2 . When I was a college student, I did a lot of travelling abroad. That was because a professor_______me to do so. She said, “Now it is the time for you to travel around the world,_______your knowledge through actual experiences and have fun.” I_______her. Since I started to work for a_______company, however, I have done most of my travelling through the Internet. By using the Internet, I have seen the_______of many cities on my computer screen. And I have really made business_______too. With the help of the Internet, I have also got_______ about food in different countries.

Therefore, I was beginning to feel that actual trips were_______necessary when I happened to read a famous chef’s comment on the Internet. He said, “It is very difficult to have real Italian food in a foreign country, because we enjoy food and the_______around us at the same time. So why don’t you fly over to Italy and enjoy real Italian________?” Those words reminded me of my________advice. As information technology________, you might be able to do without making some real trips. But this also means that you will miss the various________you can get from travelling. Today there are people who________direct communication with others and spend much of their time on the Internet. It is not surprising to see a group of people________not with each other but into their microphones. It seems as if such people are________by an invisible wall. They seem to be losing out on a good chance to________and talk with other people. I do not think that they are taking good advantage of information technology. We should use information technology as a tool to make our daily ________more fruitful.

However, we should never let it________our time for face-to-face communication. Let’s make use of information technology more________, and have great fun in experiencing the actual world.

4 . Ecotourism(生态旅游): A Different Way to Travel

Are you attracted to obscure(偏远的)places? Do you prefer to vacation away from other tourists? Are you careful to take only memories and to leave only footprints? If you answered yes to more than one of these questions, you just might be an ecotourist.

Ecotourists are people who want to experience the unspoiled natural world and leave it that way when they return home. This trend started in the 1990s and ecotourism is now growing three times faster than the tourism industry at large. The Ecuador’s remote Amazon Basin(盆地) is contributing to that expansion, and it gives a snapshot of what ecotourism looks like.

At the Ecolodge, a small group of cabins(小屋) sits Kapawi Ecolodge in the middle of the Achuar people’s reserve(保护区) and is only reached by air. From here, visitors can explore parts of the Amazon rainforest seen by few outsiders. As they do local Achuar guides explain how the forest is like their supermarket, where they find food, clothing, medicine and tools. As a result, tourists learn to appreciate the local culture as well as the natural environment.

The owners of Kapawi pay monthly rent to the Achuar people, but they also train the community to run and manage the lodge. They have agreed on a plan to turn the operation over to the Achuar completely by 2011.The owners are working to make ecotourism benefit and empower the local people.

You probably won’t start your own ecolodge, but you can be an ecotourist if you follow these guidelines: Protect the environment; Support local businesses; Respect the local customs and traditions.

The world is full of fascinating places to visit. As an ecotourist, you can enjoy them yourself and make sure that they remain beautiful for future generations as well.