Examination Specification Level B2 (Grade 11)

Travelling

Read the texts and say which writer(s) …

is planning to go somewhere different this year? 1. _
did not have a foreign holiday recently? 2. _ stopped on the way to where they were going? 3. _ mention spending money on food? 4. _
learned new skills? 5. _

A

We flew to Bali for a two-week holiday last year. It was wonderful. In fact we had a fantastic time even before we got to our destination because we had a stopover in Singapore. It was such a lively and exciting city and we had to be careful not to spend all our money because there were so many shops and the prices were much cheaper than at home. But Bali itself was completely different – quiet, peaceful, and very beautiful. Although there was food available at the resort as part of the package, we wanted to eat where the locals go, so we tried a few restaurants. The food was so cheap there that we could afford to eat like kings and we still had lots of money left over to buy souvenirs for our family and friends! The sightseeing was impressive too, and our rep helped us book various trips. My favourite was a traditional theatre – it was unlike anything I had ever seen.

B

We usually go for a package holiday in a popular holiday resort and so far we’ve been happy enough with the places we’ve been. But after a discussion with my mum and dad, and a short holiday in Paris this spring, we decided that it would be nice to go to a large European city this year. We all love sightseeing and, well, if I’m totally honest, lying in the sun does get a bit uninteresting, especially after two weeks. So we’re thinking about going to Madrid or Barcelona – we haven’t decided which – because we haven’t been there before and we think it will be nice to see some architecture and a bit of history. I hope we’re not making a mistake and we don’t end up regretting going somewhere that’s not by the sea, but I suppose we can find a beach without too much trouble – Barcelona’s near the sea, isn’t it? Perhaps that will be the best choice.

C

Mum and Dad decided to do something completely different last year and they took us on a holiday to the USA. It was incredible because we stayed on a farm and learned to do things that the cowboys used to do a hundred years ago. That was the first week. Then, in the second week, we went onto the forests on our horses and camped out in the wild. The scenery there was unbelievable and I can still remember lying by the camp fire and looking up at the stars. It was an unforgettable experience. We tried different things such as rock-climbing (no fun for my dad – he’s afraid of heights!) We also went canoeing, which was very scary but amazing fun. And they took us fishing and showed us how to cook the fish we had caught on our camp fire. Food is so tasty when you prepare it like that, and of course, it’s free!

D

Last August, three of us travelled by train through Europe. I’ve always preferred travelling by train so it was a holiday of a lifetime for me, but I’m afraid it was a bit much for the others. One of them said he got bored with what he described as ‘endless hours on platforms and in smelly railway carriages’. The other said he was tired of living on packets of biscuits and crisps! That was the real problem – we hadn’t brought a lot of money with us. We thought we could live cheaply – and we did – but that meant sometimes sleeping at railway stations and missing out on proper meals. The other two were glad to get back to home-cooked food and comfortable beds. I was sad that it was over. Perhaps the mistake I made was in my choice of travelling companions!

E

We usually go abroad once a year but my last holiday was closer to home. We went to Cromer, which is a holiday resort on the north-east coast of England. It was fun doing all the things that English people traditionally do on holiday, like eating fish and chips and going for donkey rides on the beach. We went to an amusement arcade – where they have all these machines and you try to win money. I didn’t win much but it was a pleasant way to spend a rainy afternoon. That was the only problem with the holiday – you aren’t exactly guaranteed hours of sunshine the way you would be in Greece or Spain. But it didn’t matter – we went for long walks along the coast and there were lots of indoor activities for us to do. When the sun came out, we went swimming. It was cold but that didn’t stop us from enjoying ourselves!

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