Travel and adventure ENGLISH COLLOCATIONS IN USE (ADVANCED)

ENGLISH COLLOCATIONS IN USE (ADVANCED)

UNIT 26

Travel and adventure

A	An exciting trip I’d always had a thirst for adventure and often get itchy feet so I could hardly contain my excitement when I set off for South America for a year. It was a very arduous1 journey. I should have broken the journey2 somewhere but I did it all in one go. Next time, I’ll have a stopover3 in São Paolo, have a bit of a rest and do the sights there before travelling on. After two fantastic weeks in the Amazon I got a flight on a low-cost airline to Rio de Janeiro. I then tried to get a flight to Peru but they were all full, so they put me on standby4. Luckily I got a seat. In Peru I went trekking in the Andes. The guide took us off the beaten track and I felt like an intrepid5 explorer from another century in some unexplored wilderness. There was a real sense of adventure. One day we actually got hopelessly lost. We were afraid they’d have to send out a search party to look for us. But then we met some locals who helped us get back on to our path. 1 difficult, tiring, needing a lot of effort 2 stopped for a short time 3 have a brief (usually) overnight stay in a place when on a long journey to somewhere else, usually by air 4 made me wait to see if a seat became available 5 brave, with no fear of dangerous situations
B	Articles about travel adventures North Pole Expedition London to Tangier by train   Some longed-for sunny spells have boosted the spirits1 of three British women hoping to set a polar trekking record. The women have faced severe weather conditions since setting off to walk to the North Pole 18 days ago. However, the team’s base camp manager said she had spoken to them yesterday by satellite phone and they had been relieved to report the weather was sunny and their spirits were high2. Whilst this journey may not compare in terms of sheer epic grandeur to some of the great American train journeys, it does have a special charm all of its own. It may not be cheap but if you keep your eyes peeled, you can find some surprisingly good deals. If your budget doesn’t quite stretch to3 a sleeping compartment, you can always just curl up in your seat for the night. Let the rhythmic motion and the dull rumbles of the train lull you to sleep. The first leg of the journey gives you very little indication of what lies ahead … 1 made feel more cheerful 2 they were in a positive mood 3 you can’t afford
	Tip Look at www.nationalgeographic.com or an adventure travel company such as www.keadventure.com.

EXERCISES

26.1	Complete these descriptions of TV documentaries using a word from the box. arduous beaten intrepid sense sights trekking unexplored 1 John Howes presents essential holiday tips for those heading off the _________ track, while Anneke Zousa does the _________ of New York in record time. 2 In this fascinating film, Grieshaus gives us a picture of the largely _________ wilderness of the Kara Kum Desert. 3 Like a(n) _________ explorer of the 19th century, James Westly travelled with only two companions. 4 In 1957, Anna Trensholm went _________ through the mountains of north-eastern Turkey and fi lmed every step of her way. This unique footage reveals the harshness of her _________ journey. 5 This film conveys a genuine _________ of adventure, as we travel with its makers through the dense jungles of Guyana.
26.2	Choose the correct collocations. ••• <  > I have always had itchy (1) hands / feet / fingers and last summer I had the amazing opportunity to travel to the – for me at least – (2) unexplored / unplanned / unprepared territory of the Gobi Desert. My budget wouldn’t (3) spread / stretch / afford to travelling on a normal flight but I couldn’t find a (4) low-cost / low-key / low-cut airline to fl y me there. In the end, I got a (5) stand-up / stand-off / standby ticket and it was not too expensive. Once there, I joined a group and we made a journey on horseback into the desert. You wouldn’t believe the sheer (6) very / mere / epic grandeur of the region. If you keep your eyes (7) peeled / scaled / washed you can see all sorts of amazing plants and creatures. We were lucky with the weather. We were told that the previous group had had to (8) meet / face / address severe weather (9) circumstances / coincidences / conditions. Our main problem was that one day we got (10) hopelessly / fearlessly / carelessly lost and they had to send out a search (11) group / party / set to fi nd us. We felt so stupid. Anyway, the Gobi Desert may not be everyone’s choice of holiday destination but I can assure you that it (12) does / gets / has a very special charm of its own.
26.3	Rewrite each sentence using the word in brackets. 1 At the beginning the journey was straightforward. (LEG) 2 I couldn’t afford to travel first class. (STRETCH) 3 After we arrived at our base camp we felt more cheerful. (BOOSTED) 4 There will be periods of sunshine in most areas today. (SPELLS) 5 We broke our journey to Australia in Singapore. (STOPOVER) 6 Jack has always longed to have adventures. (THIRST) 7 Grandmother is very cheerful today. (SPIRITS) 8 The movement of the ship helped me to fall asleep. (LULLED)
26.4	Use a dictionary or the Cambridge Online Dictionary to find two more collocations for these words. 1 arduous 2 wilderness 3 uncharted

ANSWER KEY

26.1 1 beaten; sights 2 unexplored 3 an intrepid 4 trekking; arduous 5 sense 26.2 1 feet 2 unexplored 3 stretch 4 low-cost 5 standby 6 epic 7 peeled 8 face 9 conditions 10 hopelessly 11 party 12 has 26.3 1 The first leg of the journey was straightforward. 2 My budget didn’t stretch to travelling first class / to first-class travel. 3 Arriving at our base camp boosted our spirits. / Our spirits were boosted when we arrived at our base camp. / On arrival at our base camp our spirits were boosted. 4 There will be sunny spells in most areas today. 5 We had a stopover in Singapore on our way to Australia. 6 Jack has always had a thirst for adventure. 7 Grandmother’s spirits are high today. 8 The movement of the ship lulled me to sleep. Possible collocations: 1 arduous task / climb 2 a mountain / a rocky / revert to wilderness 3 uncharted waters / seas / territory