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17. Put 12 words from Ex. 16 into the gaps.

1.Buckingham Palace is a major … in Britain.

2.Children often feel … when a new baby arrives.

3.He always … us for hours with his stories and jokes.

4.He had every right to feel … at the decision.

5.His parents kept a round-the-clock … at his bedside.

6.In the Museum you can expect to see the whole … of weaponry.

7.The composer was one of many … celebrities to visit the town.

8.The magician … in a puff off smoke.

9.The tests are designed to … the disease early.

10.The woods and fields are typical features of the English … .

11.We now have a … shower: we don’t need to use our neighbours’ bathroom.

12.We were frightened by the strange noises and lights in that … old house.

18. Visiting a haunted house or castle is all very well, but if you really want to do the “ghost thing” you know you’ll just have to stay overnight. That’s when the ghosts come out. Fortunately, Britain is blessed with a number of haunted hotels so, if you’re feeling brave, use the Internet to find a hotel to stay in. Here are some examples.

The Kirkstone Inn

At almost 1,500 ft, the Kirkstone Inn in Cumbria is the third highest pub in England. It offers spectacular views over some of the Lake District scenery that was immortalised by the poetry of William Wordsworth. But that’s not all. It’s haunted too! Dating back to the 15th century, the inn has had plenty of time to pick up some ghosts and quite a few have been spotted in and around it. Some are believed to be the spirits of unlucky travellers who died while making a perilous journey through the difficult mountain terrain. One ghost is believed to be that of a woman who murdered her own child. Another that of a 17th century coachman, was even captured in a photograph taken by a family staying at the inn in 1993. But he’s not there any longer. He is said to have followed the bemused tourists home and now lives with them as a member of the family!

Schooner Hotel

The Schooner Hotel on the Northumberland coast boasts of being the most haunted hotel in Britain. Its guests frequently report strange noises, electrical devices turning themselves on or off and doors opening and closing of their own accord. The hotel was featured in an episode of the

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television series Most Haunted and occasionally hosts ghost-themed special events.

Jamaica Inn

The Jamaica Inn in Cornwall was made famous by the Daphne du Maurier novel of the same name. Its long and shady history stretches back to the mid 18th century when it was a favoured haunt of the local smugglers. The inn now houses a large collection of old smuggling artefacts which will help you conjure up the atmosphere of that era. With such a lawless background, you would expect one or two untimely deaths to be associated with the building and perhaps a restless spirit or two to be lingering on the scene. Indeed, quite a few ghosts are believed to inhabit the Inn including that of at least one murder victim.

http://www.spookystuff.co.uk

19. Have you ever wanted to become a ghost hunter? Ghost-hunting trips to allegedly haunted houses are becoming increasingly popular in Britain. Here’s how you can participate.

Becoming a Ghost Hunter

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Ghost-Hunting Tours

The public’s fascination with ghosts and the paranormal has been recognised and part of the tourism industry is now devoted to indulging it. There are now quite a few companies who organise ghost-hunting tours of haunted spots. Some of these may last just a few hours and involve walking around a series of sites while the guide relates the spooky stories associated with each of them. Others may feature an overnight stay in a

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haunted castle or stately home and involve the use of serious equipment to try and scan for ghosts. Of course there’s never a guarantee that a real ghost will appear on any of these tours but, if nothing else, you can usually learn something about history, have a few laughs, and share in a little suspense.

Become Your Own Ghost-hunter

If packaged ghost tours aren’t to your taste, you can always organise your own. There are several associations in Britain where actual or aspiring ghost-hunters unite to share tips and organise expeditions. If you’re a newcomer to the scene, your best bet is to join one of these, and find others in your local area who have the same interest. You can then exchange information about possible hauntings and plan trips together to investigate. Often these groups will receive tip-offs from the general public about ghost sightings; and reports from newspapers or magazines will also be circulated. This provides a good foundation for planning a ghost-hunting expedition. Once you’ve identified a good spot for a ghost hunt, read everything you can about the history of the place. It may help make sense of anything you experience later on.

20. Which of the following best describes the author’s main point? Give reasons.

1.Ghost hunting is the public entertainment.

2.Ghost hunting is wasting time and money.

3.Ghost hunting is interesting, funny, informative and educational.

How far do you agree with the author?

21.In pairs. Underline (Ex. 19) the arguments in favour of becoming your own ghost hunter in stead of using packaged tours.

22.Look at the pictures and (in pairs) decided which of the following are needed in case of a ghost-hunting tour. Give your reasons. Then read the text and check.

Ex. I think the most important thing is to have a torch. – You are right. This will help us to find the way out of the vault. We would also need …

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If it’s an all-night vigil, be sure and wear warm clothing and take a warm drink with you in a flask.

Thermometer. Ghosts are said to sometimes create a tremendous sensation of cold. This can happen even when the ghost is invisible so a thermometer can be a valuable tool in detecting them.

If you can afford it, video cameras can also be a great aid. They can be set up to record continuously and the footage studied later on.

Walkie-talkies can be helpful if the team is spread out across a large

area.

General Tips for Your Ghost Hunt

Most experienced researchers agree that ghostly manifestations are easier to detect during the hours of darkness.

Don’t go alone. You will more easily get bored or scared and won’t have the “sanity check” of another person’s perceptions.

If you’re visiting private property, make absolutely sure you get permission in advance from the property’s owner.

Ghosts don’t always manifest themselves visually. Sometimes they will manifest an odour. For this reason, it’s advisable that no one on the ghost-hunting trip wear perfumes or aftershave.

You need patience to be a ghost-hunter. Don’t expect to be seeing headless horsemen every five minutes. Sometimes you will spend a whole night and see nothing out-of-the-ordinary at all.

Take lots of pictures. Sometimes, even when you see nothing at the scene, a photograph will reveal something later on.

Conclusion

As many have realised, ghost hunting can be a great way to have fun while exploring the paranormal. Many websites, tours, and clubs are now dedicated to these active investigations of ghostly phenomena so it should be very easy for you to find a way to participate if you’re so inclined.

http://www.spookystuff.co.uk

23. Here are some dos and don’ts about ghost hunting. There are several more in the text. Find another two or three of each and add them to the lists.

Dos

Wear warm clothes.

…

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