25 Towns Exercises

A Describing a city 25.1 Check that you understand the text about Cork by answering the following questions.
The words city and town are sometimes used interchangeably but a city is generally large with a 1 Where is Cork? Cork is in the south of the Republic of Ireland.
wider range of facilities. This is a description of Cork, one of Ireland’s main cities. Which words or 2 Where is the shopping and business centre of Cork?
phrases might be useful for describing your own or another town? 3 What is Cork’s traffic system like?
4 What is special about the site of St Anne’s Church?
Cork city is the major metropolis of the south; indeed, with a population 5 In what style is the architecture of Cork Cathedral?
of about 119,500, it is the second largest city in the Republic. The main 6 Can you buy souvenirs at the markets?
business and shopping centre of the town lies on the island created by 7 Why is the Crawford Gallery worth visiting?
two channels of the River Lee, with many of the suburbs within walking 8 Where do Cork people live?
distance of the centre. The buses tend to be overcrowded and the one-way
traffic system is extremely complicated. In the hilly area of the city is the 25.2 Fill in the gaps in this description of a town. Use words from the text about Cork.
famous Shandon Steeple, the bell-tower of St Anne’s Church, built on the
Cambridge has the 1 second oldest university in
site of a church destroyed when the city was besieged by the English in 1690.
England (after Oxford). It has a 2 of around
Back across the River Lee lies the city’s cathedral, an imposing 19th-century
building in the French Gothic style. Cork has two markets. Neither caters specifically for tourists but those who 108,900, many of whom are students. The main tourist
3
enjoy the lively atmosphere of a real working market will appreciate their charm. The town has good sports of the town lies in the city centre, around
and arts facilities. The Crawford Art Gallery is well worth a visit. It regularly puts on adventurous exhibitions the university colleges. A number of the old university
4
by contemporary artists. The fashionable residential districts of Cork city overlook the picturesque harbour. buildings are built on the of former
There are other residential areas on the outskirts. monasteries or convents. Most of the more picturesque
colleges 5
the River Cam.
Most of the main hotels in the town are within walking 6 of the centre. The town
B Facilities centre has a lively fruit and vegetable 7 and it 8 to be very crowded on
Sports: swimming pool sports centre golf course tennis courts football pitch skating rink Saturdays. The Fitzwilliam Museum is well 9
visiting as is an art gallery called Kettle’s
Culture: theatre opera house concert hall radio station art gallery Yard which regularly puts on quite varied 10
by a range of artists. The town also has
Education: school college university library adult education centre museum plenty of sports 11 catering for both young and old. An interesting new Science Park
Catering, accommodation and night-life: restaurant take-away hotel B&B (bed and breakfast) has been built on the 12 of the town, about two kilometres from the city centre.
youth hostel club
Transport: bus service taxi rank car hire car park parking meters
25.3 Look at the facilities listed in B. Think of a town and tick all those facilities which the
Other: health centre law courts registry office citizens’ advice bureau job centre town has.
department store chemist’s garden centre police station Town/City Hall
estate agent housing estate industrial estate 25.4 Suggest three words which would collocate well with the nouns below. The words do not
have to be on the left-hand page.
C Problems in cities
1 history / science / folk / museum 4 / / / court
problem effect cause 2 / centre 5 / club
/ / / /
traffic jams traffic very slow; commuters get very too much traffic, especially in the 3 / / / college 6 / / / agency
stressed rush hour
slums housing in a bad condition poverty - people don’t have money to 25.5 Which of the facilities in B might you go to in order to:
spend on housing 1 dance? a club 4 get married? 7 borrow a book?
vandalism pointless destruction of property poverty; lack of hope 2 play tennis? 5 buy a house? 8 buy a meal to eat at home?
overcrowding difficult living conditions too many people living in one place 3 find a taxi? 6 see an exhibition? 9 do an evening class?
pollution deterioration in health traffic and industrial
25.6 What are the problems in C for these suggested solutions?
1 They should provide good-quality state housing. slums
D Adjectives to describe a city
2 There should be stricter laws about traffic emissions.
picturesque [very pretty and attractive], historic, spacious [with plenty of space], elegant, magnificent, 3 They should restrict the number of people living in any one area.
lively, deserted [no one on the streets, e.g. at night], bustling [with lots of movement], packed [very 4 People who destroy public property should be made to do community service.
crowded], filthy [very dirty], run-down [in a very bad condition]
5 We need a much better public transport system.

Common mistakes 25.7 Over to you

There are a lot of open spaces in the centre of London. (NOT There are a lot of open places in …) Write a description of the town where you live or another town you know well, using as much
of the vocabulary from this unit as possible.

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31 Travel Exercises
A Here is some basic vocabulary for different kinds of travel 31.1 Match the sentence beginnings on the left with the endings on the right.
transport kinds of vehicle parts of vehicle people working associated words 1 The customs officer stopped the car d a and they couldn’t get a cabin.
with it 2 The car broke down b and they had nothing to eat.
road car, bus, coach, boot, steering driver, motorist, petrol station, break 3 The air traffic controllers went on strike c and they had a wonderful cruise.
tram, van, lorry wheel mechanic, chauffeur down, breakdown 4 The buffet was closed d and the driver had to open the boot.
service 5 The ferry was full e and a mechanic came to help them.
rail high-speed train, sleeping car, ticket collector, platform, seat
6 The liner was very modern f and their flight was cancelled.
express buffet, coach conductor reservation
31.2 Sort the words according to the type of transport. One of the words fits in two places.
sea liner, ferry, yacht deck, bridge, captain, steward(ess) port, cabin, cruise Which is it?
gangway
jumbo jet port express steering wheel coach helicopter gangway runway
air aircraft, jumbo jet, cockpit, wings, ground staff, cabin duty-free shop,
tram wing chauffeur platform ground staff van cockpit lorry liner deck
helicopter aisle /aɪjəl/ crew, air traffic terminal, runway,
controller security road rail air sea
steering wheel
B Journey, trip, travel, voyage
A trip is usually shorter than a journey. We had a long journey by coach from the north to the south
of the country. We usually say business trip (NOT business journey). We took a trip / went on a trip
to the beach last weekend. (Go on a trip suggests an organised short excursion, whereas take a trip 31.3 Choose the best word flight, journey, trip, travel or voyage to fit these gaps.
or have a trip could be something you do yourselves in your own car.) 1 I would love to travel round the world in a balloon.
Travel is a general word. It is an uncountable noun and a verb. Travel broadens the mind. How did 2 The liner Titanic sank on its very first .
you travel round Australia? We hitch-hiked. 3 How long does the from New York to Rio take?
4 She says her hobbies are reading, golf and .
Voyage means a long journey usually by sea, though this use is quite formal. It is often used in other 5 When they were in Cairo they took a to see the Pyramids.
contexts with ‘discovery’. Learning English is a voyage of discovery! 6 Getting from London to the north of Scotland involves a long overnight train .
C Collocations and expressions connected with travel 31.4 Read these travel blogs and fill the gaps with words from the opposite page.
ELENA: ‘My flight from New York to Tokyo was severely delayed1 because of bad weather, then later it
was cancelled and I was stuck at2 the airport. The airline put me up3 in a hotel overnight, and they Erik's Blog (24 June) Mona's Blog (5 July)
put me on standby4 for the early morning flight the next day. Luckily, I managed to get a seat and The flight from Huascal to Puerto Amlugo was I didn’t have a reservation for the Eurostar
the flight left on time5 at 7.00 am. There was quite a lot of turbulence6 during the flight, which was s delayed (six hours!). I was worried train from Paris to London, but they put me on
scary at times. When we finally got to Tokyo, the weather was bad and we had a bumpy landing7. I’d get s at the airport (and hoped
s and I got a s on
Luckily, I don’t get airsick8 but I had terrible jetlag9 for days afterwards.’ that the airline would p me
a later train. It was a good journey, everything
1 delayed for a very long time 2 unable to move from 3 paid for me to stay 4 promised me a seat if one u in a nice hotel ) but anyway the
ran s and it arrived
flight wasn’t c and we finally took
became available 5 punctually 6 strong, sudden movements while the plane was in the air 7 we landed time. In London, I enquired if there was a
8 feel sick because of the movement of the plane; more formal = suffer from
off. The weather was awful, and we experienced
in a way that was not smooth s c on the train
9 had a feeling of tiredness caused by moving quickly from one time zone to another
a lot of t . In fact, the flight was
airsickness to Scotland so I could travel overnight. The
so b that I got a
Pieter: ‘I’d always wanted to sail across the Mediterranean, though I was worried I might get (very unpleasant!). But the c alternative was a hotel and the e______________
seasick. Anyway, I volunteered to work as a crew member on board a yacht and it was an amazing c were very friendly and helpful, m train at 6.30 am (too early for
experience. Everything ran very smoothly, even when the sea was rough1, and I never suffered from which made me feel better. The l me!). When I get to Scotland I want to go to
seasickness2.’ was not so bad and soon we were at the some of the islands. I hope the sea is
1 opp = a calm sea 2 less formal = I never got seasick t collecting our baggage. I slept well c______________. I hate r______________ seas -
last night - I think I’ve got over the j I always get s______________!
I had after my 12-hour flight from Europe.
Common mistakes
We don’t say ‘a travel’. Travel is an uncountable noun. 31.5 Over to you
After we left the airport, we had a long journey by car. (NOT we had a long travel)
Remember, we say on time, not in time when we mean ‘punctually’. Give answers that are true for you, and reasons.
The train arrived on time and I picked her up at the station. (NOT The train arrived in time) 1 How often do you travel by train? Have you ever been on a high-speed train?
2 Which do you prefer on a plane, a window or an aisle seat? Why? Do you usually visit the duty-free
shop? What do you look for? What do you do before going through security?

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32 Holidays Exercises
A Places to stay and types of holiday 32.1 Complete this table. Use a dictionary to help you, if necessary.
campsite: a place where you can pitch a tent or park a caravan adjective noun verb
self-catering flat/apartment: a flat which you rent; you cook for yourself fascinating fascination
guesthouse: accommodation like a hotel but cheaper and with fewer services
youth hostel: cheap accommodation, mainly for young people, with, perhaps, ten or more people delightful
sleeping in bunk beds in one room exhilarating
package holiday: a holiday in which you pay for travel, accommodation and food (even occasionally glamorous
excursions) in advance luxurious
cruise: a holiday spent touring (or cruising) on a boat, stopping off to go sightseeing at different ports
an adventure holiday: a holiday involving unusual, exciting and possibly dangerous activities -
suitable for adventurous people
32.2 Fill in the gaps in this holiday message with appropriate adjectives from the opposite page.
Reply Forward
B Holiday messages
Hi,
Reply Forward
Am having a wonderful holiday here. The town here is very old and quite 1 fascinating . The
Dear Zara guidebook says it is remarkable for its 2 charm and it is right! It is surrounded by
Having a wonderful holiday. It’s so nice to get magnificent mountains and yesterday I went for an 3 climb. Even though it isn’t too
away1. We’re staying at an amazing campsite 1 go somewhere different expensive, the hotel is quite 4 and the view from my balcony is 5 .
up in the mountains. It’s very remote2 and we 2 far from other places
Wish you were here!
had to drive up an unbelievably winding3 road 3 with lots of bends, not at
to get here. But once we made it, the views 4 all around Love, P
all straight
over the surrounding4 countryside made the 5 very frightening
terrifying5 drive worthwhile. I'm sending a 32.3 Complete these sentences with a word from the opposite page.
photo of our camping spot.
1 At the youth hostel Anya insisted on sleeping in the top bunk .
Love, Sami 2 As soon as we got to the campsite we our tent.
3 Visitors to our hotel have access to our own private beach.
Reply Forward
4 It’s often cheaper to go on a holiday, where everything is paid for in advance.
5 I’d love to hire a boat and spend a month round the Mediterranean, wouldn’t you?
Dear Nico 6 I wouldn’t recommend that hotel. It’s extremely ; it’s seven miles to the nearest beach
This is turning out to be probably the most 1 one that will always be and ten miles to the town.
memorable1 holiday I’ve ever had. The remembered (a memorable 7 Our trip to South Africa was undoubtedly the most holiday I’ve ever had.
town is absolutely fascinating2 with lots holiday is a strong 8 A narrow road led up the mountain to the cottage we’d rented.
of very impressive3 buildings. Our hotel is collocation) 2 extremely
delightful4 - if a little inconvenient5 from
interesting 3 grand, 32.4 Which of the adjectives from C could describe each of these?
the transport point of view - and the food
making an impact 1 a club which only a select group of members can go to an exclusive club
in this area is exceptional6. These are 4 charming 5 hard to get
some of the old buildings in the town. 2 a hotel with very expensive facilities and very attentive staff
to 6 unusually good 3 a village with very pretty buildings and lots of flowers
Wish you were here too!
4 a view from the top of a mountain over a magnificent landscape
Francesca
5 the opportunity to go on a once-in-a-lifetime holiday
6 a walk along a windswept beach
C Holiday brochures
These are often written in quite exaggerated language. Here are some typical adjectives with nouns 32.5 Over to you
that they collocate with.
breathtaking views / scenery / pistes (ski slopes) [breathtaking (like stunning) suggests that something is Answer these questions. Write sentences.
so magnificent that it takes your breath away] 1 Which of the holiday places and types of holiday in A have you or your friends experienced?
exclusive access / club / shops [only the most special people can use the facilities] 2 Which would you prefer and why - a holiday in the centre of a historic city or one in a remote
exhilarating feeling / ride / walk [makes you feel excited and full of energy] village with spectacular surrounding countryside?
exotic beauty / charm / location [unusual and more exciting than your everyday reality]
3 What’s the most memorable holiday you’ve ever had?
glamorous surroundings / film star / hotel [especially exciting and attractive]
luxurious cruise ship / accommodation / lifestyle [provides great comfort] 4 Which would you say is the most impressive city you’ve visited?
picturesque streets / villages / cottage [very pretty; attractive to look at - as pretty as a picture] 5 What would you say is the most fascinating place you’ve been to?
unspoilt charm / village / woodland [still in a beautiful and natural state] 6 Have you ever had a holiday experience you’d describe as terrifying?
unique opportunity / charm / facilities [so special it does not exist anywhere else]
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54 Distances and dimensions Exercises
A Broad and wide and tall and high 54.1 Complete B’s replies using a suitable form of the dimension/distance words opposite and
Wide is more common than broad, e.g. It’s a very wide road/garden/room. any other necessary words.

Make a note of typical collocations for broad as you meet them, e.g. Economics is a very broad 1 A: These trousers I’ve bought are too long.
subject. We came to a broad expanse of grassland. [big area] B: Well, why don’t you get them shortened?
2 A: He’s a big boy, isn’t he? 1.90 metres!
Note the word order for dimensions, e.g. The room’s five metres long and four wide. B: Yes, he’s .
Don’t forget that tall is for people but can be used for things such as buildings and trees when they 3 A: Why are we going across the field?
are high and thin in some way. Otherwise, use high for things. B: Just to get there a bit quicker; it’s .
4 A: We’ll have to measure how high the room is.
She’s very tall for a five-year-old.
B: That’s not necessary; we already know the .
Her office is in that tall building in the square.
5 A: The traffic seems to move far quicker on this road since I was last here.
There are some high mountains in the North.
B: Yes, well, they .
B Deep ≠ shallow 6 A: Why do they have music on TV news programmes? It seems totally unnecessary!
B: Well, I think they want to create a feeling of drama, and the music
is supposed to .

54.2 Give opposites for:

1 a length of the pool a width of the pool 4 a local call 7 narrow-minded
2 to shorten 5 deep water 8 raise your hand
3 a very broad range of goods 6 nearby places
The deep and shallow ends of a swimming pool.
54.3 Match the sentence beginnings on the left with the endings on the right.
C Derived words, phrases and compounds 1 The city’s spread a lot; c a for miles along the river.
long Let’s measure the length /leŋθ/ of this rope. 2 It takes ten weeks; b you should broaden it.
I swam 20 lengths (of the swimming pool). 3 We extended the house c it’s much bigger now.
I’ve lengthened her skirt for her. [opp = shorten, see below] 4 You can choose; d there’s a wide range.
Getting a visa can be a lengthy process. (usually refers to time; rather negative) 5 Your experience is too narrow; e it’s a lengthy business.
Tony has got a job as a long-distance lorry driver. 6 The forest stretches f to give us more room.
short The new road will shorten our journey by ten minutes.
There’s a shortcut to the station. [quick way] Use the verbs in the box to fill the gaps.
wide Let’s measure the width /wɪdθ/ of the room.
54.4
They’re widening the road. spread expand extend stretch shrink contract
broad I want to broaden my experience. (usually more abstract contexts)
She’s very broad-minded and tolerant of others. [willing to accept other people’s behaviour and 1 I’ll spread the rug out on the grass so we can both sit on it.
beliefs; opp = narrow-minded] 2 The steel industry when the economy was strong, but now it has and
I admire the breadth of his knowledge. (usually more abstract concepts) only employs 8,000 people.
high The height /haɪt/ of the wall is two metres. 3 This sweater of mine has in the wash!
The fog heightened the feeling of mystery. (usually used only for feelings and emotions) 4 Our land as far as those trees there.
low You can lower the microphone if it’s too high. [opp = raise] 5 The arts centre has recently its opening hours.
far He loves travelling to faraway places. [a long way away = distant]
distant What’s the distance from Helsinki to St Petersburg? [= How far is it …?] 54.5 Fill in the prepositions. If you are unsure, try looking up the word distance in a dictionary.
deep The depth of the river here is about three metres. 1 The car was parked at a distance about 150 metres from the scene of the robbery.
His death so soon after hers deepened our sadness. (often with feelings) 2 I saw you the distance yesterday but didn’t call out as you were with someone.
3 She’s a great shot. She can hit an empty can a distance of about 100 feet.
D Other verbs for dimensions and for changing them 4 What’s the total distance here Paris?
Our garden stretches all the way to the river, so we have plenty of room to extend the house if we
want to.
The cities are spreading and the countryside is shrinking. [getting bigger; getting smaller]
The business expanded considerably in the last decade. [grew in size; opp = contract]

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