English Vocabulary in Use Pre-intermediate and Intermediate » Unit 27: Life in the country

Word List
  • at night
  • bank (of a river)
  • branch (of a tree)
  • countryside
  • crop
  • farmhouse
  • farming
  • fence
  • field
  • footpath
  • fresh air
  • gate
  • grass
  • ground
  • hill
  • hopeless
  • keep [look after]
  • leaves (on a tree)
  • open space
  • pick
  • plant n
  • public transport
  • roots
  • scenery
  • season (in the year)
  • sunset
  • surrounded by
  • the best/worst thing about …
  • tractor
  • tree
  • up [not in bed]
  • valley
  • village
  • woods
  • you (don’t) get …
Exercises

27.1 ‣ These things all grow, but what are they? Put the letters in the right order.

  1. seret
  2. sargs _____
  3. velase _____
  4. odows _____
  5. tnpsal _____
  6. toros _____
  7. chesranb _____
  8. roscp _____

27.2 ‣ Complete the dialogues.

  1. A: It must be beautiful when the sun goes down over the valley.
    B: It is. The are lovely here.
  2. A: Have you ever lived in a town?
    B: No, I’ve always lived in the _____.
  3. A: Is Dad _____ yet?
    B: He must be. He’s not in bed.
  4. A: Is it your dad’s farm?
    B: No, he doesn’t _____ it. He’s just the farm manager.
  5. A: Do you enjoy the summer?
    B: Yes, but spring is my favourite _____.
  6. A: Did it rain a lot last night?
    B: Yes. When I went outside this morning, the _____ was very wet.
  7. A: Do they _____ many animals?
    B: Yes, they’ve got sheep, cows and goats.

27.3 ‣ Look at the picture in section B again, then cover it and complete the text.

We walked alongside the 1, opened the 2_____, and said ‘hello’ to the man on the 3_____. We then followed the 4_____ across the 5_____ and down into the 6_____. We stopped and had a picnic by the river. After that, we walked up through the 7_____ and then finally back to the 8_____, where we stopped and bought some eggs.

27.4 ‣ Cover the left-hand page. Complete the advantages and disadvantages of living in the country.

Some of the best things about living in the country are:
• the beautiful 1
• the open 2_____
• the fresh 3_____
• being able to go out and 4_____ fruit
• the fact you are 5_____ by nature.

Some of the 6_____ things about living in the country are that:
• you don’t 7_____ many shops
• 8_____ transport is 9_____
• there isn’t 10_____ to do in the evening, and the nearest town might be a long way 11_____.

27.5 ‣

Over to you

What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of living in the countryside? Do you agree with the ideas above? Can you think of any other advantages and disadvantages? If possible, discuss your ideas with someone else.

_____

Answer Key
A ‣ Surrounded by nature

“I grew up in the countryside where I was surrounded by1 nature. As children, we used to play on the banks2 of the river and in the woods3. In the summer we picked4 apples and blackberries; in the autumn we often picked mushrooms. The seasons5 were all different, and I loved the scenery6, the open spaces7, and the fresh air8. I still do.”

1 nature was everywhere around me
2 the side of the river
3 groups of trees
4 took them from the tree/plant
5 spring, summer, autumn, winter
6 the natural beauty you see around you
7 empty areas of land 8naturally clean air

Common mistakes

I like being in the countryside. OR I like being surrounded by nature. (NOT I like being in the nature.)

B ‣ Working in the country

“My uncle owns1 a farm. He keeps2 a few animals, but mostly he grows crops like barley, wheat and potatoes. Farming is a hard life: my uncle is usually up3 at five in the morning, and sometimes his work isn’t finished until sunset4.”

1 has (something that legally belongs to him)
2 owns and looks after them
3 not in bed
4 when the sun goes down in the evening

C ‣ The disadvantages of country life

“The worst thing about living in a village1 is that there isn’t much to do in the evening, apart from going to the village pub. The nearest town is eight miles away2, and public transport3 is hopeless4. And, of course, you don’t get5 many shops in a village.”

1 a place smaller than a town
2 a distance from a place
3 buses and trains for people to use
4 terrible
5 there aren’t / you don’t find

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