Lesson 4

I. Read the text. Answer the questions.

Can you imagine spending your holiday on a campsite with 9,000 other people,
being woken up at 7:30 every morning with “Good morning, campers!” from a
loudspeaker? Sounds awful, doesn’t it? Well, it’s how many British people used to
spend their summer holidays in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Campers stayed not in tents
but in comfortable chalets at different seaside locations around the UK. The
biggest and most popular ones were run by Billy Butlin.
Butlin’s holiday camps were exciting places for all the family. There were all
sorts of activities, including games, talent shows and competitions. Every camp
had its own miniature railway to ride on. There were swimming pools, adventure
playgrounds, and theatre shows to suit people of all ages. There were also
babysitters so parents could go out for the evening. One unusual feature was that
there weren’t any restaurants!
Campers used to eat in large dining halls at set times, and if they didn’t get
there on time, they didn’t get any food! This was one reason why there were
loudspeakers everywhere – to remind people of meal times!
However, times changed, and by the early 1980’s a lot of the camps were
closed. Cheap package holidays abroad gained popularity and holiday camps went
out of fashion. Today, three Butlin’s resorts remain in the UK. These days, guests
stay in spacious apartments and luxury hotels, eat at a wide range of restaurants,
attend concerts, pantomimes and the latest movies, or have fun at water parks and
funfairs. One thing hasn’t changed, though – they still offer inexpensive family
holidays.
1. Where did the British use to go on holiday?
2. What could someone do at Butlin’s camps?
3. Where did the campers eat?
4. Why did holiday camps go out of fashion?
5. Are there any Butlin’s camps today?
6.What can guests do there nowadays?