TOEFL® Essay: Custom of the country

[Konstantin]

Hello!

Question:
In Russia, where I live there are numerous good customs but I want to describe only one of them – the rest in the summer cottage knowing as a dacha. It’s an Old Russian tradition to take a rest on the dacha and practically every Russian family has such summer house.

Answer:
The main reason why the people like a holiday on the dacha is the escape from the stone city’s jungles toward the nature. It’s possible to go at a dacha in any season: in winter you could go skiing, in summer you could go swimming and in autumn and spring you could simply enjoy the nature. Sometimes there is a resort near the dacha and you could go there to play volleyball or visit a disco.

A holiday on a dacha is very popular among the people of any ages. Since every cottage has a small garden, older people like to grow vegetables and fruits there. And the aim isn’t only a yield but also a fun. Such people are called dachniki and their overburdened with shovels cars are very amusement. The youth prefers to meet with friends on the dacha, play a guitar and prepare barbeque. The middle age people themselves admire the rest on the beach.

Many people like the rest on a dacha because it could unite all the family. It’s a common situation when the children with their grandmother and grandfather live there all the summer and the parents join them during the holiday. During all a day they play on the sports grounds and gather around the bonfire at the evening.

Since I’ve told with many foreign people I could summarize that the rest in such summer cottages isn’t so popular in the remaining part of the world. For example it’s too expansive in the UK to have an own second small house. But I believe that such repose isn’t only a way to relax but also a great place to feel the family and nature spirit sharply.

TOEFL listening lectures: A lecture from a marine biology class