U n i t 7 Bath Spa

Starter
1 What do you know about spas?

2 Do you think they are a good way to relax? Why?

Vocabulary
3 Choose the word with a similar meaning.
a up to date (adj) 1 historic 2 modern
b relieve stress (v) 1 relax 2 overwork
c fashionable (adj) 1 royal 2 popular

Video check
4 Watch the video. Choose the correct words.
a The video shows people relaxing on sun chairs in the city / at the beach.
b In the city of Bath, there’s a bridge with a river / building on it.
c You can / can’t see the old Roman baths in Bath.
d The long, curved building was built by the Romans / about 300 years ago.
e The new spa was built in a Roman / modern style.

Speaking
5 How do you stay healthy? Talk about food, drink, exercise, etc.

6 Describe your lifestyle. Are you busy and overworked or are you relaxed? Why?

7 How do you relax at the weekend? For you, what is the best way? What is the worst?
a watch TV
b exercise
c go out with friends
d go to a spa
e listen to music
f other

8 Choose one of the following topics. Use the Internet to find some interesting facts
about it.
a roman plumbing (baths, toilets, etc.)
b a spa in your country or in another country
c salt cave spas
d other ‘alternative’ relaxation techniques (massage, acupuncture, meditation, etc.)

International Express ⋅ Elementary ⋅ Classroom DVD ⋅ Worksheets ⋅ © Oxford University Press

 Video details
This video clip links to the Holiday? I’m too busy text and activities on page 62.
Total running time: 3 minutes, 50 seconds.

Video script
Many people have to work very hard.
Workers often complain that they are too busy to go away on holiday. They feel guilty
when they are not working, and the cost of sick leave and stress is increasing.
Many people are looking for ways to relax, without being away from the office for a
long time. Spas are one answer.
Bath is a historic city in the south-west of England. This beautiful city has the only
natural hot-water spa in the country.
A new spa opened in 2006, but this is not the first spa to open in Bath.
The Romans built the first baths in the city 2,000 years ago. People came from all
over Europe to visit.
They believed this water wasn’t just relaxing, but that it cured disease too.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, visiting the spa became very popular again. People came
from London to relax in Bath. They called it ‘taking the waters’.
Staying in the city was very fashionable and the royal family often visited. Many
beautiful buildings were built during this time.
But the number of people using the baths decreased and finally, in 1978, the last spa
closed. For nearly 30 years there wasn’t a spa in Bath.
In 1997, the rebuilding of the spa started. It cost more than £7 million, and the project
took nine years to complete.
By using modern ideas about health and relaxation, the new Thermae Spa brought the
city’s historic baths up to date.
So once again, overworked people can come and ‘take the waters’ in Bath and discover
that a spa is a great way to relax and relieve stress.

Worksheet answer key

1 Possible answers: A spa is a place where hot water with minerals in it comes out
of the ground. It can also be a place without natural hot water where people go to
relax and to improve their health.
2 Students’ own answers
3 a 2 b 1 c 2
4 a in the city b building c can d about 300 years ago e modern
5 Students’ own answers
6 Students’ own answers
7 Students’ own answers
8 Some examples:
a Roman plumbing was very sophisticated. Their toilets and baths were very
similar to those used today.
b Dogo Onsen is in Matsuyama, Japan. It’s Japan’s oldest spa with a history of
3,000 years. The building you can visit today was built in 1894.
c Some people relax by visiting natural or man-made ‘salt caves’. The caves help
reduce stress and may relieve the problems of many illnesses.
d In massage, one person uses their hands to squeeze and rub another person’s
body. This can help reduce pain and can help relaxation. Acupuncture is a
traditional Chinese medical treatment that uses needles. Needles are put in
different parts of the body to treat different ailments. Meditation is sitting very
still and silent. People who meditate try to let their mind be calm.

International Express ⋅ Elementary ⋅ Classroom DVD ⋅ Worksheets ⋅ © Oxford University Press