windows and dining at exotic restaurants. City-dwellers usually like a quiet holiday by the sea or in the mountains, with nothing to do but walk and bathe and laze in the sun.

Most travelers and holiday-makers take a camera with them and take pictures of everything that interests them – the sights of a city, old churches and castles, views of mountains, lakes, valleys, plains, waterfalls, forests, different kinds of trees, flowers and plants, animals and birds. Later, perhaps years later, they will be reminded by the photos of the happy time they have had.

People travel by train, by plane, by boat and by car.

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

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.

Answer these questions:

1. Are you fond of travelling? 2. Why do people travel? 3. Why do people take a camera with them? What do they usually photograph? 4. What do we see and learn while travelling? 5. Do you agree that travelling broadens our minds? 6. How do different people spend their holidays? 7. What means of travel do you know?

Text 2 Travelling Part 2

People began to travel ages ago. The first travelers were explorers who wanted to discover new lands and to find wealth. Their journeys were very dangerous. Nowadays travelling is not as dangerous and much more convenient.

Millions of people all over the world travel every day. You can choose the means of transport you like - plane, train, ship, bicycle or you can go hiking.

Of course, travelling by plane is the fastest way of travelling, but it is also the most expensive one. We all agree that the future belongs to the air transport because it’s more comfortable and more convenient than other ways of travelling. There are a lot of advantages of travelling by air. There is none of the dust of a train or a car journey.

Besides, flying is a thrilling thing. Although planes do not take us to small remote places, but only planes take us to other continents. If you are hungry you can have a meal. A stewardess serves snacks and drinks. Besides from the comfortable seat in a plane you can have a splendid view of the beautiful cloudy sky. But many people say that there are a lot of disadvantages of travelling by air. Planes make them nervous. And they are quite right because flying is not a good experience if you are air-sick. Besides, nowadays we have a lot of air-crashers. As you know, flying depends on the weather conditions. If the weather is cloudy airliners cannot fly. And travelling by air can cost a lot.

Travelling by train is one of the most popular means of travelling. Trains go slower than planes but you can see much more interesting places of the country you are travelling through. Travelling by train is cheaper. Modern trains are very comfortable and you can enjoy a splendid view of the countryside. If you are hungry you can have a meal in the dining-car.

Travelling by sea is usually called a voyage or a cruise. On board large ships people can visit foreign countries and see their own country.

Travelling by bus is one of the cheapest means of travelling. Modern buses have comfortable seats, video and phone. You can have hot tea or coffee, drinks and snacks there. You can have a trip not far from your home or visit foreign countries.

Many people prefer travelling by car. They don’t have to buy tickets. They don’t have to carry heavy luggage. They can stop wherever they wish and spend as much time as they like at any place.

But some people like to travel on foot or by bike. It isn’t the most comfortable means of travelling, but it is the cheapest.

I think travelling is the best way to spend your holidays. When we travel we can see and learn a lot of things that we can never see or learn at home.

Answer these questions:

1. When did people begin to travel? 2. Who were the first travelers? 3. It was very dangerous to travel ages ago, wasn’t it? What about nowadays? 4. Do you like to travel? 5. What means of travelling do you know? 6. What is your favourite way of travelling? 7. What is the fastest way of travelling? 8. Some people say that the future belongs to the air transport, don’t they? 9. What are the advantages of travelling by air? 10. What are the disadvantages of travelling by air? 11. Why do many people often choose to travel by train? 12. What is the most comfortable and expensive means of travelling? 13. What is one of the cheapest means of travelling? 14. What are the advantages and disadvantages of travelling by bus? 15. Why do many people prefer travelling by car? 16. Have you ever travelled on foot or by bike?