John Ruskin

‘When two Englishmen meet, their first talk is of the weather.’

Samuel Johnson

‘Life, believe, is not a dream,

So dark as sages say;

Oft a little morning rain

Foretells a pleasant day!’

Charlotte Brontё

Exercise 14.

Write an essay on one of the following topics.

1. A Lot of People Like Winter (Summer,…) but I Hate It.

2. How the Weather Can Help People in Difficult Situations.

3. Once I Was Caught in a Rainstorm/Snowstorm.

4. How the Weather Affects Me.

Weekends and Holidays. Travelling

Exercise 1.

Do you like the idea of sitting on the beach with nothing at all to be done? Why? Give reasons.

Pretty Days

How pleasant to sit on the beach,

On the beach, on the sand, in the sun,

With ocean galore within reach,

And nothing at all to be done!

No letters to answer,

No bills to be burned,

No work to be shirked,

No cash to be earned.

It’s pleasant to sit on the beach

With nothing at all to be done.

By Ogden Nash

Exercise 2.

A Letter From the Countryside

Learn the expressions

1. It’s good to have a different kind of holiday every summer.

2. I’m fond of lying in the sun. I enjoy reading English books.

3. I like to meet and make friends with lots of people.

4. He dislikes the idea of having a holiday with hundreds of other people.

5. He always gets away from people when he is on holiday.

6. I help my mother by sweeping and cleaning the rooms and washing up after meals.

7. He avoids helping his mother about the house.

8. He eats enormous meals.

9. He worries about something.

10. I look forward to having a rest on Sunday.

11. To rent a cottage (a room).

12. To stay in town, to go to the countryside.

Make up situations with all these expressions. There can be several expressions in the situation.

Dear Mrs. Howard

It’s now a week since we left London. This place is just wonderful. I’m glad that we came here. I think the countryside is the most beautiful place to spend summer holidays and it’s good to have a different kind of holiday every summer.

The cottage we are renting is quite comfortable. There’s a river not far from the house and it is good for swimming. Mr. Parker and the boys are fond of swimming. I spend all my time on the bank of the river lying in the sun, but I do not like to swim, as I’m not good at it. You know I like to meet people and make friends with other holiday-makers. It’s a pity there aren’t many holiday-makers here. The place is quiet. Mr. Parker dislikes the idea of having a holiday with hundreds of other people. He always gets away from people when he is on holiday. The other day he got acquainted with Dr. Sandford who is staying with his relatives here. They have bought fishing-rods and sometimes early in the morning they go fishing. They are constantly talking about fishing, though they do not catch much fish. They like early mornings, but I don’t. I like to sleep in the morning. I enjoy the evenings when it’s neither hot nor cool, and everything looks beautiful when the sun is setting.

Now Mr. Parker is working in the garden. You know he likes to work in the garden and so he enjoys being in the country. He is having a rest from his work.

Robert and Peter are having a nice time, too. You should see them, they are quite brown. When it’s not hot enough to swim, they enjoy playing football with other boys, and perhaps that’s how Robert avoids helping me about the house. He eats enormous meals and doesn’t worry about anything. But Peter helps me by sweeping and cleaning the rooms and washing up after meals. It’s a pity that our holiday is coming to an end. We’re leaving for London next Friday.

What are you doing in town? I haven’t any idea how you amuse yourself, but I hope that you are as happy as I am. I’m looking forward to seeing you and having a good chat with you.

Sincerely yours,

Nora Parker

Assignments after the text:

I

1. Say everything you know about the place where the Parkers are having their holiday.

2. Say everything you know about the way Mr. Parker (Mrs. Parker, Robert, Peter) is having his (her) holiday.

3. Say everything you know about

1. what the Parkers do when they are in the country.

2. what each member of the family is doing now.

II

1. Retell the letter, describing first the countryside, then the way the Parkers are enjoying themselves.

III

1. Give a brief summary of the Parkers’ holiday, enumerating what each member of the family is doing now.

2. Speaking about the Parkers’ holiday, say everything you know about Dr. Sandford and his family.

3. What do you think? How would Helen Sandford describe their holiday in the country? Evidently in the same way as Mrs. Parker (Helen would write the following: “Dear Ann, we are having a holiday …”)

4. Suppose you where talking with Mrs. Parker about the holiday they are having now. What questions would you ask her about their holiday and each member of the family?

5. Say what you think of a holiday in the country.

Exercise 3.

Holidays are always something to get excited about.

1. Listen to the dialogue, then read it.