Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word for each of the blanks. Fill in the appropriate word in question 48 British families started going on holiday to the seaside around the middle of the 19^th century. The invention of the railways (45) ____ this possible. The first holidaymakers were quite rich and went for their health and education. The seaside was a place to be (46) ____ of illness, and doctors ...

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word for each of the blanks. Fill in the appropriate word in question 48

British families started going on holiday to the seaside around the middle of the 19^th century. The invention of the railways (45) ____ this possible. The first holidaymakers were quite rich and went for their health and education. The seaside was a place to be (46) ____ of illness, and doctors recommended bathing in the sea and drinking sea water. Also to (47) ____ their knowledge, families attended concerts and read books from the library.

At that time, ordinary working people had very little time (48) ____ work. However, in 1871, the government introduced four ‘Banking Holiday’ - national holiday days. This (49) ____ people to have a day or two out, which now and then gave them a taste for leisure and the seaside. At first, they went on day-trips, taking (50) ____ of special cheap tickets on the railways. By the 1880s, rising incomes (51) ____ that many ordinary workers and their families could have a week’s holiday at the seaside. Rail fares were reduced and cheap hotels were built to (52) ____ them. Holidaymakers enjoyed being idle, sitting on the beach, bathing in the sea, and eating ice-cream. Cheap entertainment was (53) ____ offer and holidaymakers went to have fun.

Today the English seaside (54) ____ popular, with more than 18 million holidays taken there each year.