Travelling by train.

Modern life is impossible without travelling. Thousands of people travel every day either on business or for pleasure. There are various means of travelling, for instance by rail, by sea, by air.

Many people make their choice on travelling by train as with a train you have speed, comfort and pleasure combined.

There are different types of the trains: day coaches, express trains, fast trains, mail trains, passenger trains, long distance trains, local trains and so on. Local trains serve all stations.

Different types of trains may include different kinds of service in the bill, but sometimes you will have to pay for them when you already departure. When you are going to buy a ticket you must have your passport. Railway tickets are available at the railway stations, tourist agencies and the Central Railway Agency both on the day of departure and in advance. You can buy single and return tickets.

Modern trains have comfortable seats in all passenger cars and there are sleeping carriages and dining carriages. You can buy first-class, second-class and third class sleepers in a separate compartment.

Most people prefer travelling by train as it is cheaper and more convenient, you can read books, newspapers, look though the window, drink tea, communicate with your neighbors or sleep. But travelling by train is slower than by plane.

Many years have passed since that time and new kind of transportation have appeared, but the railroad today is still popular and carries a lot of passengers and goods.

I like to travel

I like to travel. First of all, the members of our family usually have long walks in the country. Such walks are called hikes. If we want to see the country­side, we have to spend a part of our summer holidays on hikes. It is useful for all members of our family. We take our rucksacks, we don't think about tickets, we don't hurry and we walk a lot. During such hikes we see a lot of interesting places, sometimes we meet interesting people.

I like to travel by car. It is interesting too, because you can see many things in a short time. When we go by car, we don't take tickets, we put all things we need in a car and don't have to carry them.

It is comfortable to travel by train and by plane. When I travel by plane, I don't spend a lot of time going from one place to another. But it is difficult to buy tickets for the plane. That's why we take our tickets beforehand. If I travel by train or by plane, my friends see me off at the railway station or in the airport. Sometimes we go to the seaside for a few days.

I think that travelling is a very useful thing for us and I enjoy all kinds of travelling very much.

Vocabulary

hike – поход, путешествие пешком

rucksack - рюкзак

on foot – пешком

Travelling

I

The scientific and technological progress of the past century has allowed people to overcome time and distance, to cover in the twinkle of an eye vast expanse of our planet. The whole world is open now. The limits and frontiers of the previous period have stopped to exist.

We can choose any place on the planet and go there on business or for holiday. We can go to the place of our destination by sea, and by air or by train.

If you want to get somewhere as quickly as possible the best way is to travel by air. It is better to book tickets in advance. On the appointed day you go to the airport . Soon you'll board the big air-liner and it will carry you to new lands. Presently we take off and in a few minutes the voice informs us about the altitude we are flying. Sometimes it is possible to see the land and it is like a geographical map. I like travelling by air. But there are other ways of travelling too. If you are an adventurer you can travel by hitch-hiking, bicycles, or on horseback. Today travelling is very popular among the people, it is one of the favourite human activities.

II

Coach tours are not expensive and I like them very much. They are planned as holidays and there is a chance to do a lot of sightseeing and have a good rest at the same time. Last year I went by coach through a few countries and enjoyed the tour very much.

During the ten-day holiday we visited Hungary, Austria and Italy. Sightseeing was combined with rest. For a few days we stayed at some lovely small hotels. There was no trouble with the luggage because it was taken care of at every night stop. Moreover hotels were carefully selected and booked in advance.