English Reading Exercises – Holidays without parents

 

I.              Complete the holiday-related compound nouns. Use the words below. Which of them are written as one word?

back      camp      pen      sun      sun      sun      travel      travel

1   …………………….guide

2   …………………….burn

3   …………………….friend

4   …………………….cream

5   …………………….pack

6   …………………….glasses

7   …………………….site

8   …………………….programme

 

II.            Read the texts. Are the sentences true (T) or false (F)?

1   Sam’s parents chose his holiday.

2   Sam had a frightening experience.

3   The weather was good during Harriet’s holiday.

4   Harriet’s holiday was shorter than she expected.

 

Have you ever been on holiday without your parents? Would you like to?

 

III.          Read this before you decide …

 

SAM

I come from a strange family. My parents have always believed that we should learn to look after ourselves from an early age. That included holidays. I remember my poor brother went on a canoeing trip on the River Thames with a cousin when they were both just twelve years old. They had a miserable time and have never really recovered from the experience. When I was fifteen, they decided I was old enough to go on holiday with just my best friend. ‘You’re going to hitch-hike to the Lake District with a tent and a backpack; you’re going to camp, up in the mountains, for a week; and then – if you’re still alive – you’re going to hitch-hike back again. ‘So we hitch-hiked for hundreds of kilometres, we camped, we got cold and wet and scared, and couldn’t afford to buy enough food. But, against the odds, we survived.

 

HARRIET

I’ve been on a number of holidays without my parents, but the first holiday was two years ago, when I was sixteen. Six of us decided to go backpacking in Wales during the school holidays. I booked cheap hotels before we left. The first two days were fine. But at the end of the second day, we lost our way. It was pouring with rain and it was getting dark. We eventually came to a farmhouse and knocked on the door. We were so dirty and wet that they didn’t let us into the house. We had to wait in the garage! But they let us phone the hotel. Anyway, the hotel manager kindly sent a car for us. But the next day it was still raining so we decided to take the train home. I’ve learned why no one goes backpacking in Britain in March – it rains non-stop and the fields are covered in deep mud. I’ve never had such a miserable time! My holidays since then have been in warm places with dry weather!

IV.             Read the Reading Strategy. For questions 1-4, choose the correct option (a-d).

1   When Sam’s brother was twelve, he and his cousin

a   did not enjoy their trip together.

b   had a terrible holiday, but got over it quickly.

c   went camping near the River Thames.

d   went canoeing with his parents.

2   On Sam’s first holiday without his parents, he

a   walked all the way to the Lake District.

b   had to hitch-hike across some mountains.

c   kept warm, but couldn’t keep dry.

d   ate less food than he wanted to eat.

3   Harriet

a   went on holiday with six friends.

b   has been on one holiday without her mum and dad.

c   arranged accommodation before the holiday.

d   had a miserable time from the start of the holiday.

4   The holiday taught Harriet

a   that it’s best to take a map with you when you go backpacking.

b   never to go backpacking in Britain.

c   why backpacking in Britain in March isn’t popular.

d   to check the weather forecast before a holiday.