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Федеральное агентство по образованию

Государственное образовательное учреждение

высшего профессионального образования

«МОСКОВСКИЙ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННЫЙ ЛИНГВИСТИЧЕСКИЙ

УНИВЕРСИТЕТ»

Зарубина В.К., Махрова О.Ф.

Circumnavigating the World

Учебное пособие

по практическому курсу английского языка

для студентов II курса

Москва

«Рема»

2007

ПРЕДИСЛОВИЕ

Настоящее пособие предназначено для студентов, углубленно изучающих английский язык по программе дисциплин «Практический курс английского языка как 1-го иностранного» и «Практический курс английского языка как 2-го иностранного», и продолжает серию аналогичных пособий, представляющих учебный материал по принципу лексико-тематической принадлежности.

Предлагаемое пособие посвящено теме «Путешествие» и состоит из двух разделов: «Путешествие на самолете» и «Путешествие на поезде». Каждый раздел включает аутентичный текстовый материал и комплекс упражнений, организованный с учетом требований современной методики и нацеленный на формирование у студентов высокого уровня языковой компетенции, необходимого для успешного общения в реальных жизненных ситуациях, связанных с изучаемой темой. Коммуникативная направленность большей части заданий позволяет развивать навыки устной и письменной форм общения.

Разнообразный уровень сложности упражнений позволяет использовать пособие для обучения студентов с различным уровнем знаний на разных этапах обучения, обеспечивает широкие возможности аудиторной и самостоятельной работы.

Пособие может быть использовано для обучения студентов лингвистических и нелингвистических специальностей в рамках всех образовательных программ, осуществляемых в МГЛУ.

Travelling by air

Exercise 1. Read the text, look up the vocabulary and answer the questions below.

WORLDLY WISDOM

To circumnavigate the planet has always been the ultimate journey, but it wasn't until the 1970s that low-cost round-the-world air fares put this kind of trip within reach of the average traveller. The first round-the-world (RTW) air fares were initiated by Pan Am in the late 1970s. Today over 40 airlines have teamed up to follow suit. They offer more than 200 routes which literally span the globe.

Bookings for the first flight must be made 14 - 30 days (depending on the airline) before departure, but remaining flights can be left open dated. Most RTW fares are valid for a minimum of 14 days and a maximum of one year and you must normally make at least three stopovers.

RTW tickets do not allow backtracking, which forces you to travel in a continuous direction around the world, either east or westbound. Most airlines allow one change of route free of charge. However, some don't permit changes at all. Don't forget to budget for airport taxes, which can add considerably to your expenses.

The 'Round the World Air Guide' recommends booking all your hotels in advance, but this is plainly ridiculous as it would leave you no room for spontaneity and take a huge amount of organisation. However, you might want to book a hotel for the first few nights after landing at your initial stop to give yourself a chance to recover from jet lag and adjust to your surroundings. Most airlines have stopover deals with discounts on hotels in major cities.

Get all your visas sorted out in advance, especially if you're planning just a quick whizz round the globe; then you don't waste valuable time abroad in foreign consulates. A problem can arise with RTW trips because for some countries (in Egypt, most African countries, Taiwan and China, for instance) the visa is only valid for three months after the date of issue, so you might have to get that particular visa en route, or it can expire before you arrive. With some countries it's advisable to get the visa out of the way beforehand, even if it's due to expire - it will stand you in good stead when you apply for one at the border, or in another city.

Cover for long global trips is unfortunately very expensive, reflecting the increased probability of accidents, disease, loss of luggage and so on that you're likely to experience. Most airlines or travel agents will sell you a policy along with your RTW ticket. Curiously many of the airlines which sell RTW tickets valid for a year only sell insurance for up to six months.

1. What put round the world journeys within reach of an average traveler?

2. What restrictions do RTW tickets have?

3. What should you have to help you enjoy your first destination?

4. Why should you have cover for long global trips?

5. What might you have to get en route on long trips which include China?

Exercise 2. Match the idiomatic expressions taken from the article, with the definitions.

span the globe

team up (with someone)

follow suit

free of charge

stand (someone) in good stead

get (something) out of the way

sort out

pushing it

for no payment, without cost

join together with others to form a pair or group

complete something unpleasant in order to move on

resolve problems

cover the entire world

will be useful/to someone's advantage in the future

copy an action done by someone else

taking a risk

MAKING RESERVATIONS FOR A PLANE TRIP

There are different ways of reserving airline tickets: you can go to the travel agency or the airline office or reserve by phone. You should decide on the fare type. Open tickets cost you more. All First and Business class tickets are open. i.e. you can change your flight times. Full-fare Economy tickets are usually open. Budget fares are usually cheaper but may have restrictions (e.g. you can only travel on certain days) and are usually non-refundable (you can't get your money back) or if you cancel, you may have to pay a cancellation fee. The best known-type is APEX (Advance Purchase Excursion). Apex fares normally have to be booked a fixed number of days in advance and they offer value for money.

Exercise 3. When booking air travel you may choose: