Episode 4

EPISODE 4

LEVEL A1.2/A2.1

 

 

READING COMPREHENSION

 

AT THE SEASIDE

 

Dear Annie and Tom,

Here we are, at the beautiful Polish seaside. The weather is great and we’re having a wonderful time.

We’re staying at a very nice guest house (=a private house where a family rents rooms) very near the sea – it’s a five minute walk. The beach here is mostly sandy (=a beach with a lot of sand), but a little bit west down the coast (=the area of land near a sea or an ocean) there also some really beautiful rocky beaches (=beaches with a lot of stones).

You know Sara likes sunbathing (=lying in the sun), so we go to the beach every day, and of course the children are enjoying it, too. I’m not really a fan of just lying in the sun, so I often take a swim (=go swimming) in the sea or just splash around (= play in the water) with the kids. And you know, being in the water is even better to get a suntan (=when skin is more brown after staying in the sun) than just lying on the beach, so right now I even have some sunburns on my shoulders (=when skin is very red and aches after staying in the sun too long).

As you can see, we’re having quite a calm family holiday here – and it’s really not as bad as I imagined, I must say!

See you soon,

Pete

 

More contexts for the new words:

The verb ‘talk’ is used in many other phrases:

 

• I often take a swim in the sea.
• If you’re stressed and tired, try taking a walk.
• We take a lot of photos.
• I am taking a break from work.

 

 

EXERCISE 1

Use the words from the text to complete the sentences. Sometimes you may need two words in one gap.

 

1. Let’s go to the beach. I would like to have a nice brown ……………………… when I come back home.
2. I can’t swim, so at the seaside I usually just ……………………… in the water.
3. This year I would like to go somewhere where there is a sandy beach. The place where we went last year had an awful …………………. beach!
4. Be careful, you have very pale skin, you may get ………………… if you stay in the sun too long.
5. Are you we going to stay at the same …………………… we stayed at last year?

 

 

EXERCISE 2

Match phrases from the two columns to make questions and then answer them.

 

1. Have you ever had a. around in the water when you’re at the beach?
2. How often do you b. sunburns from staying in the sun for too long?
3. Do you like to splash c. or rocky beaches?
4. Do you prefer sandy d. go to the coast on holiday?

 

ENGLISH IN USE 

We use the Present Simple tense to talk about habits, regular activities and states:

 

Sara likes sunbathing.

We go to the beach every day.

I often take a swim.

 

We use the Present Continuous tense to talk about processes which continue for a period of time and temporary actions and states:

 

We’re having a wonderful time.

We’re staying at a very nice guest house.

The children are enjoying it.

 

 

IDIOM CLOSE-UP

 

A/ I finally asked Ann to go for dinner with me, but she said she is not interested…

B/ Oh, come on, THERE ARE PLENTY OF FISH IN THE SEA! 

 

When you say that ‘there are plenty of (other) fish in the sea’ or ‘there are plenty more fish in the sea’, you say that there are many other choices and options. This phrase is often used to talk about the possibility of future romantic relationships with people.

 

 

 

PHRASAL VERBS CLOSE-UP

 

1. When you TAKE UP something, you start doing it. This phrasal verb is often used to talk about hobbies and free-time activities.

 

I’d like to take up jogging in the mornings.

I took up horse-riding when I was 15.

 

2. When you stop doing something, you GIVE it UP.

 

I want to give up smoking.

I gave up jogging after a few days, I didn’t like it.

 

 

EXERCISE 3

Complete the text with words from the idiom/phrasal verbs you’re learned.

About a year ago I decided to …………….. up horse-riding. My instructor’s name was Mary and I liked her a lot. I was happy about each training mainly because I knew I would meet her. Then I broke my leg and I had to ……………….. up all sports for quite a long time. I never saw Mary again – after all, there are plenty of other …………………. in the sea!

 

 

NEWS

 

CROWDS AT THE SEASIDE

This summer saw amazing crowds on Polish beaches. More than 75% of Polish tourists spent this year’s holiday in the country and many of them chose the seaside as their holiday destination. As a result, the beaches next to the most popular holiday towns were so full of people you had to come early in the morning to find a good spot near the water and during the day, there was no room to freely move around. Comfortable or not, it seems we still love our Polish seaside!

 

GLOSSARY

– a crowd – many people in one place

– a destination – the place where you are going

– a spot – a place

 

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