ISSUE 21
Vacation Season is Approaching“re you happy or sad when the vacation season is coming?” seems, atfirst glance, to be a pointless question; you are probably thinking:“Everyone would be happy about it, of course.” But, actually, many people do
not at all look forward to vacation time. They worry about the disruption of
their routine, the expense, the difficulties of travel, the possibilities of disease or
danger, and even the possibility of boredom and disappointment!

What is the first thing that occurs to you in connection
with a vacation?
(1)

Traffic jams

(2)

Footing the bill

(3)

Uncertainty about where to go(4)Preference for working instead(5)

Desire to just stay home

 at first glance : when seen or considered for the first time,esp. briefly
 pointless : meaningless; useless disruption : situation in which (sth) cannot continue
because of a problem

 glance : quick look at (sb/sth) look forward to : feel happy and excited about (sth) that isgoing to happen

 in connection with (sth) : concerning or relating to (sth) foot : pay for (sth)Sample Answers(A) As soon as one vacation is over I start planning for the next one. As a result, every year I have anaffordable and convenient but highly exciting trip. I find the best deals on travel and accommodations, Iknow exactly what I want to do (and how to do it) in advance so I don’t waste any valuable time off, andI come back home with a wonderful memory.
(B) Vacations would be better if everyone didn’t take theirs at the same time. I like going to the beach,and I like going to the mountains as well. I get re-energized by being in tune with nature and not having
the regular nine-to-five schedule to contend with. But, unfortunately, I have to share the experience
with too many other people, so the beach is overcrowded and the mountains are full. The main value ofbeing away from the city is completely negated if the whole populace merely moves to the country. SoI’ve started staying at home when I’m off; sometimes there are fewer people left in the city during aholiday than there are in the rural areas.

Speak Your Mind
1. Vacationing requires money and time and leads to fatigue. So, do you still think it isworthwhile going out?
2. Which do you prefer – going abroad or traveling in this country?
3. What is the best season for taking a vacation?
4. Who plans your vacations? Why?
5. What do you usually do if you can’t take a vacation?
6. What is the ideal vacation?
7. Describe the most impressive vacation you’ve ever had.
8. Would you sacrifice your vacation in order to make more money at work?

 affordable : inexpensive
 in tune with : harmonized with negate : make (sth) have no effect off : away from work or duty require: need (sth) sacrifice : give up (sth) accommodations : rooms and board
 contend with : have to deal with problems or difficulties
 populace : general public rural : relating to the country; not the city fatigue : feeling of being extremely tired, either physicallyor mentallySpeak Your Mind Helpers
1. Vacationing requires money and time and leads to fatigue. So, do you still
think it is worthwhile going out?
(A)
I know that taking a trip leads to a lot of hassles. Sometimes people work harder “relaxing” than they doon their jobs. But I would not trade the vacation experience from anything. It doesn’t matter what one
does on vacation, as long as it is not something that one does every day. So by doing something new anddifferent, we change our perspective, we expand our self-awareness, and we recharge our batteries to
get through the rest of the year with more energy and sense of accomplishment than we otherwisewould.
(B)
I stopped taking vacations years ago. They just aren’t worth the trouble. Don’t get me wrong: I take thetime off from work. But I spend my time off doing things I enjoy at home. I take in few movies, I takenice long walks in the neighbourhood, I reorganize my living space and maybe buy some new furniture,or I devote myself to my hobbies. All of these activities appeal to me more than spending a lot of money
and time to exhaust myself in a frantic effort to “have fun” in some strange place.

2. Which do you prefer – going abroad or traveling in this country?
(A)
I’m always amazed when I talk to my fellow countrymen to find out how little of their own nation they
have ever been to. Of course, there are a few popular vacation spots that nearly everyone has visited
multiple times; but few people go anywhere else. So I plan on visiting every island and every mountainand every town in the country at least once before I die. I’m well on the way to accomplishing my goal,
and as a result I think I know my own land more than anyone else does, from the inside – but not morethan everyone else should know it.
(B)
I like to vary my vacation locations. So, one year I will travel someplace at home, even if I’ve been there
before, and the next year I’ll travel abroad, especially to some new place. So I’m able to compare theway people live here in my country – what they do, what they think, what they eat, how they dress –with the ways people live in other places. As a result, I’m learning a lot about both kinds of people, myown and others.

 hassle : trouble or bother recharge one’s batteries : rest or relax in order to recover
one’s energy don’t get me wrong : don’t misunderstand me frantic : done in a very urgent way
 on the way: in the process perspective : view get through : manage to deal with take in : go to (an entertainment or sport)
 multiple : consisting of many vary : change often

3. What is the best season for taking a vacation?
(A)
Like most people, I prefer summer vacations. It’s hot at work and tempers often flare. But the days arelong. So if I can go somewhere else, I can spend a lot of time not only relaxing but changing my routine.
Summer vacations are thus more efficient than holidays at any other time of the year. And I enjoy being
part of the crowd; it adds excitement to the occasion.
(B)
By accident one year, I started taking my vacations in the late fall. And I’m glad that happened, eventhough I had not planned it. Since it is not peak season it is easy to find a place to stay. Whatevertransportation I need – boat, train, bus, whatever – is easy to find, and comfortable since it is notcrowded. If I drive, there are few traffic jams. And the weather is still very pleasant, so I can enjoy myself
while avoiding the problems that plague most people’s vacations at other times of the year.

4. Who plans your vacations? Why?
(A)
I have a friend who’s a travel agent. She keeps me constantly informed about good travel deals andhelps plan my itinerary, so I always get the maximum benefit from my vacation.
(B)
I let my wife handle the details. I’m always busy at work and don’t really mind where I go, but know she
greatly looks forward to our annual trip. So, to make her happy, I let her decide what we’re going to do.
And, I must say, she always does a wonderful job. We’ve had some great vacations together, muchbetter than if I had done the planning myself. I’m very lucky.

 temper : particular emotional state or mood, esp anger
 plague : cause a lot of problems for (sb/sth) flare : suddenly become angry or violent itinerary : plan for a coming trip, including information
about when, where, and how

5. What do you usually do if you can’t take a vacation?
(A)
If for some reason I can’t go on vacation when I want to, I make it very clear to my boss that I’m
extremely unhappy about it. But I continue to do my job as well as I can, as I am expected to do, eventhough I am not happy. This situation has come up from time to time, but I’ve always managed toconvince the company to let me have some time off at a later date. So I guess I don’t have anything tocomplain about (and neither does my boss).
(B)
Oh, I don’t care if I have a vacation or not. Even if I take time off, I seldom go anywhere. I just like to stayhome and spend more time with my friends.

6. What is the ideal vacation?
(A)
The perfect vacation would be two weeks in Florence before the Italians all take their vacations(because then everything is closed); luxury accommodations in a centuries-old winery; a lovely,
knowledgeable guide who could show me all the art treasures during the day and all the hot spots atnight; eating at wonderful restaurants every day; and someone else to pay all the bills!
(B)
Most people are too materialistic. They want to take some frantic, status-laden trip to some famous,
exotic place where the in-crowd hangs out. But for once I’d like to make a voyage of self-discovery.
Perhaps the best way to do this would be to join the lifestyle of a monastery in Tibet or India or Europe:
wake up early every morning and pray or meditate, engage in simple manual labor during the days, eatspare but nutritious meals, fast from time to time, and then pray or meditate again before going to bed.
I’m sure an experience like this would change my entire life, not just waste a week or two of it while
doing expensive, foolish things.

 winery : place where wine is made frantic : hurried exotic : interesting or exciting because of being unusual or
not familiar in-crowd : small group of people who are consideredfashionable or important monastery : where monks live spare : plain and simple

 materialistic : having the belief that money andpossessions are the most important aspect of life status-laden : (sth) done only for the purpose ofdemonstrating one’s social position

 hang out : spend idle time meditate: think deeply and quietly; reflect fast : eat no (or very little) food for a period of time

7. Describe the most impressive vacation you’ve ever had.
(A)
Last year I took the trip of my life! I finally visited India after many years of dreaming about it. The
country is too big to do everything in one vacation, so there’s plenty more to experience later. But I
spent a few days at either end of the country, in Kolkata and in Mumbai. The two cities are verydifferent; Kolkata seems more chaotic and traditional, while Mumbai is more orderly and modern. But
neither city was like any other place I’ve ever been; everywhere, there is ever-changing mix of cultures,
religions, nationalities, languages, customs, costumes, castes, economic classes, and attitudes. It’s
confusing but invigorating at the same time. However, the best part of the trip was a journey by train I
took to a small village a couple of hours north of Kolkata, where Rabindranath Tagore founded a college.
It was serene, quiet, traditional, and intellectually stimulating all at once, and I’d like to go there every
time I visit India.
(B)
Don’t laugh, but the most vivid vacation memory I have was when I was about three years old. I lived ina small country town, but suddenly found myself in Chicago I’d been to small cities, but I had never seen
even one skyscraper before, let alone blocks and blocks of them. I was utterly amazed by the hustle andbustle of the people around me, as well as by the wide variety of nationalities and races. The noise andthe congestion of the city were disorienting, but shoreline of Lake Michigan was like going to the ocean.
I was an impressionable toddler from the countryside, and the buildings and the beaches have stayed in
my memory for a long time.

 chaotic : happening in a confused way and without any
order or organization
invigorating : making one fee more energized
serene : calm and peaceful
let alone : not to mention
hustle and bustle : lot of noisy activity
disorient : make (sb) confused about location or direction

 caste : social class that one is born into
 found : establish; set up skyscraper : very tall building utterly: completely
 congestion : situation in which a place is crowded
 shoreline : edge of an ocean, lake, or large river impressionable : capable of being easily influenced

8. Would you sacrifice your vacation in order to make more money at work?
M: I don’t know what to do. Maybe you can give me some advice.
F:If I can be of any help, I’d be glad to offer my services. What’s wrong?

M: I’m supposed to go vacation in two weeks. I’ve already made plans and reservations, andmy family is looking forward to it. But my boss offered me a chance to do some extra work.
It’s not a lot of extra money, but the experience would look good on my résumé. I don’tknow what to do.
F:Hmmmmm. Can you postpone the vacation, do it later on?

M: Not really. There’s a set schedule of classes that I have to teach, so basically I’d have to wait
until next year for another vacation opportunity.
F:Can you get your money back if you cancel your plans?

M: I’d get some of it back, but not much. I had to get my tickets well in advance, and there’s astrict penalty for any changes or cancellations.
F:

Would the extra money cover your losses?

M: Well, almost. But it’s not primarily about the money.
F:

What about the extra work? Would there be some other opportunity later on, when it
wouldn’t interfere with your family vacation plans?

M: It’s hard to say. But if I turn it down this time, the boss probably won’t offer it to me again.
It looks like it’s either “take it” or “leave it.”
F:Well, what do you think your wife will say?

 reservation : accommodations or transportation
scheduled in advance postpone : do (sth) at a later time primarily : mainly
 turn down : refuse to accept an offer or request

 résumé : outline of one’s professional history andexperience cancel : decide that (a planned event) will not take place;call off interfere with : prevent (sth) from happening
 take it or leave it : have or get (sth) or do without itM: I know she’s looking forward to this trip. We’ve talked about visiting New Zealand for years,
and we finally got the chance.
F:New Zealand? Which island, North or South?

M: A bit of both, but mainly the North Island. That’s the one that interests us the most.
F:

What if the rest of your family go by themselves and you stay behind to work?

M: I’ve thought of that, but I’d feel jealous if I didn’t get to go. It’s something I’ve always
wanted to do, too. Besides, I know my wife would need my help with the kids. If she had to
do all the work by herself, she wouldn’t have much fun either.
F:

Then there’s only one solution.

M: Really? What is it?
F:

Stay here and work. This will open up opportunities for you, so you will have a better future.
You can make your dream vacation next year. I know your family will be disappointed, but
it’s really just a temporary setback, not the end of the dream. You can do something foryour wife to make up for the loss, like getting her a nice present or something, and nexttime, due to your new job situation, you might be in a position to take an even better trip.

M: OK. But what should I do with my tickets?
F:Since you can’t use them and you’re going to lose your money anyway, give them to me. I’ve
always wanted to go to North Island!

 setback : problem that delays or stops progress or makesa situation worse

 make up for : compensate