2 BACHILLERATO READING

Read the text and answer the questions that follow.

	UNESCO World Heritage Site: A Blessing or a Curse?
I	With its narrow streets and picturesque wooden houses, the historic port town of Hoi An, Vietnam looks just like it did centuries ago. But looks are where the similarity ends. Since it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, nothing has really been the same.
II	This may sound ironic, since the purpose of giving World Heritage status to a site is actually to preserve it. World Heritage Sites, from the Taj Mahal to the Grand Canyon, are considered to be of such great value to mankind that they must be protected from being torn down or replaced by skyscrapers or parking lots.
III	However, small places like Hoi An can’t always deal with the consequences. Receiving the UNESCO listing encouraged a massive increase in tourism, from 160,300 visitors a year in 1999 to 1.6 million today. Most of the traditional structures, which were once people’s homes, now function as hotels, restaurants and nearly identical shops selling clothes, shoes and souvenirs.
IV	For the locals, basic services are nearly gone; the last pharmacy selling traditional medicine is now a souvenir shop. Prices have gone up so much that residents can no longer afford basic foods or a ride in a rickshaw, the local bicycle taxi. Many have left for the newer part of town. The result is that precisely the quality that attracted visitors in the first place – the town’s unique, authentic local culture – is being destroyed. Even the tourists are beginning to notice, saying they feel like they’ve come to a Vietnamese-style Disney theme park, with no real life and soul. Will tourists stop coming someday because of this?
V	Hoi An is just one example of many World Heritage Sites that have suffered in the same way, but UNESCO can’t take all the blame. With or without UNESCO, local cultures the world over are being lost as a result of modernisation and globalisation. As long as people keep seeking out fascinating new places to explore, it will take planning and effort to protect these unique cultures from the negative effects of tourism.

1  Choose the correct answer.

      1.   The first paragraph is ironic because ...... .

             a.   UNESCO has not achieved its goal in Hoi An

             b.   Hoi An looks like it did in the past

             c.   Hoi An has become a World Heritage Site

      2.   According to the text, how is Hoi An similar to a Disney theme park?

             a.   It’s commercialised.

             b.   The prices are very high.

             c.   It has a unique local culture.

2  Complete the sentences.

      1.   A Site cannot be torn down or replaced if it .........................................................................

             ....................................................................................................................................................  .

      2.   Basic foods and a ride in a rickshaw are now ....................................................................

             ....................................................................................................................................................  .

      3.   Hoi An is not the only ...............................................................................................................

             ....................................................................................................................................................  .

3  Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F). Find evidence in the text to justify your answers.

      ......   1.   Few people now live in the traditional structures in Hoi An.

                                                                                                                                                                   

      ......   2.   The traditional pharmacy now sells western medicines.

                                                                                                                                                                   

      ......   3.   UNESCO isn’t completely responsible for the loss of local cultures.

                                                                                                                                                                   

      ......   4.   Local cultures cannot be protected from the effects of tourism.

                                                                                                                                                                   

4  Rewrite the sentences without changing the original meaning.

      1.   Precisely the quality that attracted visitors is being destroyed by tourism.

             Tourism is ..................................................................................................................................

             ...................................................................................................................................................  .

      2.   Will tourists stop coming someday because of this?

             Will tourists refuse ....................................................................................................................

             ..................................................................................................................................................  ?

5  Find words or expressions in the text that mean the same as:

      1.   humanity (paragraph II)                     ...........................................................................

      2.   destroyed (paragraph II)                   ...........................................................................

      3.   looking for (paragraph V)                  ...........................................................................