TEST 1

READING PASSAGE 1
IT’S ECO-LOGICAL

“Planning an eco-friendly holiday can be a minefield for the well-meaning

traveller”, says Steve Watkins. But help is now at hand.
If there were awards for tourism phrases that have been hijacked, diluted and misused then
'ecotourism' would earn top prize. The term first surfaced in the early 1980s reflecting a surge in
environmental awareness and a realisation by tour operators that many travellers wanted to
believe their presence abroad would not have a negative impact. It rapidly became the hottest
marketing tag a holiday could carry.

These days the ecotourism label is used to cover anything from a two-week tour living with
remote Indonesian tribes, to a one-hour motorboat trip through an Australian gorge. In fact, any
tour that involves cultural interaction, natural beauty spots, wildlife or a dash of soft adventure
is likely to be included in the overflowing ecotourism folder. There is no doubt the original
motives behind the movement were honourable attempts to provide a way for those who cared
to make informed choices, but the lack of regulations and a standard industry definition left many
travellers lost in an ecotourism jungle.

It is easier to understand why the ecotourism market has become so overcrowded when we look
at its wider role in the world economy. According to World Tourism Organisation figures,
ecotourism is worth US$20 billion a year and makes up one-fifth of all international tourism.
Add to this an annual growth rate of around five per cent and the pressure for many operators,
both in developed and developing countries, to jump on the accelerating bandwagon is
compelling. Without any widely recognised accreditation system, the consumer has been left to
investigate the credentials of an operator themselves. This is a time-consuming process and many
travellers usually take an operator's claims at face value, only adding to the proliferation of fake
ecotours.

However, there are several simple questions that will provide qualifying evidence of a company's
commitment to minimise its impact on the environment and maximise the benefits to the tourism
area's local community. For example, does the company use recycled or sustainable, locally
harvested materials to build its tourist properties? Do they pay fair wages to all employees? Do
they offer training to employees? It is common for city entrepreneurs to own tour companies in
country areas, which can mean the money you pay ends up in the city rather than in the
community being visited. By taking a little extra time to investigate the ecotourism options, it is
not only possible to guide your custom to worthy operators but you will often find that the
experience they offer is far more rewarding.

The ecotourism business is still very much in need of a shake-up and a standardised approach.
There are a few organisations that have sprung up in the last ten years or so that endeavour to
educate travellers and operators about the benefits of responsible ecotourism. Founded in 1990,
the Ecotourism Society (TES) is a non-profit organisation of travel industry, conservation and
ecological professionals, which aims to make ecotourism a genuine tool for conservation and
sustainable development. Helping to create inherent economic value in wilderness environments
and threatened cultures has undoubtedly been one of the ecotourism movement's most notable
achievements. TES organises an annual initiative to further aid development of the ecotourism
industry. This year it is launching 'Your Travel Choice Makes a Difference', an educational
campaign aimed at helping consumers understand the potential positive and negative impacts of
their travel decisions. TES also offers guidance on the choice of ecotour and has established a
register of approved ecotourism operators around the world.

A leading ecotourism operator in the United Kingdom is Tribes, which won the 1999 Tourism
Concern and Independent Traveller's World 'Award for Most Responsible Tour Operator'.
Amanda Marks, owner and director of Tribes, believes that the ecotourism industry still has some
way to go to get its house in order. Until now, no ecotourism accreditation scheme has really
worked, principally because there has been no systematic way of checking that accredited
companies actually comply with the code of practice. Amanda believes that the most promising
system is the recently re-launched Green Globe 21 scheme. The Green Globe 21 award is based
on the sustainable development standards contained in Agenda 21 from the 1992 Earth Summit
and was originally coordinated by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). The scheme
is now an independent concern, though the WTTC still supports it. Until recently, tour companies
became affiliates and could use the Green Globe logo merely on payment of an annual fee, hardly
a suitable qualifying standard. However, in November 1999 Green Globe 21 introduced an
annual, independent check on operators wishing to use the logo.

Miriam Cain, from the Green Globe 21 marketing development, explains that current and new
affiliates will now have one year to ensure that their operations comply with Agenda 21
standards. If they fail the first inspection, they can only reapply once. The inspection process is
not a cheap option, especially for large companies, but the benefits of having Green Globe status
and the potential operational cost savings that complying with the standards can bring should be
significant. 'We have joint ventures with organisations around the world, including Australia and
the Caribbean, that will allow us to effectively check all affiliate operators,' says Miriam. The
scheme also allows destination communities to become Green Globe 21 approved.

For a relatively new industry it is not surprising that ecotourism has undergone teething pains.
However, there are signs that things are changing for the better. With a committed and unified
approach by the travel industry, local communities, travellers and environmental experts could
make ecotourism a tag to be proud of and trusted.

Question 1-6: Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer? Write

YES if the statement agrees with the writer’s views

NO if the statement contradicts the writer’s views

NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
 1 The term “ecotourism” has become an advertising gimmick.

2 The intentions of those who coined the term “ecotourism” were sincere.

3 Ecotourism is growing at a faster rate than any other type of travel.

4 It is surprising that so many tour organisations decided to become involved in ecotourism.

5 Tourists have learnt to make investigations about tour operators before using them.

6 Tourists have had bad experiences on ecotour holidays.

Question 7-9: According to the information given in the reading passage, which THREE of
the following are true of the Ecotourism Society (TES)?

A It has monitored the growth in ecotourism.

B It involves a range of specialists in the field.

C It has received public recognition for the role it performs.

D It sets up regular ecotour promotions.

E It offers information on ecotours at an international level.

F It consults with people working in tourist destinations.

Question 10-11: According to the information given in the reading passage, which TWO of
the following are true of the Green Globe 21 award?

A The scheme is self-regulating.

B Amanda Marks was recruited to develop the award.

C Prior to 1999 companies were not required to pay for membership.

D Both tour operators and tour sites can apply for affiliation.

E It intends to reduce the number of ecotour operators.

Question 12-14: Using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS, answer the following questions.

12 Which body provides information on global tourist numbers?

13 Who often gains financially from tourism in rural environments?

14 Which meeting provided the principles behind the Green Globe 21 regulations?

(Adapted from IELTS Practice Tests Plus 1)

READING PASSAGE 2
OUR MONTH IN A TECH-FREE HOUSE
It's dinner time in the Green household, a family of four from Melbourne, Australia. Susan Green
sets the table, as her husband Michael and two children emerge from the kitchen with dishes of
food. As the family take their seats at the table, an awkward silence descends. 14-year- old Carolyn
plays restlessly with a fork, while 16-year-old Billy frowns at the dish of broccoli in front of him.
Meanwhile, Michael reaches absently for an object that isn't there, an unmistakable look of
disappointment on his face. In this typical family scene, one thing is missing. There is not a single
mobile phone on the table or anywhere in the room. The Greens are experiencing their first evening
without electronic devices, as part of a month-long experiment to see if going without technology
will make them a happier family.
The use of electronic devices has increased dramatically over the past 10 years, and recent studies
suggest that they may be responsible for decreased levels of happiness. Susan Green had noticed
these worrying tendencies in her own family. 'I was aware of the obvious dangers to teenagers who
spend too much time online,' she says. 'I was regularly telling Billy to turn off his game and go
and get some fresh air, or Carolyn to stop chatting with her friends and get some sleep. That's just
a normal part of family life today. What worried me more is that their constant mobile phone use
was affecting their social interactions. Even when they invited their friends over, I would find them
all sitting together looking at their phones and not talking.'
Susan's concerns prompted her to carry out her own research into the issue. When she came across
an article in a weekend newspaper about people who gave up using electronic devices for a month,
she was keen to try it with her own family. However, she realised that it was going to take more
than reading an article to persuade them. 'I found some of the research mentioned in the article
very worrying, particularly the increased risks of anxiety and depression in young people, but I
doubted that my family would be convinced,' she says. 'But I wanted to avoid financial rewards,
as they felt a bit too individualistic.' In the end, the promise of a fun family day out at a theme park
persuaded the Greens to go tech-free for a whole month.
It wasn't easy at first. 'I felt completely lost without my phone,' Carolyn recalls. 'I felt isolated
because I couldn't chat with my friends online. But after two weeks, things got easier. I started to
meet up with my friends more and it was much nicer to catch up face to face. I already knew that
online chat is not always an ideal use of time and often delays more important tasks like studying,
but I just couldn't resist. I was also aware that teenagers are often bullied online and that this can
make them anxious and depressed. Fortunately, this hasn't happened to me personally, but it's
certainly true that people can be much meaner online than they would be face-to-face. What I
hadn't noticed was that it was making me less happy in general.'
The Green family's experiment is now over, but they have made a commitment to try and stick to
some of the principles that they established during their tech-free month. 'Mobile phones and
tablets are strictly banned during mealtimes, says Michael. 'And we have agreed to have a tech-
free weekend activity each week, where we all leave our phones at home.' Susan feels delighted
with the results of the experiment and is certain that it helped her to achieve her aim of improving
her family's happiness. 'We now devote more time to one another than we did when we used to
spend every waking hour glued to our screens,' she says. 'It just goes to show that it is possible to
enjoy the convenience of modern technology without having to compromise our family
relationships and general happiness.

Question 15-20: Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D

15. What does the first paragraph suggest about the Green family?

A. They don’t normally have dinner together.

B. They prefer to be quiet during mealtimes.

C. They often complain about their food.

D. They normally use their phones during mealtimes.

16. Why was Susan Green worried about her children’s use of electronic devices?

A. They were going to bed later than usual.

B. They had stopped spending time with their friends.

C. Their relationships with other people had changed.

D. They were not spending enough time outside.

17. How did Susan convince her family to go “tech-free” for a month?

A. by getting them to read an article on the subject

B. by giving them money

C. by trying to scare them

D. by arranging an activity for them

18. What did Carolyn realise about chatting online after her family’s experiment?

A. It can waste a lot of time.

B. It is more enjoyable to chat face to face.

C. Young people are often more unkind to each other online.

D. It made her feel anxious.

19. What does it refer to in the last sentence of the penultimate paragraph?
 A. chatting online

B. online bullying

C. being mean

D. delaying important tasks

20. Which of the following is true about the Green family after the experiment?

A. They no longer use mobile phones at home.

B. They are very happy to have their phones back.

C. They regularly do some activities without their phones.

D. They always leave their phones at home when they go out.

(Adapted from Complete First for Schools Student’s Book)

READING PASSAGE 3
Question 21-30: You are going to read an article in which four people talk about train journeys
they have been on. Choose from the people (A-D). The people may be chosen more than once.
When more than one answer is required, they may be given in any order.

A. London to Brighton (UK)

I spent over ten years doing this journey every day of the week. I'm very relieved I am retired
now. I still do the same journey sometimes but now I don't have to travel in the rush hour and if
there are delays it doesn't matter so much. The journey when it went well wasn't bad at all. It
wasn't too long and I was usually able to sit down and read the newspaper. It was quite pleasant
as long as there were no annoying people having loud phone conversations. But generally it was
fine and not a bad way to begin and end a busy day in the city. The problems and stress came
with the all too frequent delays and cancellations. It was extremely frustrating, especially as I
was paying so much money for my ticket. The cost was much too high in my opinion. I am glad
I don't have to pay that anymore.

B. Moscow to St Petersburg (Russia)

The most memorable train journey I have ever been on was between Moscow and St Petersburg
in Russia. We were about 17 years old and on a school trip to see the places we were studying in
our Russian history lessons. We spent three days in Moscow then took the overnight train to St
Petersburg. I remember feeling really excited about it. I had never been on an overnight train
journey before. We went to the theatre on our last evening in Moscow and then went straight to
the station to get on the train at about 11 pm. There were four of us in each room and our whole
group occupied about two carriages of the train. Our teachers were very aware of the dangers of
travelling by train at night in Russia and warned us never to walk around the train on our own.
 They told us to go in groups of three to the toilets so that two people could wait outside together
while one person went in. That frightened us a little but nothing happened. I don't think we slept
much; we stayed up most of the night talking, but I remember waking up in the morning and
realising it was daylight outside and that we were in a completely new city. It was amazing.

C. Casablanca to Marrakech (Morocco)

We decided to travel by train because it was cheap and it only took three hours. Also, I thought
a train journey through the desert would be interesting and different. In reality it wasn't quite as
much fun as I had hoped. We got to the station in plenty of time and got our tickets without too
much difficulty. The chaos started when we went out to the platform. It appeared that everyone
else in the station was also planning to get on the same train as us. It was really crowded. When
the train arrived, it was a real fight to get on and all the seats were occupied in seconds. My friend
and I got separated in the confusion but there was no way we could move so we just had to stand
where we were and hold on. My friend managed to sit down after about an hour but I had to stand
for the whole three hours. The scenery was quite spectacular in places but the train was hot and
uncomfortable.

D. Cairns to Karanga (Australia)

I went on this train journey while I was visiting some friends who lived in Australia. I went away
for a few days on my own and before I left, my friends had recommended this trip; it was
definitely worth it. It used to be an old mining train that took miners to work every day. It starts
on the coast and goes right up the side of a mountain. It is very steep and the views are fantastic
looking back out to sea. There is lots of information in the different stations about the people
who built the railway originally. It was a very dangerous job and many of them died while they
doing it, either through accidents or disease. The whole journey only takes about an hour but you
see all sorts of amazing things on the way. At one point it even goes through a tropical rainforest
and there are some really beautiful plants. It is a wonderful trip to do as a tourist, but I'm sure the
miners didn't enjoy it quite so much.

Which person(s):

was disappointed by the experience? 21

16

learnt something interesting while on the journey? 22

did this journey more than once? 23

did this journey with one friend? 24

thinks the price was too expensive? 25

says this was the first time they had been on a journey like this? 26

mentions something which irritated them while on the train? 27

went on the longest journey? 28

talk about what they could see outside the train? 29 30

(Adapted from FCE Practice Tests with key – Eight Complete Practice Tests)