雅思阅读模拟题精选及答案卷十八.docx

1、雅思阅读模拟题精选及答案卷十八2021年雅思阅读模拟题精选及答案（卷十八） The Impact of Wilderness TourismAThe market for tourism in remote areas is booming as never before. Countries all across the world are actively promoting their wilderness regionssuch as mountains, Arctic lands, deserts, small islands and wetlandto high-spending

2、tourists. The attraction of these areas is obvious: by definition, wilderness tourism requires little or no initial investment. But that does not mean that there is no cost. As the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development recognize, these regions are fragile (i.e. highly vulnera

3、ble to abnormal pressures) not just in terms of their ecology, but also in terms of the culture of their inhabitants. The three most significant types of fragile environment in these respects, and also in terms of the proportion of the Earths surface they cover, are deserts, mountains and Arctic are

4、as. An important characteristic is their marked seasonality, with harsh conditions prevailing for many months each year. Consequently, most human activities, including tourism, are limited to quite clearly defined parts of the year.Tourists are drawn to these regions by their natural landscape beaut

5、y and the unique cultures of their indigenous people. And poor governments in these isolated areas have welcomed the new breed of adventure tourist, grateful for the hard currency they bring. For several years now, tourism has been the prime source of foreign exchange in Nepal and Bhutan. Tourism is

6、 also a key element in the economies of Arctic zones such as Lapland and Alaska and in desert areas such as Ayers Rock in Australia and Arizonas Monument Valley.BOnce a location is established as a main tourist destination, the effects on the local community are profound. When hill-farmers, for exam

7、ple, can make more money in a few weeks working as porters for foreign trekkers than they can in a year working in their fields, it is not surprising that many of them give up their farm-work, which is thus left to other members of the family. In some hill-regions, this has led to a serious decline

8、in farm output and a change in the local diet, because there is insufficient labour to maintain terraces and irrigation systems and tend to crops. The result has been that many people in these regions have turned to outside supplies of rice and other foods.In Arctic and desert societies, year-round

9、survival has traditionally depended on hunting animals and fish and collecting fruit over a relatively short season. However, as some inhabitants become involved in tourism, they no longer have time to collect wild food; this has led to increasing dependence on bought food and stores. Tourism is not

10、 always the culprit behind such changes. All kinds of wage labour, or government handouts, tend to undermine traditional survival systems. Whatever the cause, the dilemma is always the same: what happens if these new, external sources of income dry up?The physical impact of visitors is another serio

11、us problem associated with the growth in adventure tourism. Much attention has focused on erosion along major trails, but perhaps more important are the deforestation and impacts on water supplies arising from the need to provide tourists with cooked food and hot showers. In both mountains and deser

12、ts, slow-growing trees are often the main sources of fuel and water supplies may be limited or vulnerable to degradation through heavy use.CStories about the problems of tourism have become legion in the last few years. Yet it does not have to be a problem. Although tourism inevitably affects the re

13、gion in which it takes place, the costs to these fragile environments and their local cultures can be minimized. Indeed, it can even be a vehicle for reinvigorating local cultures, as has happened with the Sherpas of Nepals Khumbu Valley and in some Alpine villages. And a growing number of adventure

14、 tourism operators are trying to ensure that their activities benefit the local population and environment over the long term.In the Swiss Alps, communities have decided that their future depends on integrating tourism more effectively with the local economy. Local concern about the rising number of

15、 second home developments in the Swiss Pays dEnhaut resulted in limits being imposed on their growth. There has also been a renaissance in communal cheese production in the area, providing the locals with a reliable source of income that does not depend on outside visitors.Many of the Arctic tourist

16、 destinations have been exploited by outside companies, who employ transient workers and repatriate most of the profits to their home base. But some Arctic communities are now operating tour businesses themselves, thereby ensuring that the benefits accrue locally. For instance, a native corporation in Alaska, employing local people, is running an air tour from Anchorage to Kotzebue, where tourists eat Arctic food, walk on the tundra and