2 . The Greek historian Herodotus is said to have made one of the earliest lists of seven wonders of the world, including the still mysterious accomplishment of ancient horticulture known as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. More recent times saw natural _________ to these marvels of classical architecture proposed: waterfalls, mountains, canyons, reefs.

As environmental consciousness has risen in the west, _________ to such sightseeing have changed. Yes, it is thrilling to visit remote forests or spot rare species. _________, travelling to faraway destinations is carbon-intensive. When flights or long road journeys are involved, _________ can be made more difficult as well as assisted by sightseers. There is a(n) _________ to be struck, and ethical governments and businesses around the world try to maximise the benefits while minimising, the harms. Colombia, _________, recently introduced laws aimed at promoting sustainable tourism

Most of us, in the rich countries where people take most holidays, understand better than ever that there are costs as well as benefits _________ exploring. One of the six promises proposed by an environmental campaign launched last month, The Jump, is to “holiday _________”, taking short-distance flights once every three years and long-distance flights very rarely. Fortunately, the UK’s 15 national parks, 86 areas of outstanding natural beauty and countless other landscapes mean that there is no _________ of special places for domestic nature tourists to visit.

One recent survey found that Windsor Great Park and Kew have become Britain’s most __________ attractions. Visitor numbers at wildlife trusts (野生生物托管组织) are high, with waiting lists for beaver-spotting. Some companies that formerly ran foreign trips have __________ to the pandemic by taking people to watch dolphins and other marine life off British coasts instead.

This is not to minimise the destruction of nature that is also __________. Sewage outflows are out of control due to failed water industry regulation The owners of a popular rewilded estate in West Sussex have waned that plans to build 3,500 homes next to their land would be __________ for the species that live there. But as we confront an environmental emergency that grows ever more dangerous, it is essential to cultivate __________ of nature that surrounds us. In a small way, holiday outings to watch dragonflies, kingfishers (鸟) or seals, or be surrounded by trees that are coming into leaf, could help us to focus on what __________.

5 . Ecotourism is a combination of ecology (the study of systems of living things) and tourism. It is defined as “responsible travel to natural areas that preserves the environment and improves the welfare of the local people” by the International Ecotourism Society. Actually, ecotourism can mean travel to far-off places of great natural beauty, but not always in a(n) _______ way. It's a big business, and the attraction of money can cause people to think about profits first. While ecotourism offers benefits to people and ecosystems, it leaves ecosystems _______ to negative effects, too.

Costa Rica, once a Spanish colony, and independent since 1821, has an ecotourism industry worth over one billion dollars yearly, and thousands of jobs have been _______. Nearly 21 percent of the land is now protected national parks, _______ thanks to ecotourism. Nevertheless, due to the number of people visiting the country's natural places, some damage to the ecosystem has occurred.

While tourists can have a negative impact on ecosystems, the same areas might have been _______ by industries such as farming, logging, or mining if there were no ecotourism industry. Shelters have been created instead, keeping the ecosystem protected. And, by visiting beautiful rain forests and seeing rare animals, visitors get a sense of their _______, and of gratitude for them. Tour guides can also be educators who train people to love and care for the environment. Visitors can take these lessons with them to their home countries.

Unfortunately, while their effect may not be _______ in the off-season, the constant parade of visitors in the high season can be damaging. At one national park in Costa Rica, wild monkeys now feed on garbage left by the tourists. In addition, ecotourists tend to seek out places with the rarest animals and plants, _______ the most delicate living things.

It is easy to be critical of the ecotourism industry, but it is important to be _______ as well. Ecotourism can never be “pure”. We can't expect zero negative effects on the ecosystem. It is also ________ to suppose that humans won't go anywhere accessible to them. If protection efforts are maintained and increased, those remaining places of undisturbed nature may be stressed, but they won't be destroyed.

7 . A trending new addition to travel destinations around the world is freezing-yet-beautiful Alaska. The poles, the dancing lights, and the winter wonderlands have always attracted extreme travelers—but this time, there is more than the magical draw of the _______ that is inviting people up towards the corners of the globe: climate change.

There’s a strange form of climate anxiety, which is driving more people to places and sights that may _______ to exist in the coming years or decades. Alaska _______ the list of climate-tempted travel destinations. The northern and otherwise-serene Alaskan village of Kaktovik _______ a major boom in tourism last year, as over 2,000 people appeared on its lightly _______ gravel(砂砾) and snowy streets. Until earlier in the decade, local news reports say, the village had fewer than 50 annual visitors. The main _______ now are polar bears, which are being forced into towns by a warming planet and the shrinking Arctic sea ice. All the heating is making it far easier for wildlife _______ and effortless bear selfies. Most visitors are reportedly from China, Europe, or the USA, often arriving on fuel-consuming chartered planes.

Around the mid-1990s, researchers began _______ more female bears denning(筑巢) on land instead of in the ice. And seasons of tourism match up with changing bear behavior. It peaks in autumn (which is also far warmer and breezier than the forthcoming winter—and climate change is making things more pleasant in general) when sea ice is far from the shore, and bears can become _______ on the land until the sea freezes again in winter.

A report in the Climate Science Special Report: Fourth National Climate Assessment found, “Alaska has warmed more than twice as rapidly as the rest of the United States.” This year, alarming temperatures were reported from Alaska. Every day since April 25 saw above ____________ temperatures, the longest streak in a century.

While bears have their charm, melting glaciers are a landscape in their own right. With ____________ like the recent one that glaciers could be melting at 100 times faster than ____________ thought, the number of tourists on ice seems to be going up consistently. Alaska’s tour companies have reported an extraordinary increase—and the number of polar cruises reportedly went up 33 percent in the last decade. Some glaciers have been marked by the rate of melt for tourists to watch and imagine the ____________ from where they stand, much like visitors to the Berlin wall picture the past. As the landscape changes, tour companies have had to ____________ their regular routes and hikes too—some glaciers that had ____________ by foot only a decade ago can now only be reached by helicopter.

8 . Stories about the problems of tourism have been numerous in the last few years. Yet it does not have to be a problem. Although tourism inevitably affects the region in which it takes place, the costs to these fragile (脆弱的) environments and their local cultures can be ______. Indeed, as has happened with some Alpine villages，it can even be a(n) ______ for refreshing local cultures. And a growing number of adventure tourism ______ 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 combining tourism more effectively with the local ______. Local concern about the rising number of second home developments in the Swiss Pays-d’Enhaut resulted in ______ being imposed on their growth. There has also been a new interest in cheese production in the area, providing the locals with a ______ source of income that does not depend on outside visitors.

Many of the Arctic tourist destinations have been exploited by ______ companies, who employ temporary workers and send most of the profits back to their home base. But some Arctic communities are now operating tour businesses themselves, thereby ensuring that the benefits increase ______. 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 lands and watch local musicians and dancers.

Native people in the desert regions of the American Southwest have followed ______ strategies, encouraging tourists to visit their towns and reservations to ______ high-quality handicrafts and artwork. Some have established highly profitable stoneware businesses, while the Navajo and Hopi groups have been similarly ______ with jewelry.

Too many people living in fragile environments have lost control over their economies, their culture and their environment when tourism has spread through their homelands. Merely restricting tourism cannot be the ______ to the imbalance because people’s desire to see new places will not just disappear. ______, communities in fragile environments must achieve greater control over tourism ventures in their regions, in order to ______ their needs and desires with the demands of tourism. A growing number of communities are ______ that, with firm combined decision-making, this is possible. The critical question now is whether this can become the normal status, rather than the exception.