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2. Compare the shipwrecks of the Prinzessin Victoria Luise (Section I, Reading) and the Costa Concordia. Consider the points below.

1.Cruises are one of the safest forms of a travel. After the grounding of the Costa Concordia cruise ship, vacationers may be rethinking the risks and asking themselves if cruise vacations are that safe. Search the Internet and find out how the numbers of cruises have changed since the shipwreck.

2.The tragedy of the Costa Concordia cruise ship is often compared to that of the Titanic. Read the text and put the words on the right into the gaps.

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Read and translate the poem ‘The Sea’. What mood does the poem create: sad, romantic, anxious, happy, passionate, angry or other? Now, read the poem aloud as expressively as possible.

The sea, the sea, the glorious emerald sea stretches as far as my sight carries me.

What tranquility, what treasures, what beauties dwell in her fathomless depth, only God can tell. Sometimes, I find her as gentle as a mother to her child.

Yet, when furious, she is as cruel as the beasts in the wild. As I sit by the sea, watching the evening sun descend low, the silver ripples shiver and the golden waters glow.

Oh sea, oh sea, oh glorious boundless sea,

thou glitter like silver, as the moon shines upon thee. We are born to fade away, and some day we would never

return to cherish the glories of God, which would be there forever.

KEY WORDS TO REMEMBER

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7. Travelling by Road

In pairs, comment on the quotation. Make use of the word combinations below and clichés on page 108.

1.In pairs, discuss the following questions.

1)When and where did you last travel by train?

2)Who did you travel with?

3)What did you like most/least about the trip?

2.Read the reasons for train travel. What are other advantages worth mentioning?

1)Rail travel is green and ecological because trains are more energy-efficient per passenger mile than planes or cars.

2)Rail travel is easy and inexpensive if compared with planes.

3)When travelling by train, you gain experience of life and feel real freedom.

4)On trains, you feel the real distances between places.

5)You meet other travellers from all over the world.

6)When you travel by train, you see neighbouring countries and learn more about cultures.

Read the text and explain how riding the rails allows travellers to forget air-travel headaches.

There is no more relaxing method of travel than train travel. You can read a fascinating book, have a sound sleep on an upper bunk, talk to your compartment companions, move freely between carriages, or have a drink in a buffet car. Train conductors, also called as guards or train crew, ensure that rail passengers are relaxed and secure all through their journey.

Trains will pick you up and drop you off in the middle of major cities, and they travel through some of the best countryside on the planet. Slide up to the glass and look through your

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moving lens to the world. The scenery from trains is absolutely spectacular and sometimes you travel through terrain which is not accessible by car or on foot.

Many trains travel at 300 km/h allowing you to move between cities quickly and efficiently avoiding traffic congestion on motor ways. What does this mean? Well, it allows more time to be spent at your destination. Travelling by train simply buys you more time!

Unlike travelling by plane, where passengers complain of a jet lag, travelling by train never lets their passengers experience the same feelings. There are no lengthy airport check-ins, flight delays and cancellations. A great feature of travelling by train is arriving only 15 minutes prior to departure. Already there is a substantial saving of time opposed to flying where check-in is required two hours prior to departure. In addition, once you are at your destination, there is no need to be delayed waiting for luggage and arduous immigration procedures, you simply get out and generally stroll or take a taxi to your accommodation. Most railway stations are in the city centres, which avoids expensive taxi fares getting from airports to accommodation. This once again saves time and allows more time exploring.

COMPREHENSION CHECK

1. Match the words on the left with their synonyms on the right.

2. Find the English equivalents in the text for the following:

иметь здоровый сон; верхняя полка в купе; читать захватывающую книгу; попутчик по купе; захватывающие пейзажи; избегать дорожных пробок; экономить время; испытывать нарушение суточного ритма организма; изнурительные процедуры; плата за проезд в такси.

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current high-speed record is held by a … passenger train that travelled … magnetic levitation during a test run on a still unopened line between Beijing and Shanghai.

2.The Eurostar International Passenger train is the fastest passenger train in the UK which runs between London, Paris and Brussels. Eurostar also goes to many exciting destinations on the continent. View the interactive map on the Eurostar Official Web site http://www.eurostar.com and plan your imaginary journey. Tell the group about the journey.

3.Search the Internet for the information on the fastest train in Russia 2012 called ‘Sapsan’ and make a report.

SECTION 2

1.In pairs, discuss the following questions.

1)Why do some people prefer to stay in the comfort of their own home?

2)They say that once the travel bug bites, you will be happily infected until the end of your life. Have you got the travel bug or itchy feet? When did you first realize that?

Read the text and answer the questions.

1)Why is adventure an essential part of our life?

2)What is the most pleasant thing for the traveller besides the joy of travel?

Adventure is necessary to us all. It keeps us from growing stale and old, it stimulates our imagination, it gives us that movement and change which are necessary to our well-being.

One of the objects of travel is to go in search of beauty. The beauty spots of the world are magnets, which draw pilgrims year after year.

The most valuable to the travellers is the knowledge which they get oftheir fellow-people. It is typical ofthe stay-at-home to call someone else ‘queer’ because their ways are a little different;the much travelled men are much more likely to be able to understand another point of view.

Those who wish to travel either for pleasure or for business have various means of transport at their disposal. There is, for instance, the humble, inexpensive bicycle. Then, there is the motorcycle, with which you can travel quickly and cheaply; with a motor-car one travels comfortably for long distances without getting too tired. Luxurious ships cross the seas and oceans from one continent to another. Airplanes carry passengers to various parts of the world faster than any other means of transport. But most of travellers still prefer to use trains.

If you want to see the countryside, you must spend part of your holidays on hikes. However, you must not walk very quickly if you want to enjoy your hiking trip. Hiking is nice because you need not think about tickets, timetables and other things. What you need is a rucksack with all the things you will use on a hike.

Then, there is for the travellers the great joy to come home again. However humble their home may be, it contains all the things with which they are most familiar. They love them and being parted for a little while from them increases their desire for them. Therefore, the travellers, besides the delight oftravel, havethe additional satisfactionof a fuller appreciationoftheir home.

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COMPREHENSION CHECK

1. Find the equivalents in the text for the following words and word combinations.

2. Look at the pictures and say what parts of the text they match with. Describe the pictures.

3.Complete the following sentences according to the text.

1)Adventure stimulates … .

2)One of the objects of travel is … .

3)The stay-at-home call someone else ‘queer’ because … .

4)The most valuable to the travellers is … .

5)Hiking is nice because … .

1. When we prepare for a journey, we struggle to pack lightly. We worry that we won't have what we need when we arrive at our destination. Describe the pictures using the word combinations below.

2. Read paragraphs 1-8 below and name the things people would never travel without. Think and say what thing(s) you would never set on a journey without. Give your reasons.

1)“I would never travel without lots of clothes. It would be most horrible to wear the same clothes every single day. You are going to be very unattractive and start feeling very unpleasant.”

2)“I don’t even need to think to bring my curiosity. If I didn’t bring my curious attitude, I won’t really be learning or experiencing much which could lead to a boring trip. My curiosity makes me want to try new things so that my trip will be worthwhile.”

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3)“Wherever I travel, I can’t go without a notebook and a pen. You never know when you’ll see something that you want to write down or to look more into.”

4)“I never travel without an open mind. I think it would be such a waste of money to go somewhere and not learn anything from the experience. I believe, if you travel with an open mind, you will become a lot wiser and more knowledgeable.”

5)“The one thing I never travel without is my iPod. Whenever I’m stressed or just bored out on the road, I just shove my headphones in and forget about everything. I also like to keep myself updated on recent news and email.”

6)“Have you ever been lost or hurt and you didn’t know where to go for help? Whenever I travel, I always take my map. First, if you get lost, it is easy to find your way back or find help. Second, if you have a map, you can explore places you don’t know well.”

7)“Smile! I never travel without one! First, my whole day would be depressing if I didn’t smile because smiles make a person feel happy and less depressed. Next, I would find it very hard to enjoy all the amazing sights I could see.”

8)“Knowledge of the place I’m going to would probably be very necessary, yet people seem to think you can just learn it all there from experience. I think, if you want to have a good holiday, you should learn even just a tiny bit about the place.”

SECTION 3

In pairs, discuss the following questions.

1)How is bus travel different from other modes of travelling?

2)Have you ever travelled in Europe by coach? Share your experience.

Read the text and say why travelling with a bus pass in Europe is convenient.

Buses offer great opportunities to reach remote places, watch the world go by and sit shoulder-to-shoulder with the locals. For those areas that are not accessible by train or aeroplane, taking a bus or coach (as they are also called in Europe) can be a great option.

The two major long distance coach companies that operate throughout the continent are Eurolines and Busabout. Eurolines links cities across Europe, while Busabout caters to budgetminded travellers, dropping passengers off at hostels along the route.

Although every country has its own bus companies, service in some areas is better than in others. Specifically, areas that do not have extensive train coverage tend to have more reliable bus services. For example, Iceland and Northern regions of the Scandinavian countries lack extensive train networks, so travelling by bus is a better option.

Buses within cities tend to fall into two categories: public buses, on which you can ride alongside local inhabitants, giving you a bit more insight into their way of life; and hop-on, hopoff sightseeing buses for which you may purchase a time-limited pass. Bus passes are available for purchase in a variety of locations throughout most cities and countries. Buying passes allows you to travel all over Europe independently, securely and at your own pace. You will be riding aboard a comfy coach with an onboard guide. You can choose where you jump on and off. You

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can also change your travel plans on a whim in order to linger a little longer if you’ve found a great spot.

COMPREHENSION CHECK

1.According to the text, are the following statements true or false? If they are false, say why.

1)Buses help travellers to see the most distant places that are not reachable by train or plain.

2)Eurolines and Busabout provide their services all over the world.

3)Those who are on a shoestring budget travel with Busabout.

4)Countries that do not have vast rail networks offer better bus services.

5)Travellers can get bus passes in a number of places throughout Europe.

6)You are never safe and free if you travel by a hop-on, hop-off sightseeing bus.

2.Which words make up word combinations according to the text? Give their Russian equivalents.

3. Fill in the words from the box in the given sentences.

coach onboard guide train network hop-on lacks hop-off spot lingered

1)Tourists can view the sights of Washington aboard a new open-top double-decker bus. This tour operates as a(n) …, … tour that encompasses more than 50 stops throughout the capital.

2)We will travel between cities in a spacious, air-conditioned … .

3)After the play had finished, the fans … for a while in the bar hoping to catch sight of the actors.

4)Our …will tell you about the Stockholm archipelago in a very inspiring way.

5)Cameroon offers many natural and culturalattractions, but … modern tourism facilities.

6)The cottage on the lakefront was their favorite vacation … .

7)About 70 percent of Japan’s … is owned and operated by the Japan Railways, while the remaining 30 percent belongs to dozens of other private railway companies.

1. There are thousands of different buss pass itinerary options, one-ways and loops. If you have lots of time and want to do it all, you pace the itinerary and, if you are short of time and want to see the main sights, you race it. Match maps 1–4 with itineraries a-d described in the table below. The six trips cover some truly stunning parts of Europe.

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2. Choose the itinerary, search the Internet for the necessary information and make a presentation of the trip.

SECTION 4

1.In pairs, discuss the following questions.

1)Weather permitting, how often do you bicycle outdoors?

2)What is your longest ever bicycle trip?

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2. Look at the picture and speak about the advantages of bicycling.

Read the text and say if Vélib’ and similar projects are a good idea.

Every day, Julian gets up, gets dressed and goes to work in Paris, France. He usually goes by car. This week is different. Julian is not taking his car, he is going by bike.

Julian is one of Paris’s 195,000 users of Vélib’, a bicycle hire network, which started in 2007. With Vélib’, people can go to a special bicycle station and take a bicycle. There are thousands of Vélib’

stations around the city.

It is not only in France. Across Europe, projects like Vélib’ are becoming more popular. People are travelling more by bicycle and less by car. There are urban bicycle networks in cities in Spain, England, Austria, Germany, Holland, Denmark and Finland. Other countries across Europe are thinking of similar projects.

There is no better way to travel and explore than from the seat of a bicycle. With two wheels under your feet, the world goes by at a perfect pace; fast enough to get somewhere and slow enough to admire the details along the way.

On your bicycle, you are free. You can ride anywhere you like and stop anywhere that takes your fancy. You can nap when you are tired, knowing that you do not have to rely on a bus to reach your next destination.

Back on your bicycle, you will pedal along to a constantly changing series of sensations. One moment you might be daydreaming and watching the birds. The next, you will be thrust into full concentration as you spin your legs furiously to tackle a big hill. Later in the day, you might pitch your tent in a campground for the night, take a room in a hotel, be invited to spend the evening with a local family or head back home again. Flexibility is the most wonderful thing about bike touring: it can be anything you want it to be.

Go for a day trip or on a world adventure. Take your whole family and the pets or strike out solo. Pack a little or a lot in your bags. Splash out on a posh B&B or camp in the woods. Have a

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