LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

ANUL III

Note de seminar
- Semestrul I -

Universitatea de Ştiinţe Agronomice şi Medicină Veterinară

Facultatea de Management şi Dezvoltare Rurală
Departamentul de Învățământ la Distanță

Bucureşti
2022
 UNIT 1
ECOTOURISM. ROMANIA

Exercise 1. Types of tourism. Read the descriptions below and write the different kinds
of tourism in the grid. (If you do this correctly, you will reveal another type of tourism in
the shaded vertical strip.)

- 1. R E
2. O D
3. R S
4. H E
5. H H
6. A L
7. B S
8. H D
9. I D
10. R S
11. I E
Robert's travel company specialises in tourism that tries not to have an adverse effect on the
places that its customers visit.
- The travel company that Olivia works for only provides holidays for people who want
to visit other countries, and not stay in their own country.
- Rebecca's company offers trips to travellers who want to meet and observe indigenous
people in their native locations.
- If you're interested in visiting castles, other old buildings and famous historical sights, the
agency that Harry works for would be ideal.
- Have you been feeling under the weather recently? Whether you want a month in a spa,
or just a few days breathing clean mountain air, Harriet's tour company will get you back
in the pink again!
- Fed up with the beach? Can't face another skiing holiday? Well, what about a week on a
farm instead? Andy's Tours has a wide range of cottages, caravans and other accommodation
in some of the country's most beautiful locations.

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- Bert's tour operator provides transport, accommodation and other travel services for some
of the biggest companies in the country.
- Hilda's Holidays has some of the loudest, liveliest and most exciting resorts available. Why
spend a fortnight sitting on a beach when you can spend it drinking yourself under the
table?!
- Ian's company provides accommodation, transport and tours for visitors coming from
outside the country.
- If you want to visit some of the world's most important holy places, Rachel's company
is the one to have faith in.
- Many companies like to reward their employees for working hard and getting good
results. Some of them use Imogen's tour operator to book holidays and trips for their best
staff to say 'Thank you for all your good work'.

Exercise 2. Fill in the gaps in this essay with the following words or expressions:

acid rain audits biosphere reserves

Blue Flag deforestation degradation
depleted depletion ecosystems
ecotourism energy management Environmentally Sensitive
erosion fossil fuels global warming
Green Globe Greenpeace habitats
impact mass natural
overcrowded ozone layer pollution
resources responsible Special Protection
sustainable waste wildlife
World Heritage

The last thirty years have seen a huge rise in ______________________ tourism,
and this has inevitably led to environmental ______________________ in all areas.
Land ______________________ such as minerals and fertile soil have been seriously
______________________ in order to supply the tourist industry with building
materials and food. ______________________ of wooded areas and the restructuring
of beaches to build resorts have led to soil ______________________, while
______________________ has suffered as many animals’ natural

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______________________ have been destroyed. Cars, aircraft, hotels, restaurants and
resorts, etc, cause ______________________ by burning ______________________,
and this has led to a ______________________ of the ______________________,
______________________, which damages trees and buildings, and a steady rise in
______________________. At the same time, dumped rubbish and other
______________________ pollutes soil and water tables, or is burnt to create even more
air pollution. What were once areas of ______________________ beauty or historical
sites are now little more than ______________________ rubbish tips, while towns
and cities groan under the weight of thousands of visitors.
All over the world, concerted efforts are being made to prevent tourism having a
major negative impact on the world's ______________________. In many countries, for
example, an environmental ______________________ assessment has to be carried out
before any major tourist development is started, while environmental
______________________ are carried out on existing organisations to assess what
impact they are having on the environment. UNESCO and The EU are playing a major
role. UNESCO has designated some places as ______________________ Sites (to
protect culturally and naturally important buildings, cities and sites) and
______________________ (to protect areas of natural beauty, and to protect wildlife).
The EU have designated some areas as ______________________ Areas (where they
encourage traditional farming methods in order to reduce soil depletion, protect the
landscape and protect wild animals), and ______________________ Areas, to
protect wild birds. The EU has also created the ______________________ award,
given to beaches which are clean and have tourist facilities which have minimal negative
impact on the environment. Meanwhile, the WTTC runs the ______________________
educational programme for travel companies that are concerned about the environment.
______________________ programmes are also carried out by many travel companies,
which not only benefits the environment but also helps those companies cut down on their
running costs.
Is this enough? Environmental support groups such as
______________________, Friends of the Earth and Friends of Conservation do not
think so, which is why they will continue to encourage ______________________ (and
other aspects of ______________________ and ______________________ tourism),
and put pressure on governments and organisations that abuse and damage the
environment for the sake of earning tourist dollars.

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Exercise 3. Choose the right word to complete the sentences below:
- Paper, glass and aluminium can all be easily recycled / recharged.
- Some local governments subside / subsidise public transport so that they can
charge their passengers less.
- Whales, pandas and tigers are all endangered / dangerous species.
- Unless it is checked, mass tourism will seriously injure / damage the environment.
- It is everybody's responsibility to help protect / defend the environment.
- At the World / Earth Summit in 1992, several guidelines on environmental
action for the 21st century were proposed.
- The Tokyo / Kyoto Agreement of 1997 introduced international laws to reduce
greenhouse gases.
- Many restaurants have responded to the increased demand for organic / organised
meat and vegetables.
- Until genetically / generically modified food has been proved to be safe, people
are reluctant to eat it.
- Hotels can help to preserve / conserve energy by turning down their heating
and discouraging the use of air conditioning.

Exercise 4. Ecotourism. a) Read the first part of an article about ecotourism and
complete the notes below:
Tourism can be a good thing or a bad thing for local people and the environment.
It depends how responsible companies and individual tourists want to be.
Large numbers of tourists visiting villages and forests can damage the
environment in many ways. Paths get destroyed, trees are cut down to provide food
for building or fuel, people leave rubbish, and the extra noise frightens local wildlife.
Local people may start to work in the tourist industry, but not be paid fair wages.
Also, a lot of money from tourism goes to companies outside the area, so it doesn’t
help local people.
However, money from ecotourism can help to protect areas where animals and
plants are in danger. It can pay for nature conservation programmes, and the planting
of trees.
Ecotourism can help the economic development of local communities without
damaging their traditional lifestyles. Simple ways to do this include using locally-
owned hotels and restaurants, and employing local people as guides or advisers.

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 Negative effects of tourism Positive effects of ecotourism
- environment paths destroyed ……………………………….
……………………………. ………………………………..
- local people ……………………………. ………………………………..

b) Read the second part of the article and find the right definition for the underlined
words and expressions:
In many parts of the world, there are local projects to encourage ecotourism.
For example, national parks and nature reserves in Costa Rica offer nature-based
tours that are aimed at preserving the natural habitat and the local wildlife, including
some endangered species.
In northern Australia, cultural tours of aboriginal lands are very popular. This
means more employment for the local inhabitants and a better understanding of their
traditions.
In Nepal, some trekking companies give large amounts of money to community
projects such as building schools, buying the technology to use solar energy instead of
wood for heating, and providing fresh water for villages.

- The …………………………………. is where animals and plants normally live.

- …………………………………. are ideas, beliefs, and ways of doing things.
- …………………………………. are places where animals and plants are
protected.
- …………………………………. are activities that help all the people living in
one place.
- …………………………………. are people who live in a particular area.
- …………………………………. are animals, birds, plants, etc. in danger of
disappearing from the world.

Exercise 5. a) Watch the first part of a video about ecotourism and make a list of its
benefits:
- for the environment

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….
…………………………………………………………………………………………
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- for the community
….
…………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………
- for tourists
….
…………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………

b) Watch the second part of the video and write down the details of several principles
of responsible travelling:
1. …………………………………………………………………………
….
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2. …………………………………………………………………………
….
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3. …………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………
4. …………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………

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Exercise 6. Eco-Romania. Watch the video and answer these questions:
- How many fortified churches are there in southern Transylvania?
…………………………………………………………………………………………
- What is equestrian tourism?
…………………………………………………………………………………………
- How long are the cycle trails in the Transylvanian Highlands?
…………………………………………………………………………………………
- How many ecotourism destinations are there in Romania?
…………………………………………………………………………………………
- What is the cornerstone of ecotourism?
…………………………………………………………………………………………
- What is the ‘special quality’ of karst?
…………………………………………………………………………………………
- What is the function of a geopark?
…………………………………………………………………………………………
- What is the purpose of ecotourism?
…………………………………………………………………………………………
- What is the special trait of traditional Romanian food?
…………………………………………………………………………………………
- What are the seven Romanian ecotourism destinations defined by?
…………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………

Exercise 7. Look at some pictures and identify the locations:

.…………………………………… .……………………………………
.…………………………………… .……………………………………
.…………………………………… .……………………………………
.…………………………………… .……………………………………
.…………………………………… .……………………………………

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Exercise 8. Welcome to Romania! Read the following text about Romania and
discuss it, bringing your arguments for or against the ideas expressed in it:
Of all the Eastern European states, Romania probably suffers from the worst
reputation, owing mostly to the bleak years of Communism prior to the violent
revolution of 1989 and the tragedy of its abandoned children in the 1990s, as well as
more recent immigration anxieties.
Move beyond the media images, however, or the clichés of Dracula and creepy
Transylvanian castles, and you will discover a fascinating, dynamic country that exerts
an inexplicable pull even as it frustrates and bewilders you.
Romania’s citizens have retained their ‘seize the day’ mentality despite the
deprivations and repression of nearly half a century of Communist mismanagement.
While their country rushes zealously to embrace capitalism and conspicuous
consumption - a bruising recession notwithstanding - they still face the daily problems
of a transition economy, which they bear stoically with a shrug and a resigned ‘This is
Romania.’
Romanian life is not for the fainthearted. The massive bureaucracy, the occasional
curtness, the negative and limiting stereotypes of women and Roma, the appalling
poverty, and the risible behavior of the fiţoşi (the ill-mannered nouveau riche) can all be
dispiriting. Such drawbacks are more than outweighed by what Romania has to offer,
however. High on the plus side is a marvelous sense of ‘anything goes.’ Park right
across the sidewalk. Cell phone ringing in a concert? Just answer it. Feeling amorous
in the park? No problem. Running late? Don’t worry about it. There’s little you can do
here that will offend.
Romania also offers great business or career opportunities. Expatriate status
confers respect and authority. Here, the idea that’s been done a dozen times back home
is new on the market. Doing difficult things is simple in Romania (it’s the simple
things that are difficult to do), and Western money goes a long way.
But the biggest draw is the warmth of the people, and the wonderful feeling of
being in a place where something is happening. If you can negotiate the pitfalls, you’ll
discover a place that will continually surprise and challenge you - difficult, sometimes, to
live in, but almost impossible to leave.

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Exercise 9. The world without Romania. Have you ever wondered what the world
would be like without Romania? Watch the video and write down a few of the major
contributions and contributors that our country has brought to the progress of
civilization.

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Exercise 10. English Project III-1. Describe three tourist attractions or cultural
symbols of Romania (places and/or people).

NOTES

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