MATERIALI VERSIONE TEACHER’S INELLA CARTELLA “FCE RESULT” – UNIT 6

Ex 1 A well-known British tour operator decided to find out what teenagers really want on holiday. Six teenagers were invited to make their recommendations in exchange for a free family holiday. Read the 'wish list' they produced. Do you agree/disagree? What would you change? The wish list freedom to choose whether to participate or not in activities  discounts to bring friends  shopping trips, non-alcoholic discos in real nightclubs  water skiing, bungee jumping  Blind Date and karaoke competitions

Reading: multiple matching Ex 2 What type of holiday do you think each text describes? Choose from this list. beach holiday || walking and trekking holiday || cultural holiday activity holiday || educational holiday || sightseeing holiday

Ex 3 You are going to read a magazine article about six different holidays. Answer the questions by choosing from the holidays A-F. The sections may be chosen more than once. When more than one answer is required, these may be given in any order. There is an example at the beginning (0).

On which of the holidays will you 0 B have to get up early in the morning? be able to choose how much to spend on meals? 1 find a fairly constant climate? 2 find a good environment for creative work? 3 get the chance to understand another culture better? 4 5 have contact with wildlife? 6 7 have a chance to take part in scientific research? 8 have a number of planned activities to choose from? 9 10 be offered rapid training in an activity? 11 find it easy to get to know other holidaymakers? 12 13 learn a skill that will be useful back home? 14

A: DIVE INTO THE RED SEA This holiday is perfect if you and your friends are after a seriously undemanding break with sun, pools and the option of a little sporty diversion if you want it. This is a relaxing beach resort which enjoys year-round good weather, some of the best diving in the world and just enough nightlife to keep you amused. If you take the optional course, it only takes four days to pick up the basics of scuba diving. It's not for everybody though, so try it out in your local pool back home before you commit yourself. Even if you hate the scuba diving, you can always take yourself off for a swim with the local dolphin population, or go sunbathing on the beach. B: BE AN ECOTOURIST If you have guilty feelings about what we're doing to the environment, you can lose them on this holiday. The work you do is as good for the world as it is for you. You can do your bit for the planet whilst enjoying some of the most beautiful sights of the natural world. Starting at daybreak, you'll be working from boats, albeit in the sunshine, as you study the behaviour of some amazing sea mammals. You'll be taking photos to identify individual animals, collecting skin samples for analysis and monitoring the animals' movements. You don't have to be too serious to enjoy this sort of working holiday; but you do have to be fairly fit! C: WALKING OFF THE CALORIES This is an ideal compromise for the food lover with a guilt complex. You can enjoy some of the best of French cuisine in a series of small family-run hotels, the ten-mile walk from one to another cancelling out the calories. At least that's the theory! The walks are divided into easy, average and difficult and as long as you select wisely, it shouldn't be too taxing. What's more, there's plenty of time to gossip non-stop with your companions both along the way and over dinner. Could there be a better way to make new friends? D: AN INSPIRED CHOICE If you feel there's a novel in you somewhere, try a fiction writing course at the Skyros Centre. If you're ever going to write, it will happen here. Skyros is a beautiful, tranquil setting in which to have a go at improving yourself and the courses are not confined to writing. The centre offers dozens of other self-improvement courses, including dance, music and theatre. If it all sounds a bit too arty, then you should leave your preconceptions behind you because these breaks are really what you make of them. E: RECIPE FOR SUCCESS ‘This holiday was sensational’, reported one person who'd signed up for two weeks in the ancient farmhouse in Italy. ‘You meet people who all have something in common.’ And that something is a love of good food and drink. Although there are opportunities to be on your own if you prefer, the long cooking sessions provide an ideal environment for getting to know your fellow guests whilst you gain an insight into the local way of life. The highlight of the course, naturally, is being able to eat the mouthwatering food you've prepared, and the knowledge that you'll be able to try your newfound expertise out on all your friends on your return. F: CITY BREAK People go to Bilbao mostly for the city's artistic highlights and you can manage to pack quite a lot into even a short stay. There are, of course, fantastic shops and restaurants in the centre, but if you're prepared to stray just a short way off the beaten track, you'll find places that are much cheaper where the local people go to shop and eat. And those local people are exceptionally friendly, especially the cafe owners who are keen to tell you all the background to the sights and the local customs. Everyone who goes promises themselves that they'll soon be going back, and taking their friends along too.

Ex 4 Vocabulary: adjectives Find these adjectives in the text. What nouns do they describe? Write them on the line. 1 undemanding______2 relaxing______3 family-run______4 taxing______5 tranquil______6 sensational______7 mouth-watering______8 fantastic______

KEYS - EX 3: 1F 2A 3D 4E 5F 6A 7B 8B 9C 10D 11A 12C 13E 14E EX 4: 1 break 2 beach resort 3 hotels 4 walks 5 setting 6 holiday 7 food 8 shops and restaurants

Ex 5 Over to you How do you prefer to spend your holidays? Tell a partner about the best holiday you have ever had. Use some of the adjectives in Exercise 4 to describe it. THE STAYCATION

2013 was the year of the 'staycation' for many countries across the globe. This new word combines 'stay' and 'vacation', and has two meanings. The first describes a holiday spent in your own house, where you do things at and from your home. Using your home as a base you use local facilities such as the swimming pool or park and perhaps go for day trips. The second meaning refers to having a holiday in your home country, rather than going abroad. It is this second use which is the most common nowadays. In the 12 months before March 2014, the number of visits abroad by British people dropped considerably. There were 13% fewer visits than the previous year, making 2013 the year of the staycation. Last year many people decided against travelling abroad even during the summer months. Britain was not alone. Many other countries in Europe and also in the US experienced a similar trend. People stayed at home for various reasons, but a key factor was the economy: because of the recession, there was less spare money around. Added to this, the British pound was also weak against other currencies, so Brits got less for their money abroad. Some were worried about the bad effect on the environment so they wanted to limit their carbon footprint by avoiding air travel. Finally, many British decided to stay in the UK because the weather forecasters promised a rather wet and cool summer for most people across the country. As the popularity of the staycation has grown, it comes as no surprise that camping has become much more common too. Campsites have seen a huge rise in the number of campers over the last two years. Interestingly, it has also become more fashionable and there is now a wide range of campsites available. It is even possible to choose a 'luxury' campsite, one with proper beds, electricity and a log fire! Campers can arrive at a ready-made tent, with its own toilet facilities and a cooker. They can choose to camp in a Mongolian yurt or a North American Indian tepee and it is even possible to have breakfast brought to the tent! Luxury camping is for those who worry that camping is hard work, wet and dirty, but want to enjoy being in the open air. Some holiday companies are saying that after the bad weather and disappointment of last summer, nobody knows what British people are going to choose for their holidays. Who knows if the staycation is simply a passing fashion or a growing trend…

Get the gist of the text, then answer the questions: a) meaning of the word 'staycation' b) reasons why many British people decided to stay at home c) 'luxury' camping Is the 'staycation' a popular type of holiday in Italy? What areas in Italy are particularly popular for holiday makers and why? Is 'luxury' camping an option in Italy? Would you prefer to go abroad or stay at home? Give four (or more) reasons why Describe a really good holiday, giving the following details: when/who with/where/how long/what made it special.

Role-play: I hate/love camping! You will be given a role in class. Camping Lover You love camping and have been doing it since you were a child. Being in the countryside, close to nature is your dream-holiday. Persuade your friend to go camping with you this summer for a week. Last year they chose the holiday and this time it's your turn. Camping Hater Camping for you means rain, mud, uncomfortable beds and horrible, shared bathrooms. It reminds you of unpleasant holidays as a child. Your best friend loves camping and this year it's his/her turn to choose the week's holiday you are going on. Unfortunately, he/she wants to go camping. Try to persuade him/her to change their mind.

THE BRITISH TRAVELLING SPIRIT

Until the early 19th century few people ever journeyed more than twenty miles away from the village in which they were born. Travel was either by stagecoach or on horseback, and was far too expensive for the average working man. With the arrival of the railways in the 1840s, cheap travel became available to all. Employers were discovering that their workers were a lot more productive if they were given some time off. Therefore, trips to resort towns like Blackpool became very popular for the workers of Manchester and the North. The most striking difference between holidays in the 18th century and in the 19th century was that the Victorian holiday was a family affair. The holidays of the 18th century were principally social occasions, and parents usually left their children at home. In Victorian times the new, working class holidaymakers did not have the money to leave their children with babysitters, so they had to take them along on the holiday. It was in the 18th century that Dr Richard Russell first suggested that sea water might be efficacious for a variety of ills, which started the popular love of seaside holidays that continues to this day. Bathing became popular among young and single holidaymakers, although for many years in Britain men and women were segregated on separate beaches. Ladies would change into a long, concealing one-piece costume in a bathing machine, which was then pulled down to the water's edge. Men on their beaches often bathed naked and were fined if they came within 30 metres of the ladies' beach.

The popularity of seaside resorts and the annual holiday grew immensely. However, facilities and accommodation did not keep pace: promenades and beaches were always crowded and sometimes up to a dozen people might be sharing one bed. In addition to poor accommodation, service was often dreadful, servants were bad tempered and unfriendly, and the food was often almost inedible. The whole field of holiday travel was ripe for reorganization. This is precisely what the far-sighted Thomas Cook set about doing. He recognized a market for organized tours. The first Cook's Tour to Liverpool was a masterpiece. Every detail of his package holiday tour was taken care of: he got four railway companies to transport his tourists at special rates, he arranged day trips to Snowdon and Caernarfon, and he found good restaurants and hotels for his customers. Continental Europe was already a popular holiday destination for the aristocracy. Its appeal grew when their regular English destinations were flooded by middle class professionals. Because they wanted to avoid the crowded English resorts, the upper classes began to holiday in Geneva, Paris and Rome. Mr Cook immediately started organizing affordable tours for those places, too. In 1855 his first continental tour went to the Paris Exhibition. This £ 10 trip was a huge success. For the next 50 years, Cook and his son organized trips to Switzerland for winter sports, the Middle East, America, Canada and, of course, the continent. Along the way they invented the traveller's cheque, too. By the time of Cook's death, his son had become responsible for an organization with offices in nearly every country on the globe. This overhaul of the characteristic holiday spirit was truly a remarkable achievement for a man who started his life apprenticed to a market gardener. What would Mr Cook say of today's air travel and space tourists? (Adapted from: "Beside the Seaside" by Gareth Prenderghast, Heritage, May 2003, p. 21)

IS WRITING A POSTCARD A THING OF THE PAST?

In the age of computers, the Internet and mobile phones, is writing a postcard a thing of the past? A recent survey made by British tour operator Thomson Holidays found that of 1,000 customers questioned, 50% intended to send fewer postcards in the future, 14 % said they had no time to write them and 10% preferred to call home instead. Tourists visiting the UK seem to be of a similar opinion. Royal Mail statistics show that the number of postcards mailed in Britain is decreasing by about 1 million each year. This trend can be seen in other countries as well. The Finland Post Corp. says that there is a big decrease in the number of postcards sent and insists that this is due to text messages via SMSs. In Japan, there are plans to cut postcard sales by 80%. If this tendency continues postcards might just go the way the telex went some years ago. The time that it takes to deliver a postcard does not match the way people go on holiday today. In the Thomson survey 25 % of the people said postcards took too long to arrive. That may not have been true 20 years ago, when people went on long trips - a 3-week journey through Europe or a l-month tour of the USA. But in these days of a weekend city break and 3-night package tours, you usually get home before your postcard do. It used to be a ritual to sit down in a café and write postcards. But the attraction of sending your wishes via computer or in an SMS are more difficult to resist. Why queue up in a post office when you can just use your mobile phone to take a picture of the Acropolis or the Colosseum and speed it off to your friend? And if you don’t have a phone with a built-in-camera, you can use your laptop computer: the Web is full of e-card sites that allow you to click on an image of famous monuments and send them with your message to all your friends in a second. (Adapted from: Time, November 10 2003, p. 57)

Reading and Use of English Part 7

My nightmare holiday!

1 You are going to read about four people's nightmare holidays. Before you read, think about what things sometimes spoil people's holidays. 2 Read questions 1-10 carefully and underline the key words in each question. Which person had to hide from danger? 1____ found an employee intimidating? 2____ was not pleased to spend so long somewhere? 3____ had visited the country on a previous occasion? 4____ worried about how strong something was? 5____ missed speaking to people? 6____ had a painful experience? 7____ travelled with an ex-criminal? 8____ was unaware of the danger in what they were doing? 9____ realised the holiday might be a mistake before arriving? 10____

3 For questions 1-10, choose from the people (A-D). Each person may be chosen more than once. 4 Work in groups. Which of the holidays sounds the worst to you? Take turns to tell each other about a memorable holiday you have had. Then decide which of you had the most interesting holiday.

A Pauline Vernon - Malaysia My dad was teaching in Kota Bharu, Malaysia. When my mum and I flew out to visit him for three weeks, he had already organised our stay in great detail. On our first evening we had a party on the beach. It was an idyllic scene: a beautiful empty beach, palm trees, white sand, the warm gentle waters of the South China Sea. I swam in the shallow water thinking "this is the life", when a jellyfish swam between my legs. The sting, on both legs, was agony, and it was only then I discovered that two people had died from jellyfish stings that year and until that point, no one had bothered to mention the sea-snakes, for whose bite there is no cure. I now understood why the beach was deserted. B Sandy Henderson - the USA I was on a camping holiday in Yosemite National Park in California with a friend, when I awoke to the sound of screaming. I looked out of my tent and saw my friend trying to get out of his sleeping bag, with a giant black bear rearing up behind him. Quite possibly the quickest I've ever got out of bed, I scrambled up and we both sprinted in no particular direction. By pure chance, we'd passed a small cabin a little way back on the trail and we made a dash for that, jumped inside and locked the door. Seconds later, the bear was scraping at the door as we cowered inside, afraid that the whole thing might fall off. After quite a long time, the bear lost interest and we were able to leave the shelter. C Cat O'Donovan - the USA Twenty-three hours into an epic bus trip across the States, I began to wonder what I had let myself in for. I was at Denver bus station, sitting on my backpack, drinking coffee. Before boarding the first bus in LA, I had been filled with romantic ideas of friendship among the passengers and fascinating stops, as well as spectacular scenery. After the guy next to me had finished talking about his time in jail, I realised my expectations were a bit off. After all, I was 17 and travelling alone. I had no idea when the next bus was, so I went up to the counter to ask. One unfriendly staff member was so large I feared she had eaten several passengers, so I waited until her colleague was free. "Three-and-a-half hours," she said. I groaned. Would I ever reach New York? I sat back down to drink my coffee. D Graham Whitely - Nepal It was not my first walking holiday to Nepal, but for some reason I no longer remember, I decided to go several weeks before the walking season actually began. There were no other walkers on the flight to Kathmandu, which suggested I might not have made the best decision. Walking to my empty hotel through rainy streets on the first night, I tried not to think what conditions would be like at higher altitudes. Next day I flew to Tumlingtar to start walking up the remote, rarely visited Arun valley. As I climbed, the bushes on either side of the path were covered in ice and the weather was constantly cloudy. The lodges where I stayed were run by people who spoke no English, and the only meal available was boiled rice with lentil soup. Each day required at least eight hours of unpleasant solitary walking, longing for a conversation with someone. During all the long walk towards Kathmandu, it continued cloudy and I never even saw a mountain.

KEYS: 1 B – 2 C – 3 C – 4 D – 5 B – 6 D – 7 A – 8 C – 9 A – 10 D

PRACTICE FCE: TEXT 1 - Six sentences have been removed from this text. Choose from the sentences A-H the one that fits each gap 1-7. There is one extra sentence that you do not need.

Nigel Ogden had been an air steward for twelve years when the unthinkable happened. Here, he describes how he saved his pilot's life.

I think about what happened every day. It was a beautiful morning and I was up early because I was working on the British Airways 7.30 a.m. flight from Birmingham to Malaga. I was thirty-six, had been an air steward for twelve years and loved my job with a passion. I expected that day to be especially enjoyable. It was a holiday flight, so the eighty-one passengers would be relaxed, and the crew had worked together for years. It was thirteen minutes after take-off. We had just reached 5,200 metres and everything had been going well. I went through to the cockpit and asked the pilots if they'd like tea. I was just stepping out, with my hand on the door handle, when there was an enormous explosion and the door was blown out of my hands. 1 ___ The whole cabin was filled with mist for a second - then the plane started to plummet. I whipped round, peering through the mist. I saw that the front windscreen had disappeared and Tim, the captain, was going out through it. I grabbed him round the waist to stop him being sucked out completely. At the same time, somehow, the autopilot had become disconnected and the flight door had landed on the controls. 2 ___ Everything was being sucked out of the aircraft. I was holding on like grim death but I could feel myself being pulled out, too. John - one of the other stewards - rushed in and grabbed my trouser belt to stop me slipping further. The aircraft was losing height so quickly, however, that the pressure soon equalised and the wind started rushing in at 620 kph and -17°C. 3 ___ Simon, another steward, came rushing through and, with John, managed to free the controls so that Alistair, the co-pilot, could get the autopilot back on. I was still holding onto Tim, but the pressure made him weigh the equivalent of 225 kilograms. My arms were getting colder and colder and I could feel them being pulled out of their sockets. I felt my arms weaken and Tim slipping. I thought I was going to lose him, but he ended up bent in a u-shape around the windows, his face banging against the window with blood coming out of his nose and the side of his head. His arms were flailing around and they seemed about two metres long. I couldn't hold on anymore, so Simon strapped himself into the third pilot's seat and took a hold of Tim's ankles. 4 ___ By now, Alistair was in communication with air-traffic control, who were talking him through the landing. He asked for a runway of 2,500 metres because he was worried that the plane was so heavy with fuel, a tyre would burst or it would go off the runway, but all they could give us was 1,800 metres. Over the intercom, Alistair told the passengers we'd lost the windscreen. 5 ___ The cabin was silent as the grave as we walked up and down, preparing everyone for an emergency landing. I remember one man at the very back, with a little baby on his knee, saying to me: 'We're going to die,' and I said: 'No, we're not,' lying through my teeth. It seemed impossible, but Alistair did the most amazing landing - completely smooth and stopping the aircraft only three-quarters of the way down the runway. The entire episode from the explosion to the landing had lasted just eighteen minutes, but it seemed like hours. The paramedics came on board and put Tim on a stretcher. He was lying there, covered in blood, but to my amazement I heard him say: 'I want to eat.’ I just exclaimed: ‘Typical pilot!’ 6___ I went out onto the front steps, and shouted to the others, 'He's alive!' and then I cried my eyes out.

A Some of them could see Tim out of the window. B Papers were blowing around everywhere and it was impossible to hear air-traffic control. C Fortunately, his body had just shut down and he'd been in a coma throughout the ordeal. D All I could think was, 'It's a bomb.' E I left him hanging on and staggered back into the main cabin. F This meant that the plane was now hurtling down, at nearly 650 kmph, through some of the most congested skies in the world.

TEXT 2 - Read Darina and Kurt's report of their tour of Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands. Seven sentences have been removed from it. Choose from the sentences A-H the one that fits each gap 1-7. There is one extra sentence that you do not need.

Here is our latest report. It includes our trip to the magnificent Galápagos Islands and a few places in mainland Ecuador.

Situated 1,000 km offshore in the Pacific Ocean, the Galápagos Islands have to be seen to be believed. Isolated for millions of years, whatever animals made their way to these unique volcanic rocks had more than enough time to evolve. First, we flew to Baltra and our first excursion was to Isabela Island, the largest of the archipelago. The two-hour boat ride was a horrendous journey. 1 ___ Our riding trip included a short trek over lava fields to Volcàn Chico, where the lunar landscape was incredible. From Santa Cruz Island, we boarded a 20-passenger boat for a five-day cruise including the southern islands. Our itinerary included Baltra, Plazas, Santa Fe, Española and Floreana Islands. 2 ___ The Galápagos are famous for their spectacular scenery, white sand beaches, crystal clear waters and unique animal and birdlife. Sea lions were the most common: they lie about on beaches, boats, park benches and rocks. 3 ___ Snorkelling brought us closer to more marine life such as lobsters, sea turtles, as well as more sea lions and a lot of colourful fish. 4 ___ The giant land tortoises are out of this world. These majestic creatures probably evolved into the huge animals they are today because of plenty of food and a lack of predators. But they almost disappeared from the earth because sailors found them convenient fresh food. If you need somewhere to meet other travellers, one of the main tourist centres of Ecuador is Baños. 5 ___ From Baños we set off on our bikes in the direction of Puyo, cycling past hundreds of waterfalls and tropical fruit farms. We crossed rivers on cable cars, abseiled down waterfalls, ate passion fruit and generally enjoyed the sights in glorious weather. The local hot springs were a perfect relaxing end to a day's cycling. We then stayed in the charming town of Quito, where we took the opportunity to go shopping for souvenirs. Quito used to be the second most important Inca city after Cusco and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. 6 ___ While cycling in the mountains, divided by deep valleys, we were washed out by afternoon rains. Now we are enjoying Otavalo and its colourful markets, traditional costumes and wonderful atmosphere. This is our last big town in Ecuador and it seems a grand place to end our two-month stay. 7 ___ With the Pacific coast, the Andes and volcanoes, the Amazon jungle and the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador is a little paradise in the centre of the world. We have thoroughly enjoyed our time here and would highly recommend it as both a holiday and touring destination.

A The trip was all inclusive and we spent the time sailing, swimming, snorkelling, sunbathing, animal spotting and bird watching. B Fortunately, we didn't come across any sharks, but there was never a dull moment in the water! C Eventually, we ran out of excuses to hang out any longer in Quito, so we packed our bikes again and headed north. D Dangerously near an active volcano, the town of Baños seems to have been miraculously protected from disaster. E For the tourist and traveller alike, Ecuador is one of those unique countries that have many contrasts of landscape in a relatively small area. F This makes it even more difficult to find the perfect shot for that prize photo. G Having barely recovered, the next day we rode on horseback around Sierra Negra, the second largest volcano crater in the world. H These tame and inactive creatures make easy subjects to photograph.

The unthinkable happened – KEYS: 1 D 2 F 3 B 4 E 5 A 6 C Tour of Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands – KEYS: 1G 2 A 3 H 4 B 5 D 6 C 7 E

 travel (uncountable noun: you do not say 'a travel') and travelling are used to mean the general activity of moving from place to place (the activity of travelling) • Air travel is becoming cheaper. • Her work involves a lot of travelling. • The new job involves a fair amount of travel. means of travel (= transport, the type of vehicle you use) • We went by bus - the cheapest means of travel. - rail / air / space travel • Rail travel in Britain seems to be getting more and more unreliable. Travels [plural] journeys to places that are far away, usually for pleasure • We met some very interesting people on our travels in Thailand.

 journey: the act of travelling from one place to another, especially in a vehicle • a long and difficult journey (NOT travel) through the mountains • I read during the train journey to work. • Did you have a good journey? (=Were you comfortable, was the train on time …)

 trip: a short journey, or a journey you do not usually make, and come back again. Use this when the emphasis is on where you are going or why you are going there • my first trip to the States • a business trip / school trip / one-day trip • Was it a good trip? (=Did you achieve what you wanted to or have a good time there?) • I was moved by the story of Asa Singleton's trip around the world

 excursion: a short journey arranged so that a group of people can visit a place, especially while they are on holiday Included in the tour is an excursion to the Grand Canyon.

 voyage: a long journey, especially by sea or in space an around-the-world voyage a voyage in space The Titanic sank on its maiden voyage (= first journey). (FIGURATIVE) Going to college can be a voyage of self-discovery. Darwin's epic voyage of exploration

 cruise: a journey by sea, visiting different places, especially as a holiday / vacation I'd love to go on a round-the-world cruise.

 crossing: a journey across something such as a sea, from one side to the other • a three-hour ferry crossing || • a rough crossing from Dover to Calais • the first Atlantic crossing || • The crossing takes 90 minutes.

 flight is used for a journey by air • Have a good flight!

 hike: a long walk, especially in the countryside

Holidays/vacations have / take (BE) a holiday / (NAE) a vacation / a break / a day off / (BE) a gap year / a cruise go on / be on holiday / vacation / leave (congedo, permesso) / honeymoon / (a) safari / a trip / a tour / a journey / a package holiday (tour) / a cruise / a pilgrimage make / take / have / go on / set out on a voyage / a journey / a trip / a tour / an excursion take a plane, a ship, a flight go backpacking (fare escursioni con lo zaino; fare trekking) / camping / hitchhiking / sightseeing plan a trip / a holiday / a vacation / your itinerary book accommodation / a hotel room / a flight / tickets have / make / cancel a reservation / (especially BE) booking rent a villa / a holiday home / a holiday cottage hire / (especially NAE) rent a car / bicycle / moped stay in a hotel / a bed and breakfast / a youth hostel / a villa / a holiday home / a caravan / camper (van) / holiday farm cost / charge $100 a / per night for a single / double / twin / (BE) en suite room check into / out of a hotel / a motel / your room pack / unpack your suitcase / bags call / order room service cancel / cut short (interrompere) a trip / holiday / vacation

Foreign travel apply for / get / renew a / your passport take out (sottoscrivere) / buy / get travel insurance catch / miss your plane / train / ferry / connecting flight fly (in) / travel in business / economy class make / have a brief / two-day / twelve-hour stopover (sosta, fermata) / layover (spec. NAE) (sosta, tappa durante un viaggio, spec. in aereo) in Hong Kong experience / cause / lead to delays (ritardi) check (in) / collect / get / lose (your) luggage / baggage be charged for / pay excess baggage board / get on / leave / get off the aircraft / the plane / the ship / the ferry experience / hit / encounter severe turbulence suffer from / recover from / get over your jet lag / travel sickness

The tourist industry attract / draw / bring tourists / visitors encourage / promote / hurt (danneggiare, nuocere) tourism promote / develop ecotourism visit a tourist / holiday / seaside / beach / ski / health resort / spa work for a major hotel chain compete with low-cost / low-fare / budget airlines book something through / make a booking through a travel agent contact / check with your travel agent / tour operator buy / bring back (tacky (di cattivo gusto) / overpriced) souvenirs (expressing likes / dislikes) mass / package / educational / cultural / archaeological / religious / ecological / eco-friendly / environmental / nature-based / green / alternative / farm / exotic / culinary tourism

General travel expressions I go by plane = I fly - I go by car = I drive I go by ship = I sail - I go by bicycle / bike / motorcycle / motorbike = I ride I go on horse = I ride - I go on foot = I walk To commute is to make the same journey regularly between work and home. It's exhausting commuting from Brighton to London every day.

LISTENING PRACTICE

You will hear an interview with a tour leader who works for an adventure company in Africa. For questions 1-7 choose the correct option from A, B, or C, and write it in the corresponding box. You will hear the recording twice.

AUDIO TRACK: http://www.quia.com/files/quia/users/valoris/4/PP_6_-_T_4_-_P_4.MP3

1. Don says that most of his passengers A are not students. B are looking for jobs. C work in conservation. 1 2 2. When Don first meets a group, he 3 A gives them blankets for the overnight trip. B shows them where to sit on the truck. 4 C checks they have the right equipment. 5 6 3. Don remembers one trip when 7 A he failed to take enough food. B someone made a mistake with the food. C someone complained about the food.

4. Don supervises the domestic work because A he doesn’t like to lose things. B it has to be done within one hour. C people complain if things are dirty.

5. If people argue, Don says that he A prefers not to get involved. B separates the people concerned. C asks the group for a solution.

6. Don says that he sometimes A needs to get to sleep early. B has to camp in a noisy area. C tells people when to go to bed.

7. What does Don say about getting up? A He ignores any complaints about the time. B He varies his schedule according to the group. C He forces everybody to be quick about it.

Now read it and then give an account of what it is about.

Announcer: And now for the holiday programme with Mandy Rice. Mandy: Today I'm talking to Don Nicholson, a tour leader who spends 10 months of the year looking after groups of up to 18 tourists in southern Africa. They travel together in the back of a truck, put up their own tents and cook their own food. Welcome to the programme, Don. Don: Thanks. Mandy: This is a holiday with a difference, isn't it? Tell us, first of all, what sort of people go on a camping trip in Africa... and a long one at that... it is a month each trip? Don: Yes. Well it sounds a sort of studenty thing to do, but in fact the majority of our passengers are people like doctors and lawyers. We do get some students but they tend to be the ones that are studying something like conservation or wildlife. Mandy: And when do they all first meet? Don: The evening before we set off. They fly in and I pick them up from the airport and immediately before we start sorting out places in the truck we go through what they've brought with them. Amazingly, every now and then we get somebody who genuinely doesn't realise it's a camping tour, so I have to rush out and get them blankets and a sleeping bag. Mandy: It must be difficult - a whole group of strangers coming together and then having to live together like that. Don: It goes surprisingly well, but I always think the first day is critical because it sets the tone for the whole trip. We've had the odd nightmare start where we've got a flat tyre 20 minutes after we set off or it's dark and pouring with rain and people just can't get their tents up. Yeah, once we were making pasta late at night and the cook put in a tin of strawberry jam instead of tomato paste - those are the bad starts! Mandy: Basically everyone has to take part in the domestic chores, do they? Don: Yes. The brochure makes it clear that people have to work on a rota system and they usually do about an hour's work a day. We get a few who don't want to muck in but more often they are just untidy and I've got a bit of an eye for that because... well, they might leave a fork lying on the ground, for example, and okay, it's just a fork, but in a lot of places in Africa you can't get forks, so I'm quite possessive about the equipment. Mandy: And do people really get on? Don: A lot of people have never lived in a tight community situation like this before and you do get conflicts and personality clashes. The best approach is to observe it from afar. If it gets out of hand, I might point out in front of the whole group that there's a problem between certain people. Mandy: Shame them a bit... . Don: Sometimes it works. To be fair, conflicts are rare but small problems can mount up in that kind of environment. Evening noise, for example. Some people want to go to sleep early and others don't. On occasions I've had to be the sort of go-between and impose a 'lights out' time if things start getting out of hand. Mandy: What about getting up, because that's something we're really not keen on on holiday? Don: If we're going into a wildlife park we might have to be on the road by six a.m. but people still ask why they have to get up so early. I've learnt how to do it now. If they're a quick group I'll get them up at five, but if they're slow I won't shout and scream at them - I just get them up at four thirty. Mandy: Well, perhaps now we should go on to talk about what there is to see in some of those game parks that you have to get up so early for.

KEYS: 1A 2C 3B 4A 5A 6C 7B