TRAVELLING

Modern life is impossible without travelling. True, we often get tired of the same sur­roundings and daily routine. Hence some relaxation is essential to restore our mental and physical resources. That is why the best place of relaxation, in my opinion, is the one where you have never been before. And it is by means of travelling that you get to that place.

To understand how true it is you've got to go to a railway station, a sea or a river port or an airport. There you are most likely to see hundreds of people hurrying to board a train, a ship or a plane.

To be on the safe side and to spare yourself the trouble of standing long hours in a queue, you'd better book tickets in advance. All you have to do is to ring up the airport or the railway station booking office and they will send your ticket to your place. And, of course, before getting off you have to make your preparations. You should settle all your businesses and visit your friends and relatives. On the eve of your departure you should pack your things in a suitcase. When the day of your departure comes you call a taxi and go to the airport or the railway station.

For some time you stay in the waiting room. If you are hungry you take some re­freshments. In some time the loudspeaker announces that the train or the plane is in and the passengers are invited to take their seats. If you travel by train you find your car­riage, enter the corridor and find your berth. It may be a lower berth, which is more convenient, or an upper one. You put your suitcase into a special box under the lower seat. Then you arrange your smaller packages on the racks. In some time the train starts off. Travelling by train is slower than by plane, but it has its advantages. You can see the country you are travelling through and enjoy beautiful nature. It may be an express train or a passenger one. There is no doubt it's much more convenient to travel by an express train, because it does not stop at small stations and it takes you less time to get to your destination.

But if you are in a hurry and want to save your time you'd better travel by plane, because it is the fastest way of travelling. After the procedure of registration you board the plane at last. You sit down in a comfortable armchair and in a few minutes you are already above the clouds. The land can be seen below between the clouds and it looks like a geographical map. After the plane gains its regular height the stewardess brings in some mineral water. You can sit and read a book or a magazine, look through the window to watch the passing clouds change their colour from white to black.

Some people prefer to travel by ship when possible. A sea voyage is very enjoyable, indeed. But to my mind the best way of travelling is by car. The advantages of this way of spending your holiday are that you don't have to buy a ticket, you can stop wherever you wish, where there is something interesting to see. And for this reason travelling by car is popular for pleasure trips while people usually take a train or a plane when they are travelling on business.

When you get tired of relaxation, you become homesick and feel like returning home. You realize that "East or West — home is best," as the saying goes.

 WORD   LIST

 surroundings— околищ, середовище

routine— певний режим, заведений порядок, рутина

 hence — звідси, отже

relaxation— вгдпочинок від poботи, перепочинок, розвага

to be essential — бути необхідним

to restore— відновлювати, відшкодовувати, відроджувати

railway station — залізничний вокзал

airport — aeponopm

to board a train (ship, etc.) — cicmu на потяг корабелъ i т. д.)

train — потяг

ship — корабелъ, судно, пароплав

plane—літак

to be on the safe side — про всяк випадок

to spare oneself the trouble of — позбавитисебе від турбот, позбутися турбот

to stand in a queue (Br.) /line (Am.) — стояти в черзі

in advance — завчасно

to make one's preparations — готуватися

 to settle one's business — влаштовувати справи

on the eve — напередодні

to pack—вкладати речі, пакуватися

suitcase — валіза

departure — відїзд, відправлення

waiting room — зал чекання

to announce— повідомляти

passenger — пасажир

carriage — вагон

berth— Micцe (для лежання)

package — пакет, покупок.

rack — cimкa

destination—мгсце призначення; мета (подорожі)

to be in a hurry — nocniшamu

procedure—процедура

height — вucoma

for this reason — з uiєї причини

to become homesick — нудьгувати по дому

to feel like returning home — xomimu повернутися додому

left luggage office — камера схову

luggage receipt — багажна квитанція

to leave one's luggage in the left luggage of­fice — залишити речі в камері схову

to deposit one's luggage — здати на зберігання багаж

to collect one's luggage — взяти багаж: (із ка­мери схову)

to register one's luggage — здати речі в багаж:

to have one's luggage labelled — прикріпити рлик, наліпку

to have one's luggage checked — перевірити наявність місінь, вміст багажу

luggage rack — сітка для багажу

luggage van — багажний вагон

Lost and Found — бюро знахідок

luggage claim check — багажна бирка

Translate into English.

 1.        Коли відходить останній потяг на Харків? 2.   З якої платформи і з якої колії  відходять потяги  на Москву? 3.  Пан Петренко  дістав одне нижнє і одне верхнє місце в окремому купе швидкого потягу. 4.  Нам треба робити пересадку? — Ні, це прямий потяг. Ви доїдете до місця призначення без пересадки. 5.   Так, це потяг до  Санкт-Петербурга,  це швидкий потяг. 6. З якої платформи відходять потяги на Одесу? 7.  Директор нашої фірми  любить їсти у вагоні-ресторані.

Looking for the Train.

We got to the Waterloo Railway Station at eleven and asked what platform the eleven-five to Kingston

started from. Of course nobody knew: nobody at the Waterloo Railway Station ever knows what platform a train is going to start from, or where a train is going to, or anything about it. The porter who took our luggage thought it would go from number two platform, while another porter, with whom he discussed the question, had heard people say that it would go from number one. But a third porter, who came up to Us, was sure that it would start from platform number five.

To put an end to the matter, we found the statior master and asked him. He told us that he had just met a man who said he had seen the Kingston train at number three platform, but the people there said that they thought that train was the Southamptor express, or else the Windsor local. But they were sure it wasn't the Kingston train.

Then our porter said that he thought the Kingstor train must be on the high-level platform. So we went to the high-level platform, saw the engine driver and asked him if he was going to Kingston. He said he could not say for certain, of course, but that he thought he was. If he wasn't the eleven-five for Kingston, he said, then he was pretty sure that he was the nine-thirty-two for Virginia Water, or the ten a.m. express for the Isle of White, "Anyway, yoi will know when you get there," he added.

We put half-a-crown into his hand and asked hii to be the eleven-five for Kingston.

"Nobody will ever know on this line," we said, "what you are, or where you are going. You kno\ the way, don't you? You start quietly and go tc Kingston."

"Well, I don't know, gentlemen," replied the

engine-driver, "but I suppose some train must go to Kingston, and, all right, I'll do it. Give me that half-crown."

Thus we got to Kingston.

We learnt afterwards that the train by which we had come was really the Exeter mail, and that they had spent hours at the Waterloo Station looking for it, and nobody knew what had happened to it.

(Retold from Jerome's "Three Men in a Boat.")

                            Word List:

travel agency — бюро подорожей

to pay in cash — платити готівкою

as soon as — як тільки

to let us know — дати нам знати

safe and sound — цілий та неушкоджений

the time difference — різниця в часі