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The British people have just discovered a new country. It’s called
the UK! More and more people are choosing to take their
holidays in their own country rather than travel abroad.
1 One of the most traditional British holidays is the “seaside holiday”. Stereotypically, families get on a train or into a car and travel to British seaside towns such as Brighton and Blackpool. They sunbathe on the beach, buy ice creams, eat fish and chips, build sandcastles with a bucket and spade, and go for donkey rides.
2 In the late 1970s, air travel became affordable for the average family in the UK, and more and more British people started travelling abroad for their summer holidays (July—August). After all, the British weather isn’t very good, even in summer, so a lot of Britons leave the UK for a vacation. Particularly popular with families on a budget is the “package holiday”, where the cost of flights and accommodation are offered as one discounted price by travel agents.
3 In the 1980s and 1990s, young people in the UK became more wealthy on average, or at least had more disposable income. As a result, the Club 18—30 holiday became popular. Young people started to go abroad in groups, to places such as Spain and Greece. Once at their destination, they socialised with other groups of young people and had one long party.
4 British holidaying habits have begun to change, however. Climate change means that the UK now has a hotter climate than before, so people do not need to go overseas to find good weather. Also, the credit crunch has affected the international value of the British pound, so going abroad is more expensive than it used to be. As a result, more and more Britons are choosing to spend their summer holidays in the UK.
5 This year, British hotels in areas such as the English Lake District have seen a 40 per cent increase in bookings compared with last year. That rise is mainly owing to the British staying in their own country for their holidays. In addition, however, foreign tourists are currently finding the UK cheaper to visit than previously.
6 In the UK, the domestic tourism industry—when people go on holiday in their own country—is healthier than it has been in decades. UK newspapers have even invented a new word: a “staycation”. It is a slang term to describe the sort of vacation when people stay in their own homes and go on a few day trips rather than spending money on hotels.
7 In some ways, therefore, the UK has come full circle. There is now an increased appreciation among Britons for the diversity of the UK. It is not just the geography that is diverse, ranging from the flat fens of East Anglia, to the rolling green hills of England, to the valleys of Wales, to the mountains of Scotland. It is not just the diversity of climate-based activities on offer, ranging from surfing in the warm south-west of England, to hill-walking and skiing in the north. It is also the diversity of cultures in the UK that is beginning to be of interest to domestic tourists. People forget sometimes that there are different accents, languages, traditions, cuisines and peoples across all the regions of the UK. It’s not just England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland that are different from each other. Each country has its own regions, and each of those regions is very different from all the others.
The UK has always been famous for its international explorers. It is only just starting to discover itself, however.
Activity 1: Subtitles
There are seven paragraphs numbered 1 to 7. See if you can match the subtitles below with the correct paragraph.
a Footloose and fancy free
b Popular press
c Sobering up
d The length and breadth
e Flights of fancy
fSun, sea and sand
g On the up
Activity 2: Synonyms
For each paragraph, find the word that means the same as those below.
1 generalising
2 not too expensive
3 money available to spend
4 global recession
5 before
6 excursions
7 customs
Activity 3: Anagrams
Here are some words from the article. The letters of each word have been mixed up. See if you can rearrange them correctly.
1 uaesnbth
2 eeathwr
3 htlwyae
4 mlcteai
5 oienrfg
6 noivctaa
7 fgrsiun
Activity 3:
1 sunbathe
2 weather
3 wealthy
4 climate
5 foreign
6 vacation
7 surfing
Answers
Activity 1:
a 3
b 6
c 4
d 7
e 2
f1
g 5
Activity 2:
1 stereotypically
2 affordable
3 disposable income
4 credit crunch
5 previously
6 day trips
7 traditions
the UK! More and more people are choosing to take their
holidays in their own country rather than travel abroad.
1 One of the most traditional British holidays is the “seaside holiday”. Stereotypically, families get on a train or into a car and travel to British seaside towns such as Brighton and Blackpool. They sunbathe on the beach, buy ice creams, eat fish and chips, build sandcastles with a bucket and spade, and go for donkey rides.
2 In the late 1970s, air travel became affordable for the average family in the UK, and more and more British people started travelling abroad for their summer holidays (July—August). After all, the British weather isn’t very good, even in summer, so a lot of Britons leave the UK for a vacation. Particularly popular with families on a budget is the “package holiday”, where the cost of flights and accommodation are offered as one discounted price by travel agents.
3 In the 1980s and 1990s, young people in the UK became more wealthy on average, or at least had more disposable income. As a result, the Club 18—30 holiday became popular. Young people started to go abroad in groups, to places such as Spain and Greece. Once at their destination, they socialised with other groups of young people and had one long party.
4 British holidaying habits have begun to change, however. Climate change means that the UK now has a hotter climate than before, so people do not need to go overseas to find good weather. Also, the credit crunch has affected the international value of the British pound, so going abroad is more expensive than it used to be. As a result, more and more Britons are choosing to spend their summer holidays in the UK.
5 This year, British hotels in areas such as the English Lake District have seen a 40 per cent increase in bookings compared with last year. That rise is mainly owing to the British staying in their own country for their holidays. In addition, however, foreign tourists are currently finding the UK cheaper to visit than previously.
6 In the UK, the domestic tourism industry—when people go on holiday in their own country—is healthier than it has been in decades. UK newspapers have even invented a new word: a “staycation”. It is a slang term to describe the sort of vacation when people stay in their own homes and go on a few day trips rather than spending money on hotels.
7 In some ways, therefore, the UK has come full circle. There is now an increased appreciation among Britons for the diversity of the UK. It is not just the geography that is diverse, ranging from the flat fens of East Anglia, to the rolling green hills of England, to the valleys of Wales, to the mountains of Scotland. It is not just the diversity of climate-based activities on offer, ranging from surfing in the warm south-west of England, to hill-walking and skiing in the north. It is also the diversity of cultures in the UK that is beginning to be of interest to domestic tourists. People forget sometimes that there are different accents, languages, traditions, cuisines and peoples across all the regions of the UK. It’s not just England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland that are different from each other. Each country has its own regions, and each of those regions is very different from all the others.
The UK has always been famous for its international explorers. It is only just starting to discover itself, however.
Activity 1: Subtitles
There are seven paragraphs numbered 1 to 7. See if you can match the subtitles below with the correct paragraph.
a Footloose and fancy free
b Popular press
c Sobering up
d The length and breadth
e Flights of fancy
fSun, sea and sand
g On the up
Activity 2: Synonyms
For each paragraph, find the word that means the same as those below.
1 generalising
2 not too expensive
3 money available to spend
4 global recession
5 before
6 excursions
7 customs
Activity 3: Anagrams
Here are some words from the article. The letters of each word have been mixed up. See if you can rearrange them correctly.
1 uaesnbth
2 eeathwr
3 htlwyae
4 mlcteai
5 oienrfg
6 noivctaa
7 fgrsiun
Activity 3:
1 sunbathe
2 weather
3 wealthy
4 climate
5 foreign
6 vacation
7 surfing
Answers
Activity 1:
a 3
b 6
c 4
d 7
e 2
f1
g 5
Activity 2:
1 stereotypically
2 affordable
3 disposable income
4 credit crunch
5 previously
6 day trips
7 traditions