VOCABULARY ACTIVITIES
8. Which adjectives can describe each of the mentioned above occupations and qualities required by them?
responsible tiring inspiring
exacting hard-working demanding
(un)exciting tedious useful
strenuous communicative
well-mannered uncivilized
accurate efficient
fascinating
9. Read and paraphrase the following. See useful vocabulary in the brackets.
1) Most British roads, apart from our special motorways, are becoming badly congested with motor traffic. So it is no wonder that more and more car-owners are returning to railway travel as a less exhausting and usually faster way of getting from one big centre to another (traffic blocked / tied up because of too many vehicles on the road, to show a preference for).
2) In the first place, one sees much more of the country by train than one does by road. In Scotland, in fact, there are some magnificent stretches of scenery which can be admired from the train – but not by the motorist. In other parts of the country the train passes by farmhouses 400 years old, and towering castles still older (firstly, to have an opportunity, breathtaking views, to enjoy/ to relish, to move past something).
3) And to all these sights one can give one's whole attention because one is not driving oneself. It is all because our railway lines, although they are the oldest in the world, have not been hemmed in by later building. Long stretches of our main roads, however (again excepting the special motorways), are now entirely dominated by buildings on both sides – completely "built up", as we say (to devote to / focus attention on, to obstruct / be obstructed, to overlook).
4) The administration of British railways has in recent years organized the connections between our chief cities so that the timetables are easy for regular travelers to remember. To Norwich, for instance, the trains from London leave "every hour, at the half-hour." And the journey of 184 km. takes exactly two hours, including stops. From the capital of England to the capital of Scotland, Edinburg, is 629 km., and the fast train covers this in 5 hours 48 minutes (to arrange, major centers, commit to memory / memorize, express train).
5) While the food in British Rail restaurant cars is not actually famous for its high standard there is the great advantage that restaurant cars are attached to a great many trains, even for journeys as short as three hours. An enormous number of trains now carry a buffet car with a bar providing sandwiches, tea and coffee, as well as alcoholic drinks. (to be below the standard / not to be up to standard, the pluses of, to offer).
6) To return to traveling by train strikes some of us as almost a backward step compared with the independence of traveling in one's own car. But it may be the only way to make sure that we can all conserve what we so much wish to enjoy; in fact, it may be a fundamental part of the great problem of conservation (a sign of retreat, to impress somebody, to protect, essential part).
10. Complete the sentences below with the words and phrases given in column A of the matching exercise for Text 2.
1) When passing through the customs you have to ... .
2) The plane nearly crashed – something went wrong while it was ... .
3) A pity he could not stay in New York for a couple of days -he did not have a ... .
4) Are you going by a scheduled ... or is it a charter?
5) It was because of that fog that the plane ... .
6) The less you have to declare, the sooner you'll be ... .
7) Which is more difficult in a flight to ... or to ... .
11. Arrange the words in the following groups according to the normal order of events.
à to fasten seat-belts, to book a ticket, to fill in declarations, an immigration control;
à to be clear of customs, to take off, to serve breakfast, to check in, to touch down;
à to land, to report at the air-field, to weigh luggage, to get on board of the aircraft.
12. In an English-English dictionary find definitions for: a letter of credit, traveler's cheque, postal order, postage stamp.
13. Fill in the gaps with the words given in the box.
1) What do I have to do first ... to ... or to ... ? 2) Because of the fog the flight is not ... until 6 p.m. 3) This is the ... for passengers traveling to London. Will the remaining passengers go to ... . 4) Flight A541 from Moscow has been ... until further notice. 5) Passengers for flight A541 should remain in the ... . 6) Flight A541 is now ... . Will all the passengers proceed to ... . 7) I didn't notice when the plane ... . 8) Put your luggage on ... , please. 9) To board the aircraft you have to have a ... . 10) If your luggage is heavy you have to pay an ... .
boarding pass
to take off
an excess luggage charge
departure lounge
to be delayed
to be due
to go through a passport control to check in
the final call
to be boarding
scales gate № 1