Paul’s ideal place for a holiday

Last year, we booked a holiday on the island of Tioman, in Malaysia. Tioman is quite a small island (it’s only 6 miles wide), just off the east coast of Malaysia. It has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and it is a great place for relaxing and getting away from it all.

Tioman is also a paradise for divers. The water is clear to a depth of over 30 metres and it is filled with all kinds of beautiful fish, coral, and other marine life. The colours are amazing. Apart from swimming and lazing around on the beach, there are lots of other things to see and do. We went hiking in the mountains, and we saw monkeys, flying foxes, and even a big snake.

Our accommodation wasn’t very expensive, and you can stay in a hotel for as little as $30 a night. For me the best thing on the holiday was sitting outside our beach hut in the evening, looking up at the stars. It really was an unforgettable experience.

1) Where did Paul book a holiday?

2) Why is a small island a good place for a holiday?

3) Why is Tioman a paradise for divers?

4) What can one do there apart from swimming and lazing around on the beach?

5) What kind of accommodation did Paul have?

6) What was the best thing for him on the holiday?

 

Elein’s holidays

I’ve had all sorts of holidays in the last few years. My favourite was last year when we went camping in Yosemite Nation Park in California. The campsite was near a river, and we did a lot of hiking to see the beautiful waterfalls.

Two years ago, I went to New York with my parents. We stayed in a really good hotel, and enjoyed all the restaurants and nightlife. We did a lot of sightseeing – we went to the Empire State Building, Ellis Island, and visited some interesting museums. The best part was seeing a Broadway musical!

This summer, I’m having a working holiday in a mountain resort. The resort is right next to a lake. I’ll be working in one of the restaurants in the evenings, and in my time off I’ll be able to go hiking and try some watersports.

After I finish college, I would like to go back-packing around South-East Asia, and probably Australia and New Zealand as well. My brother did that four years ago and had a really good time.

1) Where did Elein go camping?

2) Where did she spend her holidays two years ago?

3) What did she enjoy in New York?

4) What kind of holiday is she having this summer?

5) Where would she like to go after she finishes studies?

Задание 2. Расскажите, как вы любите проводить свои каникулы. Ответьте на следующие вопросы.

1) How do you usually arrange a holiday? 2) What can you do on a holiday? 3) What countries have you been to? 4) What was the best/worst holiday in your life? 5) What is an ideal place for a holiday for you?

 

 

ТЕМА 9. Travel

 

Задание 1. Прочитайте тесты и скажите, какой вид транспорта вы считаете наиболее удобным и почему.

 

Different ways of travelling from one place to another

The bus passenger

I always take the bus to work. There’s a stop right outside my house, and the buses are very frequent in the rush hour. Usually there’s one every 5 minutes. Most days I can get a seat and read a book or newspaper. Sometimes I see someone I know on the bus, and we have a chat. One thing I don’t like is all the litter. Some people just leave their food all over the floor or on the seats. Another thing is people listening to personal stereos. The noise they make can be really annoying when they have it on very loud.

 

The cyclist

I use my bike because it’s the quickest way to get from A to B in the rush hour. All the cars are stuck in traffic jams, and you can go straight past them. My journey to work usually takes about 20 minutes door-to door. It’s a good way of getting your daily exercise. The thing I don’t like about cycling is all the pollution. I don’t like breathing in exhaust fumes from cars and buses. It can also be rather dangerous, and you need to watch out for people opening car doors or coming out of junctions without looking.

The car driver

I normally go to work by car. I’d say my average journey time is about 50 minutes. When I’m in my car it’s very comfortable, like being in my own living room. I can turn on the stereo system and listen to my favourite CDs or listen to the car radio. There are some things though I don’t like about driving. The traffic keeps getting worse, and other drivers sometimes behave very badly. I know I should use my car less because it is bad for the environment, but it is much more convenient than public transport.

 

The train passenger

I generally take the train to work. It’s quick and convenient, and I can be in my office in about 35 minutes. In winter the service can be rather erratic, and I sometimes find myself waiting on the platform at the station in freezing cold weather, wishing I was in a nice warm car. The other thing I don’t like is people in my carriage with mobile phones, who talk loudly and say thing like “I’m on the train”. The good thing about taking the train is that someone else does all the driving, and I can just relax and read my newspaper.

 

Travelling by plane

Last week we flew to London. We took the bus to JFK airport. When we arrived at the terminal we went to the check-in desk for our flight. We showed our passports at passport control, and then went through security. We had to wait for a while in the departure lounge. When our flight was called, we went through the departure gate, and got on our plane. After the plane had landed at Heathrow, we went to the baggage reclaim to collect our bags, then went through immigration and customs, and out into the arrivals area.

 

 

ТЕМА 10. MASS MEDIA

 

Задание 1. Прочитайте текст и ответьте на вопросы.

Newspapers

Mass media plays an important role in the modern society. We live in the era of information and can’t imagine our life without newspapers, radio, television and the Internet.

Newspapers appeared the first of the listed and are still very popular. A lot of people read newspapers when they are travelling to and from work. It’s good to have something to read on the train or the bus, and newspapers are easy to carry around with you. Newspapers don’t just tell you the news, they also contain a lot of other interesting information, such as film and music reviews, and gossip about famous people.

At the weekend, the papers have lots of different sections, for example about new ways of decorating your home, ideas for holidays, or new recipes. Many people like to read the papers while they are having breakfast on Sunday morning, because it is a relaxing thing to do.

For many people, especially young people, their main source of news is now the Internet. They can read about the latest news online as soon as it happens. They can also visit their favourite websites to look for other stories that might interest them. If they want they can also get the news from the television or the radio.

Nobody knows what will happen to newspapers in the future, but for the moment they are very much still part of our lives.

1) Do you like to read newspapers?

2) If so, what information is the most interesting for you? What sections do you read (the main news, business, travel, arts etc.)?

3) What is your favourite newspaper and why?

4) Do you prefer to read newspapers at home or when you are travelling to and from work?

Задание 2. Прочитайте мини-тексты и составьте небольшой рассказ о том, какие газеты вы читаете.

1. I usually get The Daily Mirror on my way to work. As it’s a tabloid, it’s easy to read on the train, and the articles are nice and short. I like reading all the latest gossip about my favourite TV stars.

After glancing at the headlines on the front page, the first thing I usually read is my horoscope. I know it’s not really true, but it’s still fun to read. I also look at the TV guide, to see if there’s anything good on television that evening. If I have time, I try to do the crossword.

2. I usually read The Wall Street Journal. I need to keep up with what’s happening in the business world for my job. The first page I usually turn to is the share prices, to find out the latest news about the stock market.

I don’t just read the business pages. Often I look at the arts section to see if there are any reviews of plays or concerts, and there’s always something interesting on the letters page. Today, there were lots of letters about the effects of cell phones on people’s health.

Задание 3. Прочитайте текст и ответьте на вопросы.

Radio

Some people still prefer to listen to the radio. To switch on the radio is the first thing to do in the morning. Nowadays, there are dozens of radio stations in Russia and you can always choose a station to your liking. Most of the stations broadcast music of different styles. You can also listen to weather forecasts, sports news, radio theatre, talk shows, advice of lawyers and doctors, news, daily horoscope, political and economic programmes and so on. You can even take part in an intellectual quiz and win a prize. I like such channels as Radio Maximum, Radio Hit, Europa+, Relax FM and so on.

1) Do you listen to the radio?

2) If so, what programmes do you usually listen to?

3) What is your favourite radio station?

Задание 4. Прочитайте текст и ответьте на вопросы.

Television

Television clearly plays an important part in most people’s lives, but is this a good or a bad thing?

On the positive side, people use television as a way of entertaining themselves, especially in the evenings after work. After watching a soap opera or reality TV show, people often like to talk about it with their friends the next day. Television also provides an opportunity to keep up to date with the news, and people can increase their knowledge by watching documentaries and programmes on practical subjects such as cooking.

Unfortunately, television also has many negative effects. It is not healthy for people to spend several hours on the sofa watching the screen. Sometimes people seem more interested in watching the TV than talking to their family. A lot of the programmes which are broadcast are of very poor quality.

Although television can entertain and educate us, we must not let it take over our lives.

1) What role does television play in your life?

2) What are your favourite TV programmes?

3) Is television a good thing or a bad thing?

 

Задание 5. Прочитайте текст и расскажите, что можно посмотреть по телевизору сегодня вечером.

There are lots of good programmes on the television this evening. At 7.30, there’s ‘Coronation Street’ on ITV, followed by ‘Eastenders’ on BBC1 at 8 o’clock. These two programmes are the most popular soap operas on British television. Later on at 8.30 there’s ‘Ground Force’ on BBC1. ‘Ground Force’ is a garden makeover show, in which a team of gardeners secretly create a new garden for someone while they are away from home. After that, at 9 o’clock, ‘Big Brother’ is on. ‘Big Brother’ is a reality TV show, in which a group of people are filmed living together 24 hours a day. Lastly ‘Newsnight’ is on at 10.30 on BBC2. ‘Newsnight’ is a news programme that deals with the main items of the day’s news and has interviews with leading politicians.

 

Задание 6. Прочитайте текст. Ответьте на вопросы и скажите, какие телепередачи, по вашему мнению, являются наиболее интересными на отечественном телевидении и почему.

Most people agree that the media has one key characteristic: it keeps growing and growing. These days, few people can remember life before television. And most of us have been influenced by the constant flow of words and images from screens or newspapers. Some of it is ‘complete rubbish’ and some of it is wonderful. Here are some of the ‘firsts’ and ‘bests’ of the media world.

The No.1 reality show: Big Brother. Like it or not, Big Brother is the most popular show of its kind. It was first shown in Holland in 1999 and it has been broadcast in over twenty countries.

The No.1 film industry: the Indian film industry (nicknamed Bollywood). More films are made in India than in any other country.

The No.1 search engine: Google. Lots of information can be found by searching Google. In fact, it is used for over 250 million searches in 182 languages every day. It was named after Googol, which is the number represented by one+one hundred zeros.

The No.1 film: Citizen Kane. In lists of great films it usually comes first. It was made by Orson Welles in 1941 and tells the story of a media tycoon.

The No.1 quiz show of recent years: Who wants to be a millionaire? It started in the UK in 1998 but has been broadcast all over the world.

The No.1 TV addicts: The US has 805 televisions per 1,000 people, the world’s highest number, and in the US they watch TV the most. By the age of sixty-five the average US citizen has spent nine years in front of the TV.

The No.1 selling newspaper: Yomiuri Shimbun. It sells ten million copies a day in Japan.

1) What is the world's most popular reality TV show? 2) Which country makes the most films? 3) Which search engine is the most popular? 4) Which film is often voted the greatest ever? 5) Which quiz show is the most popular? 6) Which country watches most TV? 7) Which newspaper sells the most copies?

Задание 7. Прочитайте текст и ответьте на вопросы.

Computers

The advantages of computers

It is difficult to imagine a world without computers. We use them in almost every area of our lives: at work, at school, and in our homes.

Computers have brought many advantages. They make it possible to access huge amounts of information very quickly and do complicated tasks in a short time. Instead of waiting inside a bank to get money from our bank accounts, we can use machines in the street 24 hours a day. People can communicate with each other instantly by email, and you can buy almost anything on the Internet without having to leave your home. Many people now work from home using a computer, and use the computer in their leisure time for playing computer games or just surfing the net. They think that life would be dull without computers.

1) What are the advantages of computers?

2) What role does the computer play in your life?

3) What do you usually do on your computer?

4) How often do you use it?

 

Задание 8. Прочитайте текст и расскажите о проблемах, которые у вас иногда возникают во время работы на компьютере.

This morning I went to the school library, switched on the computer, entered my password, and waited for the machine to start up! I clicked on an icon and opened the file that I wanted to work on. I spent two hours writing an essay. Just as I was about to save my data, the hard disc made a horrible noise, the screen froze, the machine crashed, and I lost all my work. The essay I had been writing was called “The benefits of modern technology”!

 

 

ТЕМА 11. ENVIRONMENT

Задание 1. Прочитайте тексты и ответьте на вопросы.