7. Speak about your own plans for tonight or the coming weekend or holiday.

8. Read the text and say which of the ways of holiday making are mentioned in the text. Which of them appeal to you most and why?

Whether they have a boat or not, most British families like to spend some time at the seaside in the summer. The beaches get very crowded in hot weather. Groups of people go on organized outings to popular resorts like Brighton or Blackpool. Coaches full of pensioners or factory or office workers drive to the coast for a day out.

If the sea is warm enough they can go for a swim. Or they may prefer to take off their shoes and socks and paddle in the shallow water. Holiday-makers bring a picnic lunch with them, and they can buy ice-cream from the ice-cream van, tea from the refreshment kiosk and drinks at the pubs. It may rain but the British are used to changeable weather. The family can always sit in the car, or find the nearest amusement arcade, or simply turn round and go home.

Not everybody in Britain is interested in sport or in outings. A minority is interested in going to the theatre, to the cinema, to concerts, to the opera. But this kind of entertainment is getting expensive. A specially British activity, which may count as cultural entertainment, is attendance at day and evening classes in Adult Institutes and Colleges of Further Education. Some people may go to practical classes like dressmaking or car maintenance but many go for pleasure to do pottery or ballet dancing, to learn how to arrange flowers artistically, or to learn a foreign language. Others enjoy listening to lectures and discussing subjects like philosophy.

In general there is not much difference between the British and other nationalities in the way they react to "culture": it depends on personal taste.

9. Make 10 questions about the text, let your fellow students answer them.

10. Suppose one of your students has just come back from Britain. Ask him or her about how the British spend their holidays.

11. Fill in prepositions where necessary. Act the conversation out:

Sarah: Ah, Pauline! Did you have a good holiday?

Pauline: No. I certainly did not have a good holiday.

Sarah: Oh, I'm very sorry to hear that. What was wrong?

Pauline: Well, when I arrived ... Brighton, I had to spend an hour ... the railway station because nobody met me. I had to go ... the hotel ... a taxi and the taxi cost ... me £12.

Sarah: Oh, dear, you had a very bad start. But I hope the hotel was nice.

Pauline: No, it was not. We couldn't sleep because ... the traffic noise. And the restaurant served fish ... every day.

Sarah: Oh, no!

Pauline: The hotel was ... the beach and we could walk ... the sea ... two minutes, but the beach was terribly littered and the sea was polluted.

Sarah: Oh dear! Better luck ... next time.

Note how Sarah expresses her sympathy and makes "polite noises". Make up similar conversations about a very bad holiday. Use some of the following:

Cheer up.

What a shame/pity!

Take it easy.

How terrible for you!

I'm so sorry about ...

It could be a lot worse.

These things do happen.

Poor thing! Don't let it worry you.

12. This is how a travel agency advertises a trip to Moscow. Study it and write your own advertisement of any place in or outside the country.

One of the world's most fascinating capitals awaits you, Moscow. The city is at its most dramatic and charming during the winter months with snow-capped cupolas and ice-covered ponds. In spring and autumn it is particularly welcoming and friendly. Throughout the year, you are offered a whole host of exciting things to see and do.

Your first excursion is likely to be a city tour by coach with stops such as the vantage point of the Lenin Hills from where the panorama of Moscow old and new is spread before you.

Don't miss an excursion to the Kremlin, the historical centre of Russia since its foundation in 1147. The Kremlin - meaning "fortress" - includes ancient cathedrals and museums, icons, the throne of Ivan the Terrible, the biggest bell in the world, the Tsar cannon ... see the treasures for yourself!

13. Listen to a travel agent advertising a trip to Moscow. Would you like to change anything in it or not?

14. Make up your own advertisement of some place you have visited and read it in class. Let the students guess what place it is.

15. Write a paragraph about:

a) the pleasures of travelling;

b) the benefits of sightseeing tours;

c) the advantages of seaside holidays;

d) the pros and cons of spending your holiday in the country.