|
La Rochefoucauld, Francois De, 1613-1680 French Classical Writer
The best mirror is an old friend.
Proverb
A little man often cast a long shadow.
Proverb, Italian
We see things as we are, not as they are.
Rosten, Leo, 1908-1997 Polish Born American Political Scientist
The world is governed more by appearances than by realities, so that it is fully as necessary to seem to know something as to know it.
Webster, Daniel, 1782-1852 American Lawyer Statesman
Only shallow people do not judge by appearances. The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible.
Wilde, Oscar, 1856-1900 British Author
TRAVELLING
Modern life is impossible without travelling. Thousands of people travel every day either on business or for pleasure. They can travel by air, by rail, by see or by road and each mean has its advantages and disadvantages.
Some people say that travelling by train is a very exiting thing. You can see interesting places of the country you are travelling through. Modern trains have very comfortable seats, and there are also sleeping carriages and a dining-carriage which make even the longest journey enjoyable. You can also travel by sea, enjoying the trip on board of ship. There are tennis and badminton grounds, a swimming-pool, a cinema and a dancing hall there.
Some people prefer travelling by car. If you come to a foreign country you can rent a car and make a wonderful trip.
A lot of people like hiking. They adore living in a tent, making a fire and preparing meals on it, gathering mushrooms and berries in the forest.
But the fastest and the most convenient way of travelling is flying. Even though it is the most expensive way, a lot of people chose it nowadays. There are a lot of businessmen who have to communicate with people from other countries. Every day they must sign a lot of contracts, sometimes within one day. So planes are the only possibility to do it.
Travelling by air has some disadvantages too. One of them is a difference between the time you are accustomed to and the new time. At first you won't be feeling very well because of it and it can take you long to get used to it.
After you arrive at the airport, look at the departures board which shows the flight numbers, departure times and destinations you have to be prepared for one more inconvenience: Customs and lots of other formalities. The rules for passengers who are going abroad are similar in most countries: you'd rather fill in the customs declaration before you go through the Customs and talk to the customs officer. He may ask any passenger routine questions about declare the things, spirits, tobacco, presents. Then you go to the check-in desk where your ticket is looked at, your things are weighed and labeled. Most airports have at least 2 classes of travel, first class and economy class, which is cheaper. Each passenger of more than 2 years of age has free luggage allowance. Generally this limit is 20 kg for economy class passengers and 30 kg for first class passengers, excess luggage must be paid for except for some articles that can be carried free of charge. At the check-in desk they also check your ticket and give you a boarding card for the plane with your seat number on it.
The next formality is filling in the immigration form and going through passport control. The form has to be filled in block letters. You write your name, nationality, permanent address and the purpose of your trip. In most countries there is also a security check when your carry-luggage is inspected. This is an anti-hijacking measure, and anything that might be dangerous or disturbing to other passengers must be handed to one of the crew and only returned to the owner after the plane has reached its destination. After fulfilling all these formalities you go to the departure lounge where you can have a snack, read a paper, buy something in the duty-free shop and wait for the announcement to board the plane.
About half an hour before take-off, you go to a gate number, e.g. gate 14, where you wait before you get on the plane. When you board the plane, you find your seat. If you have hand luggage you can put it under your seat or in the overhead locker above your seat. If there are no delays, the plane moves towards the runway where the plane takes off.
When the plane lands you have to wait for it to stop. When the doors are open, you get off the plane and walk through the terminal building and go to the baggage reclaim. Some of the formalities are repeated when you arrive at your destination. The customer declaration and the immigration form are often filled in on board the plane. At the airport you may be met by a specially trained dog who'll make sure that you are not caring drugs, and the immigration officer might want to know on whose invitation you are coming and whether you have a return ticket.
EXERCISES
Do'stlaringiz bilan baham: |
