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阅读理解
Ecotourism
The latest buzzword in the tourism industry is “ecotourism”－responsible, environmentally sound vacationing．Ecotourism, or “green tourism,” means taking care of natural resources, protecting endangered species, and preserving and contributing to local communities．
Armed with this “checklist,” I booked a vacation in an “ecoresort．”The brochure looked appealing－a hotel right on the beach, with a large swimming pool and golf course, in acres of unspoiled rain forest．
Unfortunately, the only way to get to this resort was a 12-hour flight followed by a long taxi ride．I was relieved to see the hotel at the end of the road．It was a low-rise building, made out of local stone．But as I later found out, in order to build the resort, the wealthy owner had bought up 30,000 square kilometers of unspoiled rain-forest．
Sunbathing by the glorious swimming pool, enjoying the sound of sprinklers on the golf course, I suddenly realized that this was an area where water is scarce．
So far, not so eco-friendly．I decided to try some of the trips to nearby conservation projects, to give the resort another chance to convince me．
Although it was the breeding season for turtles, we didn't see any．Apparently the large groups of tourists who arrive at the beach to see the turtles laying their eggs have driven the turtles away．A boat ride to a marine park was also disappointing．The noise of the boats means that the alligators(短吻鳄)are afraid to lie in the sun．The tourists, expecting to see some action, throw stones at the alligators in the water, in the hope of getting them to move．
The trip to the “authentic” local village was pleasant．The resort has turned the local homes into picturesque cottages．However, they are so charming that tourists are buying them, and the locals now live in small towns of badly built houses in the poorest areas of town．
All in all, my vacation didn't meet any of the standards for ecotourism．But there are many projects around the world where you can have a genuinely “green” experience．My next trip is to a mountain village, as a paying guest in a local family's home．
I will miss the swimming pool and the golf, though．
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