LESSON 19 - sustainable
Word-of-the-week: SUSTAINABLE
Related expressions
1. sustainable - causing little or no damage to the environment and therefore able to continue for a long time
To preserve our environment we need to implement sustainable development in many aspects of business and technology.
2. fastidious - giving too much attention to small details and wanting everything to be correct and perfect
When I go on holiday I am very fastidious about how I pack my suitcase.
3. bustling - full of busy activity
I prefer to spend my holiday in a bustling town rather than in a quiet village.
4. off the beaten track - if a place is off the beaten track, it is away from where most people go or gather
Opening a shop off the beaten track may not be such a good idea as not many people will come in.
In context
Have you thought about where you will spend this summer? Are you looking for a bustling summer resort or a village off the beaten track? I believe that, now more than ever, environmentalists have started to protest against the devastation of the natural environment, especially when it concerns popular holiday destinations. There are places in the world that will soon close their doors to the holiday traveler or will cease to exist if sustainable tourism is not introduced. A good example of a destination that may disappear is the Maldives.
The Maldives may disappear altogether by 2100 due to global warming and rise in sea level. The Maldives is a popular honeymoon destination as well as a summer home for many Hollywood stars. The archipelago consists of many islands, some not inhabited, and coral reef atolls. The sandy white beaches with turquoise lagoons can satisfy even the most fastidious tourist. However, if world leaders do not seek solutions to reducing global warming these paradise islands will be a thing of the past in a few generations.
The Galapagos Islands are another world famous destination in danger. The islands that inspired Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution attract 120,000 tourists annually. The islands offer landscapes and animal species that can be found nowhere else in the world. There is no other wilderness that allows human beings to get so close to nature. The animals, having no predators, wander around the island not fearing humans. However, the Ecuadorian government has recently spoken of possibly reducing the number of tourists coming to the islands, as they threaten the ecosystem. Restricting the number of travelers and introducing sustainable tourism may preserve this wonder for future generations.
Read more
www.bbc.com
discovergalapagos
Listen and repeat
LISTENING/LESSON 19