Reading - Чтение

Walking north across Europe

It was late December, and I was in Bohemian Forest, walking north. During the next two and a half months, my feet had to take me through the Bavarian forest, the Thuringtan forest and the Harz Mountains before carrying me across the wide northern plain to the Elbe and onwards to the Danish border.

I had been in Germany for only a few days when I experienced my first German miracle. I was camping in the frozen forests below Driesesselberg. The weather was awful: (1) ---------

But I wasn’t going to leave until I had seen the summit in the sun.

At last my patience was rewarded. I awoke one morning to an extraordinarily clear sky (2) --------------. The trees and rocks were covered in snow and ice and sparkled in the sun. The jagged line of the Alps to the south made the view even more breathtaking. For a while, I lost myself in it.

In an overcrowded continent, Germany has somehow managed to keep a few small areas of wilderness where one can find peace and space and experience harmony with the world. Such moments usually come (3) --------------. I experienced them again and again in the German forests as I continued north.

There was the glorious sunset on New Year’s Eve in the Bavarian Forest, which set the snow-covered pines on fire. There was also the worst storm of the winter on the summit of the great Arber; (4) --------------. And there were remarkable days in the Thurringian Forest, where the clear sky, deep snow and beautiful frost formations made me cry out with pleasure.

At other times I experienced despair. I saw areas where acid rain had left trees dead or dying, (5) ------------. In the Harz Mountains, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I saw a steam train carrying tourists up to an ugly summit, while belching out thick, poisonous clouds of smoke into the air.

As I walked north through forests and over hills, I came to countless attractive villages, where I met all sorts of people. I learned a lot about Germany and its people, (6) -----------.

For the first time I really understood how our own moods and actions affect those we meet. The man with the angry face who shook his fist at me from his car as I walked along in a snowstorm left me feeling angry, too. The smiling girl who waved raised my spirits.

More than anything else, I needed kindness; and sometimes the amount given was extraordinary. I was given food and drink, and I was invited into people’s homes and given a bed for the night, (7) -----------. Such kindness made all the difficulties worthwhile. It was the walk, and Germany, at their best.

The further north I got, the more Germany seemed like England. The fine old buildings reminded me of my corner of London, and the flat northern plain made me think of the countryside. I had walked through so many times before in England, with its cottages and sheep.

Finally, after nearly a thousand miles, I reached Schleswig-Holsten and the bracing North Sea coast. Nobody believed me when I told them (8) --------------. I was sorry to leave Germany behind. It had been many things: beautiful and wild, uncomfortable and exciting, good and bad. It had never, ever been boring.

Reading - Чтение

  Best for holidays? Away.

As you read this, I’m flying to America. I’m as excited about going somewhere as I am about not having to spend my holidays here, in England. My last holiday here was in Wales two years ago and it rained every day. Just horrible!

It was also very difficult to get to Wales. Travelling to the seaside in the summer holidays means hours spent in traffic jams. It is not a very relaxing start to a holiday! And when you get there, you have to pay up to 2£, which is more than anywhere else in England, for an ice-cream.

People say that England is safe than abroad, but I don’t think it’s true. And even it is true, you will not get much out of your life if you only go to places which are safe.

Some people also say that going abroad is a danger to your health. They must be joking!

The only pain is when you have injections against malaria. In fact, the one time I got sick on holiday was in England, after swimming in Devon. The sea was so dirty that I got an ear infection.

Then there is a language problem. I think that part of the fun of being abroad is learning how to say a few foreign words. That’s what I did on my holiday in Mexico and it helped my Spanish at school.

I agree it’s important to know about your own country’s culture. But isn’t visiting The Statue of Liberty or the pyramids in Egypt a more exciting experience than looking at the familiar big Ben?

For me, travelling is all about people and their cultures. I can’t imagine anybody not wanting to experience new places. Travel helps you grow and makes you look differently at your country when you get back.

True / False / No information

1.     The author is excited equally by the ability to afford foreign trips and by the trips themselves.

2.     The author spent his last holiday in England.

3.     The author didn’t enjoy his stay in Wales because of an ear infection.

4.     The author doesn’t agree that trips abroad are a health hazard.

5.     The author has never studied a foreign language, but believes it is fun to learn some simple words while you are abroad.

6.     The author accepts that, for some people, language problems can become a problem while they are travelling abroad.

7.     The author supports adventure tourism to exotic countries and unusual destinations.

8.     According to the author, Big Ben is not liked by UK residents.

9.     The author believes that the most interesting thing about travelling is experiencing new cultures.

According to most professors, mature students are ideal students because they are hard-working and become actively (1) ------ in all aspects of the learning process.

The majority of mature students have a poor educational background but they (2) ----- to do exceptionally well at tertiary level. (3) ------ many of them have a mortgage, a job and children to (4) ----, they are always present at seminars and lectures and always hand (5) ---- essays on time. They like studying and writing essays and they enjoy the class discussions that take place. Consequently, they (6) ---- excellent results. In fact, as they have (7) ------ many of life’s pleasures, they are content with their lives and this has a positive (8) ------ on their attitude, making them (9) ----- to learn.

On the other hand, despite their enthusiasm and commitment, mature students (10) ----- from anxiety. The fact that they have made many sacrifices to get into university puts extra pressure on them to succeed. (11) -------, completing a degree gives mature students a sense of achievement, boosts their confidence and (12) --- their job prospects.

Collocations - словосочетания

Complete the collocations below with the words in the box.

Word Formation - Словообразование

Complete the sentences with the correct form of the words.