Julie: No. I’ve only been in a boat once. I sailed down the river Thames on a sightseeing tour…But in any case I’d rather be sea-sick than dead.

Exercise 19.

Travelling by sea

Many people enjoy travelling by sea. They say it is the most pleasant means of travelling. They mean travelling by an ocean liner, which combines comfort and speed. You feel as if you are walking on good solid ground when on board the big liner. You can enjoy fresh sea air, the sights of the sea and the sky. No matter what the sea might be – calm or stormy, you feel comfortable and safe on board the big liner. But smaller ships are less comfortable and in rough sea many passengers will be most unhappy. They get seasick and then travelling by sea becomes a real torture for them.

If you have made up your mind to travel by sea you should book passage on board a modern liner. These liners are real floating cities with all modern conveniences and a wide choice of sport and entertainment facilities. Every modern liner has a number of decks with all sorts of names, such as “promenade deck”, “sun deck”, etc. There are passenger cabins above and below deck. A cabin looks very much like a compartment of a railroad sleeping car, but the windows are different. In a cabin they are known as portholes.

You needn’t worry about your meals on board the modern liner. Restaurants will take care of you. In short, if you are not seasick the voyage will give you many moments of pleasure.

Answer the questions:

1. What facilities for sports and entertainment are provided on big ocean liners?

2. What are some of the advantages of sailing on larger ships?

3. What kind of decks does a modern liner usually have?

Exercise 20.

Lesson № 40

Harry:	We shall have to hurry if we’re going to catch that train. What’s Robert doing?
Nora:	Robert’s gone on to the station with some of the luggage. He’s meeting us on the platform.
Harry:	Don’t pack that book, Peter; you’ll be wanting it in the train.
Peter:	Oh, yes, so I shall, Dad.
Nora:	I wonder whether I ought to have cut some sandwiches?
Harry:	No, we shall be stopping ten minutes at the junction; we shall be able to buy something to eat there … You’ll have to carry this case, Peter.
Nora:	He can’t, because he’ll be carrying my hatbox, besides his own case.
Harry:	Look here, we must get away or we shall be late.
Nora:	It’s going to be a lovely day. Are we all ready?
Peter:	I’m ready; I’m waiting for you.
Nora:	Have you turned off the gas and electricity, Harry?
Harry:	I’ll just make sure, dear.
Nora:	Otherwise they’ll be sending us bills for the time we’re away.
Harry:	Yes, it’s all done. Come along now; off we go. Shut the door behind you, Peter.
Nora:	Are you sure you’ve got the railway tickets, Harry?
Harry:	Good heavens! I think I’ve left them on the piano.
Peter:	I’ll go in and get them, Dad.
Harry:	No, it’s all right, here they are in my waistcoat pocket.
Nora:	Good morning, Mrs. Wood.
Wood:	Good morning! So you’re off, then? Good bye; have a nice time.
Harry:	Thank you.
Nora:	Good bye, Mrs. Wood. We’ll see you when we come back in three weeks time.
Wood:	Oh! I expect we shall be seeing you sooner than that; we’re decided that we’re going to Brightshore for our holiday too.
Nora:	How nice! Do tell me more about it.
Harry:	Come on, Nora. We are going to miss that train.
The Parkers are going to have a holiday at the seaside. Speak about the likes and dislikes of each member of the family concerning summer holidays, their plans for this summer, decision, preparation before the journey, the seats they are going to have, and what they will do to while away the time during the journey.

Exercise 21.

1. Imagine that you work for a travel agency. You must provide your clients with exhaustive information. Write about advantages and disadvantages of each way of travelling.

	on foot	by ship	by car	by plane	hitchhiking	by bus	by train
Advantages	It’s rather safe and cheap. Besides you can enjoy fresh air, stop when and where you want and admire the beauty of Nature. What’s more it’s good for health.
Disadvantages	Sometimes it’s troublesome, tiring and even dangerous. More than that it’s not pleasant if the weather is bad or you got lost.

a travel agency – туристическое агентство

exhaustive – исчерпывающая

2. Give comments on the lists of advantages and disadvantages. Work in small groups. Let the others agree or disagree with you.

Exercise 22.

Speak on what means of travelling you would advise to different categories of people and explain why:

• businessmen;

• sick people;

• old people;

• holiday-makers;

• adventurers;

• a family with small children;

• a group of students.

Exercise 23.

Speak on your travelling experience:

• what you have travelled by, when, where;

• how you spent the time and how you felt about the trip;

• …

Exercise 24.

Comment upon the quotations.

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

Moore

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

St. Augustine

• Travel makes a wise man better, and a fool worse.

Thomas Fuller

• I should like to spend the whole of my life in travelling abroad, if I could anywhere borrow another life to spend afterwards at home.

William Hazlitt

• A wise traveller never despises his own country.

Carlo Goldoni

• When we are young we travel to see the world, afterwards to make sure it is still there.

Cyril Connolly

Exercise 25.

Read this extract from a book called “The Beach” by Alex Garland. Why did the author go travelling?