Task 3. Answer the questions.

1. Where can you stay when traveling around Britain?

2. Why is it better to book accommodation in advance? How can you book?

3. What are the options for those who travel on a budget?

4. What does one crown on a hotel plague mean?

Read and translate the text

Accommodation in Britain(Part II)

YHA Hostels

Membership of a Youth Hostel Association (YHA) gives you access to a network of hostels throughout England, Wales and Scotland – you don’t have to be young or single to use them.

All the British associations are affiliated to Hostelling International (HI), which has recently changed its name from Interna­tional Youth Hostel Federation to move away from the emphasis on ‘youth’. Some countries immediately adopted the new name, but Britain is still sticking with YHA and SYHA. It makes no difference - YHA, IYHF or HI, it’s all the same thing.

All hostels have facilities for self-catering and some provide cheap meals. Advance booking is advisable, especially at weekends, bank holidays and at any time over the summer months. Booking policies vary: most hostels accept phone bookings and payment with Visa or Access (MasterCard) cards; some will accept same-day bookings, although they will usually only hold a bed until 6 pm; some participate in the Book-A-Bed-Ahead scheme; some work on a first come, first served basis.

The advantages of hostels are primarily price (although the difference between a cheap B&B and an expensive hostel isn’t huge) and the chance to meet other travellers. The disadvantages are that some are still run dictatorially, you’re usually locked out between 10 am and 5 pm, the front door is locked at 11 pm, you usually sleep in bunks in a single-sex dormitory, and many are closed during winter. Official youth hostels are rarely in town centres; fine if you’re walking the countryside or have your own transport.

Independent Hostels

Like YHA hostels these are great places to meet other travellers, and they tend to be in town centres rather than out in the sticks, which will suit the non-walking fraternity. New places are opening fast so it’s worth double-checking with the TIC.

University Accommodation

Many British universities offer their student accommodation to visitors during the holidays: usually for three weeks over Easter and Christmas and from late June to late September. Most such rooms are comfortable, functional single bedrooms but without single supplements. Increasingly, however, there are rooms with private bathroom, twin and family units, self-contained flats and shared houses.

University catering is usually reasonable; full-board, half-board, bed and breakfast and self-catering options are available.

Bed and Breakfast

You’ll find ‘bed and breakfast’ (B & В for short) in towns, resorts and villages throughout Britain. Some В & Bs are private houses, others are old-world country pubs, yet more are farmhouses. Small B&Bs may only have one room to let, and you can really feel like a guest of the family - they may not even have a sign. All will give you a friendly welcome and a chance to meet the British in their own homes. You get a bedroom, a shared bathroom and an enormous cooked breakfast (juice, cereal, bacon, eggs, sausage, baked beans and toast). More up-market B&Bs have private bath­rooms and TVs in each room.

Guesthouses

Guesthouses, which are often just large converted houses with half a dozen rooms, are an extension of the B&B concept. In general, they’re less personal than B&Bs, and more like small budget hotels.

Hotels

Britain’s large town and city hotels offer every comfort that you’d expect - central heating, bedside radio, TV, coffee-making facilitiesand private bathrooms. There will be a restaurant and bar (sometimes several) on the premises. An increasing number of hotels have leisure facilities for their guests - swimming pools, tennis courts, small golf courses and saunas for example. Others have local arrangements for pony-trekking, golf, fishing, sailing and so on. Hotels and restaurants are obliged by law to display current prices prominently.

Rental Accommodation

        There has been an upsurge in the number of houses and cottages available for short-term rent. Staying in one place gives you an opportunity to get a real feel for a region and a community.

Outside weekends and July/August, it’s not essential to book a long way ahead. You may be able to book a long way ahead. You may be able to book through TICs, but there are also excellent agencies who supply glossy brochures to help the decision-making.

The tourist boards rate self-catering accommodation with one to five keys; the more keys, the more facilities. One key indicates a property is clean and comfortable, has adequate heating, lighting and seating, a TV, cooker, fridge and crockery and cutlery.

Words and expressions

access - доступ

network- сеть

to affiliate - объединять, присоединять

emphasis- большое внимание чему-л.

to adopt - принимать

facilities - средства, оборудование

advance booking - предварительное бронирование

ahead - заранее

scheme - схема

advantage - преимущество

disadvantage - недостаток

to run - управлять, руководить

to lock - запирать на замок

bunk - койка

dormitory - общежитие

to tend - иметь тенденцию

out in the sticks - далеко от центра города

to suit - подходить, удовлетворять требованиям

fraternity - братство, община

double-check - проверить еще раз

supplement - добавление, дополнение

self-contained - отдельный (о доме, квартире)

shared house - совместного пользования

resort - курорт

to let - сдавать внаём

sign - вывеска

upmarket - высшего качества

premises - здание с прилегающими пристройками

leisure - отдых

obliged - обязан

by law - по закону

current prices - текущие цены

upsurge - рост

to get a real feel - почувствовать симпатию

way ahead - заранее

to supply - снабжать, поставлять

glossy - глянцевый

seating - места для сидения

heating - отопление

lighting - освещение

cooker - кухонная плита

crockery - посуда (глиняная, фаянсовая)

cutlery - ножи, ложки и вилки

Task 4. Answer the questions

1. What facilities do hostels have? What are their booking policies? When do you need to book in advance? What are the advantages and disadvantages of staying in hostel?

2. When is living in University accommodation possible? What kind of rooms do they provide? Do the rooms have private bathroom? Where can you get refreshment?

3. What does B & B mean? What advantages does staying in B & B have?

4. Why is staying in B & B good for those studying English?

5. What facilities do large city and town hotels provide? Do they have leisure facilities?

Which of them do they have?

6. How are self-catering accommodations classified? Do they have stars? What cooking facilities do they have? What kind of people usually rent them?

Task 5. Match the English and Russian equivalents.