Bed and breakfast

Bed and breakfast, often shortened to В and B', is the name for establishments which offer bed and breakfast but not usually any other meals. В and Bs are generally cheaper than hotels and guest houses and are found all over Britain. Some are private houses run by the families who live there; others are pubs; and some are farm houses on working farms. В and Bs generally give you a chance to meet British people at home and to practise your English.

Some В and Bs offer an evening meal; you should check in advance if you require this.

Youth hostels

The Youth Hostel Association has over 400 hostels in Britain. They are very cheap and are often in buildings of special or historic interest. Although there is no age restriction, youth hostels are mainly used by students and the under 30s. In order to stay in a youth hostel you must be a member. You can use British hostels by joining the International Youth Hostel Association in your own country, or you can apply for an International Guest card when you arrive in Britain. Everyone staying at a youth hostel is expected to help with the housework. Simple meals and/or self-catering facilities are provided at some hostels. Many hostels close for part of the year. You can find out more information by writing to:

The Youth Hostel Association

Trevelyan House

8 St Stephen's Hill

St Albans

Hertfordshire

ALI2DY, Tel: [phone]

Post-Reading

A Make a list of types of accommodation for visitors to the UK mentioned in the text.

В Use alternative words to say the following:

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1) a range of accommodation; 2) camping and caravan sites; 3) a travel agent; 4) accommodation guides; 5) per person, not per room; 6) a night s accommodation; 7) arrangements can be made to check out later; 8) to have fewer facilities; 9) the tourist boards inspect hotels.

С Give the English for:

1) бронировать место в гостинице; 2) разгар сезона отпусков; 3) полу-пансион и полный пансион в гостинице; 4) время регистрации и выписки; 5) без ограничений возраста; 6) те, кому нет тридцати лет; 7) в условиях самообслуживания; 8) управление по делам туризма.

D Discuss with your partners.

1. How can you get accommodation in Britain? 2. What is advisable to know about the hotels in Britain? 3. What's a 'guest house'? 4. What type of accommodation is ^;B and B'? 5. What accommodation can Britain offer to young people? 6. Can you compare the accommodation in Great Britain with that in your country or any other country you have visited?

*TEXT III

Pre-Reading

Sometimes old houses are a problem for the neighbourhood. Discuss with your partners if they are worth reconstructing or should be destroyed for new houses to be built.

Reading

Read the text "Just What We Are Looking For!!!" and do the tasks thai'follow.

Just What We Are Looking For!!!

I left the hotel today at eight o'clock for an early appointment with the agent, who yesterday assured me he had found me just the house we were looking for. When 1 arrived he looked less convinced than I did. Even at that time of the morning, I was already irritable and despondent as I arrived at the first address. At first I walked past the house. Where it should have been was a wilderness of trees and overgrown grass. Then out of the green darkness stepped the agent. 'Ah, there you are! It's here,' he said. I stepped in through the broken-down gate, and walked up the dusty garden path. It immediately felt cooler and calmer. The agent rattled a large bunch of keys, and tried several in the door, talking to himself all the time, before he exclaimed, 'Ah!"

We let ourselves in and walked into a deliciously cool, but dusty house. He suggested I walk around by myself. I went into a gloomy living room downstairs and switched on the light, but nothing happened. The agent heard me clicking the switch and said, 'Ah! No good. The switch needs mending. I'll have an electrician repair it immediately.' I peered into the darkness and made out the shape of a window on the far side. The agent walked over to the window and threw open the peeling shutters, the sunlight streamed in. A rather faded sofa and two battered armchairs sat around an open fireplace which hinted at log fires in winter. The curtains were stripy but more or less in shreds. Outside there was a terrace and beyond the trees, the dense undergrowth, the tall grass and the wild plants that were once the garden, were the mountains in the distance. I walked through into what must have been a kitchen, but only recognisable because of the antiquated equipment which 1 last saw during a visit to a local museum. I turned on the tap. and once again nothing happened.

'The water needs to be reconnected. Well get the plumber to do it. It's no problem,' the agent said.

Upstairs there were two bedrooms and a bathroom with low ceilings and which were, despite being hidden in the roof, still quite cool. The bathroom had no bath and not much room, but a beautiful view over the garden. The basin was filthy with the dirt of the years during which the place had been unoccupied. 1 sat on the brass bed in the dusty bedroom, and looked round, thinking, not bad, not bad at all. In my mind, I could see the house with new curtains and carpets, our own furniture, which had been in store for several months, books on the shelves, beds made up, lengthy lunches on the terrace, endless summers and warm winters. I could do most of the work myself.

1 went down downstairs and the agent looked at me hopefully. It was worth the lengthy search, the dusty visits to endless houses, the depressing inspections of grim flats, to see his smile when I said to him, 'It's just what we're looking for.'

Post-Reading

A Mark all the place words you can find and list them under the following headings.

housingnatural features

e.g. house e.g. overgrown grass

В Match the words from the text with their definitions. Mind that there are two extra definitions.

1. irritable a. making sad, low in spirits

2. wilderness b. having a long narrow band distinguished,

as by colour or texture, from the surrounding material

3. to rattle с collection of things of the same sort placed or

fastened together

4. delicious d. uncultivated waste land

5. to click e. stern, severe: without mercy: gloomy

6. to peer f. look directly and fixedly, often with wide-open

eyes

7. stripy g. make short, sharp sounds quickly, one after

another

8. to stream h. make a short, sharp sound (like that of a key,

turning in a lock)

9. depressing i. giving delight (esp. to the senses of taste and

smell, to the sense of humour)

10. grim j. flow freely; move continuously and smoothly in

one direction

11. bunch k. look (at, into smth.) closely, as if unable to see

well

I. easily annoyed or made angry

m. make a loud noise

С Say the following in alternative words.

1) a wilderness of trees and overg r own grass; 2) the broken-down gate; 3) I <...> made o ut the shape of a window; 4) two battered armchairs; 5) an open fireplace; 6) the antiquated equipment; 7) The bathroom had <...> not much room; 8) which had been in store for several months; 9) It was worth the lengthy search; 10) depressing inspections of grim flats.

D Find in the text the equivalents for the following: 1) раздраженный и унылый (подавленный); 2) пыльная садовая тропинка; 3) греметь большой связкой ключей; 4) восхитительно прохладный; 5) мрачная гостиная; 6) облупившиеся ставни с отслаивающейся краской; 7) огонь из поленьев дров; 8) диван с выцветшей обивкой; 9) грязная раковина; 10) железная кровать; 11) занавески (шторы), превратившиеся в лохмотья

Е Answer the following questions.

1. What do you think of this house for sale? 2. What details create a negative impression about the house? Give as many words and phrases from the text as you can to support your answer. 3. What were the positive features about the house that impressed the

story-teller favourably? 4. Why do you think the story-teller made up his mind to buy the house?

*TEXT IV

Pre- Reading

A Some people say they would like to live on an island. Do you know why? What about you? Discuss it with your partners.

В Skim the text for the geographical names and say where these places are situated.

С Can you give any information about such well-known figures as Henryk Sienkiewicz, a Polish novelist, and the two Hollywood stars, John Wayne and Marlon Brando?

D What do you know about Nobel prize, one of the most prestigious international awards?

Reading

Read through the text "Master of All You Survey " and do the tasks that follow.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14