Think of the word which best fits in each space. Write only one word in each space

You’ll have the mixture of coast and country in Somerset, with its traditional seaside entertainment and rich countryside where the tiny villages haven’t changed 1) ……… centuries. Holidaymakers are 2) ……… concerned about keeping the beautiful beaches clean that dogs are banned 3) ……… May 4) ……… the end of September. A favourite holiday town is Burnham-on-sea, which has a wide 5) ……… of hotels, shops and cafes. For fun days 6) ……… from the sea there are amusement arcades and a leisure park with aqua slides. Further along the coast is Minehead, a large fishing port 7) ……… was once a safe haven for smugglers. Inland, there are many interesting towns and villages. Glastonbury has a wonderful ruined abbey and is associated 8) ……… the legendary King Arthur. Clarks village is famous 9) ……… the world for its shoe factory, which is definitely worth a visit. 10) ……… ia also a children’s play area, a shoe museum, tea shop and picnic area. Surrounding these towns and villages are the Mendip Hills. They look ordinary enough 11) ……… the surface, but in 12) ……… are filled with underground caves, such 13) ……… Wookey Hole, which are millions of years 14) ……… and are great for the children as they are 15) ……… interesting and exciting.

Replace words in the text with words from the box so that the meaning says the same. You may have to change the form of the verbs in the box.

unwind thriving diverse vibrant recharge your batteries stunning restore remarkable wander retain soak up

Lisbon is surrounded by seven hills, and from most of them you have 1) beautiful views of this 2) unusual city, which has managed to 3) keep so much of its 4) varied architecture and cultural heritage. But it is also a modern, 5) flourishing European capital, and in recent years many of the old buildings have been 6) repaired. For tourists, one of the most popular parts is the Alfama, where you can 7) casually walk around and 8) absorb the charms of the old town. The Chiado district is famous for shops and restaurants, but for really 9) exciting night life, head for the Bairro Alto. Then after all that, you can 10) relax on the nearby beaches of Cascais and Estoril: wonderful places to 11) get your energy back.

Practice 7.

Read the article and find the following.

1 four capital cities 5 the most luxurious railway in the world

2 two authors 6 the longest railway (and its length)

3 a Russian ruler 7 the highest railway (and its height)

4 the largest freshwater lake in the world 8 the highest tunnel (and its height)

Great railway journeys

The golden era of the great express trains conjures up feelings of nostalgia, romance and beautiful views. My dreams come true last year when my publishers asked me to do some research for a Great Railways travel guide. Luckily, I was able to find ten amazing journeys and managed to persuade the publishers to pay for all of them. Here are my top three.

Until recently if you wanted to go from Golmud, in western China to Lhasa, in Tibet, you had to take a grueling 48-hour bus journey. Now you can travel from Beijing (the capital of China) to Lhasa on the Quinghai-Tibet line, as we did. It still isn’t easy, however. We couldn’t get tickets at first because of the bureaucracy – we had to get a special permit to travel through Tibet. The line includes the Tangula Pass – at 5,072 metres above sea level the world’s highest rail track. It also includes the 1,338-metre-long Fenghuosha tunnel, which, at 4,905 metres above sea level is the highest rail tunnel in the world. On our journey extra oxygen was pumped into our carriages to counter high altitude. Even the water in the toilets had to be heated to prevent freezing. The views of the Himalayas were absolutely breathtaking and this is a journey that will live long in my memory.

All train enthusiasts want to travel on the longest and most famous railway of all – the longest and most famous railway of all – the Trans-Siberian Express. It runs from Russia’s capital, Moscow, to Vladivostok, on the western shore of the Sea of Japan. It is 9,198km long, spans eight time zones, and it takes about seven days to complete its journey. We took a more leisurely 14-day journey that included several stops. We succeeded in getting first class tickets: our sleeping carriages were stylish and luxurious and we had impeccable service and cuisine. For me, the highlight was skirting the scenic Lake Baikal, the largest freshwater lake in the world. We then travelled via Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, and were able to eat in a yurt, the round felt-covered tent traditionally used by Mongolian nomads. It is amazing to think that in 1891 Tsar Alexander III had said, ‘Let the railway be built’. And here I was on it. My memories of frosted plains and snowy steppes will always stay with me.

The Orient Express with its unmatched luxuriousness and comfort has become synonymous with stylish travel. In the past, only the richest could afford this level of luxury. The routes have changed over the years. The initial route was from the French capital Paris to Istanbul, travelling through Germany, Austria, Hungary and Romania (about 2,740km). it is an icon of passenger rail. Extravagantly elegant, it had everything – opulence, romance and fine cuisine. The train had sleeping, restaurant and salon cars with smoking compartments and ladies’ drawing rooms. The Express has attracted the rich and the famous, including royalty, and has been made a household name by writers such as Agatha Christie and Graham Greene.