Task 3. Read the description of some Russian dishes. Guess what they are?

1. A vegetarian salad (boiled beets, potatoes, and carrots; pickles, some chopped onion)

2. A cold soup based on kvas, green onion, herbs and spices such as black pepper, mustard or horse radish.

3. A fish soup cooked with potatoes and other vegetables.

4. Salad with rice (or pasta), boiled eggs, sweet corn and diced crab (imitation or otherwise), mixed in mayonnaise.

5. Seasoned ground beef and rice filling stuffed inside boiled cabbage leaves. Sweet pepper shells are also a popular alternative to cabbage. 

6. A light refreshing drink made by boiling fresh fruit with sugar, then leaving it to cool and infuse.

7. Marinated meat cooked on a skewer. Popularity in Russia originated in the late 19th century from Caucuses region

8. A traditional Russian dish made with minced meat filling, wrapped in thin dough dumplings.

9. Also known as Fish under a Fur Coat, its a Russian favorite. Ingredients include herring fillets, potatoes, carrots, beets, eggs and mayonnaise.

10. A flexible salad composed of boiled potatoes, vegetables, often with meat, mixed in mayonnaise.This salad is the creation of a French chef, M. Olivier, who in the 1860s opened a fashionable restaurant in Moscow called The Hermitage.

11. A vegetable soup most commonly made with beets and often with meat.

12. Small dough buns or pies stuffed with variable fillings. Traditional fillings include fish (sautéed with onions and mixed with hard-boiled chopped eggs), meat (boiled and chopped, then mixed with sautéed onions and eggs), Potato (mashed, then mixed with eggs and sour cream), cabbage (sautéed, plus egg and spices).

UNIT 9

ACCOMMODATION

There is no place like home.

East or West, home is best.

He who is first come is first served.

Whether on vacation or business, people like to feel that they are in their home away from home when they stay at a hotel. Customer service is by far the most important defining factor in the hospitality industry, and hotels are no exception. Guests must feel comfortable and at ease with the hotel staff, as well as with the accommodations.

Hotel managers must also have training in order to be competitive in the field. They must complete courses in business, hospitality management, marketing and communications. Travel and tourism course are offered at traditional universities and colleges, as well as online or through distance-learning programs.

Pre-reading task

Task 1. Work in pairs and discuss the following questions.

1. Have you ever stayed in a hotel? When did you stay there?

2. Was the hotel good?

3. What facilities did it have?

4. Was the service good?

5. Where did you have breakfast / dinner?

Task 2. For each of the six questions choose the correct answer.

1. I'm on a tight budget so I'll be staying in a _____ hotel while I'm travelling around Japan this year.

a) budget-star

b) tight budget

c) five-star

d) budget

2. I never know how much you're supposed to tip a _____. He carries your bags up to your room so it's quite a hard job. Do you think two dollars is enough?

a) housekeeper

b) porter

c) receptionist

d) concierge

3. If you want to find the best bars in the city, ask the _____. And then she'll wave down taxi for you right outside the hotel.

a) concierge

b) receptionist

c) porter

d) chambermaid

4. I told the _____ we were very cold last night and she said she'd ask the _____ for some extra blankets for us.

a) porter / receptionist

b) chambermaid / housekeeper

c) porter / concierge

d) housekeeper / chambermaid

5. My husband snores so much that when we go on holiday I always book us into two _____ rather than a _____. It's a little bit more expensive but it's the only way I ever get an undisturbed night's sleep.

a) five star hotels / double room

b) single rooms / double room

c) family rooms / single room

d) double rooms / single room

6. When I travel on my own and want to save money. I stay in a _____ in a _____ hotel.

a) twin room / family

b) twin room / budget

c) family room / five-star

d) single room / budget

Read and translate the text

Accommodation in Britain(Part I)

The choice of accommodation available in Britain is vast. It includes hotels, inns,‘bed and breakfasts’, farmhouses and self-catering establishments - the list goes on and on. Stay at a castle that’s been converted into a hotel,or at a historic country inn, with low, wood-beamed ceilings — at some establishments you can even sleep in a four-poster bed! Wherever you stay, you’ll be pleased with the quality, friendly service and value-for-money.

How to book

You can book accommodation with your local travel agent or direct with hotels or hotel group representatives. Most Tourist Information Centres (TIC) in Britain can book accommodation for you on arrival, and there are hotel booking desks at airports and main railway termini. Also, the British Travel Centre in London offers an accommodation booking service and can provide up-to-date information on availability.

Price

For travel on the cheap, there are two main options: youth hostels and bed & breakfasts (B&Bs), although over the past few years several independent backpack­ers’ hostels have opened and the number is growing, particularly in popular hiking regions.

In the middle range, superior B&Bs are often in beautiful old buildings and some rooms will have private bathrooms with showers or baths. Guesthouses and small hotels are more likely to have private bath­rooms, but they also tend to be less personal. If money’s no object, there are also some superb hotels, the most interest­ing in converted castles and mansions.

Classification

The national tourist boards operate a classification and grading system; participating hotels, guesthouses and B&Bs have a plaque at the front door. If you want to be confident that your accommodation reaches basic standards of safety and cleanliness, the first classification is ‘listed’, which denotes clean and comfortable accommodation. One crown means each room will have a washbasin and its own key. Two crowns means washbasins, bedside lights and a TV in a lounge or in bedrooms. Three crowns means at least half the rooms have private bathrooms and that hot evening meals are available. And so on up to five crowns.

In addition there are also gradings (‘approved’, ‘commended’, ‘highly commended’ and ‘deluxe’) which may actually be more significant since they reflect a judgment on quality.

In practice there’s a wide range within each classification and some of the best B&Bs don’t participate at all because they have to pay to do so. A high-quality ‘listed’ B&B can be 20 times nicer than a low-quality ‘three crown’ hotel. In the end actually seeing the place, even from the outside, will give the best clue as to what to expect. Always ask to look at your room before deciding. As ever, single rooms are in short supply. The worst value accommodation tends to be in big towns where you often pay more for inferior quality (abrupt service, chaotic décor, ropey fittings).

Words and expressions

abrupt - внезапный, непредвиденный

accommodation - жильё, номер в гостинице

approved - одобренный; принятый

availability - наличие

available - имеющийся в распоряжении, наличный

basic standards - основные нормы

country inn - сельская гостиница, сельский постоялый двор

crown - корона

deluxe - дорогой, роскошный

establishment - учреждение, организация

fitting - меблировка, оснащение помещения

four-poster bed - кровать с балдахином

grading - классификация

guesthouse - гостиница, предоставляющая номер с завтраком

hostel - студенческое общежитие, турбаза

inferior - плохой

judgment - суждение; оценка

listed - включённый в список

lounge - гостиная,  холл

mansion - большой особняк

operate - работать, функционировать

option - выбор, альтернатива

plaque - дощечка с названием учреждения

quality - качество

range - диапазон

representative - представитель

ropey - плохой, скверный

significant - значительный

single room - номер на одного человека

superior - лучший

termini - мн.ч. от terminus - конечная станция; вокзал

to book - заказывать

to convert (into) - переоборудовать, перестраивать

to denote - обозначать; различать,

to offer - предлагать

to reach - достичь, добиться

to reflect - отражать, свидетельствовать (о чём-л.)

travel agent - агент бюро путешествий

up-to-date - современный, новейший

vast majority - подавляющее, абсолютное большинство

washbasin - (умывальная) раковина

wood-beamed - с деревянными балками, перекладинами