Тема 10

Travelling by plane

Travel is extremely important nowadays. Two hundred years ago most people never traveled further than a few kilometres. Whenever they walked or went by carriage or on horseback. But in the last quarter of the twentieth century people have traveled a lot. Many people travel 50 or 100 kilometres daily by public transport or private car. Millions of people travel long distances abroad on business trips or for holidays every year. Even a housewife who is going shopping may travel twenty kilometres.

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 is always interesting to discover new things, different ways of life, to meet different people, to try different food, to listen to different musical rhythms. 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.

Of course, traveling by air is the fastest and the most convenient way, but it is the most expensive too. If you have traveled by plane, you will probably agree that travelling by plane is a very exciting experience. An airport is so different from a railway station or a bus stop, the people you meet and the things you see are very interesting and new. What is more, a big airport is like a town – with its own shops, banks and police.

For most people speed is a very important factor when they are travelling. They want to reach their destination as quickly as possible. There are now planes that can cross the Atlantic in just over three hours. Other people prefer comfort to speed. They like to relax during the journey and enjoy themselves as much as possible.

For almost everyone safety is the most important factor. For example, many people never fly because they believe it is dangerous. In fact, it is probably much more dangerous to travel by car or to walk across the street.

Тема 11

Travelling by car

As for me there is nothing better than to travel by car – a good, fast car I mean. When you are in an aeroplane, you have to be driven by someone else; travel by car is a more personal experience, for there you can drive yourself. You just sit down at the wheel; switch on the motor, step on the pedal with your foot and off the car goes. You can go as slowly or as fast as you wish, stop when and where you choose; you park the car on the side of the road (street), get out and go where you like.

It is quite true that driving a car has some disadvantages. In town it is rather a nuisance with all these traffic “jams” or “hold-ups”, roundabouts, detours and so on. It is not altogether pleasant when you ride on a bumpy road or get a flat tyre, or still worse, when you get stuck in the mud.

But what can be better than a spin in a car on a week-end with your friends? As soon as you get out of the crowded town and see the long wide road opening up before you, what a thrill it is to feel the car rush forward at a touch of your foot, to feel the wind in your face, to see houses, trees and people flash past, to feel the real joy of speed.

Then, of course, you see much more of the country than you do in a plane. Suppose you are on vacation and have decided to take a 700-800 mile trip down South in a car. What magnificent views you behold on your way – the cheerful fields, the road winding its way up the mountain with steep, grey cliffs on one side and a deep precipice on the other, the shining expanse of the sea wrapped in a blue noonday haze, the woods, the rows of acacia that stretch along the streets of the towns that you pass through.

Indeed your impressions are unforgettable.