The Best Holiday

Hi, I’m Greta! I’m 12 years old and I live with my mum, dad and two
younger brothers in Dusseldorf, in Germany. We have two dogs
called Barney and Snowy, they’re very funny.

Although it’s freezing cold in my country, winter is definitely the best

season as there are so many fun things to do. You can go ice skating
in the city centre, visit our traditional markets and try some typical food
and drink and even take a ride on a big ferris wheel! There’s so much to
do, that’s why I love spending the winter holidays in my city with my
family. However, last year we decided to do something different and
we spent the vacation in Iceland!

We caught a flight from Berlin to Reykjavik which took almost four

hours. Luckily, Nico and Hans (my two brothers) and I took
lots of magazines, books, colouring pads and games to play
on the flight so we didn’t get bored. Mum and dad slept for
the entire journey, they must have been exhausted.

When we arrived, we headed straight to our hotel and changed into

warmer clothes. I knew it would be cold in Iceland, but not this cold!
It was -2ºC when we got there and I couldn’t feel my fingers! I had
some thick, woolly gloves and a hat in my suitcase which I’m glad I
brought with me. Anyway, we spent two weeks in Iceland and saw
so many new things - we even saw the northern lights one night. I
felt so privileged to be able to do something different.

My brothers and I love trying different cuisine when we’re out and about, so during our trip
to Iceland we tasted pretty much everything! My favourite dish was lobster soup, and my
brothers ate so much blueberry skyr cake. When it was time to come home, the whole family
was quite upset because we didn’t want the holiday to end.
We’d had such a good time and had taken advantage of
every moment in this new country.

I don’t know where we’ll go or what we’ll do for our next

winter holiday, but I’m certain that we’ll have a fabulous
time as a family.

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 The Best Holiday

Activities
Activity 1: Vocabulary. Find synonyms for the
following words in the text.

1. Very cold 

2. Holiday 

3. Extremely tired 

4. Luggage 

5. Lucky 

6. Food 

7. Sad 

8. Sure 

Activity 2: Correct the sentences.

1. Greta and her family spent three weeks in Switzerland.

2. She thought it would be hot in Iceland in winter.

3. Greta’s favourite dish that she tried was chicken soup.

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 The Best Holiday

4. Greta and her brothers were bored on the plane to Iceland.

5. The family was happy when they had to return to Germany.

6. Greta already knows where she’s going to spend her winter holiday next year.

Activity 3: Answer the questions.

1. When is winter in your country?

2. How do you usually spend your winter holidays?

3. What activities do you do with your friends in winter?

4. Do you prefer summer or winter holidays? Why?

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 The Best Holiday

5. Would you ever like to visit Iceland like Greta and her family?

6. Where are you going to spend your next winter vacation?

This resource has been made for the purpose of teaching English language learners. We know that students can be learning English in many different places, in many different ways and at age, so we try to
keep these resources as general as possible.
There are many acronyms associated with English language teaching. These include (but are not limited to) ELT, TEFL, EFL, ELL, EAL and ESOL. While the term ESL may not fully represent the linguistic
backgrounds of all students, it is the most widely recognised term for English language teaching globally. Therefore, we use the term ‘ESL’ in the names of our resources to make them easy to find but they are
suitable for any student learning to speak English.

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 The Best Holiday

The Best Holiday Answers

Activity 1: Vocabulary. Find synonyms for the
following words in the text.

1. Very cold - Freezing cold 5. Lucky - Privileged

2. Holiday - Vacation 6. Food - Cuisine

3. Extremely tired - Exhausted 7. Sad - Upset

4. Luggage - Suitcase 8. Sure - Certain

Activity 2: Correct the sentences.

1. Greta and her family spent three weeks in Switzerland.
Greta and her family spent two weeks in Iceland.

2. She thought it would be hot in Iceland in winter.

She knew it would be cold in Iceland in winter.

3. Greta’s favourite dish that she tried was chicken soup.

Greta’s favourite dish that she tried was lobster soup.

4. Greta and her brothers were bored on the plane to Iceland.

Greta and her brothers were entertained on the plane to Iceland.

5. The family was happy when they had to return to Germany.

The family was sad when they had to return to Germany.

6. Greta already knows where she’s going to spend her winter holiday next year.
Greta doesn’t know where she’s going to spend her winter holiday next year.

Activity 3: Answer the questions.

Students’ own answers

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