Lesson 1

Before you start

Discuss these questions in pairs.

Why are tourists very important for a country?

Tourists are very important because they can learn about another country and experience a different culture.

Tourists help the economy because they spend money to stay in hotels, eat at restaurants and visit monuments and museums, etc.

Where do tourists go in Egypt? Why do they go there?

Tourists in Egypt go to Giza to see the Pyramids, to Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor and Aswan to visit the historic monuments, and to seaside resorts like Hurghada and Sharm El Sheik to enjoy the Red Sea.

Are a lot of tourists always a good thing for a country? Why?

A lot of tourists are usually a very good thing for a country.

However, there can be some problems because tourists often visit busy places, so the roads become more crowded and there is more rubbish.

Reading

2. Read the text again and answer the questions.

1. What is ecotourism?

Ecotourism is holidays designed to have a limited impact on the local environment.

2. Which country ...?

A. has giant turtles living there? Ecuador.

B. has hotels built of environmentally-friendly materials? Egypt.

C. has a beach with pink sand? Indonesia.

D. wants to protect its lemurs? Madagascar.

3. What do eco-tourists often do?

A. stay in hotels.

B. learn new things about keeping the environment safe.

C. visit traditional villages.

4. Which sentence best summarises the text?

A. every country needs more tourists.

B. ecotourism provides holidays without harming the environment.

C. there should be no tourists in some places.

Vocabulary

3. Find these words in the text, then complete the sentences. You can use a dictionary.

1. There are many endangered animals in the world, which we need to save.

2. Some animals live in very isolated parts of the world and people never see them.

3. The tourist industry has had a big impact on the local town.

4. The natural world around us is the environment.

5. It is important to only use local materials when building an eco-hotel.

6. The Komodo dragon is unique to Indonesia. It doesn’t live anywhere else.

7. Ecotourism is for people who want a holiday which respects the environment.

8. We need to be sure that tourism here is sustainable otherwise people will stop coming.