Notes

Lesson 1. Class Work. Travelling.

People of our planet cannot live without travelling. Lots of people spend their holiday travelling, other travel on business or just for a change of scene. They visit other continents and countries, modern cities and the ruins of ancient towns. They are interested in discovering new things, meeting people, trying to different food, listening to various musical rhythms.
There are various methods of travelling. People travel by fast, slow or express trains, which don’t stop at every station. At the railway stations there are waiting-rooms and restaurants, a porter helps passengers to carry their luggage along the platform. A polite rail train guard in a uniform welcomes passengers, asks to see the tickets and shows them in. With a train you have speed and comfort combined. You can forget about traffic jams and crowded roads, and sit back and admire the scenery.
Many passengers prefer travelling by sea for pleasure. It is very pleasant to feel the deck of the ship under the feet, to see the rise and fall of the waves, to feel the fresh sea wind blowing in the face and hear the cry of seagulls. Travelling by sea is very comfortable. Voyages are made by different kinds of ships, such as liners when travelling along the seacoast or river-boats and motor-ships when travelling along the rivers.
A sea-voyage or sea-trip is very pleasant. If the weather is fine the passengers enjoy the fresh air and beauty of the sea or laze in the sun in the comfortable deck-chairs or have a swim in the pool. But there is one unpleasant thing: if the sea is rough some passengers get sea-sick. Those who are not afraid of the rough sea can walk up and down the deck.
Lots of people travel on business and they prefer travelling by air. Travelling by air has great advantages – speed and pleasure. It’s far quicker than any other means. Before you get on board the plane you have your luggage registered. It is weighed and labelled. You don’t take your luggage with you, only a small bag or a purse. Before the flight you can watch the planes taking off and landing. Then you hear your flight announced and the passengers are invited to get into the plane and take their seats. When the plane takes off, a stewardess gives the passengers information about the flight: the speed, the altitude at which the plane flies. And you reach your destination in a few hours and realize all the advantages of travelling by air.
In case you travel by air, by train or by ship you ought to book tickets in advance at the booking office. It may be a week or ten days before the departure.
Many people like to travel by car. The advantage of this way of spending a holiday is that you can make your own time-table. You don’t have to buy a ticket or carry your suitcases and you don’t have to fear to miss your train or plane. You can stop when and where you like. You can see a lot in a short time.
A very popular method of travelling now is hiking. It is travelling on foot. People go to the mountains or to some picturesque places and stay there for several days. They enjoy camping in tents, cooking food on a campfire. Of course, the weather must be good for that.
Hitch-hiking is a very popular method of travelling among young people. But it is not so popular in Russia because it’s not so safe as abroad.
All means of travel have their advantages and disadvantages. And people choose one according to their likes and dislikes, plans and destinations.