Tourism
Discuss the following topic:
Tourism in an LEDC: advantages and disadvantages
Note:
The most developed countries (the MEDCs) are relatively rich countries and the less developed countries (LEDCs) are relatively poor countries.
Governments in LEDCs often see tourism as a vital source of income, which can be used for development, but tourism can create problems for host countries.
(source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/tourism/tourism_ledc_rev1.shtml)
The most developed countries (the MEDCs) are relatively rich countries and the less developed countries (LEDCs) are relatively poor countries.
Governments in LEDCs often see tourism as a vital source of income, which can be used for development, but tourism can create problems for host countries.
(source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/tourism/tourism_ledc_rev1.shtml)
Some help:
Countries rich in physical resources - such as warm climates, beautiful beaches, rare ecosystems, and abundant plant and animal life - are often sought-after holiday destinations by people from MEDCs. Tour operators and developers invest in these locations in the hope that they will become as popular as European resorts.
Places such as Kenya in East Africa, where tourists go on safari, or Bali in Indonesia, visited for its beautiful beaches, all benefit financially from tourism. However, tourism in LEDCs needs to be carefully managed to prevent harm to the environment and disruption to local communities.
Places such as Kenya in East Africa, where tourists go on safari, or Bali in Indonesia, visited for its beautiful beaches, all benefit financially from tourism. However, tourism in LEDCs needs to be carefully managed to prevent harm to the environment and disruption to local communities.
Read the following article and discuss your opinion with a partner.
China to invest in low-cost homes
The Chinese government is planning to spend nearly $200 billion on homes for low-income families this year. They are trying to make it easier for people to buy a place to live as property prices in most Chinese cities are still increasing every month.
The government's promising to build or renovate 10 million households for low-income families this year and next. Officials will provide about 40% of the cost. The rest will be raised from the families or companies who benefit from the programme. It's an ambitious target, perhaps too ambitious. The state-controlled media here says, last year, a plan to build just under six million affordable homes wasn't completed. It's getting harder and harder for families in Chinese cities to buy even a small apartment.
The government's responded with measures to try to curb speculation, making it more expensive to buy second homes, and telling local governments to set price targets. Qi Ji, a housing minister, said these price curbs were an effort to direct the limited supply of housing towards those who needed it most.
Property developers are already complaining that the plans to build so many affordable homes will hit their profits. Ten million units would be more than half the number of new homes built here last year.
But China's Premier, Wen Jiabao, has promised to work harder to address public concerns about the housing market. Reports in the state media quote officials as saying a new round of controls will be introduced if property prices don't stabilise in the weeks ahead.
(Chris Hogg, BBC News, Shanghai http://www.bbc.co.uk)
The government's promising to build or renovate 10 million households for low-income families this year and next. Officials will provide about 40% of the cost. The rest will be raised from the families or companies who benefit from the programme. It's an ambitious target, perhaps too ambitious. The state-controlled media here says, last year, a plan to build just under six million affordable homes wasn't completed. It's getting harder and harder for families in Chinese cities to buy even a small apartment.
The government's responded with measures to try to curb speculation, making it more expensive to buy second homes, and telling local governments to set price targets. Qi Ji, a housing minister, said these price curbs were an effort to direct the limited supply of housing towards those who needed it most.
Property developers are already complaining that the plans to build so many affordable homes will hit their profits. Ten million units would be more than half the number of new homes built here last year.
But China's Premier, Wen Jiabao, has promised to work harder to address public concerns about the housing market. Reports in the state media quote officials as saying a new round of controls will be introduced if property prices don't stabilise in the weeks ahead.
(Chris Hogg, BBC News, Shanghai http://www.bbc.co.uk)
Ötletek és gondolatok a vitához
Nézd meg videón!
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Újabb tippek a vitához
A Telc nyelvvizsgán szokott előfordulni az a típusú feladat, hogy egy rövid, autentikus szöveg, (általában) újságcikk alapján kell véleményt kifejteni, illetve vitatkozni. Gyakori probléma, hogy egyáltalán miről is kéne beszélni. Hogyan állj neki?
1) Amikor elolvasod a szöveget, elegendő, ha nagy vonalakban megérted, miről van szó. Ne pánikolj, ha nem értesz minden szót! Próbáld meg először is magadnak összefoglalni a lényegét! Ezt elég, ha magyarul gondolod át, csupán néhány mondatban. 2) Ezután gondolkodj el azon, hogy milyen, a saját életedben is előforduló hasonló esetet tudnál hozzá kapcsolni. Szokott-e ilyesmiről szó lenni a környezetedben? Egyáltalán, milyen témához kapcsolódik? Ezután már könnyebb lesz összeszedni, mit is mondj. 3) Aztán gondold át, mi a véleményed a témáról, milyen álláspontot képviselsz hasonló ügyekben! Most már lesz miről vitáznod! Tippek a vitához
1.) Olvasd el a szöveget figyelmesen! Próbáld meg először nagy vonalakban megérteni. Ez már elegendő ahhoz, hogy utána a részleteket is jobban megértsd.
2.) A vita lényege, hogy meghallgassuk egymás véleményét, arra reagáljunk és kifejtsük a saját nézetünket. Ezért mindig nagyon figyelj, mit mond a vitapartnered, hogy arra megfelelően reagálhass! 3.) Légy udvarias! Még ha nem értesz is egyet, azt fejezd ki tapintatosan! 4.) Ne feledd, hogy vitáról és nem önálló témakifejtésről van szó! Néhány mondat után kérdezz rá a partnered véleményére és add át neki a szót! Ha pedig ő próbálná meg túlságosan is magánál tartani a szót, udvariasan szakíts félbe! |
Kifejezések a vitához
I think ...
I believe ... In my opinion ... As I see it ... As far as I'm concerned ... What I'm trying to say is (that) ... Let me tell you what I think about this. Do you agree? What do you think? Have you ever thought of ...? I agree with you completely. I think you're right. That's true. I see what you mean. I'm sorry, but I can't agree with you. Well, I only partly agree with you. Well, that's true, but ... I see your point, but ... Jó tanács:
Dolgozd ki a saját megoldásodat! Vedd fel hangrögzítővel és hallgasd vissza! Javítsd ki a hibáidat! Ha regisztrált tag vagy, beküldheted a megoldásodat és szívesen kijavítom!
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MÚLT HETI VITA:
Animal Rights Uncompromised: Pets
We at PETA very much love the animal companions who share our homes, but we believe that it would have been in the animals' best interests if the institution of "pet keeping"—i.e., breeding animals to be kept and regarded as "pets"—never existed. The international pastime of domesticating animals has created an overpopulation crisis; as a result, millions of unwanted animals are destroyed every year as "surplus."
This selfish desire to possess animals and receive love from them causes immeasurable suffering, which results from manipulating their breeding, selling or giving them away casually, and depriving them of the opportunity to engage in their natural behavior. They are restricted to human homes, where they must obey commands and can only eat, drink, and even urinate when humans allow them to.
Because domesticated animals retain many of their basic instincts and drives but are not able to survive on their own in the wild, dogs, cats, or birds, whose strongest desire is to be free, must be confined to houses, yards, or cages for their own safety.
This is a best-case scenario. Millions of dogs spend their lives outdoors on heavy chains in all weather extremes or are kept locked up in tiny chain-link pens from which they can only watch the world go by.Even in "good" homes, cats must relieve themselves in dirty litterboxes and often have the tips of their toes amputated through declawing. Dogs often have to drink water that has been sitting around for days, are hurried along on their walks, if they even get walked, and are yelled at to get off the furniture or be quiet.
Contrary to myth, PETA does not want to confiscate animals who are well cared for and "set them free." What we want is for the population of dogs and cats to be reduced through spaying and neutering and for people to adopt animals (preferably two so that they can keep each other company when their human companions aren't home) from pounds or animal shelters—never from pet shops or breeders—thereby reducing suffering in the world.
(based on http://www.peta.org/about/why-peta/pets.aspx)
This selfish desire to possess animals and receive love from them causes immeasurable suffering, which results from manipulating their breeding, selling or giving them away casually, and depriving them of the opportunity to engage in their natural behavior. They are restricted to human homes, where they must obey commands and can only eat, drink, and even urinate when humans allow them to.
Because domesticated animals retain many of their basic instincts and drives but are not able to survive on their own in the wild, dogs, cats, or birds, whose strongest desire is to be free, must be confined to houses, yards, or cages for their own safety.
This is a best-case scenario. Millions of dogs spend their lives outdoors on heavy chains in all weather extremes or are kept locked up in tiny chain-link pens from which they can only watch the world go by.Even in "good" homes, cats must relieve themselves in dirty litterboxes and often have the tips of their toes amputated through declawing. Dogs often have to drink water that has been sitting around for days, are hurried along on their walks, if they even get walked, and are yelled at to get off the furniture or be quiet.
Contrary to myth, PETA does not want to confiscate animals who are well cared for and "set them free." What we want is for the population of dogs and cats to be reduced through spaying and neutering and for people to adopt animals (preferably two so that they can keep each other company when their human companions aren't home) from pounds or animal shelters—never from pet shops or breeders—thereby reducing suffering in the world.
(based on http://www.peta.org/about/why-peta/pets.aspx)
Getting wed on a weekday
More and more couples are choosing to tie the knot on a weekday. Is the tradition of weddings on Saturdays under threat?
A thick, luxuriant card embossed with joined up writing, slips out of the envelope. Your eyes light up - Sue and Mike are getting married in a castle and want you to be there on their big day. Then your face falls. The wedding is on a Tuesday.
The most recent figures from the Office for National Statistics - from 2008 - showed that 60% of couples in England and Wales marry on a Saturday. Friday in second place accounted for almost a fifth of all weddings as couples sought to jump the queue for their desired venue. Sunday (5.5%) trailed in third. But since those statistics were compiled, there's been a lift-off for the mid-week wedding.
It's a definite trend, says Arabella Dupont, executive retail editor at Brides magazine. The main reason is cost, with mid-week events about a third cheaper. With figures published this month by Brides showing that couples spend an average of £24,669 on their wedding, it's easy to see why people are looking for savings, Dupont argues. There's also the hook of better availability. Country House Weddings, a company operating four stately homes in Essex, Gloucestershire and Somerset, holds 250 weddings a year at each venue.
With only 52 weekends a year, and high demand, couples are opting for a formerly unfashionable Monday or Tuesday to ensure they get to marry in a historic house with large grounds, a spokeswoman says. It can also lead to savings of about 40% in high season.
At Guthrie Castle in Scotland, which holds about 40 weddings a year, mid-week weddings are the most noticeable recent trend, says Maeghan Cuthill, weddings manageress. The reason is that weekends book out a year or more in advance, meaning that anyone wanting to marry at short notice must choose a weekday. There is also the enticement of around 30% off, she says.
There are tricky issues to be negotiated with the mid-week wedding. First up there's the fear you might have to share your venue with a David Brent-style corporate away day.
Then there's the thorny question of guests being expected to take a precious day or two off work. "It would have to be a very close friend for me to take time off work," Dupont admits. For that reason mid-week works best for smaller, more intimate weddings. And it's preferable to go later in the week so people feel the working week is almost over. "If it's at the start of the week, people won't be able to let their hair down as much. They'll be thinking about how they've got to go back to work."
Former Conservative MP Gyles Brandreth says the whole nature of weddings has changed for the better. Brandreth introduced the private members bill that led to 1994's Marriage Act, which allows weddings to take place outside a church or register office.
Once upon a time, weddings were about a virgin bride and the legal joining of husband and wife. The reception, consisting often of just a cup of tea and a slice of cake, was something of an afterthought, he says.
Today people get married later and are often living together already. Protocol, including what day of the week you get hitched, has been jettisoned in favour of fun, he believes. "Weddings used to be very simple affairs. Now people can truly celebrate with family and friends on a great, joyous day."
(based on : Getting wed on a weekday by Tom de Castella, BBC News Magazine : www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-14371053)
A thick, luxuriant card embossed with joined up writing, slips out of the envelope. Your eyes light up - Sue and Mike are getting married in a castle and want you to be there on their big day. Then your face falls. The wedding is on a Tuesday.
The most recent figures from the Office for National Statistics - from 2008 - showed that 60% of couples in England and Wales marry on a Saturday. Friday in second place accounted for almost a fifth of all weddings as couples sought to jump the queue for their desired venue. Sunday (5.5%) trailed in third. But since those statistics were compiled, there's been a lift-off for the mid-week wedding.
It's a definite trend, says Arabella Dupont, executive retail editor at Brides magazine. The main reason is cost, with mid-week events about a third cheaper. With figures published this month by Brides showing that couples spend an average of £24,669 on their wedding, it's easy to see why people are looking for savings, Dupont argues. There's also the hook of better availability. Country House Weddings, a company operating four stately homes in Essex, Gloucestershire and Somerset, holds 250 weddings a year at each venue.
With only 52 weekends a year, and high demand, couples are opting for a formerly unfashionable Monday or Tuesday to ensure they get to marry in a historic house with large grounds, a spokeswoman says. It can also lead to savings of about 40% in high season.
At Guthrie Castle in Scotland, which holds about 40 weddings a year, mid-week weddings are the most noticeable recent trend, says Maeghan Cuthill, weddings manageress. The reason is that weekends book out a year or more in advance, meaning that anyone wanting to marry at short notice must choose a weekday. There is also the enticement of around 30% off, she says.
There are tricky issues to be negotiated with the mid-week wedding. First up there's the fear you might have to share your venue with a David Brent-style corporate away day.
Then there's the thorny question of guests being expected to take a precious day or two off work. "It would have to be a very close friend for me to take time off work," Dupont admits. For that reason mid-week works best for smaller, more intimate weddings. And it's preferable to go later in the week so people feel the working week is almost over. "If it's at the start of the week, people won't be able to let their hair down as much. They'll be thinking about how they've got to go back to work."
Former Conservative MP Gyles Brandreth says the whole nature of weddings has changed for the better. Brandreth introduced the private members bill that led to 1994's Marriage Act, which allows weddings to take place outside a church or register office.
Once upon a time, weddings were about a virgin bride and the legal joining of husband and wife. The reception, consisting often of just a cup of tea and a slice of cake, was something of an afterthought, he says.
Today people get married later and are often living together already. Protocol, including what day of the week you get hitched, has been jettisoned in favour of fun, he believes. "Weddings used to be very simple affairs. Now people can truly celebrate with family and friends on a great, joyous day."
(based on : Getting wed on a weekday by Tom de Castella, BBC News Magazine : www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-14371053)
Mintamegoldás: Discussion 4: Getting wed on a weekday
(A korábbi vitákban a partnerek különböző álláspontot képviseltek. Ezúttal azonban egyetértenek.)
- Well, if I was invited to a weekday wedding, I couldn't attend as I’m at work and I have no choice when I take my holidays. What about you?
- Yes, I agree. I'd probably feel resentful if I was invited to a wedding on a weekday. Most of us have a limited number of annual leave days to take and we have to ration them out carefully so that we can spend them as we would most like to.
- That’s right. A weekday wedding is quite inconsiderate towards guests as many will either attend and sacrifice a holiday or not be able to attend. It would have to be a very close friend for me to take time off work. What would you do?
- Yes, if it was a very close friend’s wedding, I would do anything possible to try and make it. On the other hand, I don’t think I would consider a weekday for my own wedding day. I hope to have everyone I love around me and I would miss them if they couldn’t come.
- I feel the same. And I don’t think the venue is so important. It doesn’t matter if it’s a small church or a huge and luxurious place.
- Exactly. If the sentiments are right it makes no difference if you are married on a wet Wednesday at a registry office or a Saturday afternoon in a castle. Don’t you think so?
- Oh, yes, of course. The commitment of marriage is what’s important, whenever you do it. It seems to me that too many weddings are a triumph of marketing. Fancy dress and jewellery, a huge car or even a carriage pulled by horses, a lot of fuss about the venue of the event and what for? Families go bankrupt and the marriage might not last longer than a few years and then they get divorced. I might sound cynical, but ...
- Well, you’re absolutely right! I don’t understand why I would want to spend over a year's earnings on one event. That doesn’t guarantee that the marriage will be happy and last long. Not at all.
- No, it doesn’t. It’s just a show. The last wedding I went to was a simple one. The couple rode a motorbike to the registry office, their parents went in their own cars, and afterwards there was a buffet at the parents' place, then the people went for a walk. No fancy dress, no fancy cake, no fuss about the venue and timing. Everyone enjoyed themselves. And looking at the photos you can see how happy they were. Have you been at a wedding recently?
- Yes, I actually went to a big wedding, with lots of luxury, but the families are quite well-off, so it wasn’t surprising. I’m sure they could have afforded a castle anywhere, but then the guests might not have been able to travel there, so it was held in a nice restaurant. What they really spent a lot on was the entertainment of the guests. There were two bands, a professional dance group, a stand-up comedian and all the guests were given a small gift. I enjoyed it a lot.
- Well, if I was invited to a weekday wedding, I couldn't attend as I’m at work and I have no choice when I take my holidays. What about you?
- Yes, I agree. I'd probably feel resentful if I was invited to a wedding on a weekday. Most of us have a limited number of annual leave days to take and we have to ration them out carefully so that we can spend them as we would most like to.
- That’s right. A weekday wedding is quite inconsiderate towards guests as many will either attend and sacrifice a holiday or not be able to attend. It would have to be a very close friend for me to take time off work. What would you do?
- Yes, if it was a very close friend’s wedding, I would do anything possible to try and make it. On the other hand, I don’t think I would consider a weekday for my own wedding day. I hope to have everyone I love around me and I would miss them if they couldn’t come.
- I feel the same. And I don’t think the venue is so important. It doesn’t matter if it’s a small church or a huge and luxurious place.
- Exactly. If the sentiments are right it makes no difference if you are married on a wet Wednesday at a registry office or a Saturday afternoon in a castle. Don’t you think so?
- Oh, yes, of course. The commitment of marriage is what’s important, whenever you do it. It seems to me that too many weddings are a triumph of marketing. Fancy dress and jewellery, a huge car or even a carriage pulled by horses, a lot of fuss about the venue of the event and what for? Families go bankrupt and the marriage might not last longer than a few years and then they get divorced. I might sound cynical, but ...
- Well, you’re absolutely right! I don’t understand why I would want to spend over a year's earnings on one event. That doesn’t guarantee that the marriage will be happy and last long. Not at all.
- No, it doesn’t. It’s just a show. The last wedding I went to was a simple one. The couple rode a motorbike to the registry office, their parents went in their own cars, and afterwards there was a buffet at the parents' place, then the people went for a walk. No fancy dress, no fancy cake, no fuss about the venue and timing. Everyone enjoyed themselves. And looking at the photos you can see how happy they were. Have you been at a wedding recently?
- Yes, I actually went to a big wedding, with lots of luxury, but the families are quite well-off, so it wasn’t surprising. I’m sure they could have afforded a castle anywhere, but then the guests might not have been able to travel there, so it was held in a nice restaurant. What they really spent a lot on was the entertainment of the guests. There were two bands, a professional dance group, a stand-up comedian and all the guests were given a small gift. I enjoyed it a lot.