B) Comprehension check: Are the following statements true (/) or false (X)? Correct the false ones with the right information and discuss your answers with a partner.

• An ancient inscription has been discovered at the entrance of a ruined temple in Petra.

• Nearly 1.5 million tourists a year visit Petra.

• The stone in Petra is so soft that the tourists' feet are destroying it.

• Tourism has been the world's largest industry since the 1960s.

• It is now possible to go everywhere in the world on a package holiday,

• In the 19th century, Thomas Cook organized tours of Europe's cultural sites for rich people.

• The number of foreign tourists has been growing gradually since 1939.

• There will be a huge increase in the numbers of tourists to the Mediterranean.

• The Swiss are considering ways of creating new mountains for skiers.

• Nowadays, you can only go rafting down the Colorado River if you win a lottery,

• The caves of Lascaux are going to be closed to the public and a replica is going to be built in Disneyland.

• Local people are moving away from many historic city centres.

C) Language work: Find a word in the text that has the same or similar meaning to the following words in the box:

shows (v), reached a decision (v), serious (adj) hardly (adv),distant and far away (adj), having special rights and advantages (adj), unbelievable(adj), defeated and controlled(v), choose (v), extremely beautiful or delicate (adj), admit, accept (v), left (past participle)

Task 4.

a) Read this excerpt from a book called The Beach by Alex Garland. Why did the author go travelling?

A few years ago I was going through the process of splitting up with my first serious girlfriend. She went away to Greece for the summer and when she came back she'd had a holiday romance with some Belgian guy. As if that wasn't enough, it seemed that the guy in question was going to show up in London some time over the next few weeks. After three hellish days and nights, I realized that I was dangerously close to losing my head. I biked over to my dad's flat and emotionally blackmailed him into lending me enough cash to leave the country.

On that trip I learnt something very important. Escape through travel works. Almost from the moment I boarded my flight, life in England became meaningless. Seat-belt signs lit up, problems switched off. Broken armrests took precedence over broken hearts. By the time the plane was airborne I'd forgotten England even existed.

b) Work with a partner. Have you ever travelled for any of these reasons? Tell your partner

• to escape boredom • to run away from a broken heart • to broaden your experience of the world • to learn languages • to get a suntan

• to live out your dreams • to take a break from your career • to visit historical sites or travel along a historical route • to raise money for charity

c) Can you think of any other reasons to go travelling?

Task 5.

a) Work in groups of three. Discuss the following questions.

1. What are the favourite tourist spots in your country? Do you live near to any of them?

2. Do they have any problems?

3. List as many advantages and disadvantages of tourism as you can think of. Compare your lists with the other groups.

4. There is an organization called 'Green Tourism'. Which in the following pairs do you think they will be in favour of? Which won't they approve of? Why?

5. 'Travel broadens the mind.' Do you agree?

6. As a tourist, have you ever:

• been on a package holiday?

• bought souvenirs? (What? Where?)

• taken lots of photographs? (What of? Who of? Where?)

• filmed your holiday with a camcorder? (What? Who? Where?)

• written your name in a visitors' book or on a wall or building? (What? Where?)

b) Put these holidays in order of preference. Discuss why you've chosen that order.

• an activity holiday

• a beach holiday

• a self- catering holiday

• a camping holiday

• a package holiday

• a holiday near your home

Task 6.

Where have the class been? Ask other students in the class and make a list of countries, regions and famous cities your fellow students have been to. Try to find a place for every letter of the alphabet. You can include regions and cities in your own country.

Task 7.

Six people are talking about their holidays. Decide if they enjoyed their holiday or not. Decide if the following sentences are true (T) or false (F).

1. a)They didn't like the restaurants or excursions. b)They ran out of money.

2. a)The holiday was very tiring. b)They sometimes slept during the day.

3. a)The food was disgusting. b)The waiters were very friendly.

4. a)The plane was only a little late. b)They missed the train.

5. a)They didn't enjoy their first meal. b)The restaurants in the town were very good.

6. a)They were unhappy about the snow. b)The weather had been better the previous year.

1

The resort was gorgeous with a beautiful sandy beach. The trouble was everything cost a fortune. Restaurants, excursions, windsurfing, jetskis, they had everything, but basically we did nothing at all because we couldn't afford it. After two days we were broke, so we just ate sandwiches after that and watched everyone else enjoying themselves.

2

I was dead by the end of it. I'd always wanted to go, so I thought I'd better make the most of it. We didn't do much during the day because we had to catch up on our sleep, but in the evenings we saw three musicals and then went clubbing to a different place every night. Terrific! I can't wait to get back.

3

Yes, absolutely brilliant. The hotel was a high-rise dump; they hadn't even finished building it. The food was wonderful if you like raw eggs for breakfast, and the service was as friendly as you could expect from a prison camp. It was the perfect destination for your worst enemy.

4

When we got to the check-in they told us there would be a slight delay. Six hours later we finally got on to an ancient plane, and when we were airborne, I just closed my eyes and prayed. When we arrived, we were too late for the train and, in any case, our baggage had got lost somewhere.

5

On the first day, we went down to the restaurant and it was disgusting. Some kind of revolting raw fish with a spicy sauce, ugh! So for the rest of the time we decided to check out other places in the town where we were really spoilt for choice. There were the most amazing places, and we couldn't wait for dinner time to arrive.

6

The funny thing is that although it was freezing, I got really sunburnt. There had been heavy snowfalls just before we got there, so conditions were tremendous. We couldn't have hoped for anything better. I just wish it had been the same last year.

Task 8.

a) Discuss or write the answers to these questions.

• What, for you, are the pleasures and horrors of modern driving?

• Look at the aspects of travel listed below. What are they like in your country? How are they different in any other country you have been to?

roads and car-drivers

airports

train services

hitch-hiking possibilities

b) What's the furthest you have travelled in one 24-hour period? Describe the journey.

c) Think of films or film sequences - disaster movies, car chases, train adventures, sinking ships — that involve travelling. Describe in detail the ones that impressed you most.

9. Write, in dialogue form, a conversation in which three friends argue about how they should travel to a distant city for a long weekend. One thinks it would be best to go by car, the second is for going by train, and the third would prefer to go by coach.

Task 9. Read the text and discuss whether you are green tourists or not.