4. Travelling

Our modern life is impossible without travelling. Thousands of people travel every day either on business or for pleasure. They can travel by air, by sea, by train, by car or on foot. All means of travelling have their own advantages and disadvantages. For example, travelling by air is the fastest and most convenient, but it is the one of the most expensive too. Travelling by train is slower than by plane, but it has its advantages. You can see many interesting places through the window of a train. And many people like to travel by train very much. They like to be seen off and like when the train gathers speed. Each train stops at big stations where some passengers change trains.

One more kind of travelling is a sea voyage. Travelling by sea all passengers can come out on deck. Here they can breathe the rich sea air. The passengers can enjoy a beautiful sunset at sea. Travelling by sea people can visit foreign countries and different places of interest within their own country. After such voyage we return home sunburnt and fall of impressions. But if the sea is rough some passengers are sea-sick. And this

is the main disadvantage of this kind of travelling.

Travelling on foot is one of the most interesting and impressible trips. People have an opportunity to find themselves tet-a-tet with nature. They can hear the songs of birds and can enjoy bright colours of the forest and blossom of flowers, can walk by mountain paths ...

As for me, I prefer travelling by plane. The main advantage of travelling by air is time-saving. For a modern liner of the IL-86 3 thousand km is not a long distance and it can be covered by a non­stop flight within 3,5 hours.

But unfortunately, sometimes travelling by air we have some unpleasant things. For instance, we are in a great hurry and want to reach our destination as soon as possible. The booking-office sells tickets 10 days in advance, so we buy tickets beforehand, pack our luggage and come to the airport. But sometimes the voice over the public address system announces that our flight is delayed due to bad weather. We are short of time and begin to worry about the trip. In a few hours the weather becomes better and we hear the loud speaker call our flight at last; but we are too exhausted by waiting to be glad. We take our suit-cases, have our tickets registered and board the plane. A nice-looking air-hostess greets us and shows us to our seats. We settle comfortably in our seats and fasten seat belts.

Soon, the liner takes off and we are in the air. The stewardess tells us about the altitude and speed of the flight. As a rule, the hostess helps the passengers during the flight to have a good time and to feel at home. On board a plane we have hot lunch and a cup of tea with a cake and biscuits.

It's so pleasant to sleep a little after our meal. So we settle down and begin to doze. We wake up when the aircraft starts on a slow descent. When the flight is over the stewardess stands on the top of a ramp saying "Good -buy" to her passengers with best regards.

The high price of flights is the disadvantage of travelling by plane, but comfort and high speed are very good arguments. Life of people is rather short and the main plus of it is time-saving. I like travelling because of conveniences though it is very dangerous.

Exercises

I. Express your opinion towards different kinds of travelling. Discuss pros and cons of your favourite one.

II. Correct the sentences:

1. Travelling by car is one of the most expensive.

2. People all over the World can do without travelling.

3. All types of travelling have only advantages.

4. The fastest kind to cross the country is by train.

1. Travelling by sea people aren't sea-sick, because ships are very comfortable and sea is always calm.

5. It takes a man very much time to cover a long distance by plane, as travelling by air is slower than by rail.

6. While travelling by plane many people don't have lunch and sleep; they only play cards and tennis.

7. The low price of tickets for travelling by sea allows people to use it at least once a year.

III. Translate into English.

1. Я очень люблю путешествовать и не представляю своей жизни без новых впечатлений и новых знакомств.

2. Аэропланы доставляют людей в разные части света очень быстро и с комфортом.

3. Для большинства людей скорость - очень важный аргумент, когда они путешествуют.

4. Некоторые люди предпочитают комфорт скорости и путешествуют морем.

5. Какой способ передвижения вы предпочтете, если едете отдыхать за границу?

6. По вечерам я люблю сидеть на пляже и, глядя на море, наслаждаться закатом.

7. Путешествие морем наиболее популярно для удовольствия; а если вы едете по делам, то лучше вам воспользоваться самолётом.

8. Летом наша семья ездит на озеро отдыхать. Мы устраиваемся в палатках на берегу, наслаждаясь свежим воздухом и солнцем целый день.

9. Время отпуска пролетает быстро и мы должны возвращаться домой.

10. Какие наиболее популярные водные маршруты в пределах нашей страны для путешествий вы знаете?