Travelling by plane

London has four airports: Heathrow in the west, Gatwick in the south, Stansted in the north and the City Airport in the City of London. Heathrow Airport is the busiest international airport in the world with more than 1000 planes taking off and landing every day; Gatwick is the second busiest. Nearly 70 million passengers use London's airports every year. The airports are vital, not only for the success of London's financial business in the City, but also for tourism in Britain. London's links with the rest of the world are good, so many people go to London to catch long-distance flights to other parts of the globe.

People going to other parts of Britain do not always have to fly to London. Important cities with their own airports include Manchester, Glasgow, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Belfast, Aberdeen and Newcastle.

Ответьте на вопросы:

1. How many airports does London have? What are their names?

2. How many people use London’s airports every year?

3. Why are airports vital?

4. What other cities in Britain have their own airports?

Текст

If you don't like flying, you are not alone. Fear of flying is one of the most common phobias in the world. Моте than 10 million British adults are afraid of flying. In America, this number is more than 25 million. Many famous people hate or hated flying: Ronald Reagan, Aretha Franklin, Mohammed All, Cher and Billy Bob Thornton are only some examples.

I hated flying. I knew that planes were very safe, that they were safer than cars (about 29 times safer), and the chance of being In a plane accident were about 0.0000000004%. But every time I was at the airport, I felt terrible. I couldn't get on the plane. The only problem was that I loved traveling. And if you love travelling and hate flying, that is a problem.

After many years, I decided to do something. A friend told me about a special course for people like me. It was a one-day course at the airport. There were more than 100 people on this course. The first part of the course was a class with a pilot. He explained exactly how a plane works, and showed us all the different parts. I liked that because it helped me a lot. Then we had a long talk with a psychologist. She gave us information about phobias and taught us a relaxation technique.

Then we had the most difficult part, a 45-minute flight. We were all still very nervous. Some people held hands, and some people cried. But we all did it. At the end of the flight I felt nervous, tired but very happy. I could get on a plane and survive. The next day I booked a ticket to see my brother in Hong Kong. It was the first time I visited him.

That was three years ago, and I don't mind flying now. But I don't like eating on planes, and no course can help me with that.

Расставьте события в правильном порядке.

· The writer talked to a psychologist.

· The writer visited her brother in Hong Kong.

· The writer went on a course for people afraid of flying.

· The writer talked to a pilot.

Ответьте на вопросы:

1. How many Americans hate flying?

2. Did the writer travel by plane before the course?

3. Why was the writer's phobia a problem?

4. Who taught the writer how to relax on a plane?

5. What did the people do when the flight started?

6. What did the writer do after her flight?

At the Customs House

While still on board the plane the passenger is given an arrival card to fill in, fills in (in block letters) his name in full, country of residence, permanent address, purpose and length of visit, and address in the country he is visiting.

After the passenger has disembarked, officials will check his passport and visa (to see if they are in order).

In some countries they will check the passenger's certificate of vaccination.

When these formalities have been completed the passenger goes to the Customs for an examination of his luggage.

Every country has its own customs regulations, which stipulate what articles are liable (subject) to duty and what are duty-free. Sometimes an article which falls under customs restrictions and is liable to duty is allowed as duty-free if a traveler does not exceed a certain quota. These are listed in a duty-free quota list.

Customs restrictions also include a prohibited articles-list. This is a list of items which may not be brought into a country or taken out of it.

Here is a partial list of prohibited articles (items): fire-arms, in some countries - meat products, fresh fruit and vegetables.

If a traveler has any item which comes under customs restrictions, he is asked to declare it. That is, he is asked to name the item, stating its value and other particulars. The declaration is made orally or in writing on a special form. In this case a traveler fills in the form. The practice seems to vary in different countries. Upon payment of duty a traveler is given a receipt. As a rule personal effects are duty-free.

It sometimes happens that a passenger's luggage is carefully gone through in order to prevent smuggling.

The formalities at the customs house usually take some time. Only after going through the customs a traveler is free to go to a hotel or any other place.

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Дата добавления: 2015-08-26