3. Answer the following questions to the text.

1. What is happening to the ruined temples of Petra?

2. When and by whom were the ruins of Petra discovered?

3. What other tourist spots are under the threat of destruction?

4. Who started tourism?

5. What did Grand Tour mean in the 19^th century?

6. Who organized the first package tour?

7. How does tourism develop nowadays?

   • speak about the Mediterranean;

   • speak about the Alps;

   • speak about American national parks;

   • speak about Notre Dame in Paris;

   • speak about Venice;

8. What is the future of tourism in the author’s opinion?

9. What do you understand by the title of the article?

10. Is the author optimistic or pessimistic about the future of tourism? What do you think about it?

__________

Pre-reading task

1. Answer the questions.

1. Have you been to the Crimea?

2. Have you visited many tourist spots there?

3. Did you like it there? What did you like in particular?

4. Do you know any Crimean legends?

2. Read the text about the Crimean Peninsula. Text b

The Crimean Peninsula stretches southward into the Black Sea. The climate here is the mildest in Ukraine. Crowds of people come here to rest in summer and in early autumn. Rest-houses, sanatoria, tourist attractions, delightful surroundings, wonderful beaches along the southern coast, ancient cities famous for their unusual beauty, attract crowds of tourists.

It is especially interesting to visit Bakhchisaray, the former capital of the Tatar Khans. The narrow old-fashioned streets, small houses, the Khans' palace and the mosque (Muslim church) are really worth seeing. There is the famous Fountain of Tears in the Khans' palace. A very romantic legend is connected with it.

A Slavic girl Maria was captured by the Tatar hordes and brought to the palace. Khan Crym Hyrei fell in love with the girl and was ready to do whatever she wanted, except let her return home. Maria was desperate and died of sorrow and nostalgia.

The Khan was a cruel, brave and proud man, who did not know how to weep. But the suffering was too painful. So he asked an artist to carve a fountain of stone that would always weep for him.

The artist had once been taken from his home, too. He knew the Khan very well and, wondering over his feelings, he said, "If you are able to shed tears, then the stone will surely weep". And since then the fountain has been weeping for the beautiful girl, reminding all people of great love and sorrow and things lost in this cruel world.

There are some more very special places in the Crimea. They are the famous Swallow's nest, a magnificent castle on the rock in the sea, the Vorontsov palace with an absolutely splendid winter garden containing sculptures of exquisite beauty.

One more place should be mentioned here, that is the remnants of the ancient Greek city-colony Khersones, in the suburbs of Sevastopol. It is very quiet there, only the sea beats against the rocks of the cape, as it did hundreds of years ago. Many turbulent events have swept across this place. It is depicted on our One Hryvnia note, because it is connected with one of the most important events in the history of Kyivan Rus. They say that in that church Prince Volodymir the Great married the Greek princess Anna. The unity of the two powerful countries of those days was ensured.

The harbours of the Crimea are noted not only for their attractive sights, but they are very important for our country. The three Sevastopol bays house military and sometimes cargo ships. There are bays all along the coast with rocks sticking out of the sea. The water is clear here, and when the sea is calm, people come swimming and sun-bathing on the wonderful beaches.

But in winter the coast is quite abandoned. Even those, who have holidays in winter, postpone visiting the Crimea till summer.

Notes: cape - мис

аbandoned – покинутий, тут безлюдний

turbulent - бурхливий

swept across - пронеслися