English is my cup of tea. Part 5. Учебное пособие

Boats and Sailing

VOCABULARY EXERCISES

I.Complete each of these idioms with one word.

1.Things here are very difficult, but at least we're all in the ……………..

boat.

2.It'll be hard climbing the mountain, but should be ………………..

sailing on the way down.

3.Everyone would like to dance, so let's clear the ……………………..

and .make as much space as we can in the middle of the floor.

4.Speaking to the press about what's going on is ………………………..

a bit close to the wind.

5.I know the party is costing a lot, but you have to ……..……………..

the boat out occasionally.

6.Joe's been in the ………………………….. ever since he lost his job.

7.Trust Simon to stick his …………………………………….. in - he never knows when it's better to say nothing.

8.I don't trust Paul – I’d steer ………………….. of him if I were you.

II.Complete each sentence with an idiom.

1.Leave things as they are - it's better not to ………………….. (Give two answers.)

2.Everything must seem strange at first, but you'll soon ……………. .

3.Finish your course before you go travelling - there's no point in …….... .

31

Travelling and Тransport

4.Parents usually try to ………………….. between leniency and strictness.

5.Sally's very miserable - do you know why she's …………………..?

6.The new boy is bound to be feeling …………………….. on his first day at school - perhaps you can help.

7.Things are not working out - let's …………….…….. (Give two answers.)

8.I hate job interviews - I'm always ………….………….. before them.

LISTENING

I. Discuss:

Why do people deliberately put their lives at risk?

What is the riskiest thing you have ever done?

II. Before you listen, read the synopsis of The Kon-Tiki Expedition.

In 1947, Thor Heyerdahl, a Norwegian scientist, and five companions set off from the west coast of South America in a raft made of locally-grown balsa wood. His object was to sail across the Pacific Ocean. He wanted to prove that people from South America had crossed the Pacific on primitive rafts and settled in Polynesia.

Word Bank

raft a very simple boat made of pieces of wood tied together courageous brave, especially when facing danger

natives people who originate from a particular country or area to drive out to force people to leave a place

Incas a group of American Indians who inhabited modern-day Peru migration movement of people to a new area, city or country balsa wood a soft, light wood found in South America

to wriggle to twist and turn (like a snake)

eel a long snake-like creature that lives in the sea snout a flat round nose, like that of a pig

greedy wanting more of something (e.g. food) than is necessary jaw the lower part of the mouth

32

Boats and Sailing

skeleton the framework of bones in a body solemnly seriously

III. Now listen to part one and explain in your own words why Thor Heyerdahl wanted to make the journey across the Pacific.

IV. What impression do you get of the people who agreed to make this journey?

V.Listen to part one again. Are the following sentences true or false?

1.Thor Heyerdahl wrote letters to five people whom he already knew.

2.If they agreed to join the expedition, they would not have to pay for

the trip.

3.Heyerdahl wanted to go to the Pacific to study stone carvings.

4.His theory concerned white-skinned people from Latin America.

5.The name of the raft derives from the name of a Polynesian god.

VI. Part two is an account of the night when the six men found a rare gempylus, or snake mackerel, on the boat. Now listen and put the following events in the correct order:

1.Torstein woke up.

2.The others showed the fish to Bengt.

3.Something caused the lamp to fall over.

4.Torstein picked up the fish and put it down quickly.

5.Herman caught the fish.

6.Bengt woke up.

VIDEO

Watch the video Family Has Been Sailing Around The World Non-Stop For 9 Years and fill in the gaps with the appropriate words.

1.We were _______ family, we had three kids in a nice house.

2.We've been through _______ countries.

3.We've had this incredible ______ to make every day feel like a field

trip.

4. This is our ______ home the good ship totem she is a Stevens 47 built in 1982.

33

Travelling and Тransport

5.We've got solar panels and a ______ turbine.

6.Our stove which hangs here it can_______.

7.We live on a povertylevel ______.

8.I wrote a book with two other ______ parents.

9.My fear going into it was that we wouldn't actually ______ .

10.As long as we're physically able to do it and as long as we're able to

______ string it together which is always a question.

DISCUSSION

1.Discuss the following opinion: journeys such as the Kon-Tiki expedition have no scientific or historical value. They merely put the lives of the participants at risk, and also the lives of people who may have to rescue them.

2.Are there any adventures like this left for people in the 21st century? Which of them would you like to take part in?

3.Heyerdahl didn't invite any women to join him on the expedition in 1949. Why do you think this is the case? Would this situation be different today?

HOTELS AND HOLIDAYS

The word place is very common and can describe a building, an area, a town, or country:

Bruges is a lovely place (= town) and we found a really nice place (= hotel) to stay.

The town is full of interesting places (= areas/buildings). These words are often used when we describe places:

Venice is beautiful but it's always packed (= very crowded/full) with tourists in the summer

New York is very cosmopolitan. (= full of people from different countries and cultures)

Vienna has lots of historical monuments. (= places, e.g. castles, built a long time ago)

Many beautiful cities have become very touristy. (= a negative word: 'too much tourism')

Sao Paolo is a really lively place (= full of life and activity) and the nightlife is fantastic.

34

Hotels and Holidays

Note: If you want to ask if it is 'a good idea' to visit a place, you can use worth + -ing:

A:If I go to Scotland, is it worth spending a few days in Glasgow?

B:Yes definitely. And if you want to travel round a bit, it's worth renting

a car.

In the country

People who live in large towns often like to get away (= leave the place where they live) at weekends or in the summer, and enjoy the peace and quiet (= calm and tranquility) of the country (also called the countryside). Some people just like to put their feet up (= relax and do nothing) and occasionally go for a stroll (= a slow casual walk); while others enjoy hiking (= long walks, often hill walking) across hills and valleys. And the countryside is a great place to have a picnic (= eating a prepared meal of cold food outside).

Note: Learners sometimes say 'I love to be in the nature'. This is usually a translation from their first language and it is not correct in English. The nearest we can say is probably 'I love being in the countryside'.

VOCABULARY EXERCISES

I. Which of these places do you usually visit or go to when you are on holiday? castles/palaces/temples art galleries the theatre churches/cathedrals bars concerts discos / night clubs the cinema museums tourist shops

markets restaurants

II. Put one suitable word in each space.

Asking for directions

Have you ever tried asking people for directions? I (1) ………….. to go to London on business recently, and I soon realised that I (2) …………………..

have bought a street map. Whenever I followed the directions of passers-by, I got lost. 'You can't (3) ……………….. it 'they would say. 'Carry straight

(4) …………………….. it's opposite the bank.' After walking for half an hour, I would realise that I (5) ……………….. have gone wrong somewhere.'

(6) …………………….. you tell me where the bank (7) …………………..

please?' I would ask someone. I (8) ………………….. to have known that this was a mistake. 'Which bank do you mean? I think you (9) ……………………..

35

Travelling and Тransport

go back to the station ...' I now see that I (10) ………………….. have taken a taxi. After all, London taxi drivers (11) …………………….. to pass a test on their knowledge of its streets. But of course, whenever I thought of this, I

(12) …………………….. not find a taxi. In the end I found a solution, I went up to the first tourists I saw and asked if I (13) ………………….. look at their tourist map. They turned out to be from Scotland, and they (14) ………………….. me very detailed instructions. The only problem was that I wasn't

(15) ………………….. to understand exactly what they said.

III. Match each country on the left below with the name on the right by which it is also known.

IV. Which countries are sometimes referred to by the following colloquial expressions?

1.The States

2.Down Under

3.The Land of the Rising Sun

4.The Emerald Isle

V. For each country below give i) the adjective and ii) the word describing the person who comes from that country.

36

Hotels and Holidays

VI. Inhabitants of London, Cairo and Washington are called Londoners, Cairenes and Washingtonians. Of which cities are the following people inhabitants?

LISTENING

Listen to the programme about slow travel and choose the best answer for each sentence. There can be more than one correct answers.

VIDEO

Watch the video and answer the following questions.

1.How do we eat when we travel?

2.What benefits does slow travel have?

3.Why does travelling allow us to soak and savour the details of the world around us?

4.How has the virus of hurry affected the way we travel?

5.Why do we need another vacation just after returning back home?

6.What newspapers have written articles about the rise of slow travel?

7.What is slow travel? Give examples of slow travel.

8.What is the deeper meaning of slow travel?

9.Describe the speaker’s travel experience in North Italy, Holland, Brazil.

10.What kind of life experiences is slow travel about?

37

Travelling and Тransport

DISCUSSION

1.Have you ever been backpacking? If so, what has been your experience?

2.Do you have many tourists where you live? If so, what is your opinion

of them?

3.Do tourists ruin the quiet places they go to see? Can you think of any examples from your own experience?

4.Should certain sites be put 'out of bounds' to tourists? What are the arguments for and against this? Which point of view do you hold?

5.What advantages does tourism bring? What disadvantages? Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, or vice-versa?

6.How much can/do tourists learn about the country they are visiting?

7.Discuss what the difference is between a tourist and a traveller. Think particularly about the purpose of the journey in each case and the response of each to the country visited.

8.How much do tourists really learn about the countries they visit? Give

reasons.

9.Can travel broaden the mind? How?

10.Tropical countries are a popular place to go. Is it the same interesting to go to the North? Would you like to spend your holiday on the Pole?

11.If you worked as a travel agent what places would you advise foreigners to visit to learn more about Russia?

12.People usually take a camera when they travel. Some of them take pictures of the places they are visiting, others take pictures of themselves. What do you take pictures of when you travel?

13.If you had to work at a round-the-world route called “It’s a wonderful world” what countries would you choose to travel around?

14.Imagine that you are preparing for a trip. You are planning to be away from your home for a year. In addition to clothing and personal care items you can take one additional thing. What would you take and why?

15.Do you think tourism is lucrative business in this city?

16.What are advantages and disadvantages of traveling by air and by train?

17.Some people do not travel if they can’t afford comfort during their trip like luxurious hotels, first-class tickets and expensive restaurants, others think it’s a waste of money. What is your opinion?

38

Hotels and Holidays

18.Some people go away to lie on a beach in an exotic country, some people prefer going around museums of local lore and find out more about history, and some people go away to see other people, their traditions and their lifestyle. What would impress you most?

19.A friend of yours has won a prize. He can either go on a tour around Europe or to buy a new car. He asks you for advice what to spend the money on. What would you say to him?

20.Do you think a virtual journey is as exciting as a real one?

21.There are a lot of people who would like to visit exotic countries. What are they and why are they called exotic?

22.Russian spaceships have welcomed space tourists on board twice. The space tours cost $20 million each. Do you think in the future space travel will be as usual as air travel today?

23.A visa is permission granted in the embassy of this or that country to a foreigner to enter that country. Why can’t people move around the world without visas?

24.Role-play: The quiet town of Seaville is on the coast of your country. It is an old town that has remained unspoilt. However, there is a big unemployment problem. Recently a holiday company has approached the town council with a view to developing the town as a tourist destination. The following research has been carried out by the council:

60% of the townspeople are against the tourist plans. However, amongst the young, 85% approve of it. They would get most jobs and they have the highest unemployment

Those who are against the plan might vote you out of office!

The holiday company wants to build a massive hotel. Police say that the crime rate would probably rise, and it would have an effect on the environment. Against this, the extra money would allow the town to build a hospital and other public facilities

The holiday company also wants to build nightclubs and pubs. Again, the young are for this, and the old are against!

If the holiday company doesn't get its way, it may not invest in your

town

Student A, take the part of a town council representative. Student B, take the role of a holiday company representative.

39

Travelling and Тransport

Students C and D, take the role of two people who live in the village: one is against the plans, the other supports them.

Each person needs to present his/her case, and Student A has to decide whether to go ahead with the proposal or not. Be prepared to justify your decision to the people of your town (young and old) as well as the holiday company.

SUPPLEMENTARY READING

Internet Hell (by Andrew Nawroski)

Jellified crystalline buttons

Owing gas meter displays

Inhale

Animal mind recesses

On glycogenic, psychedelic addiction.

Batman marries cat-woman

As

Social network God disease

Whilst

Playing mental masterbatory mind games

In

Central park brains.

Dream killing machine

Epitaph timers

For noose and tree

Dance on pages

Taking your free.

Morning poolside arenas

Pedophiles and schizophrenics

Stinking sit

Walk away

Midget pigmy style

40