Exercise 1
Why not go travelling … and never stop?
In 2003 Troy sold everything, packed a small bag and left his home in Australia to travel abroad. He was 30. Ten years and 15 countries later, he’s still travelling and he says he isn’t ever going to go back home. Last year he arrived in Portugal. To earn money, Troy works as an English teacher. He’s also a DJ in some local nightclubs.
TROY SAYS: You can use English in most places, but you should try to learn the local language too.
Like many students, Cerys finished university in her home town of Swansea in Wales and decided to have a long holiday. She stayed in cheap hotels and with friends in different countries. Five years later she is still enjoying that holiday. When she was in Australia, she learned how to dive. She loved it and she decided to do a course and learn to teach other people how to dive. Now she works all over the world teaching tourists to dive.
CERYS SAYS: It’s a big, wide world out there. I don’t want to spend my life in just one place.
Oliver and Kirsten Foster left the UK in 2009. In three years they travelled to Mexico, Peru, the USA, Thailand, China, Dubai and Germany before arriving at their latest home in Egypt. They’re both photographers, so they can work anywhere in the world. They now have a three-year-old daughter, Liona, so they have to make plans more carefully. But they don’t want to change their lives. Next year they are going to live in Ecuador and then South Africa.
OLIVER SAYS: I love meeting new people, but you shouldn’t forget your family back home. I phone my mum every week.
KIRSTEN SAYS: You should live like the local people and try to make friends with people from the country.
A. Read the texts and read the sentences. Who do you think wrote each one: Troy (T), Oliver and Kirsten (OK) or Cerys (C)?
1 Saw some beautiful fish yesterday. Fantastic!
2 We’ve got a job taking photos for a local newspaper.
3 I think they liked the music I played last night.
4 I’m going to work on Koh Tao Island – the sea is so clear there.
5 We’re going to find a local school for our daughter next week.
Answer
1 C 2 OK 3 T 4 C 5 OK
Exercise 2
Re: Stockholm
Hi Elliot
Thanks for your email. I’m very happy to help you plan your holiday in Stockholm. I’m pleased you’re going to spend some time in my home town! You asked me about the three top tourist things to do in Stockholm, so here are some ideas. First, you should visit Gamla Stan (which means ‘the old town’). You can see a lot of history in this part of Stockholm and it’s very beautiful. There are also some great cafés in Gamla Stan.
Secondly, you should go to the Royal Palace. This is where our king and queen live, but you can visit some of the rooms and see some amazing things. Finally, the third place that you should go to is Skansen. It’s an outdoor museum and the zoo is there. There’s also a lovely park nearby. You said you are going to come at the end of May. That’s good because the weather is better then. There are a lot of outdoor things to do in Stockholm so there’s more to do when the weather is warm. I hope my ideas help you. Perhaps we can meet when you come to visit.
Best wishes
Karin
A. Elliot sent an email to Karin (What should I see in Stockholm). Read Karin’s reply. What doesn’t she talk about?
a places to visit
b the hotel
c the weather
B. Read Karin’s email again and complete the table.
|
Place to visit |
Reason to visit |
|
Gamla Stan |
historic, (1)……….., excellent (2)……….. |
|
Royal Palace |
the home of the (3)……….., rooms with (4)……….. things |
|
Skansen |
outdoor museum and (5)……….., close to a (6)……….. |
Answer
A
b the hotel
B
1 beautiful 2 cafés 3 king and queen
4 amazing 5 zoo 6 lovely park
Exercise 3
Hi Maggie
How are you? Sorry I haven’t written for a long time. I have been a bit busy because I need to plan a holiday, but I have a bit of a problem.
The problem is that it’s my sister’s 25th birthday next month and I want to do something special for her. I would really like to go on holiday abroad with her, but she often travels abroad for her work. So now she’s bored with travelling and doesn’t like staying in a hotel. I don’t want her to stay at home for her important birthday, but I don’t know what kind of holiday to plan. Do you have any ideas?
Write soon and tell me all your news.
Lucy
From: Maggie
To: Lucy
Subject: Hello
Hi Lucy
Good to hear from you! Your problem with your sister’s birthday made me think for a long time. Here’s my idea – see what you think of it.
I think you should change your plans about what to do. You don’t need to book a hotel to have a holiday. You just need to pack your sister’s bag and find a list of her friends who live abroad. Then you make plans to visit all the people who have time to see you and that’s it!
You shouldn’t ask her if she wants to go – you should just do it! Your sister has probably forgotten that holidays aren’t like work trips at all. When she has remembered how much fun it is to visit her friends, she will never want to come back home again.
Write back soon and tell me what you think!
Maggie
A. Read the emails. Match 1–4 with a–d to make sentences.
1 Lucy is busy because
2 Lucy asks Maggie
4 Maggie tells Lucy that
3 Maggie thinks Lucy and her sister
a she shouldn’t book a hotel.
b should stay with friends.
c what she can plan for her sister.
d she is planning a holiday.
B. Read the emails again. Are these sentences true or false?
1 It is Lucy’s birthday next month.
2 Lucy’s sister wants to go on holiday and travel abroad.
3 Lucy wants to celebrate her sister’s birthday abroad.
4 Maggie says that Lucy’s sister should stay at home if that’s what she wants.
5 Maggie says that Lucy should plan a different kind of holiday.
6 Maggie would like to know what Lucy thinks of her idea.
C. Write an email to a friend about a problem. For example:
• a problem with a friend
• a problem at work
• a problem about a holiday
• your own idea.
D. Write an email with an answer to the problem in C. Remember to say:
• what the person should do
• what the person shouldn’t do.
Answer
A
1 d 2 c 3 a 4 b
B
True: 3, 5, 6; False: 1, 2, 4