阅读理解

　　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．

　I　n 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 far away 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 and modern tourist industry was born．

　　The first travel agency 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．

阅读理解

　　What’s your dream vacation? Watching wildlife in Kenya? Boating down the Amazon? Sunbathing in Malaysia? New chances are opening up all the time to explore the world．So we visit travel agents, compare packages and prices, and pay our money．

　　We know what our vacation costs us．But do we know what it might cost someone else? It’s true that many poorer countries now depend on tourism for foreign income．Unfortunately, though, tourism often harms the local people more than it helps them．

　　It might cost their homes and lands．In Myanmar, 5 200 people were forced to leave their homes among the pagodas(佛塔)in Bagan so that tourists could visit the pagodas．

　　Tourism might also cost the local people their livelihood and dignity(尊严)．Local workers often find only menial(卑微的)jobs in the tourist industry．And most of the profits(利益)do not help the local economy．Instead, profits return to the tour operators in wealthier countries．When the Maasai people in Tanzania were driven from their lands, some moved to city slums(贫民窟)．Others now make a little money selling souvenirs(纪念品)or posing for photos．

　　Problems like these were observed more than 20 years ago．But now some non-government organizations, tour operators and local governments are working together to begin correcting them．Tourists, too, are putting on the pressure．

The result is responsible tourism, or “ethical(道德的)tourism”．Ethical tourism has people at its heart．New international agreements and codes of conduct can help protect the people’s lands, homes, economies and culture．The beginnings are small, though, and the problems are complex．

　　But take heart．The good news is that everyone including us, can play a part to help the local people in the places we visit．Tour operators and companies can help by making sure that local people work in good conditions and earn reasonable wages．

They can make it a point to use only locally owned hotels, restaurants and guide services．They can share profits fairly to help the local economy．And they can involve the local people in planning and managing tourist．

　　What can tourists do? First, we ask tour companies to provide information about the conditions of local citizens．We can then make our choices and tell them why．And while we’re abroad, we can：

　　*Buy local foods and products, not imported ones．

　　*Pay a fair price for goods and services and not bargain(讨价还价)for the cheapest price．

　　*Avoid showing off wealth．

　　*Ask before taking photographs of people．They are not just part of the landscape!

　　Let’s enjoy our vacation and make sure others do, too．