Travel - Module 10A

B2 First · Multiple Choice Reading · First Expert Coursebook, Pearson Education

You are going to read an article in which a British journalist writes about his experiences in the USA. For questions 1–6, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.

It was the summer of 1987 and I'd taken a train from Toronto to New York. I'd just left school and this was my first big solo adventure. I was almost dizzy with excitement as the train slowly pulled into Grand Central station, very early on a clear-skied New York morning. I can still remember hesitantly pulling my little black suitcase through the breathtaking central hall of the station; it was like stepping onto the set of a thousand familiar movies. There was something unique about the place - an energy that you could almost touch. All around me, New Yorkers rushed from destination to destination as though their lives depended on it. I remember feeling out of place, as if I wasn't really there, that I was floating high above the city. I drifted out of the station into the metropolis that is New York. It was a world of huge shadows - the sun blanked out by the sheer enormousness of the Manhattan skyline. I rode the Staten Island ferry boat, conquered the Empire State building, roller-skated in Central Park. It was like meeting one of your childhood heroes and finding out that not only did they not disappoint but they were far, far cooler than you'd ever dared hoped. From that moment on, I've been obsessed but to begin with I, like most visitors, only really flirted with the USA - just visiting the cosmopolitan cities around her edges. I first went to Miami by chance. I had to film there and I wasn't really looking forward to it. To me, Florida was all about tasteless neon lights and hideous theme parks. In a way, I was right. That's part of its appeal. This is, after all, the only city in the world where a yellow Ferrari makes sense. The gorgeous combination of fabulous climate, art-deco architecture and Cuban-Hispanic influence instantly made it one of my favourite cities in the world. Nothing quite beats sitting on the terrace of the Tides hotel, watching the beautiful people glide by. One breakfast, I was joined by the rapper Ja Rule and his pet lion: only in Miami, only in the USA. People warned me about Los Angeles. 'Nobody walks anywhere, it's not a real city, it's all so fake.' Once again, they were right. It is those things, and you need to embrace them wholeheartedly to enjoy the place. My first time in LA, I was there for meetings with a film company and they really pushed the boat out. A stretch limousine whisked me in air-conditioned splendour to a famous hotel where Johnny Depp was having a drink in the garden. It really was a fairytale. Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Malibu - such familiar places to me through a thousand and one films and TV shows. Every sharp-suited executive at every meeting promised me the earth was mine. It was a merry-go-round of broad smiles and green lights. Of course, nothing came of any of this but I was living the cliche - the American dream. One of the most common insults thrown at Americans of late is that they are insular, disconnected from the world, with apparently only 20 percent of the population in possession of a passport. To us this seems unthinkable. When you travel in the States, it all makes sense. There's not that European need to travel 'abroad' when it'll take you a lifetime to discover your own country. To me, the USA is like a candy store and I'm the sweet-toothed kid waiting at the door, eager to sample new treats. I want to go to Hawaii and learn to surf, go to Texas and become a cowboy and then there's ... I've been there more times than to any other country and I've only scratched the surface. Every time I look out of a window, outside is the USA.

a sensation of loneliness

the intense activity all around

how beautiful the weather was

that he would be very happy there

What was the writer's main impression when he first arrived in New York as a teenager?

He found New York frightening.

It didn't live up to his expectations.

He didn't get to know the country very well.

He regrets wasting so much time in the cities.

What does the writer remember about his early visits to the USA?

unique.

elegant.

depressing.

disappointing.

The writer found Miami

He disliked its artificiality.

He ended up finding work there.

He felt as if he had been there before.

He didn't have a positive experience.

What does the writer say about his first trip to LA?

took strong action

left him to find his own way around

made a lot of progress

spent a lot of money

What does the writer mean by the expression pushed the boat out in line 22?

insulting Americans.

not having a passport.

travelling in the USA.

the population of the USA.

This in line 28 refers to

Welcome to the USA

British television comedian and writer Dom Joly explains why he's happiest in the USA.

Available as a free printable PDF worksheet with an optional answer key.

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