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British Take More Foreign Holidays

Between 1966 and 1992, the number of British people taking foreign holidays went up from less than six million ……. nearly 24 million. In other words, the number of foreign holidays increased ……….. about 400%. This year, the number of holidays abroad has risen ……….. 2% on last year. The USA is the country with the largest rise …………… numbers of visitors from Britain. British people are spending more money abroad too. Reports show an increase ………. spending ………. 8% over last year.

For holidays in Britain it’s a different story. The number of British people taking a holiday in their own country reached a peak in 1974 ……… just over 40 million. Then the number fell ……… about 32 million in the early 1990s – a fall ……. about 20%.

READING

Read the letter and try to explain the idioms in bold.

Dear Mary,

Sorry Lionel and I were such poor company last weekend, but we were both feeling 1) down in the dumps, especially after finding out that Terry had been 2)keeping us in the dark about the severity of the company’s money problems. I was so angry with him – my own brother – can you believe it! Believe me, running a family business 3) isn’t all it’s cracked up to be !

Anyway, the morning after you left, I was reading the paper when an advert for a week in a country cottage 4) caught my eye. It sounded 5) right up our street, so I mentioned it to Lionel and, after a lot of persuading, he finally agreed that we both needed to 6) take things easy for a bit.

We’ve been here for five days now and I feel so much better. It’s right 7) off thebeaten track, so Lionel and I have had enough peace and quiet to talk about the company’s problems and come up with some solutions. I’ll tell you one thing – we’re going to 8) bring Terry down to earth with a bump when we get back!

This place is truly fantastic, and Lionel’s 9) in his element at the moment as the river near here is excellent for fishing. He got up 10) at the crack of dawn today and returned at lunch-time with an enormous trout!

I’d better go now as we’re leaving tomorrow and I haven’t started packing yet. I’ll give you a ring as soon as we get back.

Love,

Jane

 

1 Match the items with idioms from the text.

a to relax e within one’s range of interests/knowledge

b to keep sb unaware of sth f isolated and quiet

c not be as good as people say g depressed

d to make sb stop dreaming/ h very happy/satisfied

start thinking practically i to get sb’s attention

j very early in the morning

 

2 Fill in the gaps with phrases from the list :

kept in the dark, caught my eye, down in the dumps, came back down to earth with a bump, all it’s cracked up to be

1 Sam thought he could pass his exam without studying, but he ……………… when he failed.

2 He was ………………………… about his surprise retirement party.

3 The new restaurant isn’t ………………………………; it may look nice, but the food is awful !

4 I bought Ann some flowers because she looked ……………………………….. .

5 The beautiful clothes in the shop window ……………………………………….. , so I went in and bought a dress.



 

3. Practice your grammar. Supply the missing verb form:

1. He (come) to this country twenty years ago. He (be) born in South America and (live) there until he (get) married.

2. - Why you (put on) your coat? – I (go) for a walk.. You (come) with me?

3. I (receive) John’s invitation yesterday and (accept) it at once. I (not see) him for several weeks.

4. - When they (leave)? – In a fortnight. They (see) about the tickets tomorrow.

5. Quick! There (be) an accident. Phone the hospital. The accident (happen) when that red car (shoot) out of the side street without warning.

6. Jean Paul began listening to English tapes regularly last November. His pronunciation (improve) greatly since then.

7. Jane (help) you with your homework as soon as she (write) an essay.

8. My parents (come) to live on the Black Sea coast in 1989. Since then they (be) much better in health.

9. – You (can see) that woman in the corner? She (have) her dessert now. As soon as she (leave) we (occupy) the table.

READING

Read the tourist information about English speaking countries.

 

Canada is the second largest country in the world (Russia is the first one). The story of Canada goes back over 400 years. The total area of the country is 10 mln sq. km. The population is over 27 mln people. Most Canadians live close to the USA English and French are the two official languages. Canada is a federal state, consisting of 10 provinces and 2 territories. The capital of Canada is Ottawa

Australia is the biggest island, the smallest continent and the world's sixth largest country. The history of the developing of it dates back to the 17th cen­tury, when it was discovered. In the 18th century it was announcedas English territory by English Captain James Cook. Its area is more than 7,500,000. The population is about 18 mln people. Sometimes it is called «the upside downworld». It lies in the Southern Hemisphere, where winter comes in July and summer begins in December. The country has a unique native flora and fauna (the kangaroo, the koala, the wild dog dingo). It's a federation of 6 states and 2 territories. The biggest city is Sydney, though the capital of the country is Canberra, which is situated in its own separatearea of land, like WashingtonD.C. — the Australian Capital Territory.

New Zealand was discovered in 1642, the discovery was followed by Bri­tish colonization. The country consists of a group of hilly evergreen islands. It includes2 main islands. Its population is around 3.5 mln, its area is 260,000 square km. The country has two official languages: English and Maori. The government structure is modelled on the British parliamentary system. It's also a constitutional monarchy. The national capital is Wellington.

4. Fill in the chart (see the example below).

 

Nationality Food Drinks Music Activities Talks
English sandwiches fruit tea beer Beatles sang danced politics football sport weather
Americans Canadian Australian German Russians French          

 

Write a short story about the party one of the nationalities arranged last night. Start like this:

Last night there was an English party at the English Club. People ate …, drank …, listened to …, talked about … .

What do you ynow about different cultures around the world? Read and translate the text and the tips for travellers, and complete the sentences.


Date: 2016-01-03; view: 2778


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