TRAVELLING (4)

         People on our planet can’t live without travelling now. Tourism has become a highly developed business. There are express trains, cars and jet-air liners all of that provide you with comfort and security. What choice to make? It’s up to you to decide. There is a great variety of choice available for you. Those who live in the country like going to a big city, visi­ting museums and art galleries, looking at shop windows and dining at exotic restaurants. City-dwellers usually like ac­quired holiday by the sea or in the mountains. Most travelers carry a camera with them and take pictures of everything that interests them — the sights of a city, old churches, castles, mountains, lakes, waterfalls, forests, trees, flowers and plants, animals and birds. Later, perhaps years later, they will be reminded by the photos of the happy times they have had.

         If you travel for pleasure you would like all means to en­joy picturesque areas you are passing through, you would like to see the places of interest in the cities, towns and countries. Travelling gives us a good opportunity to see wonderful mo­numents, cultural and historical places, to learn a lot about the history of the country you visit, about the world around us, to meet people of different nationalities, to learn a lot about their traditions, customs, culture. In other words, you will broaden your mind.

       Nowadays people travel not only for pleasure but also on business. You have to go to other countries to take part in dif­ferent negotiations, to sign contacts, to participate in diffe­rent exhibitions, in order to push the goods produced by your firm or company. Travelling on business helps you to get more information about achievements of other companies, which will make your own business more successful.

        There are a lot of means of travelling: by sea, by plane, by car, on foot. Tastes differ. That is why it is up to you to decide which means of travelling you would prefer. All means of travel­ling have their advantages and disadvantages. And people choose one according to their plans.

        No wonder that one of the latest means of travelling is tra­velling by plane. It combines both comfort and speed and you will reach the place of destination very quickly. Before boar­ding the plane you must check in at the airport. You are re­quired to have your baggage weighed. Each passenger is al­lowed 20 kilograms of baggage free of charge. But if your baggage is heavier you must pay an extra charge. Before the plane takes off the stewardess gives you all the information about the flight, the speed and altitude. She asks you to fasten the belts and not to smoke. She will take care of you during the flight and will help you to get comfortable in your seat. Inside the cabins the air is always fresh and warm. During the flight you can take a nap or have a chat, you can read and re­lax. In some planes you can watch video or listen to the music. When the plane is landing or taking off you have an opportu­nity to enjoy the wonderful scenery and landscapes. While travelling by plane you fly past various villages and cities at the sight of which realize how majestic and tremendous our planet is. No doubt, travelling by air is the most convenient and comfortable means of travelling. But if you are airsick the flight may seem not so nice to you. Unfortunately sometimes the flights are delayed because of unfavourable weather con­ditions, and one more inconvenience is jet-lag.

QUESTIONS:

1. Where do people from countryside like going on vaca­tion?

2. Where do city-dwellers usually spend their holidays?

3. Why do most travelers carry a camera with them?

4. What does travelling give us?

5. How does travelling on business help you?

6. What means of travelling do you know?

7. What does travelling by plane combine?

8. What disadvantages of travelling by air do you know?

VOCABULARY:

jet-air liner — реактивный самолет

security — безопасность

variety — разнообразие

city-dweller — городской житель

to take pictures — фотографировать

castle — крепость, замок

waterfall — водопад

to remind — напоминать

picturesque — живописный

to broaden one’s mind — расширить кругозор

to take part in negotiations — принимать участие в пере­говорах         

exhibition — выставка

in order to — для того чтобы

to push the goods — рекламировать товары

achievement — достижение

successful — успешный

advantages and disadvantages — преимущества и недо­статки

according to — согласно

destination — конечный пункт назначения

boarding — посадка

to check in — пройти регистрацию

to require — требовать

to weigh — весить, взвешивать

free of charge — бесплатно

to take (past took, p.p. taken) off — взлететь

altitude — высота

to fasten belts — пристегнуть ремни

to take (past took, p.p. taken) a nap — вздремнуть

chat — болтовня

landscape — пейзаж

to land — приземлиться

to be airsick — страдать воздушной болезнью

to delay— задерживать

unfavourable — неблагоприятный

inconvenience — неудобство

lag — опоздание