Part 7
You are going to read an article about people’s attitude to summer. For questions 43 – 52, choose from the sections (A – D). The people may be chosen more than once.
Which person mentions…
43. a desire for a complete change of environment?
44. a belief that others should not be envious of her situation?
45. having changed her attitude to a particular season?
46. some people’s biological suitability to a certain climate?
47. a desire for some peace and quiet during the summer?
48. an appreciation that her attitude might change under different circumstances?
49. resenting the predictability of the weather?
50. the start of health problems in certain months?
51. a preference for spending time outside at particular times of day?
52. not sharing the same attitudes as other people in her country?
The people’s favourite season?
Summer’s just around the corner so we thought we’d find out whether the hot summer sun lights up your life! Check out some readers’ contributions.
A
You’d expect someone like me to have summer down as the best time of the year. After all, I have those long holiday weeks to look forward to, with no more evenings spent marking homework until September. I know many of my friends wish they had a break like I do, but they probably don’t see the drawbacks. My holidays are inevitably the same as the children’s and as a result summer beaches are usually really crowded and any holiday abroad costs a fortune because it’s peak season! Not only that but the hotels I can afford are the family ones and overrun with children. I imagine I’d appreciate places like this if I were a parent. But I’m not! Don’t get me wrong – I love children, but I share every working day with them and I’d just like to escape in the holidays. That’s my main beef about summer. Not my favourite time of the year.
B
Where I live we don’t get seasons like most countries do. It’s pretty much summer all year round, apart from the hurricane season when we get torrential rain and really destructive winds. The tourists love coming here because it’s practically guaranteed sunshine, but to tell the truth, for me it is SO boring. Every day the temperature is the same – no element of surprise at all – and that is hot, hot and maybe even hotter! If you’re out in the midday sun it just saps your energy, so I usually do my outdoor training early in the morning or late at night. I’ve competed in London and that’s where I would love to live. You can get four seasons in one day! Imagine not wearing T-shirts and shorts all year round, but investing in a proper wardrobe, with furry hats, boots, sweaters? Tourists think I’m crazy, but I’d swap the burning sand for some chilly frost and snow any time!
C
I’m Russian and I know I should be used to the winter months, like most Russians, but I am definitely not! I absolutely detest the cold. Not only do I hate putting on layer after layer of clothing, but I also can’t bear the almost permanent feeling that I’m just about to come down with flu or something- which never actually happens. If I’d been born in Siberia or somewhere near the Arctic, apparently my body would be better adapted for the cold weather of long winters. Scientists say that people from that part of the world have a different physique – shorter bodies and limbs so as to keep as much body heat as possible. I’m tall and skinny and feel the cold terribly. So, for me, summer is when I come alive! There’s a buzz in the air and people have smiles on their faces and you don’t go to college and come home again in the dark. Give me summer any time.
D
What’s not to like about summer? For me – actually quite a lot. I’m one of those people who suffer when the pollen levels start to rise, sneezing throughout the summer months. What’s more, I have the sort of blood that mosquitoes seem to love and if I’m out at dusk I get bitten to death! I haven’t had these allergies all my life, only in the last couple of years, and it’s a real pain because I used to adore the long days and the picnics and trips to the seaside. Now, it’s completely different. I have to take regular medicine, which makes me really sleepy by the way, and my job, which involves cutting lawns and hedges, is a bit of a challenge. Although it feels wrong on so many levels, I look forward to darker evenings and the changing colours of the leaves.
For this task: Answers with explanations :: Vocabulary