Think of the leisure activities which are popular in your country and complete the column about Russia in the chart.

4. Listen to the interview with Jessica from Canada, and decide where these questions go.

a. How do you like to relax personally?

b. What would you say is the most popular leisure activity in your country?

c. What do people do in summer andwinter evenings?

d. Is there any particular custom of going for a walk to a special place in the evening?

e. What do people do on Friday or at the weekend?

f. What is the next most popular?

Interviewer: Let’s talk a little a bit about leisure activities.

(1) …………………………………………………………

Jessica: Hockey.

Interviewer: (2) …………………………………………..

Jessica: Soccer, then swimming, then maybe basketball.

Interviewer: (3) ……………………………………………

Jessica: We watch TV all together, and in the summer we go out.

Interviewer: Would you go out every summer evening?

Jessica: Yes.

Interviewer: (4) …………………………

Jessica: Parents go to a movie or eat a pizza. On Sunday nights my friends and I go out to the city or a main square and meet up. There are lots of bars to have a drink and chat. Later you might go clubbing or to a private party. Afterwards we might go for a pizza or have breakfast.

Interviewer: (5) …………………………

Jessica: Personally I like to do a lot of things. I used to play for the volleyball team for my town but then I quit. I used to play tennis and basketball and I quit. Then I did theatre for a long time. I like performing.

Interviewer: (6) ………………………….

Jessica: The city center.

Interviewer: How long do they spend in the city center?

Jessica: Hours, walking around and talking to people.

Practice the dialogue with another student, then take turns to talk about your time off using questions a-f in 4.

B. A day out

1. Read a newspaper article from the English magazine about Blackpool, the popular holiday resort in Britain.Find out what a day out in one of the top tourist spots has got to offer.

The beach beckoned but thoughts of the seaside were miles away. A traffic jam has seen to that. It wasn’t the most promising start to a summer’s day out in sunny Blackpool. But for many people determined to enjoy a sun-soaked day out the pleasure eventually outweighed the pain.

Alan Tennanty, his wife Susan and their six-month-old baby James chose one of the hottest weekends of the year to visit Blackpool. And it seemed as though the rest of the South Yorkshire had hit upon the same idea! This time last year the couple were touring China but the arrival of James put paid to exotic foreign trips for the time being. They plumped for a day out in Blackpool.

But what has a day out in one of Britain’s top tourist spots got to offer? Blackpool scored Brownie points straight away – parking was thankfully easy. Alan, Susan and James enjoyed a leisurely stroll along the Golden Mile browsing in souvenir shops, stopped off for a fish and chip lunch, played on the beach, went for a paddle, tucked into a cooling ice-cream, visited the Pleasure Beach and enjoyed the panoramic view from the South Pier.

Susan, aged 37, a teacher in a secondary school, said, “It was never a place I would have thought about spending a holiday but since having a baby it seemed an ideal spot. It’s not too far away and not too expensive. It’s value for money. There are lots of places to eat and stay and I was really impressed by the way the resort accommodates young children. I had heard some worrying things about Blackpool beach and its cleanliness which were off-putting, but the sand itself seemed clean although I wouldn’t want to try the water.

Husband Alan, 39, a NHS manager, was more cynical about visiting the resort – but was won over by the end of the day. “I came fearing there would be donkeys, slots machines, fun pubs and hotdogs. There were but it was still enjoyable,’ he said.

But would they come back? The answer is an unhesitating yes. The family plans to return later for an overnight stay.

FACTFILE

Blackpool has 16, 8 million visitors a year.

Blackpool Pleasure Beach is the most popular free entrance tourist attraction in Britain.

The equivalent of 47, 5 miles of hot-dog sausages are eaten each year at the Pleasure Beach.

Blackpool Tower, 110 years old, is 518ft 8 ins tall.

Friday is donkey day off.

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 1458