Read the passage and decide whether the statements are True or False.

It is easy to criticize ecotourism as little more than an opportunity to encourage a kind of voyeurism among the rich. There are also valid concerns that it can still do a level of harm that should be avoided. However, more studies indicate that the benefits are far outweighing potential, or real, drawbacks. Where ecotourism has a stronghold, development is kept at bay, and development is what can kill an ecosystem and drive local or indigenous people into poverty. In fact, studies are showing that ecotourism is reducing poverty and doing more to protect local environments and even improve their conditions. Because people who travel to such far-reaching places want to see something as pristine as possible, the drive is on to reclaim any land that had started to degrade. The more there is to see, the more ecotourists will come. But with a tight hand kept on the management of the tourists, the impact on the system is still negligible.

One concrete example of the improvement possible was seen in Fiji, where ecotourism encouraged the protection of a fishery. The fish population had collapsed, but when ecotourism created jobs, such as diving guides, and the protected area gave the populations a chance to recover, local incomes doubled over five years. When the local community can be active in determining its best course and is given proper assistance from the government - in this case, policing of the fishing zones to prevent sea poaching by outsiders - everyone can benefit.

1. It has been indicated that benefits of ecotourism are very promising. 2. The development supports ecosystem and drives indigenous people into wealth. 3. Land that had started to degrade can be reclaimed thanks to ecotourism. 4. The fish population in the protected area in Fiju has recovered. 5. Only the government can benefit when policing the fishing zones to prevent sea poaching.

q q q q q

Write a short paragraph (120 -150 words) about problems of ecotourism.

You can answer the following questions as cues:

• What are the problems of ecotourism?

• Why are there these problems?

• What should be done to control it?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Talk about measures to develop sustainable ecotourism in Viet Nam.

You can answer the following questions as cues:

* What are the measures?

* What can these measures help?

Useful languages:

Complete the notes:

Now you try!

Give your answer using the following cues. You should speak for 1-2 minutes.

1. ... so measures must be applied to develop ecotourism.

2. The first and most important measure is ...

3. .. issue laws to regulate ecotourism-related matters.

4. ... fine tourists who violate the rules.

5. As a result, ... protect and preserve original and clean beauty of the nature.     

Now you tick!

Did you ...

q answer all the questions in the task?

q give some details to each main point?

q speak slowly and fluently with only some hesitation?

q use vocabulary wide enough to talk about the topic?

q use various sentence structures (simple, compound, complex) accurately?

q pronounce correctly (vowels, consonants, stress, intonation)?

 Let’s compare!

Read the following passage and do the tasks below.

Friendlier Footprints

Providing five-star luxury in the middle of a treasured wilderness without damaging the environment might not be easy, but it is far from impossible. The King Pacific Lodge in British Columbia’s Great Bear Rainforest proves that if enough care and attention is taken, the task is within the reach of any tourist provider.

Unlike many other hotel building projects no trees were cut down and no land was wasted in order to build it. The Lodge does not have a permanent location but sits on a floating barge towed into the sea bay in May, where it anchors till September. Those wishing to stay in one of its seventeen rooms must access it by boat or seaplane. Each guest staying at the Lodge is charged 3 % conservation tax, but is rewarded by the chance to sight whales and bears. And since these are the main attractions of the area and of the Lodge, the management is well aware that in order to stay in business they must leave the area untouched.

In 2000, the Lodge management signed an agreement with the native Gitga’at people by whom they were later adopted. Together they work for the benefit of the area. The Lodge recognises the native tribe as the owners of the land, pays the tribe for the use of their land and even supports the native youth and employs the tribe’s people. They, in turn, teach the newcomers about the local culture.

The King Pacific Lodge is one of a growing number of tourism companies that go beyond purely minimising their environmental impact to win the approval of the local community where they establish their business. These companies use eco-friendly solutions to problems, and are careful to restrict their use of resources and protect threatened species. Realising how destructive tourism can be, they want to avoid the love-it-to-death effect of tourism and leave a lighter environmental footprint.

(Solutions Intermediate - Student’s Book)

Choose the best answer to each of the following questions.

1. According to the text, luxury hotels___________.

Put the verbs in brackets in the correct forms of Conditional Sentence Type 1.

E.g.: If I am busy tomorrow, I (be)__won’t be__able to help you.

1. If I am thirsty, I (find)_________something to drink.

Put the following given words into correct column according to their primary stress.

Michael doesn’t get more pocket money. He can’t ask Doris out for dinner.       

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Tourists/ may not/ review/ service/ correctly/ positively.

→ ________________________________________________________

Put the verbs in brackets into the correct form.

E.g.: If you work hard, you (win)__will win__the prize.

1. You (be) _________so tired if you went to bed earlier.

She would spend a year in the USA if it (be) _________easier to get a green card.

My brother would buy a sports car if he (have) _________money.