Modern Tourism Narrows the Mind

My Family

Our family is not very large. I have a father, a brother and a sister. We all live together in a new flat in one of the industrial districts of Tyumen region.

My father Igor Ivanovich is 45 years old. He is a tall and well-built man with short black hair and grey eyes. He works at an automobile firm as an engineer. He likes his work and spends most of his time there. By character my father is a quiet man, while my mother is energetic and talkative. Her name is Olga Petrovna. She is a teacher of English and knows many foreign languages. My mother always has a lot of work to do about the house and at school. She is a busy woman and we all help her.

My sister's name is Alla. Like her mother Alla has blue eyes and lovely fair hair. She is a very good-looking girl. Alla is three years younger than me. She is a pupil of the 10^th form. She does well at school and gets only good and excellent marks.

My name is Tanya. Last year I left school and entered the University.

Our family is very united. We like to spend time together. In the evenings we watch TV, read books and newspapers, listen to music or just talk about the events of the day. We often go to the village where our grandparents live. They are old-aged pensioners now but prefer to live in the country.

My grand-grandmother is still alive. She lives in my grandmother's family and is always glad to see us. She is in poor health and asks us to come and see her more often.

I also have many other relatives: uncles, aunts, cousins and many friends. We are happy when we are together.

Family Life

Marriage is a thing which only a rare person in his or her life avoids. True bachelors and spinsters make up only a small percent of the population; most single people are “alone but not lonely”.

Millions of others get married because of the fun of family life. And it is fun, if one takes it with a sense of humour.

There’s a lot of fun in falling in love with someone and chasing the prospective fiancee, which means dating and going out with the candidate. All the relatives (parents, grandparents and great-grand-parents, brothers and sisters, cousins, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, stepmothers and stepfathers and all in-laws) meanwhile have the fun of criticizing your choice and giving advice. The trick here is not to listen to them but propose to your bride-to-be and somehow get her to accept your proposal. Then you may arrange the engagement and fix the day of the wedding.

What fun it is to get all those things, whose names start with the word “wedding” – dress, rings, cars, flowers, cakes, etc.! It’s great fun to pay for them.

It’s fun for the bride and the groom to escape from the guests and go on a honeymoon trip, especially if it is a wedding present from the patents. The guests remain with the fun of gossiping whether you married for love or for money.

It’s fun to return back home with the idea that the person you are married to is somewhat different from the one you knew. But there is no time to think about it because you are newly-weds and you expect a baby.

There is no better fun for a husband than taking his wife to a maternity home alone and bringing her back with the twins or triplets.

And this is where the greatest fun starts: washing the new-born’s nappies and passing away sleepless nights, earning money to keep the family, taking children to kindergarten and later to school. By all means it’s fun to attend parents’ meetings and to learn that your children take after you and don’t do well at school.

The bigger your children grow, the more they resemble you outwardly and the less they display likeness with you inwardly. And you start grumbling at them and discussing with your old friends the problem of the “generation gap”. What fun!

And when at last you and your grey-haired spouse start thinking that your family life has calmed down, you haven’t divorced but preserved your union, the climax of your fun bursts out!

One of your dearest offsprings brings a long-legged blonde to your house and says that he wants to marry. And you think: “Why do people ever get married?”

My Home

I live in a new nine-storeyed block of flats in Lenin street. Our house is of modern design. There's a big grocery on the ground floor and it's very convenient to do everyday shopping. In front of the house there is a children's playground and a small garden. We like to spend time there.

Our flat is on the third floor. It is very comfortable. We have all modern conveniences, such as central heating, electricity, gas, cold and hot running water and a telephone. There are three rooms in our flat: a living room and two bedrooms. We also have a kitchen, a bathroom, a small entrance hall and a balcony.

Our living room is the largest in the flat. It is nicely furnished. Against the wall you can see a nice sideboard. In the corner there is a colour TV set. In the opposite corner there is a sofa and two armchairs. The piano is on the right. There are two pictures above the piano. Near it there is a bookcase. We are fond of books and have plenty of them at home. On the floor we have a nice thick carpet. The curtains on the window match the walls. All this makes the room cosy.

Our bedrooms are also very nice and cosy. The parents' bedroom Is larger than the children's. There are two beds, a bedside table, some chairs and a wardrobe in it. There is a lovely carpet on the floor between the beds.

The children's bedroom is just across the corridor on the right. Here you can see two sofa-beds where my sister and I sleep at night and have a rest at the day-time. There is also a writing table, two chairs and some bookshelves here. We use our bedroom as a study where we do our homework. In the comer of the room there is a small table with a tape-recorder on it. We ail enjoy listening to music.

Our kitchen is rather large. There is a gas-stove, four stools, a refrigerator and a cupboard in which we keep cups, plates and all our dishes. The kitchen serves us as a dining-room. But when we receive guests or have our family celebrations we have the meals in the living-room.

The bathroom is near the kitchen. Here we keep our toilet articles, have a bath and a shower.

The entrance hall is small. There is a hall-stand and a mirror on the wall. A telephone is on a special table under the mirror.

We are happy to have such a nice flat and try to keep it clean.

Home

It does not matter what your home is like – a country mansion, a more modest detached or semi-detached house, a flat in a block of flats or even a room in a communal flat. It is a place where you once move in and start to furnish and decorate it to your own taste. It becomes your second “ego”.

Your second “ego” is very big and disquieting if you have a house. There is enough space for everything: a hall, a kitchen with an adjacent dining-room, a living-room or a lounge, a couple of bed-rooms and closets (storerooms), a toilet and a bathroom. You can walk slowly around the house thinking what else you can do to renovate it. In the hall you cast a glance at the coatrack and a chest of drawers for shoes. Probably, nothing needs to be changed here.

You come to the kitchen: kitchen, furniture, kitchen utensils, a refridgerator (fridge) with a freezer, a dishdrainer, an electric or gas cooker with an oven. Maybe, it needs a cooker hood?

The dining-room is lovely. A big dining table with chairs in the centre, a cupboard with tea sets and dining sets. There is enough place to keep all cutlery and crockery in. You know pretty well where things go.

The spacious living-room is the heart of the house. It is the place where you can have a chance to see the rest of your family. They come in the evening to sit around the coffee table in soft armchairs and on the sofa. You look at the wall units, stuffed with china, crystal and books. Some place is left for a stereo system and a TV set. A fireplace and houseplants make the living-room really cozy.

Your bedroom is your private area though most bedrooms are alike: a single or a double bed, a wardrobe, one or two bedside tables and a dressing-table.

You look inside the bathroom: a sink, hot and cold taps and a bath. There is nothing to see in the toilet except a flush-toilet.

You are quite satisfied with what you have seen, but still doubt disturbs you: “Is there anything to change?” Yes! The walls of the rooms should be papered, and in the bathroom and toilet – tiled! Instead of linoleum there should be parquet floors. Instead of patterned curtains it is better to put darker plain ones, so that they might not show the dirt. You do it at all, but doubt does not leave you. Then you start moving the furniture around in the bedroom, because the dressing-table blocks out the light. You are ready to give a sigh of relief, but … suddenly find out that the lounge is too crammed up with furniture.

Those who live in one-room or two-room flats may feel pity for those who live in houses. They do not have such problems. At the same time they have a lot of privileges: central heating, running water, a refuse-chute and … nice neighbours who like to play music at midnight. Owners of small flats are happy to have small problems and they love their homes no less than those who live in three-storeyed palaces. Home, sweet home.

Shopping for food

Buying foodstuffs in a modern supermarket can be considered a sort of art. It is the art of combating a temptation.

Supermarkets play a dirty trick on the customers: practically every shopper is temped to buy things he or she does not need or cannot afford.

The mechanism of this lamentable deceit is simple. Firstly, supermarkets are laid out to make a person pass as many shelves and counters as possible. Only the hardest of souls can pass loaded racks indifferently and not collect all sorts of food from them.

Secondly, more and more supermarkets supply customers with trolleys instead of wire baskets: their bigger volume needs more purchases. One picks up a small item, say, a pack of spaghetti, puts it into a huge trolley and is immediately ashamed of its loneliness. He or she starts adding more.

Thirdly, all products are nicely displayed on the racks and all of them look fresh in their transparent wrappings with marked prices. A normal person cannot ignore attractively packed goods. And so one cannot but feel an impulse to buy. And, finally, supermarkets don’t forget about those who look for bargains. The so-called “bargain bins” filled with special offers wait for their victims. No one can tell for sure if the process are really reduced, but it is so nice to boast later that you have a very good eye for a bargain.

So when a simple-hearted customer approaches a check-out, his or her trolley is piled high. Looking as a cashier, running her pen over barcodes, he or she starts getting nervous while the cash register is adding up the prices. And, getting a receipt, he or she gives a sigh of relief if the indicated sum does not exceed the cash he or she has.

Of course, one can give a piece of advice to the simple-hearted: compile a shopping list and buy only pre-planned goods. But is it worth losing that great sensation of buying? One can really wonder.

A lot of people prefer to do their shopping in small shops. The daily shopping route of some housewives includes visits to the baker’s, butcher’s, grocer’s, greengrocer’s, fishmonger’s and a dairy shop. In the end od the route their bags are full of loaves of bread, meat cuts, packs with cereals, fruit, vegetables, fish and dairy products. Only very strong women can call in at the tobacconist’s after all that.

The explanation for this housewives’ craze is very simple. In every shop their buys are weighed, wrapped up, their money taken and the change given back. Meanwhile they can have a chat with salesgirls and shop-assistants about their weak hearts and broken hopes.

So, friends, go shopping as often as you can. Because the simple truth is: visit to a good shop is worth two visits to a good doctor.

Enjoy your Meal

It is not a secret that our meals influence much on our mood. Also it is very important for our health. Every singly person should eat proper kinds of food – dairy products, meats, fruit and vegetables, fats and sugars, cereals and grains. Dairy products provide us with calcium, meat provide our bodies with protein, iron, zinc. Eating fruit and vegetables helps to keep us healthy too because they give us fibre, vitamins and minerals. We should eat fats and sugars in moderation, because too much fats and sugars can cause different heart-diseases. Cereals and grains are important for us because they provide us with the energy we need for physical activity.

In this fast-moving world it is necessary to watch what we eat – it should be healthy food, not junk one, which has become very popular. Eating too much junk food can cause overweight and as heart-disease. For example, it is much better to eat an apple or a banana than to eat a double hamburger with ketchup and mayonnaise. You will feel full in both cases, but a fruit or a vegetable is healthier.

Today there are a lot of different restaurants and cafes where you can eat delicious and not really expensive food. A service is usually excellent and friendly waiters help you to relax and enjoy your meal fully. You can any types of food in restaurants – you can try homemade cakes, beefsteaks, pasta and macaroni and others. For a main course you can order fish, meat or chicken with some rice or potatoes, also you can ask for pasta and salad. You can eat a bowl of ice-cream, a pieces of apple pie, strawberries with cream or something like that for dessert. For drink you can order a glass of water or juice, a cup of coffee or tea or alcohol drink such as wine or beer.

Eating habits are different in different countries. For example, Brazilians never eat with their hands – they always use a knife and a fork, even when they eat hotdogs. Finns like to eat hot sausages and drink beer in the streets; many Philipinos prefer to eat with their hands. Also they think that it is polite to leave a little food on the plate at the end of a meal.

Well, as for me I do respect their eating habits and like to eat different countries’ food such as Italian Pasta, Japanese rice with sushi or Indian spicy meat. But most of all I like just ice-cream. It doesn’t matter what kind – with raspberry favor, with marmalade, chocolate chips or pieces of fruit. I can eat it anytime and anywhere. But anyways whatever you like you should remember words of wisdom which say that we eat to live, but not live to eat.

Travelling

People travel on business or for pleasure. Thousands of people spend their holidays travelling. There are many ways of travelling: hiking, travelling by air, sea, train, and car. Travelling is very interesting and useful because year get to know our beautiful nature and people. I always enjoy picturesque places, monuments of history and culture.

For me, the most important thing about travelling is doing something completely different.

Most people travel by train. Trains take a lot of passengers. They are comfortable and quick enough for most people. You must book a ticket beforehand in the booking office, look at the schedule to learn the time of the departure, pack your things and arrive at the railway station. The conductor will show you to your compartment. When the train starts you can take your berth and watch everything through the window.

Many people prefer travelling by air as it is the most convenient, comfortable and quickest means of travelling. There is no dust or dirt of the railway or car journey. You book the ticket in the booking office beforehand. You must register at the airport. Your luggage is weighed. You can have 20 kilograms of luggage free of charge. Before the plane takes off the stewardess gives all the information about the flight, the speed and the altitude. But some people get air-sick.

If you want to get the most delightful impressions on holidays I advise you to travel by sea or river. You book your passage on board a modern liner. These liners are real floating cities with all modem conveniences and a wide choice of sport and entertainment facilities. Every modem liner has a number of decks. Passengers occupy cabins. A cabin looks very much like a compartment of a railroad sleeping-car, but the windows are round and are called porthholes. You needn’t worry about your meals on board the liner. If you are not sea-sick the voyage will give you many moments of joy. But this is the most expensive way travelling.

If you travel by car you can start and stop when and where you like. Many people travel by car and rest at campings near a lake or sea.

When you travel on foot, fresh air does you a lot of good. You can go to those places where no ship, no car, no train can get. You can climb a mountain and walk in a forest, you can enjoy the beauty of nature, a pleasant company of friends. The only disadvantage is your heavy rucksack.

If you are young you can go hitch–hiking, sleeping in tents or rough. If you go hitch–hiking to Europe, you can stay at youth hostels. You may choose a cycling holiday. If you travel with your family it’s better to go on a package holiday and don’t worry about meals and accommodation.

Modern Tourism Narrows the Mind

Until recently, we all believed that travel broadened the mind, but now many believe the exact opposite: "Modern tourism narrows the mind".

It's needless to say that tourism tops the list of pastimes during one's vacations. Why? The answer seems to be unexpectedly easy - it's all because of the strong desire to entertain oneself. Modern tourism includes not only travelling through magnificent scenery or the world's most treasured sites and going sightseeing. Decent travel agencies have understood that providing such tours only is nail-biting because modern clients can't be hooked on that "drag". Moreover, modern tourism tends to disregard these "old-fashioned" tours. Modern tourists demand more - and attentive stuff is ready to offer more.

Besides enjoying sun-soaked beaches or going for a stroll people need shopping. No matter how strange it may seem, but thousands tourists, in spite of being tired of their daily routine, disregard seaside resorts and gorgeous views just to go shopping. I wonder if anyone can say it broadens one's horizons.

Bars, discos, clubs and other entertainment facilities are extremely popular with the tourists. They are fond of these places as if they don't have the same in their own country. In spite of staying out of public eye and packed places, enjoying unique things that can be only found in the place they are in, people want to fill up their time by something common, with no escapade.

In fact, it may indeed be true to say that modern tourism can influence us in a negative way. Sometimes even just travelling experience can be so powerful, and alter the traveller's way of thinking so greatly, that they lose their cultural identity. Another potential problem is that a traveller may become a victim of discrimination, and lose his confidence as a result. Since the behaviour and customs of the locals may be very different from those of the inhabitants of the host culture, they may encounter negative reactions - unfriendliness, or even hostility, for example. Moreover, the fact is that modern tourism is considered to ruin everything that in touches. But as for me, that's a complete nonsense.

So, everything I think of the problem has been said. There are many choices and it is up to travellers to weigh up everything of the issue, to estimate it and come to their own conclusions.

Vocabulary

1. marriage

2. fall in love

3. date

4. fiancée (bride)

5. groom

6. to accept proposal

7. the engagement

8. wedding

9. honeymoon trip

10. twins

11. to take after sb (resemble)