1. Is the landscape mountainous or flat?
The landscape is mountainous.
2. In the picture do you see an ocean or lake?
In the picture we see a lake.
3. Is the beach good for sunbathing?
No, the beach is not good for sunbathing. It’s too rocky.
4. What kind of trees are growing here?
There are pine trees (evergreens) growing by the lake.
5. Is the sailboat sailing towards the right or towards the left?
The sailboat is sailing towards the left.
6. What is jumping out of the water?
A fish is jumping out of the water.
7. What are the men in the canoe doing?
The men in the canoe are fishing.
8. What else besides birds are flying in the air?
In addition to birds flying, we also see a plane flying in the air.
9. Who is taking a walk on the road?
A man is taking a walk on the road with a couple of dogs.
10. Are the people on the right driving a sports car or a family car?
The people on the right are driving a family car.
11. How many people in the picture are on foot?
We see one person on foot in the picture.
12. Why don’t you need an umbrella?
We don’t need an umbrella because it’s not raining.
13. Can you go mountain climbing here?
You can probably go mountain climbing in the mountains that you see in the distance.
14. Is it possible to go camping with a tent here? To go on a picnic?
You could have a picnic alongside the lake under the trees, but it is not possible to camping with a tent here. You’d have to go to the mountains in the distance to find a good camping place.
15. Can you play golf here? Tennis? Baseball?
There aren’t any fields on which to play golf, tennis, or baseball here.
16. What else can you do here on a summer vacation? How about on a winter vacation?
On a summer vacation we could go sailing, canoeing, swimming, or fishing here. On a winter vacation, we could go ice skating, ice fishing, or skiing in the mountains in the distance.
17. What kind of wild animals would you find in this forest?
In this forest we could find squirrels, rabbits, foxes, raccoons, snakes, perhaps bears, woodpeckers, sparrows, robins, cardinals, bluebirds, or quail.
18. When does the water turn into ice?
The water turns into ice in the winter, when the temperature goes below freezing.
19. In which season do many students go on vacation?
Many students go on vacation in the summer, when they have summer break from school.
20. Where do you spend your summer vacations?
I like to spend my summer vacation by the lake or in the mountains.
Paragraph: My Vacation
Write a brief paragraph about a vacation that you took. Where did you go? What did you do? Would you recommend a friend to go there for his vacation?
When I was in my 30s, I went on a backpacking trip in Europe. I bought a Eurail pass, which allowed me unlimited travel by train throughout Europe for thirty days. First I traveled around Germany, visiting different cities such as Eisenach (where J.S. Bach was born, and where Martin Luther attended Latin school as a young boy), Chemnitz (formerly known as Karl Marx Stadt when it was a part of the former East Germany), and Kiel. At night I stayed in youth hostels. The hostels were very inexpensive, but sometimes it was difficult to find how to get to the hostel from the train station.
From Kiel I left Germany and took an overnight ferry to Oslo, the capital of Norway. I then traveled around Norway by rail, visiting cities such as Stavanger and Bergen. In Norway I didn’t stay in youth hostels, but I traveled by night on the trains and slept on the train instead. When I got tired of traveling, I went to visit relatives before going back home to the United States.
I had a lot of fun traveling around Europe and seeing many famous and historical places. Since I stayed in hostels and traveled by train, I was able to meet a lot of local people and talk to them. I would recommend anyone who likes to travel “off the beaten path” (= go to places that most tourists don’t see or don’t visit) to take a vacation like this. Be sure to take a lot of pictures so you can have some nice memories of your travel adventures!