My perfect holiday used to be two weeks in a hotel with no cooking, no cleaning and staff waiting on me all day. After we had children we found it easier to choose places where kitchen facilities were included and we did the cooking. It was a generally more convenient option although we tended to stay in Britain because of the cost. Then a friend of mine introduced us to the idea of house- exchange holidays.
At first, the thought of staying in somebody else’s home, with all the worries of keeping it clean and tidy and being constantly careful not to break anything, was unthinkable. Equally, I didn’t like the idea of complete strangers wandering about in my home, using my bathroom and sleeping in my bed. However, my friend described how she and her husband and their two children had spent two weeks in Florida for the price of the flight. She told me how they had stayed in a lovely apartment in the heart of the real Florida, well away from the tourist traps. They had had no problems with the family of four that had stayed in their house in London.
Because they were so positive we decided to try it ourselves. We joined a house- exchange agency, chose the countries we were interested in visiting and were soon sent information on possible swaps. Finally we chose a family in Vancouver, went away and had the best holiday we’d ever had. That was five years ago. Since then we’ve been to Prague, Finland, Edinburgh, Washington and Sydney.
1. What is the writer trying to do in the text?
A. describe a fantastic holiday she had in Florida.
B. complain about the high cost of holidays.
C. warn against having a holiday I a hotel
D. suggest a different type of holiday.
2. Why didn’t the writer like the idea of staying in somebody else’s home?
A. because she would need to use their bathroom.
B. because she would have to worry about looking after the place
C. because she would be responsible for security
D. because she would have to sleep in a strange bedroom.
3. What did the writer’s friend like about her house- exchange?
A. the opportunities for tourists. B. the fact that it was good value.
C. The genuine design of their apartment. D. The four families who stayed in London.
4. Why did the writer and her family decide to try a house-exchange holiday?
A. her family were bored with their usual holidays.
B. she likes the idea of going to Florida.
C. some friends had had a good experience.
D. she needed to spend less on holiday.
5. Which of the following is not true about the house-exchange holiday that the writer and her family had?
A. they enjoyed it very much. B. It was five years ago.
C. they went to Vancouver. D. It is the only holiday of this kind they have had.
