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. Surely you wouldn't refuse to go camping for a few days. Think of the fresh air, the beauty of the landscape and the healthy exercise you need so much. Here is a list of statements to prove the advantages of camping. Think of the disadvantages. Follow the model.

Model: Camping is good for your health. - Yes, but it's awfully tiring.

1. Camping is fun. - Maybe, but .…

2. Camping is a challenge. - True, only .…

3. It's cheap: it can't be beyond anybody's means. - Well, it depends .…

4. Food cooked outdoors tastes better. - Not necessarily .…

5. You can get away from other people. - Fair enough, but .…

6. It satisfies your need for exercise and fresh air. - However .…

7. You are close to nature. - On the other hand .…

8. You are free to move and stop wherever you like. - In my experience .…

9. You can enjoy the company of your friends. - But sometimes .…

Use the list of words and make a story about a camping holiday which was:

a) great fun, b) a complete failure:

pack/unpack first-aid kit

sleeping bags waterproof and wellies

cooking utensils choose a camping site

folding bed put up/pitch a tent

fold-up tables and chairs make a bonfire/camp fire

12. Make up a conversation between two friends. One is enthusiastic about a walking holiday, the other is all for the comfort of a modern hotel.

13. Work in two groups and decide between you how to convince the other group that a walking holiday is the best for them.