At the Railway Station. At the airport.
Warming up.
Have you been to many foreign countries? What was your favourite? Why?
Which countries would you like to visit? (Why?)
Do you think your hometown is a good place for a holiday? (Why do you say that? What would you recommend that tourists do there?)
What do you usually do with your summer holidays? (Why do you choose to do that?)
Which places in your country do visitors enjoy visiting most?
What are some of the benefits of going away on holiday?
Have there been any recent changes in the types of holiday that are popular in your country?
What kinds of benefits might a significant increase in tourist numbers bring to a location?
What are some of the negative effects of a dramatic increase in tourism?
What developments affecting international travel might there be in the future?
Read the following text. What means of travelling do you prefer?
Make sure you understand the meaning of the following words and word-combinations:
nowadays
to travel on business and for pleasure
to have at smb’s disposal
various means of transport
to travel a long distance
a corner seat of a carriage
a splendid view
luggage
the bookstalls
departure
arrival
flight
a passenger
to prevent smuggling
a boarding pass
an anti-hijacking measure
the crew
to fulfill the formalities
At the Railway Station. At the airport.
Part A. Nowadays people travel a lot. They travel on business and for pleasure, about the country and abroad. Those who wish to travel have at their disposal various means of transport: express trains and big ships, cars and jet airliners. Although we all agree that the future belongs to the air transport, the railway is still one of the most popular means of communication. Of course, if people are short of time and have to travel a long distance they usually travel by air. But if they have time they prefer to go by train.
With a train you have speed, comfort and pleasure combined. From the comfortable corner seat of a carriage you have a splendid view of the country-side. If you are hungry you can have a meal in the dining-car and if the journey is long you can have a comfortable bed in a sleeper. A big railway station is a very busy place. Let's imagine that we are in one of them.
There are a lot of platforms at which trains come in and go out. A train is standing at one of the platforms ready to leave. The porters are very busy carrying luggage to the train or pushing it on their trucks. On another platform the train has just come in. Some passengers are getting out, others are getting in. Those who haven't got their tickets in advance are waiting in queues at the booking-office. At the bookstalls people are choosing books, magazines and newspapers for the journey.
There are a lot of notices in a big railway station. You may see ENTRANCE and EXIT. There is also a WAITING-ROOM where you can relax until it is time to board your train. If you are hungry or thirsty you'll go to the REFRESHMENT ROOM. If you don't know the number of the platform from which your train leaves, look for the notices ARRIVALS and DEPARTURES. They will tell you the number of the platform. When you arrive in a large town you may leave your heavy luggage at the station. In this case you will look for the CLOAK ROOM or LEFT LUGGAGE OFFICE. You will also see the notice BOOKING OFFICE. This is where you buy your ticket. If you don't know the time or the platform your train leaves from you'll go to the INQUIRY OFFICE or the INFORMATION BUREAU.
Part B. Travelling by air is the fastest means of travelling. Passengers are to arrive at the airport two hours before departure time on international flights and an hour before on domestic flights as there must be enough time to complete the necessary airport formalities. For this purpose the passenger must register their tickets and luggage.
As a rule, personal belongings may be brought in duty-free. If the traveller has nothing to declare he may just go through the “green” section (channel) of the Customs. In some cases, the Customs inspector may ask the passenger to open the bags for inspection. It sometimes happens that a luggage is carefully gone through to prevent smuggling.
The rules for passengers who are going abroad are similar in most countries but sometimes there might be a slight difference in formalities.
If, for instance, the traveller begins with going through the Customs, he’d better fill in the Customs declaration before talking to the Customs officer.
An experienced Customs officer usually smells a smuggler, but he may ask routine questions, for instance, “Have you got anything to declare?” or “Any spirits, tobacco, presents?” The usual answers would be, “Yes, I’ve got some valuables, but I’ve put them all down in the declaration”, or “I’ve got two blocks of cigarettes for my own use” or something of that kind.
Then he goes to the check-in counter where his ticket is looked at, the things are weighed and labelled, a claim-check for each piece of luggage is inserted in the ticket and the passenger is given a boarding pass, which has a seat number on it. Of course, if the luggage weighs more than twenty kilos, extra is to be paid.
The next formality is filling in the declaration form and going through passport control. The traveller writes his name, nationality, permanent address and the purpose of the trip. In most countries there is also a security check when the carry-on luggage is inspected. This is an anti-hijacking measure, and anything that might be dangerous or disturbing to other passengers must be handed to one of the crew and only returned to the owner after the plane has reached its destination.
After fulfilling all these formalities passengers go to the departure lounge where they can have a snack, read a paper, buy something in the duty-free shop and wait for the announcement to board the plane.
At the airport passengers may be met by a specially trained dog that will make sure that they are not carrying drugs.
There is another inconvenience the person has to be prepared for when travelling long distances by plane. It’s the jet lag, a difference between the time people are accustomed to and the new time. At first travellers won’t be feeling very well because of it, but it won’t take them long to get used to it.
Questions to discuss.
- Why do people travel a lot nowadays?
- Which is the most popular means of communication? Why?
- How can you describe a big railway station?
- Where can passengers wait for the train?
- Where can passengers buy tickets?
- Where can passengers get information about the time and the platform the train leaves?
- Where can passengers leave their heavy luggage?
- Do you prefer traveling alone or in a group?
- In which seasons do you prefer to travel?
- What is the best season to travel in your country?
- What places would you like to visit in the future?
- How much time do you spend travelling on a normal day?
- What do you do while you are travelling?
- Do you think your hometown is a good place for a holiday?