Practice

3. Find in the text English equivalents for the following Russian phrases and use them in the sentences of your own

1. путешествовать по свету

2. расширять кругозор

3. жизнь принадлежит тем, у кого узкий кругозор

4. выбранный мною университет

5. будем рады видеть вас

6. сражаться с крокодилом

7. выгуливать собаку

8. потраченное зря время

4. Find as many facts in the text as you can to prove the following

• Bill didn’t want to take a gap year

• Bill had problems with applying for the university

5. Which of the titles do you think would be the best one for the article? Why?

• Diseases and alligators: The risk and rewards

• Foreign travel: No way to bridge the dreaded gap

• A gap year: Time off well spend?

6. Comment on the tone/ attitude of the article. Is it cynical? Light-hearted? Funny?

Find words or phrases to justify your choices.

Example:

He is quite cynical (it is only those with the very narrowest horizons who survive )

7. Group work .Which of Bill’s opinions do you agree or disagree with?

Conversational English

Learn the dialogue by heart and dramatize it.

1. Ask a friend of yours about his/her summer/winter vacation.

2. Tell your friend about one of your journeys.

I enjoyed my holidays

(Scene: in the street. A young man and a girl.)

HELEN: Victor, Victor!

VICTOR (turning to her): Good Heavens! Is it you, Helen? You've become so pretty! And you look the very picture of health.

HELEN: It's after my vacation. You look very well, too. Where did you go? To your grand­parents?

VICTOR: No. I travelled again. You know I'm fond of travelling, don't you?

HELEN: So you travelled! What was it like? Did you travel by train or by bus?

VICTOR: Neither. Don't you remember Mike has got a car? We travelled by car!

HELEN (smiling): I've often seen him trying to start the "car" as you call it. Did you pull it or push it this time?

VICTOR: Pull or push? Ha-ha, we drove it, you silly thing. But, seriously, Helen, it was quite a trip.

HELEN: What places did you visit?

VICTOR: We visited Riga, Tallinn, Pyarnu, Vilnius and many other places on the BalticCoast. I took many good pictures there. You know I'm keen on photography, especially colour photos.

HELEN: I'd like to see the pictures, Victor. I know you used to take very good ones.

VICTOR: Thank you, Helen. Let's go and see the pic­tures now, if you like. It's a pity Mike can't come with us.

HELEN: But why? What's happened to him?

VICTOR: Don't you know? He was taken ill last week, had a very high temperature. They had to call the doctor in...

HELEN: I'm sorry to hear that. But, Victor, we can take the pictures to his place and see them together, can't we?

VICTOR: What a good idea! Good girl!

Dramatize the following scene:

Your friend had a gap year and traveled much. Ask him about his life in different countries.