阅读理解

　　Tourism probably started in Roman times．Rich Romans visited friends and family who were working in another part of the Roman empire．But when the empire broke down, this kind of tourism stopped．

　I　n the early 17th century, the idea of the “Grand Tour” was born．Rich young English people sailed across the English Channel(英吉利海峡)．They visited the most beautiful and important European cities of the time, including Paris in France, and Rome and Venice(威尼斯)in Italy．Their tours lasted for two to four years, and the tourists stayed a few weeks or months in each city．The “Grand Tour” was an important part of young people’s education－but only for the rich．

　　In the 18th century, tourism began to change．For example, people in the UK started to visit some towns, such as Bath to “take the waters”．They believed that the water there was good for their health．So large and expensive hotels were built in these towns．

　　In the 19th century, travel became much more popular and faster．When the first railways were built in the 1820s, it was easier for people to travel between towns, so they started to go for holidays by the sea．And some started to have holidays in the countryside as cities became larger, noisier and dirtier．

　　Traveling by sea also became faster and safer when the first steamships were built．People began to travel more to far away countries．

　　The 20th century saw cars become more and more popular among ordinary people．Planes were made larger, so ticket prices dropped and more people used them．

　　Thus tourism grew．In 1949, Russian journalist Vladimir Raitz started a company called Horizon Holidays．The company organizes everything－plane tickets, hotel rooms, even food－and tourists pay for it all before they leave home．The package tour and modern tourist industry was born．

　　The first travel agency in China was set up as early as 1949．But tourism did not take off until 1978．In 2002, the industry was worth 500 billion yuan and became an important part of China’s social development．

阅读理解

　　For the last couple of weeks, I had been stuck in front of my computer working on a project that was very important to me．My every waking hour was consumed by the project and although I imagined that I would feel happy after completing parts of the project, I was confused to find that instead, I was feeling rather depressed．I tried a range of methods to help cheer myself up．I had a relaxing bath, cooked a delicious meal to enjoy with my family and even watched a lighthearted movie, but to no avail．It was only when I turned to meditation(沉思)for a solution that the answer came to me：turn to nature!

　　The very next day, I grabbed my camera and a bottle of water and set off to spend a few hours walking in a nature reserve, even though it was pouring with rain．Within a couple of minutes I felt alive again．To be honest, I felt like a young school girl again and had to stop myself from hopping along the path singing, "I'm singing in the rain", a song I used to sing when I was a child．I think as adults we often try too hard to control our inner children and as a result we restrain(限制)our own spirits, which only leads to depression and stress．

　　Interestingly, it has been shown that people who spend 40 minutes walking in a nature reserve have a drop in their blood pressure levels, but this does not happen when they spend a similar amount of time walking in a busy city centre．

　　If you feel a little low in spirit and know that you have spent too much time indoors, relax completely, remove your shoes and let your inner child come out and play．

阅读理解

　　Scores of farms across he country are opening up to overnight guests．The best have all the appeal of a first-rate inn(小旅馆)－plus here a moo, there a moo．

　　Sure, you and your kids have a plan for the theme parks．In the meanwhile, why not make a little hay(干草)? Farm stays are fast becoming the great American alternative to the pre-packaged vacation．

　　LIBERTY HALL FARM

　　Rochester, Vt．; 802/767-3926; www．libertyhillfarm．com．Adults ＄75, teens ＄50, kids 12 and under ＄35, including breakfast and dinner; shared baths．

　　Beth and Bob Kennett run a farm straight out of a storybook．You’ll find Beth in the kitchen, rolling out dough(生面团)for a pie．Bob’s busy with other work．Guests sleep in seven sunny bedrooms right in the farmhouse and can participate in any of the farm jobs．Maybe you and your kids won’t be up at 6 am to meet the milk truck, but you can help with the milking twice a day, collect eggs, and pick sweet corn and wild blackberries in season．

　　HULL-O FARM

　　It started in 1993 as a way to bring in some extra money at a time of falling milk prices．But soon after Frank and Sherry Hull opened their Catskill Mountains dairy farm to overnight visitors, they discovered they loved it．As you drive up, Sherry greets you on the porch(入口处)of the 1825 farmhouse with a cow-shaped cookie jar．Before long your kids are playing around with the cows, sheep, ducks, goats and getting ready for a hayride．

　　MERAMEC FARM CABINS

　　Bourbon, Mo．; 573/732-4765; http：//www．wine-mo．com Doubles with private bath ＄75, ＄10 per additional person．Trail and riding fees extra．

　　Climb on the back of the Ford pick up and catch up with the herd．One gentle cow named Cricket will even let the kids sit on her back．At the barn(牲口棚)Carol will introduce you to the horses－15 Missouri Fox Trotters－and lead you on a ride over the hills and down along the spring-fed Meramec River, where everyone swims．Grab a fishing pole and head back to the river．When you have your fill of the wild, try Carol and Dave’s favorite restaurants, within 20 miles of the farm．