Question

Tourism probably started in Roman times. Rich Romans visited friends and family who were working in another part of the Roman Empire. But when the empire broke down，this kind of tourism stopped.

　　In the early 17th century, the idea of the “Grand Tour” was born. Rich young English people sailed across the English Channel（英吉利海峡）.They visited the most beautiful and important European cities of the time, including Paris in France, and Rome and Venice（威尼斯）in Italy. Their tours lasted for two to four years, and the tourists stayed a few weeks or months in each city. The “Grand Tour” was an important part of young people’s education—but only for the rich.

In the 18th century, tourism began to change. For example, people in the UK started to visit some towns, such as Bath to” take the waters”. They believed that the water there was good for their health. So large and expensive hotels were built in these towns.

　　In the 19th century, travel became much more popular and faster. When the first railways were built in the 1820s, it was easier for people to travel between towns, so they started to go for holidays by the sea. And some started to have holidays in the countryside as cities became larger, noisier and dirtier.

　　Traveling by sea also became faster and safer when the first steamships were built. People began to travel more to far away countries.

　　The 20th century saw cars become more and more popular among ordinary people. Planes were made larger, so ticket prices dropped and more people used them.

　　Thus tourism grew. In 1949, Russian journalist Vladimir Raitz started a company called Horizon Holidays. The company organizes everything—plane tickets, hotel rooms, even food—and tourists pay for it all before they leave home. The package tour and modern tourist industry was born.

　　The first travel agency in China was set up as early as 1949.But tourism did not take off until 1978.In 2002,the industry was worth 500 billion yuan and became an important part of China’s social development.

1.In the early times, the travelers ________.

A．all came from Roman

B．were very young and strong

C．had lots of money

D．traveled by boat

2.________ played the most important role in the tourism development.

A．Education

B．Money

C．Transportation

D．People’s ideas

3.Modern tourism was born ________.

A．in 1949	B．in Roman times
C．in the early 17th century	D．in the 19th century

4.The underlined phrase “take off” means ________.

A．a plane rising into the air

B．develop very fast

C．remove hats and clothes

D．bring down the prices

Answer

1.C

2.C

3.A

4.B

【解析】

试题分析：

1.C 细节题。根据第1,2段Rich Romans visited friends and family who were working in another part of the Roman Empire和Rich young English people sailed across the English Channel（英吉利海峡）说明一开始的时候，旅游是富人的游戏。故C正确。

2.C 推理题。根据文章4-8段说明每一个阶段旅游业的发展都离不开交通运输也的迅猛发展。故C正确。

3.A 细节题。根据文章倒数第二段In 1949, Russian journalist Vladimir Raitz started a company called Horizon Holidays. 和The package tour and modern tourist industry was born.说明A正确。

4.B 猜测词义题。根据本句.But tourism did not take off until 1978说明直到1978年中国的旅游业才开始发展，故该词应该指发展，故B正确。

考点：考查报告类短文阅读