A story (a story of a girl who came to stay at her aunt's in a big city and who nearly lost herself when she went to see the town alone).

Aunt Mary, if you only knew how happy I am to see you again. I had such an exciting time when you were out. I tried to make a short round about the neighborhood though I knew you would not let me out alone. In fact, I nearly got lost.

First I went along the street your house is in, then I took a turning to the left. There was a fine building at the end of the lane. I turned to and I wanted to see it closer. All of a sudden I got to a small square with old houses around it, a fountain in the middle and a tall clock tower in one of its corners. It was a nice and I'd say - a very cosy place. There were plenty of pigeons on the pavement and elsewhere. I sat down on a bench to have a rest and looked around. Several narrow by-streets began at the square. So when I started my walk back I probably chose the wrong one. It led me to a broad avenue with heavy traffic. Hundreds of cars, lorries and buses rushed by and I couldn’t cross the roadway. Of course I didn't know there was a subway at the end of that block and a passer-by helped me to find it.

But that isn't the end of the story. When I found myself on the other side of that big street I noticed I was there for the first time. All the houses, shops and all seemed quite unfamiliar to me. I turned to the right and again the street was unknown to me. I stopped at a loss and was about to cry. I understood I wouldn't find your street myself and I asked an old woman the way here. I was very much surprised when she said I had to take a trolley-bus and ride four stops. It's good luck I had some small change on me.

Questions

1. What means of city transport do you know?

2. What do they call the underground railways in Moscow (London, New York)?

3. What do we call the hours when the city tran­sport system carries the greatest amount of passengers?

4. Which is the best underground railway in the world? Give your reasons.

5. Where is the distance between tram and bus stops greater, in the centre of the town or on the outskirts?

6. Why do people queue (line) up at bus stops?

7. When are the trams usually full?

8. Where do you change on your way to the Institu­te?

9. What do we call the money passengers pay for their trip in trams, etc.?

10. How much time does the trip to the Institute take you?

Unit 6. Holidays, travelling words and expressions

sea-side accommodation a boarding-house a resort [ri′zo:t] a holiday makers

to go swimming to sunbathe in the South the Crimea [′kraimiə] the Caucausus [′ko:kəsəs]

to rent a room (a flat)

to be on holiday

to have a holiday

to go on holiday

to have a quiet rest

to spend a holiday in the open air

to be on a camping holiday

to be at the sea-side

to stay at a hotel

on the coast of the Baltic Sea

Holiday

Where can you go for a holiday? You have a lot of opportunities. Of course, most people would like to go to the south or to the seaside, but you must consider the weather and the season.

You may want to go to Siberia, for example. The nature is wonderful there. You will never see such a lot of sparkling white snow. You will enjoy frosty fresh air if you go skiing or bear-hunting, but you should remember that it's very cold there in winter. The temperature may be about 50 degrees below zero.

Some people prefer to spend their holidays in warmer places. There is no warmer place than Africa. It's warm there all the year round. The sun shines every day, but in summer it's too hot and sometimes it's humid there. And you won't be able to go lion-hunting until the sun sets. But when it starts raining, it may rain the whole week. If you want to get sunburnt it's the best place. You can get as sunburnt as the natives.

Anyway choosing a place for your holiday you must consider the weather forecast.