The Real Cost of Travel

Mass tourism is a relatively recent phenomenon. The tourism industry 【小题1】 (take) off in the middle of the last century and it’s been growing ever since. In the last ten years especially, more and more people have been traveling to places 【小题2】 we had previously only read about or seen on television. But what kind of impact does tourism have on the planet?

A voyage to the end of the earth?

A large cruise ship (邮轮) can carry as many as 6,000 passengers and there are upwards of 50 such ships currently 【小题3】(sail) the seas. Cruise ships dump about 90,000 tons of waste into the oceans every year. Any harmful effects of this are made even worse by the fact 【小题4】 cruises tend to visit the same places over and over again, thus concentrating the waste in specific places.

Trash on top of the world

From remote ocean habitats to the world’s highest mountain, our trash is everywhere. Though far fewer people go climbing the Himalayas than on a cruise, their impact 【小题5】(still feel). Tourism is vital to the economy of Nepal, 【小题6】 it is to many non-industrial countries. But for decades, climbers have been abandoning their unwanted equipment on Everest. For the last few years, clean-up teams of local and international climbers have been organizing hiking trips just 【小题7】(pick) up the waste. One group has brought over eight tons of waste down from the mountain!

When more is not better

Tourism of a different kind is causing problems in Europe. Construction on the Mediterranean coast has been 【小题8】 control for years. Beach resorts form an almost unbroken line from Gibraltar to Greece, and natural habitats have disappeared under miles of concrete. And so we pollute the sea, the land, and the air. Low-cost air travel is booming, in spite of (or perhaps 【小题9】 (help) by) economic problems. For many Europeans, low-cost flights allow them to take several short vacations a year. Yet curiously, short flights actually have a much bigger effect on climate change than long flights. So, are there【小题10】 (damaging) ways of seeing the world? Traveling by train, for example, is a much greener way of getting around.

For many people, bookstores remain an important part of the cityscape. They provide quiet and comforting spots for you 【小题1】 （refresh）the mind and body. But can you imagine 【小题2】 it is like to have a contemporary bookstore in an ancient village, deep in the mountains?

【小题3】 （found）in the city of Nanjing in 1996, Librairie Avant-Garde is a well-known bookstore brand in China. Since its 【小题4】 （establish）, it has explored a cultural and creative business model, whose themes range from cultural salon or coffee and art gallery 【小题5】 elements of film, music, lifestyle and fashion.

One of its branches in Chenjiapu village in Lishui city, Zhejiang province, 【小题6】 （cover）300 square meters with about 30,000 books and related products. The store, located in a corner of the village, receives up to 50,000 visitors during the busiest travel season, with income this year already 【小题7】 （hit）1.5 million yuan（$234,600）.

The bookstore in Chenjiapu has become 【小题8】 must-see attraction. Chenjiapu 【小题9】 （it）is being praised as a demonstration zone for closing urban-rural development gaps and achieving common prosperity（繁荣）.

The latest development efforts and achievements, including its “cliffside bookstore", show how the area is 【小题10】 （gradual）realizing its green, common prosperity dream, in line with the major concept that “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets（资产）”.