Passports

When the plane arrives at the Heathrow airport the passengers get out of the plane and go into the building of the airport. After passing along endless corridors they get to the passport control point called Immigration. There are two gates. One is for passengers from EC (European Community) countries. And the other gate is for passengers from all other countries. After queuing up for some time Mr. Lvov and the group come up to the queue marshal who signals what officer is free. And each person goes to the counter indicated.

Here is a typical talk between the English Immigration officer and a Russian businessman:

Russian: Good morning.

Officer: Good morning, sir. May I see your passport and landing card, please?

Russian: Certainly. Here you are.

Officer: Thank you.... What's the reason for your visit to the UK?

Russian: I'm on a business tour to attend a training programme.

Officer: And how long are you staying here?

Russian: A week or so.

Officer: Have you got a return ticket?

Russian: Yes, certainly. Here is my ticket.

Officer: May I see the invitation of the company who will receive you here?

Russian: Just a minute I'll ask our Group Leader to present it .... Here is the invitation.

Officer: Thank you .... Everything is OK. Here is your passport, ticket and the invitation.

Some Russian businessmen have difficulty in speaking with the English Immigration officers and answering then questions. Usually English officers do not like strangers to help them with interpreting. In such cases the officers ask their own interpreters for help. Most probably these interpreters are staff members of Immigration. For some Russian businessmen of the group it was the first experience with Englishmen and the only words they could say were:

I am sorry. I do not speak English.

Others could say a few words, like these:

I have come as a businessman for training. I shall stay in England for eight days. I shall stay at Sherlock Holmes hotel in London.

Практичне заняття № 7

1. READ AND TRANSLATE THE TEXTS.

2. RETELL THE FIRST TEXT.

Hotel

It's a well known fact that hotels nowadays play a big role. Every year more and more new hotels are opened.

Sometimes it is even difficult to decide which to choose while traveling. There are luxury hotels, which seem to be expensive, b & b hotels, where you will get only breakfasts and a place to sleep, youth hostels, where you meant to serve everything yourself and many other places to stay in. Some people enjoy staying in a hotel. Sure, on the one hand there are a lot of advantages in it. To begin with, it's convenient. You have a chance to make a telephone call and reserve any room you want in a good time, to be confident by your arrival. Besides, you don't need to serve yourself, everything will be done by the hotel staff, I find it wonderful. More than that, I do like that in the hotel you can be offered some interesting excursions and you can be sure that they are safe because the hotel is responsible for every offer.

But on the other hand there are still some disadvantages in staying in a hotel. First of all, the service can be poor and slowly, for this reason you can be late for a business meeting or a friends' party, I find it extremely disappointing. Second, the food can be too salty, overcooked and etc...spoiled. It can be a serious problem for people with weak stomach. Third, the view from the window can be not so romantic as the advertisement said but more modest, it can also disappoint some people, who care about the beaty around them.

Personally I'm for staying in a hotel inspite of all disadvantages. It`s only a freak of chance, everything can happen. So before booking a hotel, you'd better learn some facts about it in the net or from your friends for sure. Last summer I stayed in a hotel in Turkey, everything was up to date, wonderful service, tasty food and friendly staff. In general I am only for staying in a hotel, this will save your money, time and will be convenient.