Tourism probably started in Roman times. Rich Romans visited friends and family who were working in another part of the Roman Empire. But when the empire broke down, this kind of tourism stopped.
In the early 17th century, the idea of the "Grand Tour" was born. Rich young English people sailed across the English Channel（英吉利海峡）. They visited the most beautiful and important European cities of the time, including Paris in France, and Rome and Venice（威尼斯） in Italy. Their tours lasted for two to four years, and the tourists stayed a few weeks or months in each city. The "Grand Tour" was an important part of young people's education—but only for the rich.
In the 18th century, tourism began to change. For example, people in the UK started to visit some towns, such as Bath to "take the waters". They believed that the water there was good for their health. So large and expensive hotels were built in these towns.
In the 19th century, travel became much more popular and faster. When the first railways were built in the 1820s, it was easier for people to travel between towns, so they started to go for holidays by the sea. And some started to have holidays in the countryside as cities became larger, noisier and dirtier. Traveling by sea also became faster and safer when the first steamships were built. People began to travel more to faraway countries. The 20th century saw cars become more and more popular among ordinary people. Planes were made larger, so ticket prices dropped and more people used them.
Thus tourism grew. In 1949, Russian journalist Vladimir Raitz started a company called Horizon Holidays. The company organizes everything—plane tickets, hotel rooms, even food and tourists pay for it all before they leave home. The package tour（跟团游）and modern tourist industry was born.
The first travel agency（旅行社）in China was set up as early as 1949. But tourism did not take off until 1978. In 2002, the industry was worth 500 billion yuan and became an important part of China's social development.
【小题1】Modern tourism was born___________.| A．in Roman times | B．in 1949 |
| C．in the early 17th century | D．in the 19th century |
| A．Transportation | B．Education |
| C．The first travel agency | D．People' s ideas |
| A．a plane rising into the air |
| B．develop very fast |
| C．remove hats and clothes |
| D．bring down the prices |
Ecotourism
Ecotourism, which is considered as a kind of responsible tourism, is typically defined as travel to places where special and unusual plants, animals and cultural heritages are the main attractions.
Ecotourism is developing at great speed. According to a recent report by the World Tourism Organization, ecotourism in recent years has enjoyed an annual growth of about 5% worldwide.
If you love communing with nature, conserving the environment or improving the lives of people then ecotourism is an excellent way to see new and exciting places.
Ecotourism has been gaining increasing recognition and popularity mainly for the relaxing, natural and vivid experience it offers to tourists. People are attracted to nature and long to be close to it. However, a conflict between nature and human beings is unavoidable.
| A．The definition of ecotourism is beyond words. |
| B．It takes ecology and culture into consideration. |
| C．You may not be very familiar with ‘‘ecotourism’’. |
| D．More than 80 activities have been listed for ecotourism. |
| E．People can have great fun enjoying nature through ecotourism. |
| F．Big cities are still the major places that attract tourists in our society today. |
| G．How to protect natural resources while taking advantage of them is of great importance. |
Pacaya is an easy drive from Antigua, a beautiful city with many colorful houses along its old streets that are turned into art-works during its Holy Week festival. No matter when you come to Antigua, you won’t miss the Pacaya-tour companies.
But climbing Pacaya is no easy job: it is 2560 metres high, and reaching the summit takes two to three hours of seemingly one-step-forward and two-step-back movements. As you climb, you hear the dull sounds of eruptions high above steaming. Hot remains from recent eruptions begin to line the path as you are near the active summit; the McKenney Cone(火山锥).
Many tours are timed so when you arrive at the cone of the volcano there is plenty of time for sunset and the full contrast between the erupting red lava and the darkening sky. On a good day the view from the summit is extremely exciting. The active mouth boils, sending red lava over its sides, and once in a while shoots hot streams up to 100 metres into the air. There is a strong bad smell in the air even if you take care to be upwind of the cone. As evening turns deeper into the night, the burning lava quietly falls down the side of the volcano. For you, too, it is time to get down .
【小题1】What is the main purpose of this passage?
| A．To attract tourists to Pacaya. |
| B．To describe the beauty of Pacaya. |
| C．To introduce guided tours to Pacaya. |
| D．To explain the power of nature at Pacaya. |
| A．where people can have a close-up view of the volcano |
| B．where the daring Pacaya tour starts |
| C．that lies on the summit of Pacaya |
| D．that is famous for its tour companies |
| A．walk down to the active summit |
| B．hear the continuous loud screams from above |
| C．make greater efforts than to other summits |
| D．see a path lined with remains of earlier eruptions |
| A．get down the mountain in time when night falls |
| B．avoid the smell from the upwind direction of the cone |
| C．enjoy the fantastic eruption against the darkening sky |
| D．appreciate the scenery of the 2560-metre-high mountain |
| A．a travel journal | B．a popular science magazine |
| C．A novel | D．an advertisement |
Fed up with tourists who only come in to check out the scenery, the owners of Queviures Murria, a grocery store in Barcelona, Spain, have put up a sign announcing a 5 euro fee for coming in just to look.
Queviures Murria has been in business since 1898 and is one of the most eye-catching locations in all of Barcelona. The vintage (老式的) look of the store and the traditional design of the inside attract hundreds of tourists every day, but the problem is that many of them aren’t actually interested in the products sold inside—all kinds of traditional Spanish cured sausages, cold cuts, cured cheeses, oils, wines, etc. According to the store, many tourists enter the store without even saying a simple “hello”, wander around taking pictures, and then simply leave without buying anything. So it decided to charge people for “just looking” just to discourage them.
Toni Merino, one of the managers at Queviures Murria, said that the idea to charge tourists a fee for simply coming into the grocery store and looking around without buying anything started out as a joke, but as the staff and the regular customers became increasingly inconvenienced by random tourists looking around, taking pictures, with absolutely no interest in the products on display, they decided to do it.
Merino has clarified that he and his partners have no interest in actually charging the fee, and they don’t really have to anymore. By posting a warning about the 5 euro fee in the shop window, they have managed to discourage most unwanted visitors.
After photos of the 5-euro fee announcement in the window of Queviures Murria spread quickly on social media, the Barcelona business faced a public outcry, and it was forced to explain the reasons and clarify that it didn’t really plan on carrying on the measure.
【小题1】What can we learn about Queviures Murria?| A．Tourists are not welcome there. |
| B．It has a history of nearly 100 years. |
| C．It charges people for taking photos. |
| D．Tourists prefer its design to the products sold there. |
| A．To earn a fame. |
| B．To attract more tourists. |
| C．To warn the impolite visitors. |
| D．To provide a convenient shopping environment. |
| A．Opposed. | B．Objective. | C．Supportive. | D．Unconcerned. |
| A．A travel journal. | B．A news website. |
| C．A fashion magazine. | D．A debate program. |
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