3. Translation

1. Лето – самый напряженный сезон для спасателей, которые помогают любителям пеших походов, попавшим в сложную ситуацию, путешествуя в горах. В самые напряженные дни спасатели регистрируют в журналах до 15 вызовов.

2. Летом огромные армии туристов, стряхнув пыль с одежды, надев туристские ботинки и упаковав рюкзаки, устремляются в горы.

3. Подавляющее большинство тех, кто оказывается в затруднительном положении, звонит и просит спасателей о помощи, это люди, получившие травмы, как правило, те, кто поскользнулся на мокрой траве или камнях, упал, сломал ногу или лодыжку.

4. Зачастую туристы одеты в неподходящую для похода в горы одежду: легкие яркие куртки и кроссовки, и не имеют необходимого оборудования.

5. Отстав от своей группы, она запаниковала, стала звонить спасателям, утверждая, что упала, растянула лодыжку и не может идти дальше. Но когда спасатели обнаружили ее, оказалось, что она цела и невредима. Обескураженные они отправили ее в город первым же автобусом.

6. Целой команде спасателей пришлось отправиться в горы, чтобы вызволить собаку, застрявшую между камней в глубоком овраге.

7. Вы можете быть опытным альпинистом, вы можете быть хорошо экипированы, но это не гарантирует вас от случайностей, например, вы можете поскользнуться, упасть и сломать ногу, – утверждают спасатели.

8. Больше всего работы у спасателей, работающих на добровольной основе, в наиболее популярных туристических местах, таких как, например, Сноудония в Уэльсе или Озерный край на севере Англии.

9. Прежде чем стать полноправным членом спасательной команды, вы должны пройти специальную подготовку во время испытательного периода.

3. Role-play.

Work in small groups. You are one of the members of the rescue team. Share your experience and talk the volunteers into joining or supporting your team.

Text 5. Guilt-Free Holidays

Lead-in:

1) What could be the negative impact of tourism on the following? Discuss.

- historic sites

- beaches and coastal line

- the countryside

- wildlife

- the host community’s culture

2) What kinds of initiative can be taken to counteract some of these adverse effect?

3) How can tourists behave responsibly in the places they visit?

Eco-tourism is becoming more and more popular, and it’s easy to see why. Deprived areas make the most of their natural attractions, the environment benefits and travellers feel they are “giving something back” to the places they visit. Perhaps the age of responsible tourism has arrived at last. Let’s look at four very different eco-tourism projects from around the globe.

A. Sinking a Warship

A group in England is planning to sink a retired warship in order to use it as an artificial diving reef. They plan to sink the ship off the Cornish coast and hope the project will generate ten million pounds a year for the local economy by attracting diving enthusiasts.

It is believed that the reef will encourage eco-tourism through diving, as well as help protect fish stocks and marine life in general. The sunken ship would attract divers from across Europe and there will be facilities for able-bodied and disabled divers.

The group is appealing to similar organizations in the hope that they will help them, not only financially but also by sharing knowledge on such projects.

The scheme would be the first for Britain. Other countries including America and Australia already have artificial reefs created from redundant ships, and the response from diving enthusiasts has so far proved amazing.

B. Hippies Go Home

G oa’s Anjuna beach is a place which symbolizes the carefree hippie lifestyle. It is a place where low budget tourists go when they have run out of money. At the weekly market, travellers try to sell their cameras, cassettes, guitars and even their clothes. However, it may soon all be over because the local authorities have announced that they want to discourage tourists who visit the area on shoestring budgets.

Local residents do not entirely agree. Although they would like to see better-off tourists in Goa, they do not think it wise to turn away the budget travellers. Tourist organizations want to concentrate on eco-tourism and plan to organize jungle safaris because they believe such projects will attract up-market travellers. Both the residents and the travel organizations feel that it is not sensible to snub the tourists they already have in an attempt to attract more wealthy visitors.

C. Inca Cable Car

The Inca people built Machu Picchu high up in the mountains because the area was so remote. Now these pristine mountains will be changed forever by Swiss engineering. A Swiss company plans to build a cable car to lift visitors 500m up into the mountains. This means that travellers will no longer have to trek for days along the Inca Trail to sample the magic of Machu Picchu.

O pponents to the scheme argue that the cable car will be visible from the site’s famous Sun Temple. There is also a wider concern that big business tourism will benefit from the scheme, while local inhabitants who earn little money from tourism will not.

UNESCO would like to see the development of eco-tourism rather than mass tourism in the area. The Peruvian government on the other hand supports the cable car scheme, saying that it will allow it to go ahead, and it will see that the character of Machu Picchu is preserved.

D. African Village Experience

A n eco-tourism project with a difference has just been launched in the South Luangwa National Park in Zambia. Tourists will be offered the chance to encounter a wide range of wildlife and a great deal more. This project was set up by the local villagers who were suffering from a downturn in the national economy. They decided to raise money themselves to cover the cost of educational and welfare projects.

Tourists will be invited to live the African Village Experience. The tours are led by English speaking villagers, and visitors can choose from activities such as meeting the local healer to taking part in cooking or farming. Visitors are also offered the option of staying the night in the village. What’s more, they are encouraged to join in all the local traditions, such as using the left hand to eat with and eating in separate dining areas for males and females.

Exercises and Tasks

1. Read questions 1-14 and answer them. Choose from the texts (A-D).

In which area(s):

• do local people and travel companies agree?

• will a new plan spoil the view from a well-known spot?

• can you see something used for a different purpose?

• can you live as the natives do?

• was the project set up because of a financial crisis?

• has the government agreed to the plan?

• are there different opinions on what should be done?

• do the authorities want to encourage wealthier tourists?

• will future plans benefit a certain group of tourists?

• is the group looking for assistance with the project?

• will tourists have the opportunity to see wild animals?

• can you find a very easy­going atmosphere?

• are they trying to make life easier for tourists?