Read the following text and complete the table below. Find some advantages and disadvantages of travelling by train in the text.

 

Travelling by train has many advantages. First of all, there are no stressful traffic jams, and trains are fast and comfortable. Also, you can use the time in different ways. You can just sit and read or watch the world go by. You can work on your personal computer or just relax on your bed. And also, you can have a meal or a snack in the buffet car.

However, travelling by train also has some disadvantages. Firstly, it is expensive and the trains are sometimes crowded and delayed. Secondly, you have to travel at certain times and trains cannot take you from door to door. You need a bus or a taxi to take you to the railway station.

Despite the disadvantages, I prefer travelling by train to travelling by car because I feel more relaxed when I reach my destination.

 

advantages	disadvantages
fast	expensive

 

· Talk to a partner from group B about the advantages and disadvantages of travelling by train.

 

Group B. The advantages and disadvantages of travelling by plane.

Read the following text and complete the table with the advantages and disadvantages of travelling by train from the text and add your own preferences.

 

An important issue of our society is the safety and comfort of our means of traveling. Rail travel is mainly controlled nationally, and therefore it is safer than air travel, which is regulated internationally. For example in the USA and the UK the death average is of about ten passengers per year.

It is well known that airplanes are more comfortable than trains and the time of a trip is also shorter, but the risk of accidents is very high. We all watch the TV news and each day something bad happens to an airplane in the USA, UK, France or even Romania. When the airplane is in the air, it is very difficult to control it; thus many bad things can happen. Groups of terrorists may put the lives of the airplane passengers in danger, as it happened in the attacks in the USA, when lots of people were killed.

On the other hand, accidents occur on rails too, mainly because of human errors or controlling and responding signals.

Everybody knows how expensive airplane tickets are and if you want to travel by airplane, you have to save some money. This happens mainly in our country, where the difference between prices is quite large, but in other European states and in the USA, the tickets have similar prices.

To conclude, each means of transport has its advantages and disadvantages and when you have to take a trip, you should always think first of your comfort and safety and decide what suits you the most.

 

advantages	disadvantages
comfortable	expensive

 

· Talk to a partner from group A about the advantages and disadvantages of travelling by train.

Speaking

 

You will be divided into two groups. Group A prefers advantages of traveling by car. Group B is sure of the advantages of traveling by boat.

Your task is to persuade your opponents that the means of transport you prefer is much better than the ones the other group thinks more advantageous.

 

Listening “Yellow submarine”

 

1. Listen to a song and answer the following question;

What is the song about?

 

Grammar Present perfect simple with for and since

 

We use the present perfect simple with for and since to talk about actions or states which started in the past and continue up to now.

 

I have lived in this country for twenty years.

I haven’t seen Jane since last summer.

 

Use for when we give the length of time.

for three weeks, for a month, for a year……

Use since when we give the beginning of the time.

Since 1990, since this morning, since I was born.

 

1. Use for or since in the following sentences.

 

1. I haven’t phoned home _________ September.

2. We have been here __________ nine o’clock.

3. I have worked for International House ________ more than six years.

4. We haven’t travelled by plane ____________ I left school.

5. She hasn’t had a holiday ____________ 2005

6. Jane has been in England __________ more than two weeks now.

For and since

Zhalgas is a very hard-working student. It's midnight and he is still working at his computer. Write sentences with the present perfect using for or since.

 

►be / at his computer / six hours He's been at his computer for six hours.

not / have / any fun / a long time

have / a cold / a week ………………………………………..

not / see / his friends / ages ………………………………………

not / do / any sport / last year ………………………………………

be / busy with his studies / months …………

3. Complete the sentences. Use for and since.

 

0. I ought to wash the car. I haven’t washed it for ages.

00. You’d better have a shower. You haven't had one since Thursday.

 

I think I'll ring my girlfriend. I haven’ …….... the weekend.

We're going to see some old friends. We haven't ………. five years.

Let's watch a video, shall we? We haven't ……… quite a while.

We could have a barbecue. We haven't ………… last summer.

Shall we play tennis? We haven't ………… our holiday.

 

Writing