文章大意:这是一篇新闻报道。文章讲述了2月的一个早晨,刚过7点,玛雅湾(Maya Bay),就在几周前,当局在进行了大规模的修复计划后,自2018年6月以来首次向世界开放了泰国最受欢迎的旅游景点之一。
It’s just past 7 a. m. on a February morning in Maya Bay, several weeks after authorities reopened what is one of Thailand’s most popular tourist attractions to the world for the first time since June 2018 following a massive restoration program.
In the hours to follow, a slow but steady flow of tourists becomes in great numbers as dozens of tourists make their way to the white-sand beach, phones at the ready as they take photos. Swimming is not allowed, though visitors can take a few steps in. It’s disappointing, but a huge improvement over what visitors once experienced here.
Maya Bay is located in a Thailand’s national park. The destination was made famous by the 2000 film The Beach, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. As the film’s popularity grew, so did tourists’ desire to visit the location where much of it was shot —Maya Bay.
“Around 40 years ago, Maya Bay was already a tourism destination, but mainly for Thai tourists because you didn’t have speedboats at that time,” says Thon, a marine biologist and professor who requested authorities to close the bay four years ago. Over the years, the number of tourists rose from less than 1, 000 to as many as 7, 000 or 8, 000 visitors a day at its peak. On average, around 5, 000 people entered the bay each day.
In 2018, the Thai government closed the bay and began to restore the damaged ecosystem. Since then, Thon and a team of fellow marine experts and volunteers have replanted over 30, 000 pieces of coral, much of it grown off the coast of a nearby island. Meanwhile, the wildlife also returned and has been growing. “Only three months after we closed the bay, the blacktip sharks came back and gave birth… so there are a lot of things happening in Maya Bay.”
8. What do the first two paragraphs mainly tell us about Maya Bay?
A.Its reopening. | B.Its rebuilding. |
C.Its business hours. | D.Its reduced tourists. |
9. What led to the growing popularity of Maya Bay?
A.A film shot there. |
B.The easier access than before. |
C.The better tourism equipment. |
D.Peopled growing desire to travel. |
10. What do the numbers in paragraph 4 try to show?
A.The profit from tourism. |
B.The sharp increase in tourists. |
C.The long history of Maya Bay. |
D.The reason for the film’s popularity. |
11. What can we infer about the protection efforts for Maya Bay?
A.It was a little late. |
B.It has been effective. |
C.It remains to be seen whether it’s useful. |
D.It has no support from the government. |