Your destination this year – Serbia

Track 43

You are planning a holiday. Look at these holidays offered by a travel agency. Read the advertisements. In pairs, choose one of the trips you would like to go on together. Make notes on your reasons. Use the words below to help you.

exciting boring dangerous educational informative exploration a new experience good accommodation good for one’s health amusing unforgettable luxurious exhausting relaxing tiring adventurous cheap expensive

READING

SPA RESORT

Palić Lake, the most popular tourist destination in Vojvodina, is situated 8km from Subotica. The entire shore of the lake is 17km long. There are attractive paths for walking, cycling or riding on a horse-drawn coach.

Thanks to the mineral water springs with temperatures of 250 C and the mud from the lake, Palić became a spa resort at the end of the 19th century.

The Palić area offers various pleasures for visitors, both young and old, including rowing and sailing, or in the winter, ice skating on the frozen lake. There are numerous sports facilities for football, basketball and volleyball, as well as tennis courts. A visit to the zoo or to an ostrich or horse farm will make for a memorable holiday.

In the heart of the Grand Park is the Summer Stage, where the Palić International Film Festival is held every summer.

RAFTING

The Drina is a fast flowing river which is perfect for various water sports, such as white water rafting and kayaking. The famous Drina Regatta has been held along the 25 km route in July every year since 1990.

Rafting on the Drina is a challenging and recreational activity. All the participants must get involved. People from all over Serbia and Europe come in order to have excitement and fun. A trip down the crystal clear waters can last anywhere from two to four hours, or even a whole day.

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Cooking over a campfire and having lunch on the river bank are some of the great joys of this area. The Drina is one of the cleanest rivers in Europe, which is why it is rich with fish - there are more than thirty species. It is a real paradise for fishermen. Rafting on the Drina is an irresistible challenge for both tourists and sportsmen.

WINTER AND SUMMER RESORT

Kopaonik is the largest mountain in Serbia. Its highest peak is Suvo Rudište (also called Pančić’s Peak) at 2,017 metres above sea level. This mountain has enormous resources for the development of tourism. Sports and recreation are key factors. Kopaonik is mainly a destination for skiing and snowboarding.

The tourist resort includes hotels, hostels, chairlifts, excellent ski slopes and many other tourist facilities. The duration and quality of snowfall and ideal skiing facilities are attracting a rapidly increasing number of guests.

The entire park is known for its extraordinary natural beauty, vast expanses of grassland, and picturesque forests made up of a wide variety of tree species.

Glossary

species – plants or animals with the same characteristics peak – mountain top facility – something designed or built to serve a specific function expanse – a wide area duration – the period of time that something lasts or exists slope – the side of a hill or mountain ostrich – a very large bird that runs very fast but cannot fly

COMPREHENSION

Answer the following questions. 1. What sports and entertainment are offered to tourists when they go to

Palić? 2. What makes Palić a spa resort? 3. Why does the Drina attract people every July? 4. Why is the Drina good for fishing? 5. Which adjectives best describe the River Drina? 6. What are the main factors that make Kopaonik so attractive for tourists?

VOCABULARY

a cb

Match each word in 1-5 to its correct definition by circling a or b.

1. variety a. diversity b. a circus 2. enormous a. unusually attractive b. unusually large 3. irresistible a. very desirable, appealling b. able to resist 4. resort a. a place which is popular for holidays and recreation b. a place for training

5. picturesque a. with a lot of pictures b. visually attractive

GRAMMAR ADJECTIVES

Position and order of adjectives Look at these sentences.

1. The mountain has enormous resources. 2. The idea of rafting on the Drina became attractive.

1 An adjective can come in two places in a sentence: a) before a noun, e.g. a picturesque forest, a real paradise b) after the verbs be, look, feel, taste, sound, smell, seem, appear, become and get.

The Drina is rich in fish. / The river looks perfect for water sports. 2 When we use two or more adjectives together, they normally go in the following order: quality + size + age + shape + colour + origin + material + noun extraordinary white slopes (quality + colour), a nice linen dress (quality + material) 3 In expressions with measurements, the adjective normally comes after the measurement noun.

She is 18 years old. / I am 1.66 metres tall.

PRACTICE

Make sentences using these words in the right order.

1. blue / raincoat / cheap / a / she / bought __________________________________________ 2. monastery / over / is / old / 600 / the / years ________________________________________ 3. hair / Susie / long / doesn’t have / blond / beautiful__________________________________ 4. Japanese / we / saw / some / cars / black / new_______________________________________ 5. bridge / wooden / was built / 1 kilometre / long / over / the river / a ___________________________________________________________________________

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SPEAKING 

In groups of four, discuss the following tips for canoeing suggested by an experienced canoeist. After considering all the tips, decide which tips would make you decide FOR or AGAINST canoeing.

If you like a challenge and an adventure, canoeing offers the best of both. Canoeing is reasonably cheap: you don’t need your own canoe; it can be hired. Canoeing requires little tuition, but the best way to start is by joining a local club. There are some basic rules to obey:

a. As beginners, never canoe alone. b. Always watch the weather. c. Avoid fast-flowing waters until you are more experienced.

At first, even just paddling in a straight line is difficult. Once you can paddle backwards and forwards, you will have control of the canoe. You can use canoeing as an exciting and a competitive sport or just to enjoy a lovely day on the river.

paddle one’s own canoe – to depend on oneself; to be independent

WRITING  You have been asked to write a short article for a brochure on a major tourist attraction in Serbia. Describe any place you consider to be the most interesting and explain why tourists should visit it. What heading would you give to your article?

Choose from among the places on the map.

You may find these words and phrases useful. holiday resort / spa / industrial centre / archaeological site / hydroelectric plant / historical centre

Mention: • what the place represents / how big it is / where it is situated (e.g. It’s ....km away from.... / It’s near the border with.... / It’s in the east /west ... of the country, etc.) • if you have been there • why it is important / what interesting features it has (scenery, industry, shopping, festivals, and other important events) • what you like / don’t like about it (what the good/bad things are about living there)

SPEAKING AND VOCABULARY

TRAVELLING BY AIR Work in groups. Discuss the ways people travel. Compare travelling by plane to some other ways. Use these questions to help you start your discussion.

Which way of travelling is the… – fastest? – most comfortable? – most convenient/inconvenient? – cheapest? • Have you ever experienced anything unusual while travelling?

At the airport Do you know what you should do when you arrive at the airport? Look at the procedures given below. Use these guidelines and say in the first person what you should do when you travel by plane. Use: first, next, then, after, as soon as, finally

Departure

1. Go to the check-in desk to check in. 2. The ticket agent checks your ticket. 3. You should show some ID. 4. Your luggage will be also checked. 5. You get a boarding pass for the plane with the flight, gate and your seat number on it. 6. If you are taking an international flight, an official checks your passport. 7. You board the plane and find your seat. You sit next to either the window or the aisle. 8. Carry-on luggage can be put under the seat in front of you or in the overhead compartment above you. 9. You can read or hear the instructions: ‘Please fasten your seatbelts and put your seat in the upright position.’ 10. The plane moves slowly to the runway and takes off.

Arrival

1. When the plane lands, walk through the terminal building. 2. Wait at baggage claim. 3. Pass through Customs.

Useful language

to check in – report that you have arrived the ticket agent – airline representative to board – get on the plane ID (identification) – any document that shows who you are flight – a journey by plane carry-on – luggage taken onto the plane to take off – leave the ground to land – arrive on the ground

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150 KEY WORD TRANSFORMATIONS

Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given.

1. It was John’s first visit to America. /never

John ________________________ America before. 2. I have never read a brochure about natural wonders before this one. /time

This is the __________________________ a brochure about natural wonders. 3. There was a number of different types of things./variety

There ________________________ types of things. 4. Nobody had expected Jane to play so well. /better

Jane played_______________________________ expected. 5. Do you know where they’re going to hold the next Olympic Games? /place

Do you know where the next Olympic Games _______________________? 6. They won’t score any goals if they don’t start running faster. /will

Unless _________________________________________________________________ 7. I strongly advise you to look for a new job. /were If______________________ look for a new job.

EXPAND YOUR VOCABULARY

Match these words with the definitions given.

an expedition a tour a crossing a package tour a cruise a flight a trip travel a voyage 1. A journey by plane ___________ 2. A journey by ship for pleasure _____________ 3. A journey by sea ____________ 4. A journey from one side of the sea to the other ___________ 5. An organized journey to see the sights of a place ___________ 6. An informal word for a journey, sometimes meaning a short journey _________ 7. A holiday which includes organized travel and accommodation _____________ 8. Taking journeys, as a general idea ______________ 9. A journey for a scientific or special purpose _____________

LISTENING

Track 44 A telephone conversation

Use the sentences from the box below to complete this telephone conversation.

I have a flight booked to Manchester on Sunday at 8 p.m. I’d like to change it for Monday morning at 8.30. Good morning. My name is Mrs Carol Harris.

That’s fine. Thank you very much. Goodbye. Good morning. I’d like to change a flight booking, please. Yes, please. Where can I have my ticket changed?

A: British Airways. Good morning. B: __________________________________________ A: Hold on, please. I’ll put you through to Flight Reservations. C: Flight Reservations. B: __________________________________________ C: How can we help you, Mrs Harris? B: ___________________________________________________________________________ C: I’m sorry, madam. There are no seats left, but we can offer you a seat the same day on the afternoon flight. Shall I book one for you? B: ___________________________________________________________________________ C: You should go to the British Airways desk at the airport 60 minutes before the flight. B: ___________________________________________________________________________

DISCUSSING PROVERBS and SAYINGS

1 Complete the proverbs with an animal name. Can you explain the meaning or translate it into your language? 1. You can take a ___________ to the water, but you can’t make it drink. 2. You can’t teach an old _____________ new tricks. 3. You must take the ______________by the horns. 4. Don’t make a __________of yourself. 5. He has a ______________ in his bonnet. 6. _________________ of a feather flock together.

2 Explain in your own words the meaning of the following sayings to make the meaning as clear as possible. Give some examples which support your opinion. 1. The World is a book and those who do not travel read only a page. ~ St. Augustine 2. To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries. ~ Aldous Huxley 3. The traveller sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see. ~ G.K. Chesterton

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