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Read the following text to find out how the writer prefers to travel and why




Travel is at its best a solitary enterprise: to see, to examine, to assess, you have to be alone and unencumbered. Other people can mislead you; they crowd your meandering impressions with their own; if they are companionable they obstruct your view, and if they are boring they corrupt the silence with non-sequiturs, shattering your concentration with "Oh, look, it's raining", and "You see a lot of trees here". Travelling on your own can be terribly lonely (and it is not understood by Japanese who, coming across you smiling wistfully at an acre of Mexican buttercups tend to say things like "Where is the rest of your team?"). I think of evening in the hotel room in the strange city. My diary has been brought up to date; I hanker for company; What do I do? I don't know anyone here, so I go out and walk and discover the three streets of the town and rather envy the strolling couples and the people with children. The museums and churches are closed, and toward midnight the streets are empty. If I am mugged I will have to apologize as politely as possible: "I am sorry, sir, but I have nothing valuable on my person". Is there a surer way of enraging a thief and driving him to violence?

It is hard to see clearly or to think straight in the company of other people. Not only do I feel self-conscious, but the perceptions that are necessary to writing are difficult to manage when someone close by is thinking out loud.

I am diverted, but it is discovery, not diversion, that I seek. What is required is the lucidity of loneliness to capture that vision, which however banal, seems in my private mood to be special and worthy of interest. There is something in feeling abject that quickens my mind and makes it intensely receptive to fugitive impressions. Later these impressions might be refuted or deleted, but they might also be verified and refined; and in any case I had the satisfaction of finishing the business alone. Travel is not a vacation, and is often the opposite of a rest. "Have a nice time", people said to me at my send-off at South Station, Medford. It was not precisely what I had hoped for. I craved a little risk, some danger, an untoward event, a vivid discomfort, an experience of my own company, and in a modest way the romance of solitude. This I thought might be mine on that train to Limon.

/From "The Old Patagonian Express" by Paul Theroux/

Now complete these statements by choosing the answer you think fits best.

1. Travelling companions are a disadvantage, according to the writer, because they

a. give you the wrong impression about the journey

b. distract you from reading

c. intrude on your private observations

d. prevent you from saying what you think

2. It has been assumed by Japanese that he

a. belongs to a group of botanists

b. is excessively odd to travel alone

c. needs to be directed to his hotel

d. has wandered away from his party

3. His main concern in the evenings was to

a. take some physical exercise

b. avoid being robbed in the street

c. overcome his loneliness

d. explore the sights of the city

4. The writer regards his friends' farewell to him as

a. inappropriate

b. unsympathetic

c. tactless

d. cynical

5 We gather from the passage that his main purpose in travelling was to

a. test his endurance

b. prove his self-sufficiency

c. experience adventure

d. respond to new experiences

3) Discussion Points:

What are the advantages/ disadvantages of travelling:

· alone?

· with a companion?

· in a group with a guide?

WRITING

Write the dictation “Why Do People Travel?”

LISTENING

Understanding Spoken English 2004, Unit I “The Only Travel Guide You’ll Ever Need” (p.10)

HAVE YOUR SAY

Ø Do you agree that travel is the best way to spend a holiday or a vacation? Why or why not?

Ø Some people travel not for fun but out of necessity. Explain.

Ø What are the dangers of travelling?

Ø Does the idea of the self-guided tour appeal to you? Why or why not?

 

II

1. Read the opinions of the American teenagers. Learn the new vocabulary.

2. Sum up the opinions. Say which opinions you agree or disagree with, explain why.

WHY DO PEOPLE TRAVEL?

The question is answered by American school-children (California)

1. I travel to visit friends and relatives and also to see new places and visit tourist attractions.

2. Travel is fun and also a learning experience. Travelling gives you a chance to see what other people and cultures are like.

3. In my opinion people travel so that they can see the world. It's also a good chance to familiarize yourself with the language and customs. Others travel out of pure desire to get away.

4. People travel so that they can learn about other cultures. They also travel so that they can get rested from work.

5. People travel to learn and see the beauty of the world, because many people don't know their own world.

6. People travel to get away from responsibility. They also travel to have fun and spend time with their family.

7. Most people like to travel to see the things up close instead of on the TV, to experience all the foods and customs other places have.

8. I think people travel just for the experience to know what it's like in other parts of the world and to learn the differences.

9. People travel to see new lands, peoples, experience ideas. People sometimes feel trapped in their own world and community. It's very important to get the feeling for the differences in the world and the large size of our Earth. It is the only way to understand our world as a whole.

10. People travel for enjoyment and learning. They travel to experience another culture, and perhaps to appreciate theirs more.

11. People travel so that they can see more of the world and gain an understanding of different cultures.

12. Certain people travel for different reasons. The way I like to travel is to really get to know the people and culture of the place I go to. I want to understand the ways in which they think. Some people travel for business or just to go sightseeing. They don't see the entire area because they go to touristy places and hardly even eat the real food. They miss out on the real aspects.

13. People travel for many reasons. Some people travel to get away Some people travel to see what other places and people are like. Others travel so that they can get a better idea of other climates and geographies.

14. People travel to learn, to experience, to explore, to live in a different way, to see a different people and how they live and to see new and exciting things. Also to eat new foods. I love to travel for all of these reasons.

15. People travel to get away from the daily doldrums. They travel to lose their minds in other things so that when they return to their daily lives everything seems new and different from when you left.

16. People travel for a lot of different reasons. Some do it for the status it involves, but I travel because I’minterested in places other than California and the United States, I like seeing how other people live and trying out their cultures.

17. The reason people travel is to see the world. Learn different cultures and experience different customs.

18. People travel to get away and explore new places, to get a taste of different cultures. Also to escape problems.

19. Travelling is a wonderful way to learn about different countries and cultures. It is a chance to experience a different way of life and to make friends.

20. People travel to have a break in their routines and to gain new experiences. Travel abroad gives a wider view of the world and cultures. It gives people a chance to live out their dreams.

21. People travel to meet other people and to experience their culture. It promotes cultural understanding and gives one a different perspective on one's life.

22. Most people travel to see different cultures of other peoples and to see the different environments and wildlife of other lands. Some also travel “to get away from it all” and to relax.

VOCABULARY

appreciate, v

1. judge rightly the value of; understand and enjoy

e.g. We all appreciate a holiday after a year of hard work.

2. put a high value on

e.g. We greatly appreciate your help.

appreciation, n

1. (a statement giving) judgement, valuation.

e.g. She showed little/ no appreciation of good music.

2. understanding and recognition.

e.g. in sincere appreciation of your valuable help

appreciable, a

that can be seen or felt

e.g. an appreciable change in the temperature

appreciably, adv

appreciative, a

feeling or showing appreciation (2)

e.g. an appreciative audience

custom, n

1. usual and generally accepted behaviour among members of a social group (either small or large, esp. a nation)

2. particular way of behaviour which, because it has been long established, is observed by individuals and social groups

e.g. Social customs vary in different countries.

Usage:

Compare habit, custom, practice and convention. A habit usu. means sth which is done regularly by a single person (e.g. He has an annoying habit of biting his nails.). A custom usu. means sth which has been done for a long time by a whole society (e.g. the custom of giving presents at Christmas). Practice can mean custom, but often with a derogatory meaning (e.g. the practice of eating one’s enemies). It can also mean the usual way of doing things in business, law, etc. The conventions of a society are its generally accepted standards of behaviour (e.g. As a matter of convention, people attending a funeral wear dark clothes.).

doldrums, dulldrams, n (pl)

dullness, low spirits; (fig.) state of stagnation

escape, v

1. get free; get away; (of steam, fluids, etc.) find a way out

e.g. Two of the prisoners have escaped.

2. avoid; keep free or safe from

e.g. You were lucky to escape punishment.

3. be forgotten or unnoticed by

e.g. His name escapes me for the moment.

escape, n

1. (act of) escaping; fact of having escaped

e.g. There have been very few successful escapes from this prison.

2. means of escape

3. sth that provides temporary distraction from reality or dull routine (e.g. through music, reading)

escapism, n

avoidance ofunpleasant realities by escaping into a more pleasant world of imagination

escapist, n

person, thing doing this

e.g. escapist literature

experience, n

1. process of gaining knowledge or skill by doing and seeing things; knowledge or skill so gained (gained by/ from experience)

e.g. Has he had much experience in this work?

2. event, activity, which has provided (1)

e.g., She wrote about her experiences in Africa.

3. eventthat affects one in some way

e.g. an incredible/ unpleasant/ unusual/ delightful experience; to share one’s experiences with friends

experience, v

have experience of

e.g. to experience difficulty/ pain/ pleasure

experienced, a

having knowledge or skill as a result of experience

e.g. an.experienced nurse/ teacher/ traveller

Opp.: inexperienced, a.

familiarize, v

1. make well acquainted (with)

e.g. familiarize oneself with the rules

2. make well known

e.g. Television has familiarized the word “newscast”.

gain, v

1. obtain (sth wanted or needed)

e.g. gain experience/ knowledge/ an understanding of/ an advantage over sb/ sb’s sympathy

ðgain time (= improve one’s chances by delaying sth, making excuses, etc)

ðgain the upper hand (= win)

2. make progress; be improved; benefit

e.g. The baby gained 5 pounds (in weight).

3. reach, arrive at (a desired place, esp. with effort)

e.g. The swimmers gained the shore.

gain, n

1. increase of possessions; acquiring of wealth

e.g. interested only in gain (= in becoming rich)

2. increase in amount or power

e.g. a gain in wealth/ weight

gainful, a

providing money

e.g. gainful occupations

gainfully, adv

in order to earn money

e.g. gainfully employed

involve, v

1. cause (a person or thing) to take part or be mixed up (in trouble, a difficult condition, etc.)

e.g. They are deeply involved in debt.

2. have as a necessary result

e.g. The new design is involving me in a lot of extra work.

involvement, n

involving or being involved (in, wit h); financial embarrassment; complicated affair

involved, a

complicated in form, etc.; concerned (in); in question

Opp.: uninvolved, a

live out, v

realize (one’s dreams); experience in reality

e.g. Her success enabled her to live out her wildest fantasies.

miss out on sth, v

lose a chance to gain advantage or enjoyment

e.g. You really missed out on a lot of fun by not coming to the party.

perspective, n

1. (on sth) the way a situation or problem is judged, so that (proper) consideration and importance is given to each part

e.g. a historical perspective; We must get/ keep the problem in perspective, it’s not really that serious. The results need to be looked at in (their proper) perspective

2. (of) a view, esp. one stretching far into the distance

reason, n

(for) (fact put forward or serving as a) motive, explanation or justification for sth

e.g. Is there any real reason why you are late? What’s the reason for your long silence? The reason why he’s late is that there was a breakdown on the railway.

ðwith reason (= rightly)

ðby reason of (= because of)

▪Cf.: cause, n

that which produces an effect, that makes sth happen

e.g. The cause of the fire was carelessness.

routine, n

fixed and regular way of doing things

e.g. my routine duties (= those performed regularly). She longed to escape from the same old familiar routine, the routine of housework

sights, n (pl)

noteworthy buildings, places, features, etc. of a place or district, sth worth seeing

ðsee the sights (= visit well-known places, esp. as a tourist)

sightseeing, n

visiting sights as a tourist

e.g. Some people like to lie on the beach, but I prefer (to go) sightseeing; a sightseeing holiday; Once I sailed down the Thames on a sightseeing tour.

sightseer, n

person who goes sightseeing

status, n

1. person’s legal, social or professional position in relation to others

e.g. have no official status

2. high social position; recognition and respect by others

e.g. They think owning an expensive car will give them status; it’s just a status symbol (= sth that is thought to be evidence of social rank, wealth) to them.

tourist attraction, n

a place or event that attracts large numbers of tourists, e.g. festivals, concerts, cinemas, etc.

touristy, a

(derog.) suitable for or visited by tourists

try sth out, v

use it, experiment with it, in order to test it

e.g. The idea seems good but it needs to be tried out.

try-out, n

test of ability, qualifications, etc., e.g. of an athlete

wild life, n

wild animals, birds, insects coll.

FOCUS ON VOCABULARY





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