TRAVEL AND HOLIDAYS- C1
LISTENING- TERM-TIME HOLIDAYS
You will listen to part of a radio programme about term-time
holidays. Read the notes below and listen carefully to the recording.
In each of the spaces provided, complete the information required
with up to FOUR WORDS. You will hear the information twice.
1. Jon Platt ……………………………… his case before the
Supreme Court.
2. Jon Platt held the view that a child is only required by law to show ………………………………
attendance to school.
3. The school register recorded Jon Platt’s daughter’s attendance at ……………….
4. The Judge points out that unauthorised absences have a …………………………… on the
individual child’s education.
5. John Platt complains that these rules do not apply to ……………………………………….
6. In Leona O’ Neill’s view, the court ruling was aimed at …………………………………………
parents that kids must be kept at school.
7. Leona O’ Neill resents the interference of what she calls a “……………………………… state”.
Should children study in the summer holidays?
The summer holidays are under way, but for some children, the studying - and the homework -
will continue.
It was a moment of pure joy: school was out for summer.
Your school bag was shoved in the back of a cupboard. School shoes went the same way. Ahead
lay countless days of freedom, play and sunshine.
That used to be the case for most children - yet not all youngsters today enjoy the same.
There's school work to catch up on; a year's learning to consolidate. An 11-plus test in the
autumn term, perhaps.
So - some parents argue - why not study over the holidays?
STUDENT A:
Vivienne Stiles tutors children aged between four and 16 throughout the summer.
They attend a class twice a week, and are given between 15 and 90 minutes of maths and English
homework every day.
"Children's brains need to be stimulated throughout the holidays," she says.
"You can't expect them to pick up in September where they left off."
By doing work little and often, says Vivienne, children maintain the stamina and concentration
built up during term-time.
Vivienne - who works for Kumon, a tutor company - says the children learn new skills, develop a
strong work ethic and get into a good routine.
The proof?
She says her own daughter, now 19, went from a "good C-grade student" at the start of
secondary school to getting a place at London's Royal Veterinary College, thanks in part to extra
tutoring.
STUDENT B:
Father-of-three and author of the Idle Parent, Tom Hodgkinson, spent his summer holidays
roaming freely round parks and over rubbish dumps.
He may not prescribe rubbish dumps to children today, but does believe in giving them the space
to make fire, climb trees and play with knives.
"It's about responsible neglect," he says. "Leave children alone - you're nearby but let them get
on with it."
Life is overscheduled so the summer holidays should be a time to live in the moment, have fun
and be creative without an authority figure lurking in the background, he says.
It teaches you self-sufficiency, the ability to entertain yourself and how to look after yourself.
"These skills may not be useful in corporate life or if you want to suck on the nipple of the state
but they are if you want to be a responsible grown-up human being," he argues.
However, this summer he won't practise what he preaches. His eldest has A-levels next year so it
will be Latin every morning.
"It's a one-off," he says. "You do have to work sometimes."
Adapted from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-40666245
SPEAKING ACTIVITY A: OTHER TYPES OF TOURISM
Consider the following types of tourism and answer the questions below.
• green, or eco-tourism
• responsible tourism
• heritage tourism
• virtual tourism
1. What sort of things might people do in the types of tourism listed above, and where might they
stay?
2. What sort of people might be interested in each of these types of tourism?
3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each type for ...
h. the environment?
i. the inhabitants of the place visited?
j. the tourist?
4. Which type of holiday would you prefer?
SPEAKING ACTIVITY B: PACKAGE TOURS
Work in pairs or groups of three, and prepare arguments for or against package tours. Make notes
which you may want to use in your discussion.
STUDENT A: Prepare arguments in favour of package tours. These words may help:
• carefree • language • accommodation
• limited time • transport • sightseeing
• cost • new friends • reservations
STUDENT B: Prepare arguments against package tours. These words may help:
• independence • food • choice of travelling
• freedom • contact with local people companions
• sense of adventure • avoid crowds
• cost • spontaneity
READ AND DISCUSS:
A British woman has claimed her holiday to Benidorm was ruined because her hotel had 'too
many Spaniards in it'
Freda Jackson, 81, said that Spanish people should go somewhere else for their holidays and she
cried at the end of her two-week trip.
The pensioner, who suffers from mobility issues, says her accommodation was teeming with 'rude'
native Spaniards - who nearly knocked her over on one occasion.
Retired care assistant Freda said: "The hotel was full of Spanish holidaymakers and they really got
on our nerves because they were just so rude.
"One evening a Spanish guy nearly knocked me flying and he just walked off without even
apologising.
"The entertainment in the hotel was all focused and catered for the Spanish - why can't the
Spanish go somewhere else for their holidays?"
